Lifelong Learning Programme Research Articles

Exploration of the relationship between stigma and burnout among Greek nurses in dementia care

To investigate possible correlations between stigma and burnout of nurses and non-graduate professional caregivers of elderly with dementia in nursing homes. Research on dementia stigma in health care professionals as well as its relationship with their well-being is seriously lacking. This cross-sectional study involved a convenience sample of 171 nurses and other professional caregivers in 16 Greek elderly care units who responded to Maslah Burnout Inventory (ΜΒΙ) as well as the Family Stigma in Alzheimer's Disease Scale (FS-ADS). In order to find adjusted associations between independent variables and the stigma and burnout of professional caregivers, multiple linear regression analysis was used. Cognitive, emotional and behavioural attributions of the three dimensions of stigma were found to be independent predictive factors of burnout's dimensions which indicate that stigma nurses deposit on patients, contributes towards their burnout. Educational preparation of geriatric nurses should provide them with the option of seeing dementia as a normal stage of life since reducing stigma can contribute towards preventing and managing professional burnout. In order to reduce burnout, nurse managers should design lifelong learning programs on the basis of changing the stigmatizing negative cognitive and emotional attitudes of professionals towards dementia.

중노년 전업주부의 인적자원개발 인식과 의향 - 평생학습참여 중심으로 -

The purpose of this study was to identify the factors that affect middle-old aged housewives' participation in lifelong learning as a part of human resource development. Through purposive sampling, the study recruited 163 full-time housewives over age 40 years who live in C City. As a result, first, 87.1 percent of all respondents, or 142, said they were willing to participate in lifelong learning in the future. There was no statistically significant difference in the results of cross-checking by age, educational background and monthly household income variables. Additionally, we used cluster analysis to measure differences in participation intentions according to the perception of human resource development of middle-old aged full-time housewives. The perception variable of lifelong learning is: First, Cognitive degree, second, importance, third, activation awareness. Cluster 1(n=16) was divided into generally low- perception types, such as cognitive degree, importance, and life-long learning activation of the C city, while Cluster 2(n=61) was classified as a type of person who thinks that lifelong learning is important to life and Cluster 3(n=86) was generally classified as a type with a higher lifelong learning perception. and we found that there was no difference in the intention to participate in lifelong learning by all cluster Lastly, we found that participants who valued human resource development scored significantly higher on measures of cognition than those who did not value it. Based on these results, we advocates social change that encourages the cultivation of talent through lifelong learning programs that can positively affect one's unique identity, not just wife and mother, and provide opportunities for self-development.

Values of lifelong learners and their pursuits of happiness and whole-person wellness

Objectives: In this study, we explored the lived experiences of older adults engaged in lifelong learning programs using the Orientations to Happiness (OTH) framework.Methods: Semi-structured interviews employing a phenomenological approach were conducted with Midwestern older adults (aged 65 years and older) who participated in lifelong learning programs. Interviews were transcribed and collaboratively coded using pattern coding.Results: Six themes were identified that described the values expressed by participants: 1) need for novelty, 2) generativity, 3) spirituality, 4) hedonism, 5) active lifestyle, and 6) family. We created a novel diagram representing the intersectionality of the three OTH components (e.g.meaning, engagement, and pleasure) and explored how the six themes fit within our diagram. In doing so, we elucidated various OTH intersections that highlight a variety of happiness-promoting pathways that lifelong learning programs offer older adults.Discussion: Results suggest that these values and experiences can play an important role in maintaining an engaged lifestyle and providing opportunities for achieving and maintaining happiness and whole-person wellness.

