Search

Managing education and research during pandemics has increased in importance since the onset of epidemics such as avian flu, SARS and now COVID-19. Successful management in times of crisis ensures business continuity and institutional survival, making preparedness preceding an impending pandemic essential. Institutions of higher education (IHEs) must maintain balance between academic continuity and preventing morbidity during a pandemic crisis. To date, however, no general pandemic preparedness frameworks exist for IHEs. The aim of this paper is to report on the development of a Haddon matrix framework for IHE pandemic preparedness based on a scoping literature review of past IHE responses including pre-, during and post-pandemic phases. First, a review of previous global responses by IHEs during past pandemics was carried out. The review findings were then collated into a new IHE-centric Haddon matrix for pandemic preparedness. The content of the matrix is then illustrated through the documented responses of Malaysian universities during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. The resulting IHE Haddon matrix can be used by universities as a general guide to identify preparedness gaps and intervention opportunities for business continuity during pandemics.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to identify factors associated with tertiary students' intention to pursue agriculture-related careers. The moderating effect of gender and geographic location on the predictive relationships was also examined. Design/methodology/approach: Quantitative data were collected from 488 students studying in five agricultural-based institutions of higher learning in Malaysia. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the data. Findings: Attitudes towards agriculture, perceived behavioral control, agricultural knowledge, and perception of sustainable agriculture methods predicted students' intention to join agricultural-related occupations. The results differed according to gender and place of residence for all predictors except conditions of resource facilitation. Practical implications: The findings offer insight into the factors agricultural students consider when deciding whether to pursue careers in agriculture. This can help educational decision-makers respond to the motivational needs of students in recruiting and retention. Theoretical implications: By introducing three new constructs, the study extends application of the theory of planned behavior for predicting intention and behavior in the field of agriculture. Originality/value: The study addresses an important gap on key factors predicting tertiary students' pursuit of careers in agriculture. A better understanding of factors that shape students' decision-making about future careers in agriculture can raise critical awareness of where programing efforts are likely to be effective.

Purpose: The practice of social entrepreneurship has grown rapidly around the world, including in Malaysia where it is still considered to be at an early stage. Nevertheless, little is known about the career transition among youth who choose careers as social entrepreneurs. The purpose of this study is to explore the challenges faced by youth social entrepreneurs who run social enterprises in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach: This study used a qualitative approach to collect and analyse data to answer the research questions. Seven youth social entrepreneurs were interviewed until data saturation was met. An interview guide was created for the purposes of conducting the interviews. The interviews were recorded using a voice recorder. Data were transcribed verbatim and grouped in order to identify the codings, categories and themes. Findings: The findings show the career transition to become a social entrepreneur, as well as the major challenges that youth social entrepreneurs face, which include acclimatising to the life and career of a social entrepreneur and not getting support from family. Practical implications: The study findings are also significant for presenting valuable data on the experience of the developing social entrepreneur. The qualitative nature of the study provides valuable experiential insight into the lives and struggles of young social entrepreneurs in Malaysia. The findings will allow local authorities and social entrepreneurship regulatory agencies to design initiatives and plan actions intended to overcome the challenges. Originality/value: This study makes an original contribution by showing that the process of career development as a social entrepreneur has given meaning to the informants. Despite presenting many challenges, social entrepreneurship has reinforced the role of youth social entrepreneurs, especially in relation to social responsibility.

So far, there has been no serious correction awareness aimed at addressing and promoting career development through community engagement practice in Nigeria, especially in academic settings. No research has been carried out to examine faculty members, particularly professors' experiences in developing career through community engagement activities in the Nigerian universities. To address this gap, this article presents the perspectives of professors on how faculty members can be attracted to community engagement as a strategy to develop career and boost the reputation of their respective institutions that has been dominated by teaching and research. This article employed the qualitative method, interviewing nine professors from diverse academic disciplines in a leading conventional university in Nigeria. From the analysis, community engagements were found to foster academic career development of the professors in their areas of expertise. More specifically, participatory community engagement outreach helped in expansion of knowledge through solving practical problems, career growth through promotion earned, and increased job satisfaction. The study concludes with implications for human resource development practice and suggestions for future research.

