General Skills Research Articles

Quality of accounting graduates and employers’ expectationsin Ghana

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the skills expected by employers and the skills demonstrated by accounting graduates with data from 160 employers of accounting graduates in Ghana. From the perspective of employers, the authors compare the expected skills to the skills demonstrated by accounting graduates and identify any significant gaps.Design/methodology/approachOne-way analysis of variance, T-tests and factor analysis are used to test significant gaps that exist between expected and demonstrated skills by employers and accounting graduates using survey questionnaires and purposive sampling.FindingsThe results reveal that there are significant gaps between the expected skills of employers and the demonstrated skills of accounting graduates. The authors find generic skills to be more expected by employers, while technical skills are demonstrated most by accounting graduates. The top five skills expected by employers are: business ethics and integrity; problem solving and decision analysis; written communication skills; learning skills; and application of accounting principles.Research limitations/implicationsThe study focuses only on organizations that use fresh accounting graduates in Ghana. Further studies may consider other business-related fields like finance, human resource management and marketing.Practical implicationsThe study provides insights on standards that serve as benchmarks for the conduct of accounting graduates as well as the development of accounting curriculum in Ghana. Accounting education should incorporate work-integrated learning as part of their curriculum to enable accounting graduates to solve problems and make decisions through a practical application of accounting principles, standards and concepts, especially in conducting audit and writing reports.Originality/valueThis study fills the gap in the literature on accounting education from employers’ perspectives in a developing country. It conducts a comparative analysis between the most important skills required by employers and the ones demonstrated by accounting graduates to provide insights on standards that should serve as benchmarks for the development of the accounting curriculum from an emerging economy perspective.

Emotion-specific vocabulary and its relation to emotion understanding in children and adolescents

ABSTRACT Among children and adolescents, emotion understanding relates to academic achievement and higher well-being. This study investigates the role of general and emotion-specific language skills in children’s and adolescents’ emotion understanding, building on previous research highlighting the significance of domain-specific language skills in conceptual development. We employ a novel inventory (CEVVT) to assess emotion-specific vocabulary. The study involved 10–11-year-old children (N = 29) and 16–17-year-old adolescents (N = 28), examining their emotion recognition and knowledge of emotion regulation strategies. Results highlight the ongoing development of emotion-specific vocabulary across these age groups. Emotion recognition correlated with general vocabulary in the younger group. In the older age group, emotion recognition was related to emotion-specific vocabulary size, but this effect only became apparent when controlling for the depth of emotion-specific vocabulary. Against expectation, there were no significant contributions of general or emotion-specific vocabulary to knowledge of emotion regulation strategies in either age group. These findings enhance our comprehension of the nuanced interplay between language and emotion across developmental stages.

The Literature Course Mapping in the Undergraduate Curricula of EFL Education: A Case Study in Several Countries in Asia

This study aims to map the literature course in the undergraduate curricula of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education in Asia, particularly in Indonesia, Thailand, and Taiwan[1], and analyze the literature course mapping in the Indonesian, Thai, and Taiwanese undergraduate curricula of EFL education. The significance of the study lies in its contribution to the structure of the undergraduate curriculum of EFL education, addressing global higher education challenges in the twenty-first century. This research employed a case study approach in Asia involving quantitative mapping of curricula documents from several universities in Indonesia, Thailand, and Taiwan, followed by qualitative analysis of curricula documents. The results indicate that, on average, the twelve target universities allocate 6% of the total obligatory completed semester credits to the literature course for a Bachelor of Teaching degree. Most of these universities position the literature course at a moderately low level with their curricula. Ideally, the literature course allocation could be increased to 15% if the linguistics and general language skills course group is also set at 15%, while the elective course group should be at 6%. Since the data were validated using time triangulation, future research should explore additional data validation techniques, such as in-depth interviews or questionnaires. [1] Taiwan is a part of China.

Political Skill of Employees Working in Halal Concept Hotels and A Research

The ability to manage relationships between individuals on a sensible basis depends on mutual understanding and management of this process. One of the basic concepts that explains this relationship is political skill. The fact that both guests and employees represent a certain profile in halal concept hotels will increase the need for political skills. In this context, the main purpose of this study is to investigate the political skill levels of the employees in halal concept hotels and reveal whether employees’ political skill levels differ in the context of different demographic characteristics. Using a questionnaire, the research data were collected from 278 employees working in halal concept hotels operating in Istanbul. The findings revealed that the general political skill levels of the employees are high, and the highest political skill dimension is apparent sincerity. In addition, it was determined that there are differences in terms of age, marital status, educational status and professional experience dimensions according to the demographic characteristics of employees. The findings are discussed in the last part of the study, and suggestions for future research are presented.