Investigating social networks of older Singaporean learners: a mixed methods approach

ABSTRACTLifelong learning is regarded as an important channel in promoting active engagement in later life for aging societies. While most studies depict older learners as a group resilient to engaging in lifelong learning, few have addressed the impacts of their social networks on their participation. Drawing on the nationwide lifelong learning program in Singapore, the study explores the extent older Singaporean adults’ social networks influence their involvement in learning courses and illustrates how those networks matter to their motivations. A mixed methods approach consisting of two network instruments (Name Generator and Position Generator) and in-depth interviews based on 30 older Singaporeans (between 50 and 79 years old) were employed. The findings demonstrated that primary family members (spouse and children) were key discussants for older learners, but the narratives showed only children were key supporters. For female learners, husbands’ support could be limited. Such a gender difference was revealed in overlap networks among couples, with male learners receiving greater positive support from their wives. Furthermore, the results showed that single or widowed learners had more non-kin members and diverse network resources, which reflect in their discourses of being highly motivated and active in spreading news of courses. To conclude, the study delivered deeper understandings of how diverse social contexts influence older learners’ motivations. Future research shall continue to focus on variations of network characteristics and network resources to improve the understanding of how significant others and accessible network resources provide social support or opportunities for older learners.

Uključivanje djece s teškoćama u razvoju u ustanove ranog i predškolskog odgoja i obrazovanja iz perspektive odgojitelja

For children with developmental disabilities, inclusion in mainstream kindergartens is considered the most appropriate type of education. To achieve this goal, certain preconditions of education quality must be fulfilled, such as process and structural aspects of early education quality. Staff attitudes on inclusion of children with disabilities, and inclusion in general, are one of the process preconditions. Knowing the main sources of negative attitudes towards children with disabilities, which are one of the biggest challenges in the inclusion process, enables understanding of the nature of attitudes, provides guidance for measuring those attitudes more accurately and improves the inclusion process. The aim of this research was to examine the attitudes of kindergarten teachers on the inclusion process in mainstream kindergartens in the Republic of Croatia, and to analyse how those attitudes depended on teacher age, education level, work experience (and years of work in the profession), size of the place of employment, and experience working with children with developmental disabilities. The research participants were kindergarten teachers (N=333) in 14 kindergartens offering a full-time programme in the Republic of Croatia. Data were collected with the Opinions Relative to Integration of Students with Disabilities (ORI) questionnaire, which had been translated to Croatian and adapted for this population. Most participants had neutral or mildly negative attitudes toward inclusion. More positive attitudes toward inclusion were associated with older age, lower education level, and smaller work environment. These results can be a starting point for further analysis of inclusive issues and the development of lifelong learning programmes for kindergarten teachers in preschool settings.

Malaysia: 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'

This paper metaphorically suggests that Malaysia could have been the 5th Asian Tiger if it were able to discover its special hidden talents as the idiom from the Chinese mythology “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” infers. Malaysia’s astounding economic track record (1985-96) underpinned by tamed inflation and high future prospects fell short of expectations in the late 1990s. Malaysia’s autocratic leaders and their instability-inflicting policies augmented uncertainty and undermined any potential recovery efforts in the aftermath of the homegrown Asian crisis of 1997-98. As a result, Malaysia’s promising outlook had abruptly shifted from being a model for the future to Asian myth. Malaysia’s GDP contracted mindboggling -7.4% in 1998 after averaging 9.2% in the period of 1992-96. The unthinkable shrinkage in the steady state output amounted to a loss of about $30 billion, the country’s GDP declined from $101 billion in 1996 to $72.2 billion in 1998. Malaysian people become a lot poorer after the crisis; the per capita income was $4,797 in 1996 as opposed to $3,264 in 1998, a decline of $1,533 in per capita income. Malaysia managed to escape the severe impacts of the near global financial meltdown with a minor dent; unlike the contraction observed in 1998 (-7.4%), Malaysia’s GDP dropped from 6.3% to 4.83% (2007-08) before contracting -1.51% in 2009. Despite the transparent and open economy (ranked 16th place in 2008 GCI) plus fast rise in the Human Development Index ranking (61st out of 190 countries in 2018), Malaysia’s heavy reliance on exports and its elongated addiction to the U.S. dollar made it become more prone to financial, currency, trade, and economic crises. The propagation of contemporaneous crises since the late 1990s have distinctly proved that Malaysia is hardly immune to shocks resulting from the slower economic growth in China and monetary normalizations in Europe and the U.S. which are causing interest rates to rise and exchange rate pressures to increase. Although the remarkable transition of Malaysia into a middle-income country was rather easy fostered by unusually favorable macroeconomic environment, but it seems to have been stuck in the middle-income trap and the next major economic leap to achieve a high-income status will require so much more than cheap labor and “mobilization of resources” based on “perspiration rather than inspiration”. Malaysia is struggling to figure out how to develop comprehensive skills which are essential to support future economic growth. Another problem is that educational institutions in Malaysia are not well aligned with industries to meet their demands; furthermore, a seamless coordination as well as collaboration between them is missing. Accordingly, a decade after the 2008 global financial crisis, Malaysia ranks 44th in pillar 4 (Health and Primary Education) and 41st in pillar 5 (Higher Education and Training). Malaysia also ranks 43rd in pillar 9 (Technological Readiness) due to a lack of lifelong learning programs, weakness in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), and unready for disruptive technologies. Without significant improvements in these, Malaysia will remain in the middle-income trap.

