Positive Adult Education, Learned Helplessness and the Pygmalion Effect

Positive education is seen as a transformative methodological approach capable of improving the act of teaching and learning and, above all, essential for the development of students’ personal skills and competences. However, few studies have been carried out on this topic in the field of adult and continuing education; instead, they have been published mainly in the field of formal education and at school age. This study works with a sample of 399 people over 16 years of age and students of the Universidad Popular de Dos Hermanas in order to show the relationship between the Pygmalion effect and learned helplessness in the process of acquiring knowledge in adulthood. In this way, three tools were used: one questionnaire that showed the teachers’ perceptions of the students’ qualities and behaviour and two that provided information on self-concept, self-esteem, personal and social skills and other variables directly related to emotional intelligence and positive education. It shows how exposure to negative operational constraints hinders the psychosocial and socio-educational development of learners in all possible ways, while, on the other hand, it indicates the importance of positive education to compensate for this phenomenon by enhancing the development and growth of those who study and participate in non-formal education through positive reinforcement. Likewise, the factorial interrelation of both positive and negative conditioning factors and their incidence on learning is shown; the importance of neutralising the negative components and strengthening the positive reinforcement and the role played by the community and education professionals as catalysts and behavioural modulators at any stage of learning and age group for the achievement of the objectives of the student and of education itself in a broad sense.

Exploring Learning Avenues Amidst Pandemic and Future Prospects in Higher Education

Globally, teaching-learning has been in a severe transition due to COVID-19. Amid pandemic, education in universities had to shift from physical boundaries to online mode. The purpose of the study was to examine online learning mode particularly with respect to learner’s readiness, their involvement, fair assessment and satisfaction at university level. The objectives of the study were; to explore the perceived level of readiness of students for online learning, find out their involvement and participation in online mode while performing various educational tasks; to explore to what extent online assessment is fair, and finally to determine satisfaction of students of online learning experiences during COVID-19 era. The sample of the study was drawn from all social sciences departments. The questionnaire’s link was disseminated to 550 students and 293 respondents filled out the google form. Learners’ readiness was divided into three subfactors, namely, physical & environmental factors, learners’ personal skills and learners’ familiarity with necessary apps and websites. The inferences drawn from the study showed that although majority of students were equipped with devices yet they were not possessing good skills required for virtual learning. The online conditions and environment were not contributing positively in favour of learners’ readiness and also learners were not well aware of apps & websites required for online learning. Moreover, students remained passive during online classes and were found less interested in completion of the assigned tasks. The online assessment had been embedded with manifold flaws that further multiplied unfairness in education. Although, the study informs overall satisfaction of learners which found to be low for addressing the issues, it is recommended that educational institutions may continue to offer hybrid mode of learning even in post-pandemic era for continuously equipping both students and teachers with requisite skills, relevant apps and software necessary for making learning teaching process smooth in future. In addition, it is recommended that higher educational institutions and relevant authorities should design software to improve involvement of the students while keeping the assessments as fair as possible during online learning.

Career orientation, development and evolution based on personal skills and aptitudes

This paper aims to bring forward the importance of the implementation of personal development and evolution programs within the educational systems. Combined with coaching techniques that help establish emotional balance and achieve positive changes with long-term effects, these programs are meant to bring together the educational offer and demand and match them with the labor market requirements. In the context of aligning educational policies at European level, an innovative and future-oriented approach is needed, reflecting current trends without sacrificing traditional values, which focus on classical teaching methods, but combining them with modern educational techniques. The proposed theme meets the current needs of the younger generations by identifying through the Holland Test skills and attitudes that allow lifelong learning and by creating learning contexts tailored to the needs of students, connected to the ever-changing world. The aim of the research is to identify programs that lead to the activation of a person’s potential to maximize their performance through various coaching techniques and professional development programs carried out in internships, as well as in customized programs carried out in several stages, which combines traditional teaching techniques with modern ones (online school, new technologies, skills development).

The State of Education and Employment of People With Visual Impairment in Malaysia

This chapter is an in-depth qualitative study using a phenomenological approach in understanding the state of education and employment of people with visual impairment in the Klang Valley, Malaysia to identify the challenges they encounter and to discover the strategies they use in the employment sector. The results showed that people with visual impairment had a positive self-concept towards themselves, family, and friends; perceived that there was still a lot for the society to improve in terms of their awareness; acceptance and daily predicament faced by people with visual impairment. They faced challenges such as insufficiency of facilities provided in schools and employers, personal skills, limited mode of transportation in rural areas, job choice, and too many expectations are required from them. Therefore, proactive recommendations are also made to the respective parties in order to be fully knowledgeable concerning what further supportive and accommodative actions need to be taken to aid those who are visually impaired for better employability and education.

