A Study into the Effectiveness of the Youth Employment Programme (YEP) in Mauritius

Youth employment programmes are used as a means of developing employability skills through a wage subsidy strategy. This study examines the effectiveness of the Youth Employment Programme (YEP) in Mauritius in terms of the trainee’s satisfaction of YEP, his/her belief that YEP would help him/her to get a job and the odds of actually being employed once the programme is over. The Human Capital Theory is used to describe the transformation process through which YEP increases youth employability. Data was randomly collected among 214 individuals who were either currently or had previously been on the programme. All logistic models fitted the data well with correct classifications ranging from 70% to 92.5%. None of the demographic factors predicted the effectiveness of YEP. Trainees’ satisfaction was predicted by the sector of work placement, quality of programme, field of study and recommendations. Trainees’ beliefs were predicted by the number of interviews, duration of unemployment prior to the programme, whether internship matched their fields of study, nature of employment and quality of the programme. However, the nature of employment and salary were the only factors that predicted the odds of actually being employed. The YEP in Mauritius may require major restructuration to cater for trainees outside the field of social sciences. Although the YEP has failed to provide the adequate support and a satisfying experience, its contribution cannot be underestimated. An evaluation of the programme should be carried out at shorter intervals to detect major loopholes so that these may be resolved in time.

A Meta-Theoretical Approach into the Determinants of Internal Psychological Resources for Entrepreneurs

This study, which was conducted in the context of a Small Island Developing state economy, adopts exploratory, meta-theoretical, and inter-disciplinary stances to examine determinants of internal psychological resources for entrepreneurs. It contributes to existing literature and methodology through its innovative interdisciplinary theoretical framework and the use of Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) in the field of entrepreneurship. Questionnaires were randomly distributed among 711 entrepreneurs, of which 539 were deemed useful for analytical purposes. EFA was used to identify factors that determine fundamental internal psychological resources for entrepreneurs. The Kaiser-Meyer Olkin coefficient of 0.85 justified the sample size for the use of EFA. The highly significant Barlett’s test (p<0.0001) showed the presence of adequately correlated items to form clusters. A coefficient of 0.00033 on the inverse of correlation matrix ruled out the possibility of multicollinearity issues among the six key EFA constructs of internal psychological resources for entrepreneurs. Inner Strength which originates from the field of medicine is surprisingly revealed as the leading internal psychological resource valued by entrepreneurs, followed by Entrepreneurial Aspirations, Entrepreneurial Alertness, Entrepreneurial Orientation, Self-leadership, and Risk Orientation. Two other concepts (Psychological capital and Sense of Coherence) which were initially included in the theoretical framework were eliminated during the EFA because the Scree plot did not support their retention and contributed to multicollinearity issues. This study has several practical and policy implications which will enable governments and entrepreneurs to contribute more effectively and more accurately to the entrepreneurial process.

The Challenges of Forensic Linguistic Analysis of False Testimony

The present paper arises from wider research which focused on various manifestations of destructive and malicious speech behavior in spontaneous oral or written dialogs, related to the processes of information concealment and falsification in police interviews and court testimonies. A number of analytical methods were used to generate this paper: a retrospective analysis of scientific literature, comparative legal and logical analysis, extrapolation methods, and content analysis. Despite numerous experimental researches devoted to acoustic-phonetic or psycholinguistic features of lies, their results are not sufficiently reliable for forensic purposes as the expert report should not rely on assumptions. The author disputes the evidence admissibility of experts’ conclusions about utterances implying speech parameters correlating with lies detected via psycholinguistic examination in oral speech audio or video recording of a police interview or a court testimony. Forensic psycholinguistic methods and comprehensive algorithms used in some forensic experts’ reports to detect speech signs of lying demonstrate a great variety that contradicts with the principals of evidence admissibility. The insufficient development of the currently used expert approach and the lack of a unified methodology for solving expert tasks on a strictly scientific basis creates a demand for developing comprehensive methods for studying lies on the basis of forensic speech science and cognitive theory.

The Impact of E-Learning on University Students’ Learning of Sport Skill Subjects During the Covid-19 Pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic has significantly altered the education system globally shutting down face-to-face (f2f) learning in order to prevent the spread of the disease. The Malaysian government implemented Movement Control Order (MCO) starting in March 2020 creating a new norm for Malaysian citizens’ working, educational and social environments. Work from Home (WFH) became part of the new norm for most working people with university students having no choice but to continue their education via Open and Distance Learning (ODL). Thus, this study investigates the impact of e-learning among university students studying sport skill subjects during this pandemic. An online survey was distributed to 152 students in their second to seventh semester majoring in Physical and Health Education to (1) investigate the well-being of students during online classes (2) identify the effectiveness of sport skill subjects learned online among the students and (3) study the relationship between online lectures and the effectiveness of learning sport skill subjects. A descriptive research design was used to describe the effects of e-learning among the students. The findings revealed that students did not suffer any psychological distress during online classes but indicated a lack of confidence in their capabilities in executing the skills in real life. No significant correlation was revealed between lecturing online and the effectiveness of learning sport skill subject learned among the students.