The local embeddedness of graduates’ education-job mismatch and of lifelong learning policies for its overcoming

ABSTRACT The article’s aim is twofold: to outline the specificity of the embeddedness approach and to explore the embeddedness of graduates’ education-job mismatch and the formation of lifelong learning policies. The study is based on both quantitative and qualitative data, obtained from the Bulgarian Universities Ranking System, and from interviews with experts and young adults engaged in a lifelong learning programme. The analysis uses multilevel modelling. It also relies on mapping lifelong learning policies in Bulgaria through a thematic content analysis. The article argues that the misbalances for highly educated people on the labour market mirror structural problems in the economy and the educational system. The argument is reflected in the historical and structural embeddedness of graduates’ education-job mismatches and the lifelong learning policies applied to overcome this. The results show that the extent of vertical education-job mismatch depends on the different profiles of higher education institutions and professional fields; they also demonstrate different ways in which the embeddedness approach could help shed new light on, and critically assess, lifelong learning policies. The findings reveal a differentiation between national and local levels of lifelong learning policy towards graduates and that regional policies are actively embedded in local contexts.

The Impact of the ERASMUS+ Programme on the Internationalization of Higher Education in Ukraine

The article highlights the effects of the ERASMUS+ programme (an acronym for European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students) has on the internationalisation of higher education in Ukraine. ERASMUS+ is one of the European Union’s flagship programmes in the area of higher education policy. It is related to the Lifelong Learning Programme, whose aim is to strengthen quality and the European dimension in higher education, foster mobility and improve transparency and recognition of studies across Europe. ERASMUS+ programme provides mobility grants to students, academics and administrative staff, but it also supports other activities to enhance the European dimension of studies, such as intensive programmes, the development of curricula or thematic networks. The main objective of the article has been to explore how participation in ERASMUS+ programme affects Ukrainian higher education institutions and indeed contributes to their further internationalisation and modernization. Internationalisation, thus, in this context and following J. Knight has been understood as the process of integrating an international, intercultural or global dimension into the purpose, functions or delivery of higher education. As the result of the study a number of practical recommendations for Ukrainian higher education institutions has been elaborated as to how to enhance the international dimension of their work by means of active participation in the programme.

Remain Independence and Neighborhood Social Cohesiveness Among Older Adults Participating in Three Community-Based Programs Promoting Aging-in-Community in the USA.

Objectives: Aging-in-community has been a preferred way to aging. This study examines and compares remain independence (RI) and neighborhood social cohesiveness (NSC) among three programs promoting aging-in-community (AIC). Methods: Older adults from three AIC programs were surveyed: a village program, a county neighborhood lunch program, and a university-based lifelong learning program. Previously validated RI (3-item) and NSC (4-items) measures were used. Results: Mean age was 72.4 (SD = 8.68) years (n = 289). Both the RI and NSC scales showed satisfactory reliabilities, with Cronbach’s alphas of .81 and .88, respectively. Analyses showed significant inter-group differences on both RI and NSC. After controlling for demographics, regressions showed inter-group differences remained for RI, while disappeared for NSC. Education level had an inverse relationship with RI, whereas married status had a positive relationship with NSC scores. Discussion: Findings call attentions to RI among higher education and NSC among single older adults for community-based services and programs promoting aging-in-community.