Role of Community Placement Programmes in Development of Professional Basic Skills Among First-Year Medical Students

Various methods have been implemented in the medical field to foster professional basic skills among students. Nevertheless, the contribution of a community placement programme (CPP) with regard to first year of medical students is still unclear. The study objective is to explore how CPP contributes to the development of professional basic skills among students within this group. This qualitative study was conducted between January 2017 and March 2018. Two batches of the first-year medical students with a total of 24 students were involved in the study. The data were gathered using reflective journals which were written from a one-day English camp that was held at the Universiti Sains Malaysia’s School of Medical Sciences. A total of 24 reflective journals have been used as data sources which were then analysed using ATLAS.ti software version 8.0 based on the open, axial and selective coding process. The result has shown that professional skills were established through three themes and eight categories. The themes were personal skills (e.g., time management, self-management, self-confident, social adjustment, internal motivation and communication skill), leadership skills (e.g., teamwork) and scientific skills (e.g., proposal writing skills). CPP is an agenda to nurture the medical students’ professional basic skills. Therefore, such an agenda must continue to be included in medical education.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of Competitive Advantage, Learning Organization and SME Performance

The existence of SMEs has an important role in improving people's living standards, as well as in economic development. The purpose of this study is to analyze the confirmatory factors of competitive advantage, learning organization and SME performance. Analysis of the data used in the study using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) techniques, the results of the study show that the learning organization of SMEs in this study was formed by indicators of system thinking development, mentality model development, personal skills, teamwork and flexibility and indicators that are considered to have the greatest contribution. or the most powerful form of learning organization variable is teamwork. The competitive advantage of SMEs is formed by indicators of resources adding positive value, resources are unique or rare, resources are difficult to imitate and resources cannot be replaced by other sources and indicators that are considered to have the largest or strongest contribution to form competitive advantage variables are difficult resources. imitated. The performance of SMEs is formed by indicators of financial performance, innovative performance, production performance and marketing performance and the indicator that is considered to have the largest or strongest contribution in shaping the performance variable of SMEs is financial performance.

Non-interest income and bank profitability: Evidence from Tunisian banks

This study investigates the impact of banks' diversified income structure on profitability among Tunisian banks during 2010-2018. We examine banks’ profitability using accounting and market measures as relevant indicators. We focus on each category of non-interest income separately rather than on non-interest income as an overall measure to provide a clearer analysis helping bank managers assess relevant strategies, and show that income structure diversification enhances banks’ profitability, albeit with their mixed effects. The empirical analysis of panel data indicates that Tunisian bank’s market-to-book value is very sensitive to all types of non-interest income. Banking activity diversification improves stock market profitability particularly in large banks and a safe macroeconomic environment. However, only fees and commissions incomes increase Tunisian banks’ assets profitability. Positive fees and commissions incomes’ effect is more pronounced for large banks and in a deflationary environment. We conclude by recommending to Tunisian banks, the diversification of their activities and the search for non-interest income while trying to control the costs of adopting these innovations, to take the necessary precautions, and to develop their personal skills.

Animal industry survey: The importance of technical and soft skills, coursework, and extracurricular activities on the success of undergraduates entering animal industries

A survey instrument was developed to inquire about the skills and experiences needed to be successful in an entry-level position within an animal industry. The instrument called upon industry representatives to rank the importance of skills, experiences, and coursework as they relate to success. A five-point scale was used for ranking (1=not important, 2=somewhat important, 3=moderately important, 4=very important, 5=extremely important). Industry representatives ranked personal and team-based soft skills as the most important skills related to success. Animal science coursework and hands-on animal handling and welfare experiences also ranked very high. Non-animal science coursework, agricultural business skills, collegiate experiences, and scientific/laboratory skills were ranked the lowest in terms of importance, but rankings of these categories still fell in the moderately important range. These rankings indicate the need for well-rounded students that have gained technical and personal skills throughout their collegiate education. This also signals a need for projects, writing assignments, and hands-on animal-related activities that promote development of soft skills within the animal science curriculum.

Inequality and Dropout in Higher Education in Colombia. A Multilevel Analysis of Regional Differences, Institutions, and Field of Study

In Colombia, the gaps of regional inequalities and social opportunities permeate people’s economic, political, and social participation. Additionally, the initial endowments of individual and socioeconomic background, barriers to financial aid, and academic and personal skills restrict decision-making about studying. In this context, the main objective is to analyze the determinants of dropout rates in Colombia and the differences between the type of institutions, field of study, and regions. We used data from three public administrative agencies for the period 2000–2012. The methodology combines multiple correspondence analysis and a lineal hierarchical model to explain the effect of variables operating at different levels. As a result, we retained four dimensions to represent the individuals’ socioeconomic and financial conditions. The findings obtained from the multilevel model suggest the variation between institutions (11%) and the interaction between institutions and the program cycle (17.8%). It confirms the influence of inequities on desertion. The student chooses between programs with differences in fees and study costs in general, such as quality, social recognition, and employment. In sum, contextual and institutional disparities in the dropout phenomenon’s behavior are explained mainly by the supply conditions in these regions and the individuals’ socioeconomic backgrounds.

Management in architectural design: A reflection on the profession and education

Because employers highlight time, cost, and quality factors in an architect’s work environment, it has become essential to emphasize management techniques and the application of required skills in the project design process. The aim of this study is to compare the factors influencing the management of architectural design in both the professional and academic fields. A quantitative research method was adopted and, using questionnaires and the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP), important factors were compared and analyzed. In this regard, six influential factors in architectural design management were identified: namely, project management, business management, education management, personal skills management, information management, and knowledge management. These factors were further classified into three areas: design processes, competitiveness, and structuring. These three areas were scaled according to their importance in academic and professional work. It was found that project management and business management had greater importance in professional environments, whereas education management, information management, personal skills management, and knowledge management had greater importance in the academic and educational environments.