Universities in most countries have become more managerial as a consequence of a deliberated concept of collegiality. As one of the most vital assets of the institution, academics play an important role in developing and nurturing collegiality within faculties. This qualitative study explores collegiality expectations of 12 full-time academics. Insights obtained from the academics were analyzed using collegiality framework consisting of behavioral, cultural and structural collegiality. The participants highlighted many dimensions of collegiality categorized under several themes, namely social engagement, sense of collectivism, degree of autonomy, and authority. The findings of this study indicated that academics fundamentally expected to be treated as equals among their fraternities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As university students face increasing pressures in a highly competitive society, unhealthy lifestyles have become a common phenomenon. Health awareness is considered a critical factor in promoting healthy behaviors, yet its mechanism of action on university students' healthy lifestyles, influenced by self-esteem and social support, remains unclear. This study aims to explore the relationship between health awareness (HA) and healthy lifestyles (HL) and to examine the mediating roles of self-esteem (SE) and social support (SS) in this relationship. Based on social cognitive theory, this study initially constructs a theoretical model of the impact of health awareness on healthy lifestyles among university students, introducing self-esteem and social support as mediating variables to further build a chain mediation model. A total of 1,169 participants (554 males and 615 females) completed an online survey. Participants completed the Health Awareness Scale (HAS), the Diet and Healthy Lifestyle Scale (DEVS), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), and the Oslo Social Support Scale (OSSS-3). The results show that high levels of health awareness positively influence self-esteem, which in turn positively influences social support, ultimately having a positive impact on healthy lifestyles. Specifically, self-esteem and social support play significant mediating roles in the relationship between health awareness and healthy lifestyles. The findings reveal the pathway by which health awareness influences healthy lifestyles through self-esteem and social support, enriching the theoretical explanation of health behaviors within the framework of social cognitive theory, particularly in the context of university students. Furthermore, the results provide practical guidance, suggesting that in designing interventions to promote healthy lifestyles, emphasis should be placed on enhancing university students' health awareness, self-esteem, and social support systems. This could include mental health education, establishing supportive communities, and fostering activities that promote self-esteem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research in extension education is a serious and challenging task facing Nigeria today because of new trends that keeps on emerging continuously. This paper seeks to examine some of the common research techniques used in extension education and describe their applicability and workability in helping people to help themselves. Most of the researches in this area are more theoretical than the practical nature of the actual extension practice. The general aim of the paper is to identify the emerging trends and how these trends pose additional challenges to extension research and practice. Two major research approaches, Participatory Action Research in Extension (PARE) and Community Based Research (CBR) were found to be encouraging community members to make good decisions on what they feel is better for their lives. This implies that the methods are very useful, relevant and can considerably increase the community effectiveness with enduring by the researchers' to employ them despite their long-time requirements.