Preparing for the Hybridization of the Accounting Profession: A CISA Boot Camp Case Study

ABSTRACT Fortune Magazine (2019) recently touted technology as reshaping the future, resulting in the hybridization of more than 250 occupations. Within the accounting profession, Robert Half (2018) emphasizes the need for business and accounting acumen coupled with technology expertise, communication skills, leadership abilities, customer service orientation, and preparation for specialized (hybrid) roles epitomized by the integration of dual expertise (e.g., information technology and auditing). Such a change provides accounting educators the opportunity to create new programs aimed both at developing students and at upskilling existing workers for dynamic careers by offering certification boot camps that will give participants a competitive edge in the hybridization of the accounting profession. In this paper, we propose the integration of a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) designation boot camp into accounting program offerings and report the results of a semester-long case study introducing the CISA designation to undergraduate students. We discuss boot camp best practices and the boot camp implementation process, and we offer recommendations for accounting programs that utilize boot camps as part of a strategy to address lifelong learning programs for developing hybridized skills within the accounting profession.

Motivation and Electronic Media in LSP Translation Teaching

Abstract Expansion of IT-media in every field of human activity is one of the essential characteristics of modern time. This paper aims at presenting the role of electronic media in teaching translation in the field of law at the University of Osijek, Croatia, and analysing their impact on the motivation of the target group of students in the teaching process. The paper endeavours to provide some insight into the modern teaching practice and to analyse the interconnectedness of the use of electronic media and student motivation rather than to present some empirical research in the field. In the first part of the paper, a theoretical approach to teaching legal translation today is offered. In the main part, teaching legal translation by using modern media is presented on the examples of the Lifelong Learning Programme for Lawyer-Linguists at the Faculty of Law Osijek, and the course on legal translation within the German Language and Literature Studies at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of Osijek. The usage of electronic media in translation teaching is discussed with reference to the courses Introduction to the Theory of Legal Translation and Online Translation Tools and EU Vocabulary. Specific types of online materials, translation tools and sources are discussed from the point of view of student motivation. New media are also discussed from the perspective of their efficiency at different stages of translation teaching. In the concluding part, application of modern technologies in teaching legal translation is compared with other teaching methods, approaches and techniques. Finally, the author questions using IT as motivation tools in the higher education teaching discourse and argues for application of “moderate approach” in the teaching of legal translation.

INVESTIGATING SOCIAL NETWORKS OF OLDER SINGAPOREAN LEARNERS: THE MIXED-METHODS SOCIAL NETWORK APPROACH

Lifelong learning has been regarded as an important factor of promoting active engagement in later life for researchers and policy makers. Most of the studies tend to illustrate old learners as a homogeneous and self-resilient group of people to engage in lifelong learning. Few studies address older learners’ social capital in affecting their decision of engagement and in sustaining their motivation. The study documented the existing social networks of older Singaporeans in lifelong learning programs and illustrated how social networks contributed their participation in learning. The mixed methods consist of in-depth interviews and two network instruments (Name Generator and Position Generator) based on 30 older Singaporeans (between 50 and 79 years old) who attended lifelong learning courses between 2016 and 2018. Interviews are transcribed and analyzed. The network instruments of are quantified and visualized. The findings show that older learners’ networks included a mixture of social ties from family and friends. Learners’ closeness with network members and their living arrangement with them influenced learners’ involvement in learning and future planning. Single respondents who had more non-kin members in the networks reported to be more active due to their weak ties. Overlapping networks among couple learners increase the spousal support for learning. Learners who had wider ranges of social resources are associated with their interest in learning activities. The study suggests that advocating lifelong learning needs to take older adults’ networks into considerations as networks represent the social forces that influence their decisions and motivations.

