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1 – 10 of 202Adriana Grigorescu, Adriana AnaMaria Davidescu, Eduard Mihai Manta, Cristina Maria Geambasu and Ionel Magdalena
Purpose: As a result of the transition from the paradigm of ‘knowledge and skills’ learning to the university of uncertainty, the concept of VUCA has grown for the revision of…
Abstract
Purpose: As a result of the transition from the paradigm of ‘knowledge and skills’ learning to the university of uncertainty, the concept of VUCA has grown for the revision of various adaptive models of educational practices.
Need for Study: The primary goal is to explore the research field of the educational system and learning environments; the investigation of scientific knowledge is enabled by bibliometric analysis, revealing through it the fluctuations of the literature.
Methodology: To better view the historical evolution of publications in the educational system field, two data samples were integrated into this study, with the focus of the chapter being on the authors, keywords, articles, journals, subject analysis, word cloud analysis, and cluster analysis. The first includes 1,620 Web of Science-recorded documents published between 1991 and 2022, and the second sample comprises 159 Scopus-recorded papers published between 1978 and 2022.
Findings: The first empirical results show that interest in this subject escalated around 2008. The main concerns around this research field are the labour market, teaching-learning, technology, economic development, the medical field, and sustainability. After 2020, a new subject took amplitude, seemingly connected to the educational system and learning environment, that subject being ’COVID-19.
Practical Implications: The relationship between authors, keywords, and sources is illustrated through Sankey diagrams, from which valuable information can be extracted: nine of the Scopus authors have published articles in the ‘Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management’ documents that present the following list of keywords: ‘higher education’, ‘education’, ‘management’, ‘leadership’, and ‘tertiary education’.
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Behnam Soltani and Michael Tomlinson
This study introduces a non-orthodox approach to the dominant policy-based approaches to graduate employability through contextualizing international students’ everyday…
Abstract
Purpose
This study introduces a non-orthodox approach to the dominant policy-based approaches to graduate employability through contextualizing international students’ everyday experiences within their educational and wider structural contexts of the labour market.
Design/methodology/approach
The study used narrative frames to collect data from 180 international students from China, Hong Kong, India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Nepal at a New Zealand tertiary institution. Narrative frames as a research tool in educational contexts are used to ellicit the experiences of individuals in the form of a story as participants reflect on their experience. The frames use sentence starters to draw responses from participants about their experiences (Barkhuizen and Wette, 2008).
Findings
This study argues that, through a socialization process, international students develop identities that fit an ever-changing labour market. This process is catalysed by a higher education landscape that produces career-ready subjects capable of appropriating different social spaces that prepare students and graduates to enter the labour market. Further, it argues that graduate employability should be understood as a complex process through which students and graduates socialise themselves through negotiating the socioacademic spaces by (1) familiarising themselves with the dominant workspace norms, (2) positioning themselves as more career-ready individuals, and (3) imagigining employable selves capable of meeting the needs of the job market.
Research limitations/implications
This study has limitations. Only one data collection source has been used. It would have been great to use narrative frames along with interviews. In addition, the data would have been stronger if the researcher could have used classroom observations, which could be a future initiative.
Practical implications
This study could provide practical insights to tertiary institutions about international students’ developing capabilities and identities so they could better prepare themselves for the world of work. Further, this study provides insights about some of the challenges that international students face in tertiary contexts to become career-ready. Hence, educators could employ strategies to better support these learners in their everyday learning spaces. This study also has useful benefits for future and current international students and international graduates regarding what investments they need to make so they can better socialize themselves in their tertiary and workplace practices.
Social implications
This study has social implications. It helps international students better understand the social, cultural and academic expectations of their host countries. Therefore, they could better socialize themselves into those practices and contribute more effectively to their academic and workplace communities. The study also helps academic and workplace institutions strategize more effectively to address the social and cultural needs of international graduates. The study also contributes to the social and cultural understanding of the teachers that engage with international students on a daily basis by helping them devise activities that better address these students’ and graduates’ needs.
Originality/value
The study adds theoretical and methodological value to the debates around graduate employability. It includes the voices of 180 students and unravels their day-to-day experiences of capability building and employability development from their own perspectives.
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Mery Citra Sondari, Adhi Indra Hermanu, Leli Nurlaeli and Deis Savitri Artisheila
This study aims to analyze the effectiveness and efficiency of research-based community service programs in Indonesia that used government funds in 2017–2021.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to analyze the effectiveness and efficiency of research-based community service programs in Indonesia that used government funds in 2017–2021.
