This article examines public speaking anxiety (PSA) among university students presenting in English as a foreign language. Public speaking is widely recognized as an essential academic and professional skill, yet many learners experience significant stress when asked to perform in front of an audience. The study draws on data from a questionnaire and from students’ self-reflection journals written during a Master’s-level presentations course at a Czech university. The findings show that anxiety manifests in multiple ways, including physical symptoms, negative thoughts, and loss of confidence. Students reported that presenting in a second language made them especially self-conscious, as they worried about vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. At the same time, the journals revealed important strategies for coping, such as thorough preparation, supportive peer feedback, and positive classroom atmosphere. Over the course of the semester, many students described gradual improvements in their ability to manage nervousness and to view presentations more positively. The study argues that PSA is not only an individual challenge but also a pedagogical issue that can be shaped by course design. It concludes that fostering a safe environment, normalizing anxiety, and encouraging reflection are effective ways to help students build resilience and develop greater confidence as speakers.

Self-directed learning ability is an essential competency for nursing undergraduates to develop professional skills and adapt to evolving healthcare needs. However, the psychological and behavioral factors affecting self-directed learning remain understudied. The aim of this study is to explore the relationship between alexithymia, mobile phone addiction, and self-directed learning among nursing undergraduates. This study involved 234 nursing undergraduates enrolled at a medical college located in southern China. The Scale of Competencies of Autonomous Learning of Nursing Undergraduates (SCALNU), the Mobile Phone Addiction Index Scale (MPAI) and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) were employed to assess self-directed learning ability, alexithymia, and mobile phone addiction respectively. Correlation analyses were employed to examine pairwise relationships among the three variables. Subsequently, multiple linear regression analysis was used to identify significant influence factors of self-directed learning. Then a structural equation modeling approach was utilized to examine the mediating effect of mobile phone addiction in the relationship between alexithymia and self-directed learning. The mean scores for the SCALNU were 90.19 ± 10.10. Correlation analysis revealed a significant negative correlation between higher SCALNU scores and lower scores on the MPAI (r=-0.294, p < 0.01) and the TAS-20 (r=-0.383, p < 0.01). A multiple linear regression analysis showed that grade, only-child status, experience as class officials in high school, alexithymia, and mobile phone addiction were associated with SDL (all p < 0.01). The structural equation model analysis with a relatively good fit (χ²/df = 2.228, RMSEA = 0.073, CFI = 0.905, GFI = 0.917, and SRMR = 0.066) indicated that alexithymia has both a direct effect on SDL (β=-0.305, p = 0.014) and an indirect effect through mobile phone addiction on SDL (β=-0.120, p = 0.007), with a mediation effect accounting for 28.2% of the total effect. Mobile phone addiction significantly mediates the relationship between alexithymia and self-directed learning ability among nursing undergraduates, highlighting its potential as a modifiable target for interventions to enhance self-directed learning.

The primary purpose is to measure competency gaps between industry expectations and the capabilities of newly graduated quantity surveyors in China. A new measure with high-dimensional measurement error model was used for assessing the competency gaps. We adopted the purposive sampling to gather data through a questionnaire survey of recently graduated quantity surveying professionals who had worked in China for no more than 3 years. The results reveal a competency gap in job matching. Specifically, there is a moderate competency gap in personality and minor gaps in professional knowledge, professional skills, and professional ethics. And the top three competency gap indicators are business administration, personal image, and innovative insight. The findings emphasize the need for educational programs to integrate management and personality development, fostering multidisciplinary capabilities in students.

This study examined how prepared practice teachers in Bachelor of Early Childhood Education program felt regarding their professional competence and whether this preparedness differed by respondents’ demographic factors or program affiliation. The research took place at the College of Education, Cebu Technological University–Main Campus a premier public institution in Cebu, using a descriptive-correlational design. The respondents were consisted of sixty-two (62) fourth-year students whom becoming a practice teacher were selected using convenience sampling. The main instrument was a self-assessment questionnaire adapted and anchored on established ECE professional standards, which measured readiness in planning the learning process, implementing the learning process, and evaluating the learning process and student learning and growth. The data were analyzed using frequency, weighted mean, Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient, simple percentage, standard deviation, and the t-test for independent samples. The results showed that ECE practice teachers rated themselves as Proficient in all areas of competence. Statistical analysis also found that their readiness was consistent, and that demographic factors and program affiliation did not have a significant effect on their professional skills. The Bachelor of Early Childhood Education program prepares graduates well for professional practice, but there are still areas of concerns that could be improved. The main result of this study is a Practice Teacher Competency Plan that provides an evidence-based actionable framework guide to improve the ECE curriculum, teaching methods, and teacher development at the university.their effectiveness.