AGING-IN-COMMUNITY MODELS AND PROGRAMS: PROGRAM AND POLICY PLANNING STRATEGIES

This symposium introduces key aging-in-community models and programs, with a particular focus on program and policy planning strategies. Villages are a new, consumer-directed model that aim to promote aging -in-community through a combination of facilitated social engagement, member-to-member support, volunteer opportunities, and collective bargaining for services. Dr. Graham from the University of California will share results from both a national survey of Village directors and a survey of village members, summarizing Village organizational development trends and members’ perceived impacts. Dr. Gilcksman from Philadelphia Corporation for Aging will share how older adults who do not participate in a Village create their own informal social and service network to maintain themselves and to accomplish the same goals as a Village, building community at the neighborhood level. Additionally, Dr. Hou from the University of Central Florida will discuss lessons learned on program planning strategies among older adults participating in three programs promoting aging-in-community: a university-based lifelong learning program (LLP), a county neighborhood lunch program (NLP), and a Florida Village program as a comparative case study. Finally, Dr. Glass from the University of North Carolina Wilmington will share the current trend of the new senior cohousing model, promises and challenges for older adults providing mutual support to each other as they age together. This symposium will further discuss strengths and weakness, and planning strategies of the various AIC models and programs.

Third Mission as an Opportunity for Professionalization in Science Management

With the rise of the Third Mission of universities, the role of science management, which itself has been growing steadily over the years, is gaining relevance for organizational success. Science managers possess exclusive knowledge of organizational processes and keep their own external networks; neither scientists nor university management can give up on successfully carrying out Third Mission activities, such as lifelong learning or student exchange programs. This study takes up the question of whether this exclusive knowledge of science managers fosters their institutional establishment as influential—and therefore, professional—actors. This leads to the research question: Which power resources are available and used by science managers in the relationships with scientists and university management? The theoretical approach builds upon power resources and micro-politics as the core explaining variables for influencing others. In this pursuit, case studies of four German universities with altogether 27 qualitative interviews were conducted with science managers, university management and scientists. The results show that science managers only partially experiment with tactics that entail more risk, such as barter trade or dominance and the most common strategy in relation to others is moderation by idealization or objectivity. In contrast to expectations, they hereby lean more often on internal than on external networks as power resources. In general, two patterns emerge from the analysis: One group of science managers that act managerial and wishes for more room for individual maneuver, and a second group that sees itself as a service provider with little self-interest and wishes for more rules to strengthen their position towards scientists.

PROGRAM PLANNING STRATEGIES AMONG OLDER ADULTS PARTICIPATING IN THREE PROGRAMS PROMOTING AGING-IN-COMMUNITY

This study examines program planning strategies among older adults participating in programs promoting aging-in-community (AIC) programs. Older adults from three programs were recruited (n=290): a university-based lifelong learning program (LLP; n=110), a county neighborhood lunch program (NLP; n=84), and a village program (n=96). Mean age was 72.4 (SD=8.68) years and 78% female. Findings showed NLP participants were more likely to obtain health information from TV (p=.030), friends and neighbors (p=.016), family members (p<.001), or mailed advertisement (p<.001); while less likely to obtain health information online (p<.001). Village members preferred afternoon while NLP participants preferred morning programs (p=.025). Most desired frequency was weekly (45%) and delivered in small group modes (68%). NLP participants were more likely to report self as risk takers (29% vs. 17%) or old tradition (23% vs. 3-8%) towards new technology adoption (p<.001). Results have implications on tailored program planning for older adults in different AIC programs.

Understanding the Perception of Lifelong Learning Programmes Requirements towards Employee’s Career Development

The implementation of the Lifelong Learning programmes (LLL) is aimed to raise the level of knowledge and skills of employees thus developing human capital through increased productivity and competency. However, the extent to which Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) employees feel that this LLL programmes as a requirement for them in career development is still in question. This study aims to explore the perceptions of SME employees on LLL programmes requirements in their career development. This study applied a qualitative approach using case study design. A total of 11 SME employees were selected as its participants. The findings show that the average participants of this study agreed that there is no need for them to engage in the LLL programmes in terms of promotion from employers. This is because SME employers are more committed to working experience, working commitments and social skills. However, in the opinion of SME employees there is a need for them to join the LLL programmes for the purpose of salary increment from employers and opening up other better employment opportunities in their career development.