Design/methodology/approach
The design of this research is a quantitative research method using a data envelopment analysis to evaluate 370 leading universities in Indonesia. Furthermore, six analytical models were considered to compare effectiveness and efficiency between universities. It involved two resource (budget and staff academic involved), three output (intellectual property, prototype and publication) and three outcome variables (economic impact, social impact and capacity building).
Findings
The findings showed that several universities are considered necessary, with great potential to increase output and outcome efficiency in community involvement. The study mapped and divided the position of 370 universities for additional information. The effectiveness aspect provides another perspective in assessing the performance of tertiary institutions in Indonesia and can be an option for evaluating research performance to improve the quality of output.
Originality/value
The authors use data from research and community service management information systems used, both the resources used and the results. Efficiency and effectiveness of 370 universities were compared in this study, including comparing their position on the previous assessment with the assessment of the results of this study. Approach to the concept of Mandl et al. (2008) regarding the relationship between input, output and outcome as the main component of the indicators, the authors apply to analyze efficiency and effectiveness.
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Benedict Ansere, Joshua Ayarkwa, Michael Nii Addy, Dickson Osei-Asibey and Ivy Maame Abu
This study aims to assess the awareness and knowledge level of procurement officers (POs) in Ghanaian tertiary educational institutions regarding sustainability in general and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to assess the awareness and knowledge level of procurement officers (POs) in Ghanaian tertiary educational institutions regarding sustainability in general and specifically on environmental sustainability in the Public Procurement Act 2003 (Act 663) as amended.
Design/methodology/approach
Through purposive sampling technique and face-to-face interviews using semi-structured open-ended questions, qualitative data was collected from 19 POs who are well vested in the procurement profession and willingly agreed to partake in the research. The qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis technique to help organize and elicit meaning from the data collected and to draw realistic conclusions from it.
Findings
The results showed that most POs were aware of the Public Procurement Act 2003 (Act 663) as amended, primarily through seminars and workshops organized by the Public Procurement Authority. The interviewees demonstrated a good understanding of sustainable procurement, considering its social, environmental and economic aspects. However, one respondent primarily associated sustainability with only environmental issues. The POs were, however, of the view that the Amended Act 914 (2016) does not give detailed highlights on environmental sustainability, making implementation very difficult, especially regarding the procurement of goods. Overall, the findings indicate a positive level of environmental sustainability awareness and knowledge among the interviewed POs regarding the Public Procurement Act 2003 (Act 663) as amended.
Social implications
The findings from the study could be used by policymakers to strategize educational campaigns by using the POs’ knowledge and awareness to the implementers of Act 663 (2003) as amended to effectively ensure environmental sustainability in procurement practices. The findings from the study have also contributed to the literature on procurement policy by drawing the attention of policy formulators to give equal attention to all the sustainability pillars, i.e. social, economic and environmental. This would consequently help the implementers to contribute to achieving sustainable development.
Originality/value
This study is one of the few empirical qualitative types of research seeking the views of POs in tertiary educational institutions in Ghana on sustainability and environmental sustainability as enshrined in the Public Procurement Act 2003 (Act 663) as amended. The findings give positive feedback to policymakers on the knowledge and awareness level of the POs on environmental sustainability and highlight the importance of awareness programmes and educational initiatives by the Public Procurement Authority and other stakeholders to ensure compliance with the Act.
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This study aims to assess the spread of environmental literacy graduation requirements at public universities in the USA, and to highlight factors that mediate the adoption of…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to assess the spread of environmental literacy graduation requirements at public universities in the USA, and to highlight factors that mediate the adoption of this curriculum innovation.
Design/methodology/approach
The author analyzed the undergraduate general education curriculum requirements at all 549 public BA-granting higher education institutions in the USA between 2020 and 2022.
Findings
The study found that only 27 US public universities out of 540 have an environmental literacy graduation requirement, which represents 5% of universities and is substantially lower than previous estimates.
Originality/value
First, this study provides a more complete, more reliable and more current assessment of the graduation requirement’s presence at US tertiary institutions, and shows the number of universities that have implemented this innovation is lower than was estimated a decade ago. Second, it draws from the scholarship on the infusion of sustainability into the university curriculum to provide a comprehensive discussion of factors that mediate the pursuit and implementation of the graduation requirement. As well, it identifies factors that played a key role in one pertinent case.
