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Because strong oral communication skills have well-known academic, social, and professional benefits, they are increasingly targeted and reinforced throughout general education programs in higher education. In these efforts, public speaking assignments most often ask students to discuss information they have previously written about (e.g., theses defenses, position statements, research papers). This article presents a reverse approach—using short oral presentations to prepare students for subsequent written assignments. Previous studies have found that students will more closely read and evaluate source materials when they must articulate the information orally for an audience. Integrating oral presentations in the writing process gives students practice with language and vocabulary, but maybe more importantly, it also has the potential to increase students' self-efficacy—their confidence in their ability to understand and successfully complete additional research-related activities—which can, in turn, positively affect engagement and retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research and practice have recognized the importance of informal learning—a specific type of active learning—for higher education contexts. University students learn not only in formally organized courses, but also in a self-directed and intentional way from fellow students, through trial and error, and by reflection. However, there has been a lack of valid measures to operationalize students' informal learning. In this study, we thus develop the Informal Student Learning (ISL) scale for higher education, building on the Octagon Model of Informal Workplace Learning and the model's associated measure from the vocational learning context. Our scale contains eight components with three items each. Using three samples of university students (N = 545, N = 818, N = 310), we examined the model structure of ISL and the scale's validity in an international context. The results show that the conceptual structure of informal workplace learning and informal student learning is similar for intent to learn and reflection, but different for experience/action and feedback. Examining validity, we found evidence for concurrent validity in terms of study-related self-efficacy and academic performance, and for convergent and discriminant validity indicators of the eight ISL components. The scale has configural and metric measurement invariance for age, gender, and academic achievement, and additionally scalar invariance for age. Potential applications of the new measure in the context of active learning for research, for lecturers, and for students are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the effects of four types of cyber entrepreneurship courses on entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE) and intention. It is based on Social Cognitive Theory and Regulatory Focus Theory, which takes Chinese college students as the research objects. Design/methodology/approach: Approximately 101 senior business school students who had participated in all cyber entrepreneurship courses were selected to complete the horizontal analysis. Approximately 317 students from different grades who had participated in different cyber entrepreneurship courses were selected for the multi-group analysis (MGA) for the longitudinal comparison. Findings: The results show that different cyber entrepreneurship courses may trigger Chinese students' positive or defensive mechanisms for cyber entrepreneurship and affect their ESE and intentions. The impact of cyber entrepreneurship theoretical courses on Chinese students' entrepreneurial intentions is not significant, and self-efficacy has no mediating effect between cyber entrepreneurial theory courses and intentions. Originality/value: This study helps teachers and policymakers to better understand the impacts of cyber entrepreneurship courses and to adopt proper teaching contents and methods for diversity goals. It also has reference value in theoretical and practical perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition into higher education (HE) is a particularly challenging process for students due to a large variety of difficulties and requirements. Moreover, increasing student numbers and diversity in European HE have complexified the issue of the successful transition to university. Consequently, it is important to further develop our understanding of the heterogeneity of students and the specific challenges that impact their successful and less stressful transitions into higher education. This paper contributes to this scientific endeavour. More precisely, a study was carried out among 1,048 first-year students from a French-speaking Belgian university. Using latent profile analysis, our results yielded five profiles representing different combinations of achievement predictors (high school grade, socio-economic status, informed-choice, and self-efficacy beliefs). When comparing the profiles, our results further highlighted key differences in the way students experienced the specific challenges associated with the transition and succeeded at the end of the first year. The discussion of the results allowed us to provide practical implications and future perspectives on the thorny issue of diversity into the transition to HE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retention and progression issues are complex problems that need to be addressed by the Higher Education sector. This paper views the academic self-efficacy of students as an important matter which is linked to retention and progression. The study employs online student surveys to analyse the differences in self-efficacy among year one students on accounting and finance, and business undergraduate programmes at a United Kingdom university with a widening participation agenda. The study references student discussion forums to share the voices of year one students, exploring how confident they feel about their ability to progress. It finds no association between performance and ethnicity, but that student performance is associated with gender and type of entry qualification. The social aspect of learning, and its value in supporting sources of academic self-efficacy, is a theme which emerged strongly in the forums. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to examine the mediating role of job crafting in the relationship between self-efficacy in teaching and research (termed 'academic self-efficacy') and organisational commitment among academics. Three hundred and thirty-two academics from nine higher educational institutions in Zhejiang Province and Shanghai, mainland China, participated in this study through responding to three self-report inventories: the Research-Teaching Efficacy Inventory, the Job Crafting Inventory, and the Organisational Commitment Inventory. Results suggested that academic self-efficacy predicted organisational commitment both directly and indirectly through job crafting (especially increasing structural and social job resources) after controlling for age, gender, academic rank, and academic disciplines taught. The findings enrich the literature on self-efficacy, job crafting, and organisational commitment. Furthermore, this study has practical implications for academics and university senior managers in their respective efforts to develop academics' adaptive organisational commitment and enhance the quality of university teaching and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Undergraduate research experiences can have a powerful impact on career aspirations and research skills, particularly among students from historically underrepresented groups. This study explores the conference-going experiences of first-generation, Mexican American undergraduates from migrant/seasonal farmworker backgrounds in the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) at Arizona State University. Our research affirms that undergraduate conference