Using school management settings, this manuscript developed important substantial leadership models such as "instructional," "constructive," and "distributed." University leadership and especially in the private sector is an understudied topic. While private universities need to generate revenue for profits and survival, they should, at the same time, retain sound education philosophies, an extremely difficult task. Studies are yet to be conducted to understand how leaders of private universities handle this challenge, and this issue motivates the present research. Using Bangladesh as a case study, this qualitative study discovers that the "visionary" leadership approach is mainly used for business management models that govern private sector universities. This does not enable an established education leadership model to function well, if at all. This poses a serious challenge to educational philosophy. Innovation of a specialized private sector university leadership model is therefore required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims at finding out the relationship between Organizational Climate, job stress and job performance among State Education Department (JPN) officers . The focus of the research is to determine the job performance of state education department officers, level of job stress among the officers, level of connection between organizational climate with job stress of State Education Department officers, looking at the difference in level of performance according to demographic factors and looking at the influence of organizational climate and job stress towards job performance. Research findings pertaining level of job performance showed that 75.8% of the respondents are at a high level, 23.7% respondents are at a moderate level while 0.5% respondents are at a low level. For organizational climate, findings show that 79.0% respondents are in the moderate level, 1.6 % respondents are at a high level and 19.4% respondents are at a low level. Findings on overall level of job stress found that as many as 92.5% respondents are at a normal job stress. Only about 7.5% respondents are at a moderate level of job stress. There is not even one respondent who are facing a high level of job stress. In terms of the relationship between independent variables (organizational climate, job stress) and dependent variable (job performance), the research findings show that there is a moderate level of positive relationship which is quite significant between organizational climate and job performance of the State Education Department officers at a = 0.01 (p < 0.01; r = 0.396).

Purpose: This study examined the effectiveness of Finishing School programmes in enhancing the employability of graduates from institutions of higher learning. The perceptions of the graduates and employers towards the effectiveness of the programmes were analyzed. The effectiveness of Finishing School programmes evaluated through a graduate marketability outcome study and the expectations of employers with regard to the type of soft skills of graduates most needed by industries were also examined. Methodology: Data for this study were obtained through a survey questionnaire administered to graduates and focus group interviews with selected employers. The primary data involved a large sample (n = 1092) of graduates from public universities and also 31 selected employers from various industries. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, and a multinomial logit model. Due to the unavailability of a population frame, the data were collected using a convenient sampling design. Findings: Graduates had a positive perception of the effectiveness of Finishing School programmes. However, in terms of the marketability outcome, Finishing school programmes currently being offered were seen as ineffective. Interviews with officers at the management level from various companies showed that the local graduates were lacking in certain types of soft skills, particularly in English communication skills, compared with their counterparts who graduated from higher education institutions overseas. Employers listed three skills as critical for graduates to have, namely, problem solving skills, information management (exposure to general knowledge, current issues and ICT) and English communication. Significance: Most of the soft skills which employers have identified as important in enhancing graduates' employability have long been emphasized by the local higher learning institutions through their Finishing School programmes. Hence, it was concluded that the existing Finishing School programmes are indeed moving in the right direction in achieving its desired objectives. However, there is still room for improvement. This is especially so in relation to its implementation as the empirical evidence seems to suggest that current Finishing School programmes are not effective in terms of graduate marketability outcome.

Past research on ethnocultural minority students indicates that persistent inequities require greater attention to the multiple learning supports needed to enhance school success. The present study was designed to extend research in this area by exploring school climate and emotional engagement among minority ethnocultural Chinese students in Malaysian secondary schools. We employed quantitative surveys with 724 students (M age = 16.1 years; 47.9% female), followed by qualitative interviews with a subset of 25 students (M age = 16.1 years; 52% female). Path analysis indicated that feelings of safety, socio-emotional support from teachers and peers, and student voice were predictors of emotional engagement for Chinese students, which further predicted cognitive engagement, academic performance, and school behavior. Thematic analysis further revealed that language and communication barriers and bullying negatively impacted students' sense of safety and engagement. Caring, respectful relationships with teachers led to students having opportunities to direct their own learning and make decisions on schoolwide activities, promoting students' feelings of engagement. Support from peers increased students' emotional engagement by reducing school-related stressors. The findings suggest that a mutually respectful, caring school climate and opportunities for student voice can enhance critical school experiences for ethnocultural minority high school students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Executives in research and development (R&D) organisations are high-quality employees and are accountable for carrying out research activities to attain the organisation's goals. The purpose of this study is to explore how the selected theory, which include Herzberg's two-factor theory or motivation theory, job embeddedness theory, and leader-member exchange (LMX) theory, contribute to executives motivation and lead to their retention in a government-based R&D organisation. Based on the theories selected, it was found that the integration of the selected theories enhanced the motivation of executives, which can lead to an improvement in their performance and thus lead to executive retention. This paper contributes to the theories by giving insights into the theories in the human resource development (HRD) field, particularly in the career development area, and also contributes to the practices where HRD practitioners, HR practitioners, and the management of the organisation can identify the factors that motivate the executives to stay and choose the right tools to motivate and inspire the R&D executives. By understanding what motivates the employees, it can encourage them to boost their scientific productivity and retain them in government-based R&D organisations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the plethora of studies that have been conducted on PhD supervision, little qualitative investigation has been conducted with a diverse, non-Western sample of doctoral students in an attempt to understand how the supervisory relationship is experienced. In response, eighteen students from diverse, non-Western backgrounds studying at one Malaysian research university were interviewed. Results illuminated the theme of "management" of the supervisory experience and included two streams:(a) acceptance of the situation, and (b) response to the situation so as to optimize their experience. The two major themes further included four sub-themes that included managing personal relations, time and accessibility constraints, academic compatibility, and expectations. Implications for the development of international research universities where PhD supervision of a diverse student body is a critical factor for university success and development are discussed. (Contains 1 figure.)