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Isaac Nyarko Adu, Angela Duoduaa Nyarko-Tetteh and Michael Kyei-Frimpong
This study aims to examine students' experiences of sexual harassment (SH) in higher education institutions (HEIs) in Ghana as well as their coping strategies.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine students' experiences of sexual harassment (SH) in higher education institutions (HEIs) in Ghana as well as their coping strategies.
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopted the cross-sectional descriptive survey research design and used the convenience sampling technique to sample 926 students from four public Universities in Ghana. The data collected were analyzed using an independent-sample t-test with the aid of IBM SPSS Statistics version 23.0.
Findings
The study found no significant difference in male and female students' experience of gender harassment and unwanted SH. Additionally, female students were sexually coerced considerably more than males. In the case of coping strategies, the study found no significant differences among male and female students use of passive coping strategies. Finally, the study found significant differences among male and female students use of active, self-blame and benign coping strategies.
Practical implications
This implies that specific attention is required when students experience SH since they may be exposed to more aggressive sexual behavior.
Originality/value
The originality of this present study rest on its unique contribution by exploring the prevalent SH and coping strategies among tertiary students in HEIs in Ghana.
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This article focuses on the assessment of entrepreneurship competence by selected vocational teachers in Italy. The exploratory research question addresses the extent to which…
Abstract
Purpose
This article focuses on the assessment of entrepreneurship competence by selected vocational teachers in Italy. The exploratory research question addresses the extent to which entrepreneurship assessments are competence based, and the research seeks to identify fully fledged assessment programmes with both a formative and summative component, and the use of assessment rubrics. It also explores the extent to which entrepreneurship competence is referred to in school documentation and later assessed, and the tools and strategies used for such assessment.
Design/methodology/approach
This case study is part of a larger European research project promoted by Cedefop; in Italy it focused on six selected vocational IVET and CVET programmes and apprenticeship schemes. It used a wide range of instruments to ensure triangulation and multiple perspectives: analysed policy documents and undertook online interviews with experts and policy makers. At VET providers' premises it deployed: analysis of school documents; observations of learning environments; interviews and focus groups with (in schools) teachers, directors and vice directors, learners and alumni (in companies) instructors, company tutors and employers, apprentices and alumni.
Findings
Assessment tasks were rarely embedded within fully fledged assessment programmes involving both formative and summative tasks, and assessment rubric for grading. Most of the time, entrepreneurship programmes lacked self-assessment, peer assessment and structured feedback and did not involve learners in the assessment process. Some instructors coached the students, but undertook no clear formative assessment. These findings suggest institutions have a testing culture with regard to assessment, at the level of both policy and practice. In most cases, entrepreneurship competence was not directly assessed, and learning outcomes were only loosely related to entrepreneurship.
Research limitations/implications
One limitation concerned the selection of the VET providers: these were chosen not on a casual basis, but because they ran programmes that were relevant to the development of entrepreneurship competence.
Practical implications
At the policy level, there is a need for new guidelines on competence development and assessment in VET, guidelines that are more aligned with educational research on competence development. To ensure the development of entrepreneurship competence, educators need in-service training and a community of practice.
Originality/value
So far, the literature has concentrated on entrepreneurship education at the tertiary level. Little is known about how VET instructors assess entrepreneurship competence. This study updates the picture of policy and practice in Italy, illustrating how entrepreneurship competence is developed in selected IVET and CVET programmes and apprenticeships.
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Phebe Hassana Obaka, Seyi Julian Adelegan and Leonard Shaibu
The level of deterioration of educational facilities, such as leaking classroom roofs, inadequate good seats, obsolete offices, broken shutters and doors, outdated school…
Abstract
Purpose
The level of deterioration of educational facilities, such as leaking classroom roofs, inadequate good seats, obsolete offices, broken shutters and doors, outdated school buildings, power plants and office equipment like ICT media, laboratories, offices and workshops, despite the involvement of Alumni association in the maintenance of educational facilities for the effective actualization of school objectives was a worrisome nightmare in Kogi state. This, therefore, prompted the researchers to explore the Alumni’s participation in plant maintenance for effective implementation of the universal basic education (UBE) programme in public junior secondary schools in Kogi state. The purpose of this study was guided by the research question which stated that to what extent does the Alumni Association participate in plant maintenance for effective implementation of the UBE programme in public junior secondary schools in Kogi state?
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative research approach using a descriptive survey was adopted for the study. The sample was drawn using a proportionate stratified sampling technique comprising 387 participants which consisted of 191 (49%) urban junior secondary school principals and 196 (51%) rural principals in selected UBE junior secondary schools. Alumni’s Participation in Plant Maintenance Questionnaire was used as an instrument for data collection. The data were analysed with the aid of mean and standard deviation for the research question and z-test statistics at 0.05 level of significance and the value of z-crit. of 1.96 was used to determine the rejection or otherwise of the hypotheses.