Rancang Bangun Aplikasi Penyedia Pekerjaan Lepas Trivial Menggunakan Metodologi Agile

Freelancers are individuals who perform specific tasks for a number of different organizations, rather than committing to a single one. By the mean of freelance marketplace technology, it is now easier for recruiters and freelancers to meet and discuss. However, jobs on most freelance marketplaces today are categorized, focusing on more highly-skilled jobs. Thus, jobs such as daily and trivial ones cannot be found. Therefore, this research aims to develop a freelance marketplace application to help solve the existing problem of freelance work supply demand. This application, by accommodating trivial freelance jobs, is expected to promote inclusivity by providing job opportunities for freelancers with general skill sets. This research is performed using agile methodology, consisting of requirement analysis, design, application development, and black box testing. It was obtained that the web application for admin and the mobile application for user are functioning properly and could met the users� need.

Interprofessional delivery of Read It Again – KindergartenQ!: Classroom, educator, and child outcomes of an Australian pilot study

Purpose Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) data for the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) indicates a concerning increase in the proportion of children who are at risk or developmentally vulnerable in the domains of communication and general knowledge, and language and cognitive skills. This study investigated the effectiveness of speech-language pathologist and educator collaboration to build educator capacity to promote oral language and emergent literacy skills in preschool children. Method A quasi-experimental, pre-test post-test design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of interprofessional delivery of Read It Again – KindergartenQ! on (a) children’s oral language and emergent literacy outcomes, (b) educators’ oral language and emergent literacy instructional practices, and (c) quality of the classroom environment. Result Children demonstrated improved print knowledge and narrative skills. One of the two educators demonstrated a significant increase in their use of oral language and emergent literacy promoting strategies in their day-to-day interactions with children. No significant changes were observed in the classroom environment. Conclusion Interprofessional collaboration with a coaching component is an effective method of improving children’s emergent literacy skills and educator instructional practices.

How do mindfulness-based interventions promote coping and self-efficacy in patients with cancer: A systematic review of qualitative and quantitative data.

The purpose of this study was to review the existing quantitative and qualitative evidence regarding how mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) help cope with cancer-related challenges and increase affected patients' perceived self-efficacy. A systematic literature search was conducted on PubMed, PsycInfo, PubPsych, and CINAHL. Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods studies were included if they (1) evaluated MBIs (2) for patients with cancer or cancer survivors (3) regarding their impact on coping with cancer and perceived self-efficacy. The reports were screened by two independent reviewers and conflicts were resolvedby a third reviewer. The review was pre-registered on PROSPERO (CRD42022368765). Findings from 28 reports of 19 quantitative studies, six qualitative studies, and three mixed-methods studies (total N=1722) were extracted and integrated. The synthesis of quantitative data showed considerable heterogeneity in outcomes and measurement instruments. Most often reported were significant positive impacts of mindfulness on general coping skills, self-regulation, and perceived efficacy in coping with cancer. Qualitative interviews with patients supported those results. The three meta-themes identified were that MBI (1) provided patients with tools to use in stressful situations, (2) promoted a general change of mindset and (3) created a feeling of social connectedness. The reviewed studies suggest that MBI can promote coping and enhance the perceived self-efficacy of patients with cancer. In the future, more research investigating the different aspects of coping and the potentially moderating role of self-efficacy could provide further insights with respect to how coping and self-efficacy related to MBI.

Implementation of Generic Skills in Life Skills Subjects For Teachers of Postgraduate Diploma Programme in Education (PDPP) IPTHO Batu Pahat

Generic skills play an important role in the context of the teaching and learning process in the school environment. Involving aspects such as communication, teaming, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills, generic proficiency comprehensively covers various aspects of learning. The successful application of these generic skills can make a significant contribution to learner development in many areas of life. This research specifically focuses on the effectiveness of the application of generic skills in the context of teaching and learning skills. A total of 30 'Contract Of Service' (CoS) teachers in the Postgraduate Diploma Programme in Education (PDPP) at Institut Perguruan Tun Hussein Onn Batu Pahat (IPTHO) were respondents in this study. They are skills (RBT) teachers, providing a strong foundation for the understanding and development of generic skills. In data collection, the study used a questionnaire instrument containing 45 question items specifically designed to answer three main problems. The reliability of the instrument was tested with an Alpha value of 0.896, indicating good reliability. The data analysis process uses SPSS 14.0 (Statistical Package for Social Science, SPSS for Windows) to obtain percentage, frequency, and minimum values. The results showed that the application of various types of generic skills and the way they were applied by teachers received a high level of assessment. Responses to support factors also received high ratings, indicating significant support for the application of generic skills in the learning process. Based on these findings, the researchers proposed a number of proposals to improve the application of generic skills in Integrated Life Skills subjects in schools, in the hope of providing a stronger and more supportive foundation for the development of generic skills at that educational level.