Knowledge, Perceptions and Attitudes on Education for Sustainable Development of Pre-Service Early Childhood Teachers in Greece

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is an important issue for the education of students worldwide becauseit offers knowledge, skills, attitudes and values necessary to ensure a sustainable future for humanity at local andglobal levels, which is nowadays becoming critical. The decade 2005-2014 called ‘Decade of ESD’ was an initiativeby the United Nations to promote ESD worldwide, followed currently by the Agenda 2030. ESD should be anongoing subject for students in formal and informal education, at all educational levels, and in life-long learningprograms, starting with early childhood education. This paper reports on the knowledge, perceptions and attitudes ofpre-service early childhood teachers of the University of Ioannina, Greece, on ESD using a quantitative approachutilizing a questionnaire. Our findings showed that most pre-service teachers had knowledge on environmentalaspects but did not consider societal and financial matters to be aspects of ESD. Furthermore, most students hadnever ESD lessons during their formal education. Our findings depict that pre-service students believe that ESD is animportant issue, that it should be included in the curricula and that lessons on EDS during their studies woulddevelop their ability to teach ESD to their students.

KSZTAŁTOWANIE POSTAWY OTWARTOŚCI INTERKULTUROWEJ NAUCZYCIELI JĘZYKÓW OBCYCH W ŚWIETLE ZALECEŃ UNII EUROPEJSKIEJ I NA PRZYKŁADZIE ASYSTENTURY COMENIUSA

Learning a foreign language is not only limited to the development of linguistic competences. Learning a language also means learning about the culture and life of another country, which very often may be a future destination for educational or professional purposes for foreign language learners. Teaching intercultural competences within foreign language education is a subject of academic research. Official documents of the European Union, which affect the national language education strategies, also confirm the importance developing intercultural competence. Experts agree that foreign language teachers play a crucial role in building intercultural awareness of their pupils. Thus, in order to act as intercultural mediators they should acquire intercultural skills and competences themselves. This article analyses the development of future foreign language teachers’ intercultural competences as a consequence of their participation in Comenius Assistantship, a component of the Lifelong Learning Programme.

Building a policy space via mainstreaming ICT in European education: The European Digital Education Area (re)visited

AbstractThis article examines the ideational construction and definition of the European Digital Education Area (EDEA) as a policy space and mechanism for the mainstreaming of digital technologies in Europe's education and training systems. It revisits the foundational pillars on which it is premised, proposed in a previous iteration of the concept: formal legislation, mainstreaming of digital education actions and interlinked networks of practice. Employing a mixed methods approach, involving discourse analysis of key policy documents enacted over the past two decades, an online survey of ICT project coordinators under the Lifelong Learning Programme, and interviews with policy officers at the European Commission, the study reinforces the structure and utility of the EDEA for ICT diffusion in education. It argues for its formal acknowledgment as a political priority and key policy area enforceable through instruments similar to those existing under the Bologna Process for a coherent, concerted and strategic approach to digital education at EU level.

Toward Lifelong Learning: A Cross-National Analysis of Codes of Ethics for Educators

The goal of this study was to explore the shared meaning of ‘ethics in school practice’ based on educators' attitudes. Our analysis focused on a random sample of 30 codes of ethics for educators that were developed by educational leaders in various countries. The data analysis was based on qualitative analysis. The findings generated a multidimensional model of ‘ethics in school practice’ that included six dimensions: ‘caring about students,’ ‘teachers' professionalism,’ ‘collegial relationships,’ ‘parental involvement,’ ‘community involvement’ and ‘respecting the law and regulations.’ The findings may promote lifelong learning programs toward understanding the multidimensional structure of ‘ethics in school practice.’