This paper proposes a novel theoretical perspective on the nature of online learning. Taking a socio-cultural perspective, an argument is offered for the theorisation of peer to peer learning as a variety of "assisted performance". Using this theoretical lens, a case study is then offered which uses this model to frame an analysis of the nature and occurrences of online exchanges between students, and with tutors. The case study looks at two years of online discussion in a Master's programme in a United Kingdom university. The results suggest that looking for examples of assisted performance in the online exchanges can offer insights into the learning that can take place in online discussion and offers one way of recognising meaningful online interaction, and therefore point to ways of promoting such exchanges. (Contains 3 tables and 4 footnotes.)

Purpose: This study aims to examine the relationship between talent development environment (TDE) variables of job focus and long-term development with the workplace adaptation (WA) of Malaysian professional returnees as mediated by the organisational support. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 130 respondents who are Malaysian professional returnees participated in this study. The hypotheses formulated for this study were tested using partial least square-structural equation modelling version 3. Findings: The mediation analysis has revealed a significant relationship between job focus and long-term development on WA via organisational support. Six out of seven hypotheses were accepted. The finding also indicates that the long-term development construct has a strong impact on the WA of Malaysian professional returnees. Research limitations/implications: This study focused only on professional returnees from selected sectors of the National Key Economic Areas in Malaysia. Practical implications: Organisational support mediating WA should be capitalised on by human resource development practitioners in public and private sectors to assist professional returnees in their WA through the talent development approach specifically on job focus and long-term development. Originality/value: The findings from this study extend the knowledge of WA in the context of professional returnees in a developing country, Malaysia. The integration between the selected TDE variables and WA with the mediating function of organisational support adds new insights into the process of WA.

The art of planting, preparing, and distributing food around urban areas is known as urban agriculture, farming, or gardening. Individuals and organizations generally work in urban agriculture for general purposes: 1) enhancing their own health and economic circumstances; 2) improving their communities’ access to nutritious food; 3) enhancing their community wellbeing; and 4) developing a community and ecosystem. The Urban Agriculture Program (UAP) has been set up by the Department of Agriculture (DOA) Malaysia since 2014 to facilitate and transfer information regarding urban farming practices to the community. However, the program was less effective and had a low success rate due to the local community's minimal participation, slow development, and sustainability of the agriculture community gardens. This article primarily examines the UAP implementation based on the four components of the CIPP Evaluation Model: Context, Input, Process, and Product. The UAP is a sustainable development tool that can provide food or related services within or on the edges of urban areas. Malaysia addresses food security by providing urban dwellers with adequate nutritious, safe, acceptable, and cost-effective food. Therefore, the study is relevant as achieving food security and nutrition that has been set in the urban agriculture program outcome by 2025.