THE INTEGRATION OF PROBLEM-BASED AND COLLABORATIVE LEARNING ASSISTED BY GEOMETER'S SKETCH PAD: ITS EFFECTS ON STUDENTS' HIGHER-ORDER THINKING SKILLS AND COLLABORATIVE SKILLS

Students showed poor performance in applying higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) in solving Additional Mathematics problems. Therefore, this study examined the effects of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and Collaborative Learning (CL) assisted by Geometer's Sketch Pad on the four levels of HOTS of Form Four students, namely Applying, Analysing, Evaluating and Creating. In addition, the effects of PBL-CL on the four collaborative skills (CS) constructs, namely Academic Benefits, Social Benefits, Generic Skills, and Negative Aspects, were also examined. A PBL-CL module was developed as a guide for teachers. A HOTS test and CS questionnaire were developed to assess the level of HOTS and collaborative skills of students, respectively. This study used a quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test control group research design involving 270 Form Four students in Sabah, Malaysia. The assessment of HOTS involved three intervention groups, namely PBL-CL, PBL and Conventional Learning (Conv) group, while the assessment of CS involves two intervention groups, namely PBL-CL and PBL groups. The results showed that the PBL-CL group produced significantly higher post-test mean scores compared to the PBL and Conv groups in all four levels of HOTS and also produced a significantly higher post-test mean score than the PBL group in all four CS constructs. This shows that the PBL-CL method has a positive effect in helping the development of HOTS and CS of Form Four students. Therefore, Additional Mathematics teachers are strongly recommended to integrate PBL-CL in their classroom to increase the level of HOTS and CS among students. Keywords: collaborative learning, collaborative skills, higher-order thinking skills, form four students, Geometer's Sketch Pad, problem-based learning

An industry review of recent graduate employee’s performance compared to workplace expectations: An environmental science case study

This study developed and tested a model of higher education environmental science program review through industry-wide surveys of environmental science graduate employers. We surveyed 62 environmental professionals who manage recent environmental science graduate employees in eastern Australia. The survey captured expectations of graduates’ skill performance compared to workplace expectations in the first 6 months of employment in both degree-specific skills and general employment skills. Graduate employee skill importance was ranked significantly higher than their actual performance in degree-specific skills including field work, formal correspondence, policy development, data analysis/interpretation, and understanding environmental legislation. Performance was also significantly lower than expectations of generic employment skills including foundation, collaborative, and employability skills. Work placement within undergraduate programs was reported as being pivotal in efficiently preparing graduates, although workplace time limitations hinder participation. This study provides new evidence for universities to adopt work placement or other work integrated learning as a core program component, embed skill awareness and skill portfolio development in curricula, and periodically undertake industry review of graduate employee performance compared to workplace expectations. The new model presented here, of higher education program review, incorporating both graduate employee performance and employer expectations, will assist universities continuing relevancy in a dynamic employment market.

Implementation of an Integrated Guided Inquiry Learning Model in Generic Science Skills to Improve HOTS

This research aims to determine the effect of evaluation of prior knowledge and student worksheets on students' high order thinking skill (HOTS) expressed in the form of learning outcome evaluation using an integrated guided inquiry learning model of generic science skills. The research design used is a dual paradigm with two independent variables, namely evaluation of prior knowledge with student worksheets, and one dependent variable, namely learning outcome evaluation. This research was carried out at SMA Negeri 14 Medan in the 2022/2023 academic year with the research population being all students in class XI Science and the sample in the research was class XI Science 3 which was obtained through a purposive sampling technique. The instruments used in this research consisted of the evaluation of prior knowledge with learning outcome evaluation each have 30 questions and the student worksheets has 15 questions. The research results show that there is a significant influence between evaluation of prior knowledge and student worksheets on students' higher-order thinking skill. Apart from that, there are also differences in higher order thinking skill between students with low evaluation of prior knowledge and students with high evaluation of prior knowledge.

