‘Motivational orientation for adult learners’

The present study is part of an exploratory research study conducted to understand the Learning experiences of adult learners in Higher Education Institutes in India. The primary aim of the present study was to examine the motivational orientations of adult learners for lifelong educational courses and hence, the Educational Participation Scale (EPS) by Boshier was used to examine the motivational orientations among adult learners enrolled in selected lifelong courses. In total, seven motivational factors were identified among the adult learners to enrol in the Programmes: Communication skills and Social contact, Professional advancement, Intellectual recreation, Cognitive interest, Family Togetherness, Children Relationship and Educational Compensation. Age, gender, type of course and educational background had varying influences on the motivational orientation of the adult learners. Though professional advancement was found to be higher, Communication skills, social contact and family togetherness was found to be significantly higher among older research participants aged 50 years and above.

Employment Profile and Program Relevance: Bases for Quality Measures Towards Language Curriculum

This research involved a comprehensive review of a graduate program’s competence for enhancements responsive and relevant to the standards of the new educational landscape and of the employment agencies’ growing needs and demands. Descriptive survey method embedding interview was used to address the objectives. Employing total enumeration, 70% retrieval rate of the instrument administered was recorded. Statistical and thematic analyses revealed that the MA- ESL degree, as similarly concluded, is contributory to the professional advancement of the graduates as supported by the high employment rating obtained consistent with the graduates’ regular status in professional occupational classifications and business lines. Significantly, the school- related factors were generally found very relevant- giving premium to curriculum, goals and objectives, and faculty and instruction. The work- related values on the other hand were rated highly useful- assessing perseverance and hard work of utmost importance. Of the general competencies, communication, knowledge and technical, and research were primarily found useful. Meanwhile, the feedback derived from the graduates, crosschecked with the above results, provided quality and timely enhancement measures. It is then forwarded that the proposed plan highlighting specific measures in the areas of curriculum and faculty and instruction may be adopted and accorded periodic evaluation.

Has Covid-19 increased gender inequalities in professional advancement? Cross-country evidence on productivity differences between male and female software developers

Objective: This article analyzed gender differences in professional advancement following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic based on data from open-source software developers in 37 countries. Background: Men and women may have been affected differently from the social distancing measures implemented to contain the Covid-19 pandemic. Given that men and women tend to work in different jobs and that they have been unequally involved in childcare duties, school and workplace closings may have impacted men’s and women’s professional lives unequally. Method: We analyzed original data from the world’s largest social coding community, GitHub. We first estimated a Holt-Winters forecast model to compare the predicted and the observed average weekly productivity of a random sample of male and female developers (N=177,480) during the first lockdown period in 2020. To explain the cross-country variation in the gendered effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on software developers’ productivity, we estimated two-way fixed effects models with different lockdown measures as predictors – school and workplace closures, in particular. Results: In most countries, both male and female developers were, on average, more productive than predicted, and productivity increased for both genders with increasing lockdown stringency. When examining the effects of the most relevant types of lockdown measures separately, we found that stay-at-home restrictions increased both men’s and women’s productivity and that workplace closures also increased the number of weekly contributions on average – but for women, only when schools were open. Conclusion: Having found gender differences in the effect of workplace closures contingent on school and daycare closures within a population that is relatively young and unlikely to have children (software developers), we conclude that the Covid-19 pandemic may indeed have contributed to increased gender inequalities in professional advancement.

Career Difficulties That Chinese Academic Journal Editors Face and Their Causes

The purpose of this article is twofold: 1) to analyse common career difficulties experienced by academic journal editors in China and explain their causes; and 2) to identify how stakeholders in Chinese scholarly publishing can support editors. Thirty-two academic journal editors were surveyed, and fourteen of those were subsequently interviewed. We found that a deficit of high-quality manuscripts, a large number of laborious tasks at work, limited opportunities for professional advancement, and low job satisfaction were the main career difficulties, of which the two most common were a deficit of high-quality manuscripts and low job satisfaction. The key causes of these difficulties were an unbalanced academic evaluation system that rewarded indexed over non-indexed journals and the marginal status of journal offices at their affiliated institutions. The forms of support most desired by respondents were recognition for their work, salary increases, greater opportunities for continued learning, easier job title promotion, and more scholarly communication with their peers.

A New Window into La casa del padre An Analysis of the novel Aitaren etxea by Karmele Jaio

This article analyses the novel Aitaren etxea (lit. ‘The Father’s House’, self-translated into Castilian Spanish as La casa del padre), by Karmele Jaio. The book, which is dedicated to “all new men”, explores the gender dynamics underlying family relations, professional advancement in the cultural field, and the Basque national struggle. As a thesis novel, it calls on men to take stock of the ways in which they have perpetrated patriarchal structures so that they may be open to new attitudes.

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD): A Journey Towards Sustainable Future

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) becomes an imperative trend among educational institutions, which requires a change in education in this modern society. Consequently, all learning institutions need to revisit its functions if it plays its vital role in transforming society by promoting social and environmental equity. This qualitative research intends to explore the faculty members' experiences in a State College in Negros Occidental of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Four faculty members were purposely selected and voluntarily participated in the study. Their relevant ESD experiences were collected using semi-structured in-depth interviews, and results were analyzed using a thematic approach of Lichtman. Analysis of the data reveals exciting themes of their experiences. On becoming a greening organization member, their professional advancement and interest in the care for the environment prevailed. On the meaning of ESD, they highlighted the academe's role in promoting sustainability. Lastly, on their ESD experiences in their classes, actions for learning through the inculcation of sustainability competencies among learners were evident. Generally, the findings suggest teachers' significant role in promoting ESD and the importance of providing an avenue for learners to acquire the necessary knowledge, skills, and values to promote sustainability.