Soft Skills Integration into Business Processes Based on the Requirements of Employers—Approach for Sustainable Education

This paper deals with the issue of increasing the quality and sustainability of education at universities regarding the requirements of employers. Employers’ expectations of university graduates in terms of soft skills are analysed and outlined. The employers participating in this study answered a questionnaire survey focused on understanding university graduates’ soft skills. The collected results were subjected to the method of mathematical–statistical analysis by nonparametric testing of significance of the mean value difference. The significance of the difference for individual skills was confirmed, demonstrating that the surveyed enterprises required and anticipated a level of soft skills development on the part of recent graduates that was insufficient. This finding implies the necessity of improving university education to match the expected and real state of soft skill mastery.

Masculine Maneuvers: Male Baton Twirlers, Compensatory Manhood Acts, and Hybrid Masculinity

Men in women-dominated or feminized spaces use masculinizing strategies to circumvent stigma, yet this scholarship largely ignores sports which limits insights into how masculinity operates across social contexts. Drawing parallels from men’s experiences in other women-dominated settings, I address this gap by investigating how and to what end men in baton twirling “maneuver” masculinities. Using 30 qualitative interviews, I show how men in twirling bolster lost status using compensatory manhood acts (CMA) by demonstrating skill mastery and being the best. Twirlers in this study borrow masculine characteristics they deem valuable while also buying into an unequal social order that emphasizes differences between winners (white, heterosexual men) and losers (men of color or gay men). Findings from this study extend theoretical insights concerning how men maneuver within and across a variety of social structures by using similar tools to create a “hybrid” masculinity that reinforces gender privilege and hierarchies of inequality.

Test-level and Item-level Model Fit Comparison of General vs. Specific Diagnostic Classification Models: A Case of True DCM

The current study compared the model fit indices, skill mastery probabilities, and classification accuracy of six Diagnostic Classification Models (DCMs): a general model (G-DINA) against five specific models (LLM, RRUM, ACDM, DINA, and DINO). To do so, the response data to the grammar and vocabulary sections of a General English Achievement Test, designed specifically for cognitive diagnostic purposes from scratch, was analyzed. The results of the test-level-model fit values obtained strong evidence in supporting the G-DINA and LLM models possessing the best model fit. In addition, the ACDM and RRUM were almost very identical to that of the G-DINA. The value indices of the DINO and DINA models were very close to each other but larger than those of the G-DINA and LLM. The model fit was also investigated at the item level, and the results revealed that model selection should be performed at the item level rather than the test level, and most of the specific models might perform well for the test. The findings of this study suggested that the relationships among the attributes of grammar and vocabulary are not ‘either-or’ compensatory or non-compensatory but a combination of both.

Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice in Healthcare Simulation: a Scoping Review

Rapid cycle deliberate practice (RCDP) is a type of simulation-based medical education (SBME) where learners cycle between deliberate practice and directed feedback until skill mastery is achieved before progressing to subsequent learning objectives. This scoping review examines and summarizes the literature on RCDP, compares RCDP to other modes of instruction, and identifies knowledge gaps for future research. Of the 1224 articles identified, 23 studies met inclusion criteria. The studies varied in design, RCDP technique implementation strategies, and outcome measures. RCDP is associated with positive outcomes in immediate learner performance. It is unclear if RCDP is superior to traditional simulation.

Assessment, accountability, and access: Constrained skill mastery as instructional gatekeeper

The nature of the literacy assessments valued in the persistent accountability climate within U.S. public education, coupled with an increasingly polarized discourse around what counts as the science of reading (SOR), have resulted in instructional gatekeeping that privileges constrained skill teaching and learning in K-3 settings. The gatekeeper phenomenon is an urgent issue of equity, with children from minoritized populations bearing the brunt of the disparity. By highlighting how commonly enacted policies and practices around assessment and accountability withhold unconstrained skill teaching and learning due to pressure to prove student success via constrained skill mastery, we demonstrate how some students, often the most marginalized, receive insufficient literacy instruction in K-3. To fully actualize an expansive definition of the SOR, an expansive definition of assessment and accountability must also be adopted - one which attends to constrained and unconstrained skills while utilizing appropriate measures to document learning beginning in the earliest grades.

From high school to workplace: investigating the effects of soft skills on career engagement through the role of psychological capital in different age groups

PurposeThis study aims at investigating the indirect effect of soft skills on career engagement through the role of psychological capital (PsyCap) in different age groups. The social cognitive theory (SCT) and job demands-resource model (JD-R) were employed to explain the effect of perceived skill mastery on PsyCap and career engagement.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected from 707 high school students, 150 university students and 165 employees using a three-wave data collection technique. This study measured soft skills, PsyCap and career engagement at different age groups (i.e. high school students, university students and employees). The data were analysed using a moderated-mediation technique.FindingsThe results showed that soft skills positively influenced PsyCap and eventually increased career engagement in all age groups. However, the effect was stronger for students (both in high school and university) than employees in the workplaces. Unlike most students, employees related soft skills to performance. Regardless of the effect on performance, students would be more likely than employees to perceive soft skill mastery as a source of efficacy.Research limitations/implicationsFirst, the education system should direct more attention to developing students' non-cognitive skills. Second, people should understand that their career advancement continues in the workplace context. Organizations can foster employees' soft skills by providing more opportunities to develop new skills.Originality/valueThis study sheds light on the importance of soft skills beyond academic and workplace performance. This study is among the few empirical investigations that reveal career engagement factors across different career development stages.