NON-TECHNICAL SKILLS IN THE CIVIL AVIATION SECTOR

Purpose: This study aims to identify and present a framework of non-technical skills for the civil aviation sector. Theoretical Framework: This study critically evaluates and identifies the non-technical competences in the aviation sector that promote superior performance among employees. Design/Methodology/Approach: We conducted a literature review of scientific journals and official documents from the aeronautics sector to achieve the aim of this study. In the first phase, a critical analysis was conducted of the concepts of soft and non-technical skills. In the second phase, we analyzed various general soft skills models and non-technical skills models in the aeronautics sector. Findings: At the end of the study, an integrative framework of 15 non-technical skills for the civil aviation sector is proposed: assertiveness, leadership, verbal communication, critical thinking, trust, interpersonal relationships, situational awareness, ability to solve problems, flexibility and adaptability, responsibility, time management, decision-making skills, workload management, teamwork, and stress management and resilience. Research, Practical & Social Implication: The Study provides a practical framework for the assessment and development of people, contributing to advances in aviation safety and performance. Originality/Value: This study, which provides a comprehensive understanding of non-technical skills in the civil aviation sector, fills a significant gap in the literature when skills manage human resources. It also offers a practical framework for their assessment and development, thereby contributing to advances in safety, security, and aviation performance.

A simple and effective convolutional operator for node classification without features by graph convolutional networks.

Graph neural networks (GNNs), with their ability to incorporate node features into graph learning, have achieved impressive performance in many graph analysis tasks. However, current GNNs including the popular graph convolutional network (GCN) cannot obtain competitive results on the graphs without node features. In this work, we first introduce path-driven neighborhoods, and then define an extensional adjacency matrix as a convolutional operator. Second, we propose an approach named exopGCN which integrates the simple and effective convolutional operator into GCN to classify the nodes in the graphs without features. Experiments on six real-world graphs without node features indicate that exopGCN achieves better performance than other GNNs on node classification. Furthermore, by adding the simple convolutional operator into 13 GNNs, the accuracy of these methods are improved remarkably, which means that our research can offer a general skill to improve accuracy of GNNs. More importantly, we study the relationship between node classification by GCN without node features and community detection. Extensive experiments including six real-world graphs and nine synthetic graphs demonstrate that the positive relationship between them can provide a new direction on exploring the theories of GCNs.

Factors Influencing the Employability of Teachers’ University Students: An Empirical Study from Sichuan Province, China

Introduction: This paper explores the complexities of employability among graduates of teachers' universities within the evolving landscape of China's higher education and labor market. Drawing from market demand theory and aligning with the emphasis on "Employment" in the 20th National Congress Report of the Communist Party of China, the study meticulously analyzes the multifaceted dimensions of employability, encompassing human capital, psychological capital, and career identity. Through a cohesive theoretical framework, the research unveils the nuanced intricacies of employability, providing valuable insights for academia and practical application. Objective: The research objectives of this study are to analyze the individual factors that influence the employability of teachers' university students, test the model and hypotheses regarding the individual factors that influence the employability of teachers' university students, and explain the reasons behind each significant individual factor that influences the employability of teachers' university students and explore their interrelationships. Theoretical Framework: It includes a literature review on labor market theory as a moderating variable. The relationships among these variables are examined, leading to the development of the research conceptual framework for the employability of teachers' university students and the formulation of hypotheses based on theory and literature analysis. Method: To ensure the reliability and validity of the findings, this study employs a quantitative research approach. The sample is selected using proportional sampling and systematic sampling techniques, which enhance the representativeness of the sample. A questionnaire is adapted from previous studies to collect data on the employability of teachers’ university students. The use of a validated questionnaire from past research ensures the consistency and comparability of the data collected. Results and Discussion: Based on the quantitative research data, it is evident that human capital, encompassing students' professional skills, practical skills, and generic skills, along with psychological capital, comprising self-efficacy, optimism, hope, and resilience, play a pivotal role in shaping the employability of teachers' university students. And career identity also can enhance the employability of teachers’ university students.

DEVELOPMENT OF INITIAL ABILITY TEST INSTRUMENT BASED ON SCIENCE GENERIC SKILLS

This study aims to develop an initial ability test instrument based on science generic skills in the form of a scholastic test and develop a final chemistry evaluation test instrument in the topic of thermochemistry as well as find out the validity of the content and construction validity of the instrument. Research and development research, with a 4D development model consisting of 4 main stages, namely: Define, Design, Develop and Disseminate, due to time constraints this research was only up to develop. The results of the content validity test by experts obtained an average percentage of material aspects, namely 87.08%, construction aspects, namely 90.41%, language aspects, 92.5% and additional rules, 96.67%, so the question instrument is suitable for use. Based on the construction validation test data, it was found that of the 20 questions on the scholastic potential test tested, there were 19 questions that were valid and considered appropriate, while 1 other item was invalid, while of the 20 questions on the chemistry test tested, there were 17 questions that were valid and considered feasible, leaving 3 questions other invalid. For further research, it is hoped that this instrument can be implemented.