participation strengthens students' sense of self-efficacy, or their ability to incorporate existing skills and competencies into their academic identities. However, conference experiences were most impactful when students experienced their cultural and academic identities as integrated. CAMP students also saw their development of self-efficacy through conference experiences as relational and connected to their ability to "give back" to their communities. Undergraduate research experiences can be integrated with a "border pedagogy" approach that brings students' cultural knowledge into dialogue with academic knowledge production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on data collected from multiple sources, this qualitative case study investigates how seven English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) academics from a university in mainland China perceive and cope with their professional vulnerability within the system of performativity. Three themes were generated from the data: (1) professional vulnerability as a state of conformity and self-learning, (2) professional vulnerability as a state of constrained agency, and (3) professional vulnerability as a state of disengagement. The findings not only reflect the complex and dynamic nature of EFL academics' professional vulnerability, but also unpack numerous contextual and personal factors mediating EFL academics' experiences of professional vulnerability. The paper ends with some practical implications on how to mitigate the negative influences that vulnerability has on EFL academics' professional practice within the system of performativity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The central aim of this study was to determine the potential of the GPS-based MCL system for English learning in terms of its relationship with learning achievements. For this, the research enrolled 51 students of Moscow Aviation Institute, National Research University (Moscow, Russian Federation) aged 20 to 22, 35% were males, and 65% were females. The paper defined the predictors of self-efficacy, self-regulation, and academic success. The main research tool was represented by 7-point Likert scale questionnaire surveys. The calculation of Cronbach's alphas allowed concluding that they were sufficiently reliable insofar as the values obtained for the questionnaires on respondents' self-regulation, self-efficacy, the use of GPS-based MCL system, and this system's perceived usefulness and simplicity equaled 0.78, 0.89, 0.84, and 0.84, respectively. Overall, the experiment outcomes uncovered that student self-regulation and self-efficacy do influence learning outcomes and can even predict future academic performance. There was a significant difference in the results of pre- and post-testing conducted before and after the implementation of the GPS-based MCL system with the upward trend observed. Alongside this, the mean scores for the perceived usefulness and ease of use of the proposed MCL system constituted 4.96 and 5.28 (on a 7-point scale). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assessed the self-efficacy (SE) gains of higher education students concerning the inclusion of people with disabilities throughout the delivery of a face-to-face training course with a duration of four months, comprising 28 sessions of two hours each. A sample of 158 sports sciences undergraduates (109 intervention group, 49 control group; 69.4% males, 31.6% female) from two Spanish universities took part in this study. The content of the course was based on three blocks: 1) concepts of adapted physical activity and disability awareness; 2) inclusion in physical education; and 3) para-sports, including teaching about the Paralympics and other para-sports for people with disabilities. Simulation was a main teaching strategy across the content blocks – i.e. limitations of body functions, simulating inclusive physical education settings, or practising different para-sports. Significant improvements were found in participants' perception of SE when responding in a physical education scenario that requires the inclusion of an individual with an intellectual, physical, or visual disability (p < 0.01, moderate-to-large effect sizes). An undergraduate course that combines information, different types of contact with people with disabilities, and simulation seems effective to improve SE among pre-service physical educators in relation to the inclusion in their sessions of students with disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information literacy has become an essential element of the student learning process due to the current information overload that university students face. The world is in the information age where the options for access to information is changing daily. University students need to be information literate to be able to use information responsibly and ethically. This article describes the third cycle of an action research study that sought to investigate the merit of integrating information literacy that is aligned to an acceptable framework into the curriculum of an institution of higher learning by assessing students' perceptions before and after an information literacy intervention. First-year undergraduate students at University of Guyana responded to an online questionnaire and participated in online interviews to share perceptions of their information literacy competencies during the second semester of academic year 2021/2022. SPSS was used to analyze the quantitative data and the qualitative data was coded to identify common themes. The results of the study revealed information literacy courses positively impacted students' perceptions of their information literacy self-efficacy, skills, and attitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the need for data justice in higher education and how technology and data use in student affairs can be more equitable and student-centered. Topics discussed include the challenges of surveillance and data collection, the potential for harm from data-driven technologies, and the importance of transparency, trust, and empowerment in data use.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, courses in higher education have increasingly been delivered via asynchronous online modalities. Although such modalities may allow instructors and students greater flexibility in how they engage with their courses, they increase the self-regulatory challenges learners experience. Students may feel less capable of regulating their learning in web-based modalities, which may increase procrastination and lower academic performance. Alternatively, students who procrastinate in their asynchronous courses may become convinced that they lack the self-regulatory skills needed to succeed. Little research has examined these relationships. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine these self-regulatory processes, the challenges students experience in asynchronous classes, and possible effects on academic performance. Undergraduate students (N = 1,216) attending a public U.S. university responded to closed – and open-ended survey items in Fall 2020. A cross-lagged panel model revealed the interdependency of self-efficacy for self-regulation and academic procrastination, and their relationship with course performance. Findings suggest that students' beliefs in their self-regulatory capabilities and their procrastination behaviors are related to each other and jointly contribute to course performance. Students described time management difficulties as the most challenging aspect of asynchronous online learning. Integration of quantitative and qualitative data revealed several unique challenges experienced by students who had relatively higher or lower self-efficacy and procrastination. Overall, this study suggests implications for the timely support of college students' self-regulation in asynchronous online learning courses during and after COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the wake of many emergent challenges facing higher education institutes (HEIs), this paper investigates the role of student empowerment in achieving desirable academic and experiential outcomes. Drawing on the self-determination and ownership theories, the study explores how students' satisfaction and perceived learning can be improved through their involvement in various activities within and beyond classrooms. It is further posited that such involvement encourages empowerment and fosters psychological ownership, which is critical for meeting the aforementioned holistic outcomes. The study deploys a mixed-method research design and uses Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to analyse the data collected from the sample of 428 students. Besides supporting the majority of the proposed hypotheses, the results establish psychological ownership to be a crucial link between student empowerment and educational outcomes. More significantly, the findings demonstrate the importance of carefully considered and planned involvement practices in achieving such outcomes. To this end, the paper discusses and offers several recommendations and implementation pathways that could potentially serve as a playbook for the instructors and administrators at various HEIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, flipping classrooms has become a popular topic of discussion. However, few previous studies have focused on the effect of the flow experience on programming self-efficacy. To address this gap, the present researchers developed a model that included six research hypotheses. The study applied a flipped classroom model to a programming course in order to examine the relationship between self-efficacy, flow experience, and learning performance in a flipped programming course. The research model was empirically examined using a survey to collect data from 46 college students in Taiwan. Programming courses were conducted for 180 minutes once a week, with six weeks of total teaching time. The findings of this study indicate that there is a positive relationship between programming self-efficacy and enjoyment, engagement, and flow control. The study also revealed that certain important implications and factors to improve the design and delivery of such courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored the effects of three factors (feedback occasion, type of feedback, and year level) on self-efficacy and emotions when university students self-assessed. 126 higher education students from three different year levels self-assessed their performance on a writing task two times (before and after receiving feedback). Self-efficacy and emotions were measured via self-report at three times (a baseline before self-assessment, after self-assessment without feedback, and after self-assessment with feedback). Feedback was provided in one of three conditions (rubric vs. instructor's feedback vs. combined) to which the participants were randomly assigned. In general, rubric feedback showed the strongest effects on self-efficacy and emotions (i.e. increased positive and decreased negative emotions). Year level was significant for self-efficacy, showing that the effect of university schooling experience enhances this variable. This study shows the impact that feedback has on self-efficacy and emotions while self-assessing, with an especially positive effect for rubric feedback. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identity-driven theories of desistance provide a useful model for understanding change in a carceral context. However, these theories often are not grounded in specific programmes or practices that might catalyze identity shift, and tend to focus narrowly on recidivism as the sole outcome of interest. In this study, we examine the role of prison higher education in identity-driven change through the process of transformative learning. Using administrative information on college-level course completion and an original longitudinal survey of prison college students, we show evidence of both between- and within-subjects shifts in individuals' sense of self-efficacy, as well as their broader civic orientation. We further explore the role of identity using a survey experiment that randomly assigns individuals to a "student" versus "prisoner" identity label. We find that identity labelling has significant effects on both confidence in accomplishing one's goals and perceived likelihood of recidivism. We supplement these quantitative findings with qualitative interviews of prison college alumni. Our study suggests that access to higher education can be consequential for those in prison, and provides a broader framework through which to analyze the effects of prison programming that extends beyond recidivism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we explore how first-generation status and type of research experience are associated with undergraduate students' research self-efficacy and research outcome expectancy during their early research experiences using the framework of social cognitive career theory. Third- and fourth-year undergraduates (n = 242, 45% first-generation) at an urban public research university in the southern United States completed the Research Self-Efficacy Scale (RSES) and the Research Outcome Expectancy Questionnaire (ROEQ). Structural equation modeling results indicated that participation in mentored research activities outside of class was positively related to student research self-efficacy and research outcome expectations. First-generation status was not significantly related to research self-efficacy or research outcome expectations. High research self-efficacy was related to higher research outcome expectancy for all RSES subscales. For all students, participating in mentored research experiences beyond in-class research assignments was predictive of higher research self-efficacy and outcome expectancy, with higher research self-efficacy acting as a mediator between mentored research experiences and research outcome expectancy. Implications for research and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated visual arts college students' perceptions of the gender stereotyping of creativity and the influence of this stereotyping on creative self‐efficacy. The sample consisted of 1198 Chinese visual arts college students. The results showed that (a) both male and female students identified stereotypically masculine traits as more important to creativity than stereotypically feminine traits are, (b) male students demonstrated higher creative self‐efficacy than their female counterparts did, and (c) students' gender significantly moderated the effect of the gender stereotyping of creativity on creative self‐efficacy. Specifically, the gender stereotyping of creativity had a positive effect on male students and a negative effect on female students. These findings revealed that gender stereotypes dominate concepts of creativity in Chinese art education and may hinder female students' development of creative self‐efficacy, resulting in gendered inequality in the visual arts field. The implications of these findings for visual arts education in China are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to examine the perceptions of undergraduate students studying early childhood education who took an academic course in which transformative pedagogy is adopted as part of a holistic approach designed to create transformative change and strengthen the students' self-efficacy for sustainability, and thus, help reduce the environmental crisis in which we live. Design/methodology/approach: By means of a phenomenological approach, this exploratory qualitative research used three research tools, reflection analysis, drawing analysis and analysis of course summary work, to identify changes in the perceptions of students undertaking the course. Data analysis was based on an inductive approach and included first- and second-cycle coding. Findings: The results of the study