Vulnerable Medical Student Ecosystems: Transdisciplinary Learning Sciences Interventions, Maximizing Student Learning and Promoting Mental Health

Medical students (MS), as a focus of investigation, are usually the last group that would be considered as suffering from mental health issues. However, the literature shows otherwise; MS suffer debilitating anxiety and depression which worsen with the progression of their studies. The literature also highlights the medical school curriculum as a significant cause of the elevated stress, anxiety, and depression levels within the MS population. This article explores the vulnerable nature of MS by focusing on the nature of the medical school’s hidden curriculum and culture, highlighting its impact on the entire medical education ecosystem and the MS. This article, then, investigates the three dominant epistemological belief frames in medical school which impact the vulnerable nature of MS. Finally, this article presents potential interventions, targeting the need for cultural change that may contribute to the creation of a more compassionate learning ecosystem to build the MS’ mental resilience in medical school and create a stronger medical workforce.

Cognitive and Sociocultural Perspectives: Approaches and Implications for Learning, Teaching and Assessment

The primary role of educators is to best serve and support students’ learning. To this end, the epistemological beliefs they hold are immensely influential, governing (both explicitly and implicitly) educators’ assumptions about how students learn, which determines the curriculum design and instructional methods utilized to support that learning. Over the years, two prominent and influential epistemological theories have developed – the cognitive perspective, which focuses on learners’ mental processes, and the sociocultural perspective, which focuses on learners’ participation in social practices within a particular context – with each providing their own unique contributions to the field of education. Using the example of the learning goal of students’ mastery of English for passing the TOEFL, the purpose of this paper is to explore how these two perspectives view knowing and learning, and the implications of this for motivating engagement and assessing learning. By drawing on and utilizing a synthesis of the cognitive and sociocultural perspectives, educators can align their learning outcomes with the most pedagogically-appropriate approach possible, to best support overall student learning and academic success.

Innovating Culturally Responsive Pedagogy With the Craft Fun Kit (CFK)

This study presents findings on the implementation of a teaching learning tool to enhance culturally responsive learning to enhance awareness of and knowledge about Malaysian traditional crafts in Visual Art classes. Most research in the Malaysian context exploring culturally responsive pedagogical methods has investigated theoretical and general properties, but few have attempted to investigate innovating tools to improve teaching and learning in schools and higher education. New methods with interesting features to teach certain cultural elements will not only trigger learning but can also instil the targeted values in students especially those living in multi racial countries. Using the Design and Development Method for one such tool, this study presents an evaluation of the Craft Fun Kit utilised by an experienced Visual Arts Education teacher in his class to study the students’ responses to and acceptance of the tool both to enhance learning and multicultural awareness. The overall results found that the Craft Fun Kit is relevant and appropriate as a learning tool which can enable students to attain Visual Art education learning outcomes at the secondary school level in Malaysia.

Teacher Preferences of Literature Curricula at Higher Secondary Schools in the Czech Republic

The current revision of national curricula documents in the Czech Republic is motivated by the increasing digitalization of society as well as the need to prepare students for future challenges linked with economic restructuring. The revision includes the reduction of teaching content as well as the establishment of a new range of student learning outcomes. This paper focuses on identifying teacher preferences with regard to the literature curriculum in terms of the curricular content and scope at higher secondary schools. Based on a thorough content analysis of current school curricula documents and textbooks, a so-called model maximum curriculum of literature was established as a basis for the construction of a questionnaire for teachers to express their preferred content. 20 secondary school teachers were selected according to their gender, type of school and duration of working experience as the sample for this study. The analysis found that teachers are satisfied with the current curriculum in terms of content and scope. However, two common tendencies were observed. Firstly, the majority of respondents agreed on the reduction of the curricular content devoted to older literature. Secondly, the reduction of curricular content was consistent in rejecting foreign thematic blocks and minor national literatures. The analysis also confirmed the teachers' lack of interest in including Asian, African, and Central and South American literature in the curriculum.

Knowledge, Attitude and Perceptions towards Basic Life Support Training among Student Teachers in a Malaysian University

Basic Life Support (BLS) training for school teachers is increasingly acknowledged as an important public health method to disseminate knowledge regarding life-saving skills such as CPR. However, there is a lack of studies examining this crucial area of training in Malaysia. Hence, this study aimed to investigate student teachers' knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions towards Basic Life Support training in a public university in Malaysia. An online questionnaire was implemented among final-year student teachers spanning seven different majors. Participants were required to answer 40 questions regarding their CPR knowledge, attitudes towards obtaining BLS training, and perceptions towards performing CPR. A total of 111 student teachers (80.2% female) responded to the survey. Results indicated that the majority of the participants (98.2%) would like to join a CPR training if offered. However, most participants reported a lack of information or resources in obtaining CPR training (82.0%) and had fears of incurring injury (93.7%), being sued (96.4%), being uncomfortable about bodily fluids (85.6%), or concerns of being infected with a communicable disease (85.6%) by the individual receiving CPR. Notably, knowledge regarding CPR was low regardless of CPR training history. Therefore, there is a need for public health information to be disseminated regarding CPR to dispel fears regarding its practice and provide future teachers opportunities to obtain BLS training.