Phonological components analysis (PCA) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in semantic variant of primary progressive aphasia (svPPA): A single-case longitudinal study

ABSTRACT Background Semantic variant of primary progressive aphasia (svPPA) is a form of dementia leading to progressive language comprehension and production difficulties. Aims We investigated whether a phonological approach combined with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) would improve naming skills in semantic-based word finding difficulties due to svPPA. Methods & Procedures A 58-year-old female with svPPA was treated with phonological components analysis (PCA) combined with anodal transcranial direct current simulation (atDCS) of the left anterior temporal lobe. She completed four structured therapy blocks, each lasting two weeks and separated by a minimum two-week break including two interim tests. Before and after the intervention, we additionally assessed the participant’s general cognitive and language skills. Outcomes & Results Logistic regression showed that the participant’s ability to name trained and untrained items improved significantly. Furthermore, her overall cognitive and language abilities seemed to stagnate over the eight months, which seems surprising given the underlying progressive svPPA. We therefore concluded that phonological approaches combined with tDCS can enhance naming abilities even though the difficulties are mainly semantically driven.

Practicality Test of Learning Strategy on Chemistry Instrument Analysis to Improve Scientific Generic Thinking Skills

Higher-order thinking skills in chemistry learning encompass a set of skills known as science generic skills. These skills are fundamental competencies that can be applied across various scientific disciplines and contribute to the success of scientists and science practitioners. The objective of this research is to develop a Problem-Based Learning-based VC-MER learning strategy that enhances students' science generic skills. The research aims to test the practicality of the VC-MER learning strategy, based on Problem-Based Learning, in improving students' science generic skills. The results indicate that the VC-MER learning strategy is feasible for use in the learning process and can be categorized as a practical learning strategy for implementing all stages of the VC-MER learning strategy.

Entrustable professional activities-based objective structured clinical examinations in a pharmacy curriculum

Entrustable professional activities-based objective structured clinical examinations in a pharmacy curriculum

Parental strategies to promote theory of mind development in autistic children of color.

Autism Spectrum Disorder is characterized by an impaired ability to take other people's perspectives, which is known as theory of mind. However, little is known about how theory of mind exhibits itself in autistic children of color and how parents foster their child's developmental skills in communities of color. Two interviews were created to assess how parents appraise their child's developmental skills and help their child grow: a perspective-teaching interview and a general developmental skills interview. Four families participated in the study; three children were African American or mixed, while one had an Asian mother. Parents were asked how their child exhibited various developmental skills and how they helped their child with those milestones. Parents pointed at similar delays in theory of mind and other developmental skills, such as turn-taking and reading faces. They also provided similar strategies to teach those abilities, such as modeling and reinforcements. Several insights and common themes were found regarding autistic behaviors their children expressed and how those affected their parenting experiences. These findings allow for a better understanding of parents' experiences raising autistic children of color; future research could expand on their stories and create interventions tailored to these underrepresented communities.

EXPRESS: The Development of Lexical Processing: Real-Time Phonological Competition and Semantic Activation in School Age Children.

Prior research suggests that real-time phonological competition processes are stabilized in early childhood (Fernald et al., 2006). However, recent work suggests that development of these processes continues throughout adolescence (Huang & Snedeker, 2011; Rigler et al., 2015). This study aimed to investigate whether these developmental changes are based solely within the lexical system or are due to domain general changes. This study also aimed to investigate the development of real-time lexical-semantic activation. We captured semantic activation phonological competition and non-linguistic domain general processing skills using two Visual World Paradigm experiments in 43 7-9-year-olds, 42 10-13-year-olds, and 30 16-17-year-olds. Older children were quicker to fixate the target word and exhibited earlier onset and offset of fixations to both semantic and phonological competitors. Visual/cognitive skills explained significant, but not all, variance in the development of these effects. Developmental changes in semantic activation were largely attributable to changes in phonological processing. These results suggest that the concurrent development of linguistic processes and broader visual/cognitive skills lead to developmental changes in real-time phonological competition, while semantic activation is stable across these ages.