show that the transformative pedagogy adopted in the course created transformative change in the students' knowledge, attitudes, emotions and self-efficacy to act to reduce the climate crisis, not just through recycling. Research limitations/implications: The study was conducted with a relatively small, single class of undergraduate early childhood education students. The impact of certain activities may be different in larger classes. The gender imbalance, with the majority of students being female adds a further limitation. Male students may have different perspectives than female students, and those with different backgrounds and interests may respond differently. Practical implications: This study provides some important insights into how sustainability education can be applied in a higher education curriculum. The study also contributes to the current dialogue on sustainability education by providing a rich description of how students experience alternative approaches to teaching in the field. Originality/value: This study demonstrates how environmental action can be integrated in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the impact of providing teacher feedback on answers to guiding questions in the online environment of a flipped classroom setting. Participants were second year bachelor students enrolled in the "Invertebrates" courses (N = 104) at the School of Education in CanTho University (Vietnam), and were randomly assigned to two research conditions: (1) With extra feedback (WEF, n = 52) and (2) No extra feedback (NEF, n = 52) in a flipped classroom setting. One way repeated measure ANOVA was used to analyze learning performance, self-efficacy beliefs, and appreciation of feedback. The findings reflect significantly higher learning performance of students studying in the WEF-condition. In addition, significant changes were observed in their self-efficacy beliefs and appreciation of feedback. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students must take responsibility for their learning and participate in learning activities to achieve the purpose of learning activities in distance education. Students' service quality perceptions, attitudes, and self-efficacy regarding distance education are important variables in this context. To that end, this study investigates the higher education students' service quality perceptions, attitudes, and general self-efficacy about distance education. The study results determined a positive relationship between students' service quality perceptions and attitudes and that self-efficacy perception and attitude variables predict service quality perception, while students' service quality perceptions, attitudes, and self-efficacy do not differ by gender. Another finding of the study is that the service quality perceptions and attitudes of the students differ by the device used in the online learning process. Within the scope of these results obtained in the study, some implications for practitioners and researchers conducting distance education in the higher education environment are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meaningful student participation is essential to realizing democratic ideals within the university. However, existing structures for involving students within university governance suffer from a variety of shortcomings, leaving scholars calling for ways to make student participation more inclusive, effective, and thoughtful. To address this challenge, this article draws on deliberative democracy as both a theoretical framework and a source of practical innovation. In doing so, it explores the ways in which student participation in university government both does, and could, contribute to universities' 'deliberative capacity'—that is, their capacity to host inclusive, authentic, and consequential deliberation on shared issues. By evaluating the most prominent forms of student participation against these democratic ideals, the article offers a deliberative democratic critique of student participation that coheres, builds on, and gives new significance to existing criticisms. In response, the article then introduces deliberative mini-publics as a democratic innovation which, while of increasing significance in the public sphere, has been neglected in the university context. Drawing on empirical literature to account for universities' unique institutional realities, the article ultimately demonstrates mini-publics' potential to bolster deliberative capacity in university governance, both in terms of introducing deliberative inputs into decision-making and by cultivating the abilities and environment which support deliberative governance more generally. In all, by bringing together higher education and political scholarship, this work advances theory on student participation and university governance and offers novel directions for university practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A teacher–researcher searched for and defined theoretical principles in the literature that could be used as a basis for teaching high-school students who were struggling in mathematics (in a regular-level mathematics classroom) and could offer a framework to design tasks to encourage a problem-solving, thinking classroom. After identifying 13 principles, she refined them to a list of nine. Over the duration of the academic year, she designed lessons for two high-school classes (one Grade 11 and one Grade 12; 300 lessons in total) according to the principles to promote her class's group problem-solving skills, carefully documented them all, and then analysed her findings. The principles identified pertain mainly to awareness of how to promote active thinking and meta-cognition, explicit heuristic strategies for problem-solving, and using worked examples. All these to allow students (not only struggling) to build a general schema for approaching problem-solving with increasing efficiency. Two authentic class scenarios demonstrate how specific principles were applied and their effect on problem-solving efficiency in the classes. The findings suggest that introducing these principles into the class culture can offer a significant way to improve group problem-solving skills and, in particular, involve struggling students in the class discussions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Automated writing evaluation (AWE) has been used increasingly to provide feedback on student writing. Previous research typically focused on its inter-rater reliability with human graders and validation frameworks. The limited body of research has only discussed students' attitudes or perceptions in general. A systematic investigation of the driving factors contributing to students' acceptance is still lacking. This study proposes an extended technology acceptance model (TAM) to identify the environmental, individual, educational, and systemic factors that influence college students' acceptance of AWE feedback and examine how they affect college students' usage intention. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the quantitative survey data from 448 Chinese college students who had used AWE feedback for at least one semester. Results revealed that students' behavioral intention to use AWE feedback was affected by the subjective norm, facilitating conditions, perceived trust, AWE self-efficacy, cognitive feedback, and system characteristics. Among them, subjective norm, perceived trust, and cognitive feedback positively influenced perceived usefulness; facilitating conditions, AWE self-efficacy, and system characteristics were significant determinants of perceived ease of use; anxiety played no role for experienced users. Implications from these findings to AWE developers and practitioners are further elaborated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remedial education is defined as the programmes provided by education institutions to help unprepared students reinforce their basic skills. Recently, the increased access to higher education has caused a higher dropout rate of science and engineering major students, especially when they are academically underprepared for college-level study. Thus, this study proposes a new type of remedial programme which helps students majoring in science-related foundation courses for their follow-up learning. Literature about the effectiveness of remedial education is inconsistent and how this new remedial education program affects students' learning achievement is not well understood. Thus, this study aims to examine how remedial courses change students' attitudes and improve learning performance. Our findings indicate that: (1) remedial education significantly enhances the students' academic achievement; (2) remedial education quality affects students' course satisfaction and achievements through self-efficacy. We hope these findings bring more insights into research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Sustainable development requires multiple stakeholders to work and learn across practices, in other words, it requires boundary crossing competence. To prepare students for their future sustainability professions, higher education should facilitate the development of boundary crossing competence in its curricula. This study aims to confirm whether boundary crossing learning can be stimulated by workshop-based support in multi-stakeholder projects. Design/methodology/approach: This quasi-experimental intervention study (N = 122) investigates the effect of a series of supporting workshops on students' boundary crossing learning in multi-stakeholder projects. The workshops allowed students to adopt four learning mechanisms (identification, coordination, reflection and transformation) theorised to stimulate learning across boundaries between practices. Students followed zero, one, or two workshops. By analysing the student learning reports, the study examines the effect of the workshop intervention on students' self-efficacy for stakeholder collaboration, the number of reported student-stakeholder collaborative activities and the reported boundary crossing learning mechanisms. Findings: The results show that a series of two workshops increase the number of reported collaborative activities and activates the students' boundary crossing learning in terms of reflection and transformation. Research limitations/implications: These findings support the evidence-based design of multi-stakeholder learning environments for sustainable development and contribute to the body of knowledge regarding learning across practices. Originality/value: Boundary crossing competence receives increasing attention as an asset for sustainable development. The added value of this study lies in its confirmation that the boundary crossing theory can be translated into directed educational support that can stimulate students' boundary crossing learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Providing teachers with innovative teaching approaches that combine simulation-based learning systems with entrepreneurship education helps create and recognize entrepreneurial opportunities. In this study, key antecedents are identified as critical drivers of flow experience and the impact of flow experience on learning performance and entrepreneurial self-efficacy is examined in order to propose a behavior model based on flow theory. Virtual Business Retailing (VBR) software, a business simulation system for convenience store operations, is used in this study to investigate the learning behavior of students and to collect data for analysis. The results reveal that challenge-skill balance and playability play a critical role in enhancing flow experience and, consequently, in improving learning performance and entrepreneurial self-efficacy. The findings contribute to existing flow theory, the literature on simulation and game-based learning, and the literature on entrepreneurship education. Furthermore, the findings provide VBR education-system educators and developers with a better understanding of students' expectations and needs when interacting with retail business simulation-based learning environments as well as with guidelines to effectively design VBR educational systems that are conducive to flow experience, which may help improve entrepreneurial self-efficacy in students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Student evaluation of teaching (SET) has not yet been studied historically and comparatively. Based on our interviews with professors and administrators at 18 universities in three countries, we discuss how SET diffused in all the studied universities and how SET was translated and edited differently according to different sets of statements. SET diffused from the US, where it was initiated by students in the 1950s and later adopted by universities in the 1970s. German and Colombian universities only imported SET later, in the 2000s, and in the German public sector it is still not mandatory for all courses. SET gains legitimacy through different discourses, for instance, the discourse on the empowerment and rights of students. SET also connects to the discourse on increasing rationality that extends the metrification of teaching to universities and is often connected to discourses on competition. But SET has also been reformed because it is regarded as biased against underrepresented groups and faces criticism of its methodological validity. Discourses on rationalization, student empowerment and competition are used to gain legitimacy while academic discourses on academic freedom and social diversity discourses are used to oppose SET, make translation more difficult and lead to editing of SET practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a key variable determining technology acceptance and adoption, the perceived ease of technology use (PEU) has been in the focus of a considerable body of research. This research examined the external factors that influence perceived ease of use, such as computer self-efficacy and perceived enjoyment, but yielded inconsistent findings and under-emphasized important predictors in the educational context. This study examined the relations between potential antecedents and perceived ease of Internet use for learning of a higher-education student in China. Computer self-efficacy, perceived enjoyment, and students' perception of external control significantly influenced PEU, while facilitating conditions and technological complexity did not. The total variance of PEU explained by the five antecedents was 98%. This study contributes to the theoretical understanding of perceived ease of use by specifying its antecedents; in the context of Chinese institutions of higher education. It also contributes to practice by identifying the measures required to improve students' perceived ease of use to facilitate their use of the Internet for learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, servant leadership and critical pedagogy are amalgamated to explore how aspirations for a greater measure of social justice may be addressed within higher education. A preliminary framework is proposed based on three concepts from critical pedagogy: trust, dialogue, and empowerment. In-depth discussion precipitates valuable insights into plausible lessons from a critical pedagogy-inspired framework of servant teaching. This conceptual framework could serve as a guide for teachers who might want to address some of the social purposes of higher education by drawing both on a service-oriented and altruistic educational theory and leadership style. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aims of nursing training include not only mastering skills but also fostering the competence to make decisions for problem solving. In prenatal education, cultivating nurses' knowledge and competence of vaccine administration is a crucial issue for protecting pregnant women and newborns from infection. Therefore, obstetric vaccination knowledge has become a basic and essential training program for nursing students. However, most of these training programs are given via the lecture‐based teaching approach with skills practice, providing students with few opportunities to think deeply about the relevant issues owing to the lack of interaction and context. This could have a negative impact on their learning effectiveness and clinical judgment. To address this problem, a mobile chatbot‐based learning approach is proposed in this study to enable students to learn and think deeply in the contexts of handling obstetric vaccine cases via interacting with the chatbot. In order to verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach, an experiment was implemented. Two classes of 36 students from a university in northern Taiwan were recruited as participants. One class was the experimental group learning with the proposed approach, while the other class was the control group learning with the conventional approach (ie, giving lectures to explain the instructional content and training cases). The results indicate that applying a mobile chatbot for learning can enhance nursing students' learning achievement and self‐efficacy. In addition, based on the analysis of the interview results, students generally believed that learning through the mobile chatbot was able to promote their self‐efficacy as well as their learning engagement and performance. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic Issues relevant to AI technology in education have been extensively discussed and explored around the world.Among the various AI systems, the potential of chatbots has been highlighted by researchers owing to the user‐friendly interface developed using the natural language processing (NLP) technology.Few studies using AI chatbots in professional training have been conducted.What this paper adds In this study, a mobile chatbot was used in a nursing training program to enhance students' learning achievement and self‐efficacy for handling vaccine cases.The mobile chatbot significantly improved the students' learning achievement and self‐efficacy in comparison with the conventional learning approach in the vaccine training program.From the interview results, it was found that the students generally believed that the mobile chatbot was able to promote their self‐efficacy as well as learning engagement and performances in the vaccine training program.Implications for practice and/or policy Mobile chatbots have great potential for professional training owing to their convenient and user‐friendly features.It would be worth applying mobile chatbots as well as other NLP‐based applications to other professional training programs in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of education during K-12 and Higher Education (HE) in Iran is on theoretical empowerment of students; therefore, our students get an illusion of knowing. In fact, what happens is not learning and understanding; rather, it is verbatim transfer of available information in the textbooks into the students' minds. It might be because the students and teachers (as the main stakeholders of the education) are the least powerful parties within the pyramid of power amongst educational practitioners and policymakers. It means their voice, feedback, needs, and ideologies have no place in the educational decisions and policies. In alignment with the mainstream of the present research; it is an innovative idea to explore the students' living/studying experience during K-12, and their ideals and expectations from higher education studies. To do so, we asked 60 university students to portray their experience (in a phenomenological research design) concerning living and studying through K-12 and their ideals and expectations from Higher Education. Students' drawings are the main source of data collection and inductive analysis of data is administered to find students' responses which are categorized under three major and six minor themes, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A successful first year is of vital importance to academic achievement in higher education. How can we identify those students at risk at a very early stage, i.e. even before they have entered university? This study focuses on three pre-university factors, namely academic self-efficacy, self-regulated learning, in terms of autonomous motivation and time-management, and beyond classroom engagement. 2355 Dutch prospective first-year students in the fields of science, humanities and social sciences filled in our survey. Data on first year academic achievement in terms of grade point average (GPA) was obtained at the end of the first year. Prospective first-year students scored high on all of the variables; we found gender-related differences, favouring female students, as well as discipline-related differences. Time management and autonomous motivation were found to be positive predictors of achievement; beyond classroom engagement was a negative predictor of achievement. This paper contributes to the research on first-year academic achievement and emphasises the importance of providing students with personalised trajectories from the moment they enter university. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The teaching process and the success of learning are closely linked to cognitive and motivational factors. The purpose of this study was to test a multilevel model in higher education students on the relationship between the teaching organization and the dimensions of grit and perceived competence. Participated 3033 students, who answered utility dimension inventories and organization, competition and grit. The results show that at the individual level, the organization by the teaching staff focused on the utility and organization is positively related to the student's scream, this relationship being mediated by the perceived competence. The organizational improvement of the teacher generates student achievements through the positive impact on their competence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of the study was to explore the relationships of mathematics self-efficacy to four sources of mathematics self-efficacy. The participants were 127 Black college freshman students. Multiple regression procedures tested for predictors of the two measures of self-efficacy. Students’ mathematics self-efficacy was measured using two sub-scales of two different instruments-mathematics course self-efficacy and mathematics self-efficacy for learning and performance. Statistical results indicated that only emotional/physiological state significantly predicted mathematics course self-efficacy and mathematics self-efficacy for learning and performance. The quantitative results were consistent with existing research including Black undergraduates but contrary to Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy sources. This study may support educational strategies and interventions designed to improve Black college students’ mathematics success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher education institutions are simultaneously facing two significant strategic mandates in student preparedness for success in the 21st century and the explosion of online education growth. This study examines the dynamics of the concurrent implementation by using Bradley et al. (2017) examination of self-efficacy and self-regulatory skills and their influence on achievement in an online learning environment as a starting point. Using 413 online students, this effort is furthered by investigating students' critical thinking disposition, the dynamics of self-efficacy beliefs and self-regulation skills, and the outcomes of self-identity as a critical thinker and preparedness for academic success in an online environment. The findings support that those students who assess the efficacy of their learning and academic performance skills as being high have an increased likelihood of using critical thinking skills. Also, self-regulating behaviors positively influence students' self-assessment of