MADE 2 FADE: A Practical Strategy for Empowering Independence for Students With Disabilities

Independence is a critical skill in preparing students with disabilities for success after high school. Secondary special education teachers equip their students toward task independence across skill domains (e.g., employment, independent living), yet there is little guidance regarding a simple and systematic way to do so. MADE 2 FADE (M2F) is a mnemonic developed to support special education teachers in data-driven decisions and implementation of research-based practices. This framework is designed to help teachers as they encourage their students with disabilities toward greater self-efficacy and skill mastery.

IMPLEMENTASI KURIKULUM MUATAN LOKAL DI ERA OTONOMI DAERAH MENURUT UNDANG-UNDANG SISDIKNAS NOMOR 20 TAHUN 2013 DALAM MENINGKATKAN LIFE SKILLS PESERTA DIDIK

ABSTRAKPenelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji implementasi kurikulum muatan lokal untuk meningkatkan life skill mencakup analisis mulai dari proses perencanaan, pelaksanaan, dan pengevaluasian kurikulum muatan lokal yang dilaksanakan pada satuan pendidikan di era otonomi daerah menurut UU Sisdiknas No. 20 Tahun 2013; memaparkan landasan yuridis dalam pengembangan kurikulum muatan lokal di era otonomi daerah, menginventarisir faktor-faktor yang menjadi penghambat dalam implementasi kurikulum muatan lokal dan mengetahui life skills peserta didik melalui internalisasi dalam keterampilan peserta didik di SMA. Penelitian yuridis normatif yang bersifat kualitatif ini mengacu pada norma hukum yang terdapat dalam berbagai peraturan perundang-undangan, putusan pengadilan. Penyusunan kurikulum muatan lokal yang mendorong peserta didik menguasai life skills dilaksanakan secara bottom up yakni dimulai dengan analisis konteks, analisis potensi dan kebutuhan profil peserta didik yang diinginkan yang dilakukan oleh tim pengembang kurikulum sekolah dan dilaksanakan oleh guru mata pelajaran. Tujuan program pengembangan kurikulum muatan lokal adalah untuk memberikan bekal pengetahuan keterampilan, pembentukan sikap dan prilaku siswa, agar mereka memiliki wawasan yang luas, dan mantap tentang keadaan lingkungan dan kebutuhan masyarakat. ABSTRACTThis study aims to examine how the implementation's of a local-based curriculum to improve students’ life skills that covers the process of planning, implementing, and evaluating local-based curriculum is carried out in educational units, examining the impact of local curriculum development on the preservation of localized culture in the skills of learners in high school, and find out factors that hamper development local content curriculum. The research questions of this research covered how the process of planning, implementing and evaluating local curriculum is carried out in the educational unit, what factors become obstacles in developing the local content curriculum at the level of the education unit, and whether there is an improvement of local culture-based skills on the unit education that organizes local content curricula. This research employed a qualitative research method. More specifically using a descriptive case study in order the phenomenon studied is presented in detail by involving two schools as research subjects residing in Cianjur regency. The second finding is related to the improvement of life skills shown by the students on aspects of attitude or personal and social skills, knowledge or academic skills and vocational skills. Level of life skill mastery for these three aspects in the level of imitation, manipulation, precision, articulation and naturalization. The third finding showed that there was a discrepancy between the concept of local curriculum developed by the government with the level of implementation in schools.

Identifying Challenging Behavior Profiles and Exploring their Impact on Treatment Efficacy in Autism Spectrum Disorder using Unsupervised Machine Learning (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Challenging behaviors are prevalent among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD); however, research exploring the impact of challenging behaviors on treatment response is lacking. OBJECTIVE The purpose of the current study was to identify subtypes of ASD based on engagement in different challenging behaviors and evaluate differences in treatment response between subgroups. METHODS Retrospective data on challenging behaviors and treatment progress for 854 children with ASD were analyzed. First, participants were clustered based on eight observed challenging behaviors using k-means. Next, a multiple linear regression analysis was performed to find significant interactions between skill mastery and treatment hours, cluster assignment, and gender. RESULTS Seven diverse clusters were identified, which demonstrated a single dominant challenging behavior. For some clusters, significant differences in treatment response were found. Specifically, a cluster characterized by stereotypy was found to have significantly higher levels of skill mastery than clusters characterized by self-injurious behavior and aggression. CONCLUSIONS These findings have implications on the treatment of individuals with ASD. First, self-injurious behavior and aggression were prevalent among participants with the poorest treatment response, thus interventions targeting these challenging behaviors may be worth prioritizing. Furthermore, the use of unsupervised machine learning models to identify subtypes of ASD shows promise.

University Professors' Level Of Technological Skills And Its Relationship To The Orientation Towards E-Learning

The aim of this research is to determine the level of university professors’ technological skills and its relationship to the orientation towards electronic education. To achieve the objectives of this research, five null hypotheses were formulated. We used the descriptive method and chose a random sample of university professors totalling around (200) professors distributed among (14) colleges of Dhi Qar University. In order to achieve the research objectives, we prepared two tools: the first is a technological skills questionnaire consisting of (45) constructs which included six main skills (preparation and planning skill, implementation skill, mastery of scientific material, skill of using pedagogical techniques, evaluation skill, classroom management skill). The validity and robustness of the questionnaire were verified. The second tool is a scale to measure the orientation towards e-learning that included five areas (university professors' vision of e-learning, motivation in e-learning, the desired benefit of e-learning in society, fun in e-learning, self-concept in e-learning). The scale consisted of of (54) constructs the validity and robustness of which were also verified. The research tools were applied to the research sample of (200) professors and the research results were statistically treated using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) program. The results showed that the sampled professors have a higher-than-average level of technological skills as well as statistically significant positive orientation towards electronic education. Results also showed that there is a positive relationship between the level of university professors' mastery of technological skills and their orientation towards electronic learning. In light of the research results, we presented a number recommendations and proposals.