Findings
The descriptive analysis revealed that the average mean set of 2.64 pointed to the fact that the respondents averagely agreed that there was a high extent to which Alumni participate in plant maintenance in urban than rural areas for effective implementation of the UBE programme in public junior secondary schools in Kogi state. This indicates that Alumni contribute to the management of UBE schools in Kogi state, especially in the areas of funding, infrastructural facilities, discipline, politics and quality control. This finding also shows that the contributions of the alumni to educational institutions are still unclear if they have made contributions to education in some areas and none in other areas making their relevance to plant maintenance unclear.
Research limitations/implications
In terms of practical implications, the study has contributed to knowledge in that it is the first of this form of a study carried out in Kogi state, and as such the findings of the research will make contributions to the physique of information on plant maintenance for the profitable implementation of the UBE programme in Kogi state. Besides, the degree of plant preservation for the implementation of the UBE programme among applicable stakeholders in Kogi state is nevertheless at a low extent.
Originality/value
Researchers have conducted studies that show how non-state Alumni members contribute to the administration of education across different states. Some of these studies revealed that Alumni members have assisted schools in the provision of teaching and learning materials at the senior secondary or tertiary education level. There are no sufficient studies to show how these Alumni members have contributed to the implementation of the free education programme, especially in public junior secondary schools in Kogi state and this is the gap this study intends to fill.
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Vanessa Amaro and Manuel João Pires
To explore the interplay between human translators and AI tools, focusing on tertiary students' perceptions in the context of Portuguese-Chinese translations in Macao.
Abstract
Purpose
To explore the interplay between human translators and AI tools, focusing on tertiary students' perceptions in the context of Portuguese-Chinese translations in Macao.
Design/methodology/approach
This research employed a mixed-methods approach. Quantitative surveys were complemented by qualitative responses. Qualitative class observations (participant and non-participant) and autoethnography further enriched the insights. Participants included undergraduate and postgraduate students in translation studies from the Macao Polytechnic University.
Findings
The data revealed a dual perspective: appreciation for AI’s efficiency contrasted with concerns about its potential to overshadow human touch in translations, especially in cultural nuances. Views on integrating AI into curricula were diverse, but a balanced, synergistic approach between human expertise and AI efficiency emerged as a common theme.
Originality/value
This study offers a fresh perspective by integrating various methodologies, capturing both statistical and experiential insights on the evolving relationship between AI and human translation efforts in academia.
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Jean C. Essila and Jaideep Motwani
This study aims to focus on the supply chain (SC) cost drivers of healthcare industries in the USA, as SC costs have increased 40% over the last decade. The second-most…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to focus on the supply chain (SC) cost drivers of healthcare industries in the USA, as SC costs have increased 40% over the last decade. The second-most significant expense, the SC, accounts for 38% of total expenses in a typical hospital, while most other industries can operate within 10% of their operating cost. This makes healthcare centers supply-chain-sensitive organizations with limited facilities for high-quality healthcare services. As the cost drivers of healthcare SC are almost unknown to managers, their jobs become more complex.
Design/methodology/approach
Guided by pragmatism and positivism paradigms, a cross-sectional study has been designed using quantitative and deductive approaches. Both primary and secondary data were used. Primary data were collected from health centers across the country, and secondary data were from healthcare-related databases. This study examined the attributes that explain the most significant variation in each contributing factor. With multiple regression analysis for predicting cost and Student's t-tests for the significance of contributing factors, the authors of this study examined different theories, including the market-based view and five-forces, network and transaction cost analysis.
Findings
This study revealed that supply, materials and services represent the most significant expenses in primary care. Supply-chain cost breakdown results in four critical factors: facility, inventory, information and transportation.
Research limitations/implications
This study examined the data from primary and secondary care institutions. Tertiary and quaternary care systems were not included. Although tertiary and quaternary care systems represent a small portion of the healthcare system, future research should address the supply chain costs of highly specialized organizations.
Practical implications
This study suggests methods that can help to improve supply chain operations in healthcare organizations worldwide.
Originality/value
This study presents an empirically proven methodology for testing the statistical significance of the primary factors contributing to healthcare supply chain costs. The results of this study may lead to positive policy changes to improve healthcare organizations' efficiency and increase access to high-quality healthcare.
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