their efficacy for learning and performance and work in conjunction with critical thinking disposition in being better prepared for success in online education. Furthermore, the implications of the study and directions for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first-year university experience is inherently linked to student satisfaction, retention and academic success. A sense of academic preparedness can enhance the first-year transition experience. Subjects designed to assist students to transition to university can improve the transition experience; however, there is very limited evidence of their successful implementation in Australia. An interdisciplinary credit-bearing subject underpinned by the Learning by Doing Approach and the Theory of Self-efficacy, was developed and implemented in an Australian university. Students' baseline (pre-test) and follow-up (post-test) survey responses on their self-perceived levels of knowledge and confidence in academic skills were compared to test for significant differences. Students reported greater knowledge and confidence with regards to the academic skills required for university. The subject's highly scaffolded nature ensured students actively engaged in individual and collaborative activities that allowed them to learn as they constructed knowledge. As students learnt new skills in a supportive learning environment, they incorporated these skills into their learning and utilised them in their other subjects, which increased their confidence and self-efficacy. Similar interdisciplinary credit-bearing transition subjects may be beneficial in other universities to help support students transitioning to university. Longitudinal research is required to determine the effectiveness on academic outcomes and retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-assessment has been portrayed as a way to promote lifelong learning in higher education. While most of the previous literature builds on the idea of self-assessment as a formative tool for learning, some scholars have suggested using it in a summative way. In the present study, we have empirically compared formative and summative models for self-assessment, based on different educational purposes (N = 299). Latent profile analysis was used to observe student subgroups in terms of deep and surface approaches to learning. The results show that the student profiles varied between the self-assessment models. The students taking part in the summative self-assessment group were overrepresented amongst the profile with high level of deep approach to learning. Also, summative self-assessment was related to an increased level of self-efficacy. The study implies that summative self-assessment can be used to foster students' studying; however, this requires a context where aligning self-assessment with future-driven pedagogical purposes is possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pre-service and beginning in-service science teachers enrolled in a university teacher education program participated in a project to support their teaching through a lens of sustainability. While they demonstrated active and positive engagement, I considered the possibility of any students reacting negatively to the course material and doing so in ways that were silent and not easily visible. In preparing to avoid and, as necessary, respond to any evidence of such negative reactions in the future, I reviewed literature and contemplated how to create safe, empowering learning environments that welcome diverse and dissident perspectives, while upholding respect and intellectual engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this exploratory qualitative study, we examined African American mentors' perspectives of what they identify as the needs of their African American undergraduate protégés and the challenges that may impede their protégés' success. Interviews were conducted with 10 African American mentors who hold STEM PhDs. Data were analyzed using an iterative emergent, thematic coding method and a narrative analysis method as a methodological framework. Findings indicated that some protégés may lack a sense of entitlement or contextualized confidence and may need personalized information and a plan to assist them in navigating academic environments. There are several opportunities for helping undergraduates overcome these challenges, such as mentoring practices focusing on ways to increase protégés' sense of empowerment and providing personalized information about navigating academia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) results in an increasing number of students writing their master's theses in English as a second language (L2). The thesis process is challenging for many students, and academic writing in L2 English could add to these challenges. However, in EMI contexts, little is known about students' writing and language-related conceptions and their relationship with writing success. Hence, this study investigates variation within and interconnections between master's thesis writers' (N = 283, both L1 and L2 writers) self-efficacy for thesis writing, writing conceptions, apprehension about grammar, and thesis grade in a multilingual EMI university context in Finland. Data analyses included various statistical methods such as t-tests, two-step clustering, and ANOVAs. The findings indicate a positive connection between adaptive writing conceptions, thesis grade, and self-efficacy for thesis writing. Three groups of writers were identified, reflecting different combinations of writing conceptions, with significant differences in thesis grade, self-efficacy for thesis writing and apprehension about grammar. No significant differences were found between L1 and L2 writers. • Maladaptive writing conceptions are related to lower thesis grade and self-efficacy. • Adaptive writing conceptions are related to higher thesis grade and self-efficacy. • Apprehension about grammar is positively related to block and perfectionism. • Three groups of master's thesis writers identified through a person-oriented analysis. • No significant differences were found between L1 and L2 thesis writers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research goal: The research aimed to find out the technological weaknesses of the student teacher at the College of Education - King Khalid University, and the reasons for this weakness, and to present proposals aimed at addressing it among students during the period of practical education. Research Methodology: The descriptive analytical approach was used as it was the most appropriate to the nature of the research and to achieve its objectives, by conducting analytical research on the importance of educational techniques and technological empowerment among students of the College of Education - King Khalid University. The experimental method was also used in the form of using one group design in its conduct according to the nature of the research. The research sample: The research sample consisted of (30) students from eighth-level bachelor’s students who study the “Teaching Means and Techniques” course in the second semester of the year 1440-1441 AH / 2020/2021 AD. Research results: The validity and reliability of the tools were confirmed by appropriate statistical methods, and after conducting the statistical analysis process, the results showed a decline in the level of achievement and cognitive and performance tasks for students about educational technology, where the percentage of students who excelled was only 31%, and the majority of students were average, reaching 69%. It was also found that there is a weakness in the reality of using and employing educational technologies, especially the modern ones, as the rates of student employment of some computer programs in the educational process were very modest, and in light of the results the researcher presented many recommendations and proposals to treat this weakness in the cognitive and performance tasks and technological mastery and the employment of educational techniques In education in schools during field training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Syrian women face many barriers and restrictions on the way to legitimate their roles in the formal economy and the higher education sector. This paper examines the higher education environment in Syria, highlighting the situation after 2011. The purpose of this research is to conduct a situation analysis of Syrian female students' empowerment in the higher education environment. The study object is the private Syrian university used to identify the main barriers and restrictions in the higher education sector and determine training areas for solving before-mentioned issues. The methodology applied in this research employs a quantitative approach through the design of a structured questionnaire. The findings exposed the importance to develop further investigations on the integration of gender equality into the university strategy. Therefore, a lack of awareness of gender equality and equity is a significant area for development and study at Syrian universities. The obtained results in the field of female students' empowerment demonstrated the adequate levels of motivation to pursue a career in academia and interest in studying gender-oriented courses. However, gender issues have not integrated into the university course offerings and curriculum. This study covers the policies related to institutional support are areas of investigation. Besides, the research results showed that stereotypes and social expectations exist are considered to be the challenges that require examination. Technological skills, soft skills, and leadership skills were determined as an array of training that was needed by female students. Self-empowerment was recognized as critical training for female students. Developing management, leadership, and networking skills were also identified as a training need for female students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study identified the attitudes and behaviors of college students regarding their advocacy for climate change adaptation and mitigation. Specifically, perceptions of climate change were assessed and advocacy activities were identified for climate change and/or other topics. Design/methodology/approach: Using convenience sampling, students (n = 440) from three universities in the Midwest, the USA, completed surveys assessing their level of agreement with activities related to civic engagement, climate change and policy. Semantic differential scales focused on "learning about climate change," "advocating for climate change mitigation" and "advocating for climate change adaptation." Three open-ended questions were used to identify student experiences with civic engagement and/or service-learning, as well as topics in which they advocate and how they advocate. Findings: Regarding advocacy in general, over 50% of the sample did not advocate for any topic, with 24.5% of students stating they advocated for the environment/climate change. Students who identified as female, democratic and 1st or 2nd year in school were more likely to be engaged with environmental advocacy. Regarding civic engagement, seniors were more actively engaged with their communities and also more likely to vote in local, state and national elections. Research limitations/implications: Time of data collection was a potential limitation with schools conducting data collection at different time periods. Students who identified more progressive politically were also more likely to participate in the study. Originality/value: While research exists regarding student civic engagement levels, this research project identified ways in which students engaged in advocacy, identifying potential links with civic engagement and enhanced participation in climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academic self-efficacy is critical to academic success. Hence those working in higher education need to make deliberate and substantial attempts to foster academic competence, confidence, persistence and resilience in the students they teach, given they are essential components of academic self-efficacy. Addressing an identified gap in the exemplars literature, this article pays particular attention to how exemplars can be used in an embedded and sustained manner with the intent of fostering and supporting these components. Taking into account the three dimensions of self-efficacy – strength, magnitude and generality – and the various sources of information students draw upon to make judgements about their capabilities, four inter-dependent and inter-related practices and associated experiences are identified. We argue that collectively these practices and experiences can accentuate the positive effects and ameliorate the potential negative effects of exemplar use on student academic self-efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Work‐related learning is particularly important at the start of graduates' careers. Preparing students for work‐related learning is a chief aim of higher education, demonstrating its relevance when investigating the transition to work. Aim: This study aimed to investigate the role of personal factors for work‐related learning during the transition from higher education to work. This study took a longitudinal and person‐centred approach by examining differences in work‐related learning between different motivational profiles based on the conjoint development of self‐efficacy and achievement goals. Sample: Questionnaires were administered four times, starting in the beginning of students' final year of higher education until 4 months after graduation (N = 814). Methods: In order to assess the development of the personal factors, different multi‐indicator latent growth curve models were estimated. Afterwards, a multidimensional latent class growth analysis was used to identify latent profiles of participants with similar growth trajectories. Differences in work‐related learning were investigated by a multivariate analysis of variance. Results and Conclusions: The results revealed an average increase in self‐efficacy, learning‐goal, and performance‐approach orientation, indicating that the transition to work triggers change in these personal factors. Performance‐avoidance orientation decreased on average. Four distinct motivational profiles were discerned: strongly efficacious and approach‐oriented, moderate efficacious and approach‐oriented, moderate efficacious and learning‐oriented, and undecided profile. Furthermore, differences were found concerning work‐related learning, in which the strongly efficacious and approach‐oriented profile reported more participation in formal and informal learning activities using personal sources, while the undecided profile showed least participation in the latter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internationally, there has been considerable literature on the predictors of academic performance in higher education. However, the empirical findings are still limited in Cambodia; therefore, this paper was conducted to examine the determinants of academic performance of 329 undergraduate students selected from a university in Cambodia. Based on the findings from the multivariate regression analysis, a number of variables, namely high school grade, English ability, class attendance, study effort, academic self-efficacy, and family socio-economic status were found to be positively associated with academic performance. Term-time employment and family size had an adverse impact on academic performance. However, there was no sufficient evidence to indicate age, gender, household location, parental education, parental involvement, and teaching evaluation to have predictive power on academic performance. Hence, the study concluded that the personal backgrounds played the potential role in predicting academic performance of undergraduate students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]