This community service initiative was conducted to enhance the competencies of English teachers in delivering English for Specific Purposes (ESP) instruction within the tourism sector at SMK Muhammadiyah 1 Kuningan. The primary challenges identified included teachers’ limited understanding of industry-oriented English instruction and the insufficient integration of real workplace contexts into classroom learning. The program employed a series of activities comprising needs analysis, workshop-based training, microteaching practice, and evaluation interview, practice, and teachers’ comment. The findings indicate a noticeable improvement in teachers’ comprehension of English for Tourism concepts, their professional communication skills, and their ability to design contextualized instructional materials. Overall, the program contributed positively to strengthening the quality of vocational education and enhancing teachers’ readiness to meet the demands of the tourism industry.

This article presents a curated collection of nine teaching innovations presented at the Association for Business Communication 90th conference in Long Beach, California, as well as online, in October 2025. These My Favorite Assignment (MFA) presenters demonstrated various activities in helping students prepare for their careers and develop their professional skills. This My Favorite Assignment 33rd edition introduces readers to a wide variety of classroom-ready ideas that integrate career readiness tasks. Teaching support materials—instructions to students, stimulus materials, slides, rubrics, frequently asked questions, links, and sample student projects—are downloadable from the Association for Business Communication website.

The article presents an analysis of the mechanisms used by a vocational high school in Bulgaria to develop dual training and implement it sustainably. It focuses on the school management’s leadership role in the network of different stakeholders, demonstrating the importance of this aspect in the entire process of developing dual education. Apart from the case analysis of the Bulgarian vocational high school’s successful implementation of dual learning, the research strategy includes examining regulatory documents, evaluation reports and publications in media and by companies, as well as analyzing the attitudes among key stakeholders. An overview of the challenges facing dual education in Bulgaria is also provided. Based on the case study findings, the factors supporting the implementation and sustainability of the dual system have been identified. We conclude that the long-term development of the dual education model depends on the understanding that the formation of professional skills is a dynamic process, requiring attention to the needs of the local environment, adaptability to current changes and active participation by all stakeholders. The role of school leadership—with regard to both its motivation and activity—has proven to be essential, and therefore it should not be overlooked when creating state incentives to support dual training.

Beyond the Credentials: Crafting a Brand That Gets You Noticed.

Changes in healthcare governance and the rise of evidence-based medicine (EBM) have over the last decades contributed to an increase in guideline-driven management of general practice. There is a lack of recent studies investigating how this continuous development affects the practice of Swedish general practitioners (GPs) from a broad perspective. Thus, this study aims to explore how Swedish GPs relate to management control through guidelines, how it affects their daily practice and work environment, and how they reflect on its consequences. We conducted semi-structured, face-to-face interviews during 2024 with 11 GPs from all across Sweden. The transcribed interview data were analysed using thematic analysis. We constructed three themes, each representing a field of tension created by guidelines: (1) Torn between high ambitions and their resulting negative side effects, (2) Guidelines promote measurable over unmeasurable knowledge, and (3) Although autonomy in relation to guidelines is highly valued, there are compelling reasons to submit. The first theme reflects a broad agreement on the benefits of guidelines and support of the growing ambitions they reflect. However, guidelines also result in increasing work-load and reduce flexibility in healthcare collaboration. The second theme highlights that because guidelines tend to prioritise measurable over non-measurable knowledge, other aspects of GPs' professional skills risk being underused and underdeveloped. The third theme captures how GPs exercise a high degree of autonomy in relation to guidelines, yet occasionally relinquish their clinical discretion. These tensions may result in side-effects such as a deteriorating work environment, crowding-out effects, fragmented healthcare, and potentially reduced quality in areas of general practice that are difficult to measure. While management control through guidelines entails many benefits, the participants in this study also reported several adverse effects on both the quality of care and the work environment. Promoting quality by organizing healthcare through increasingly complex guidelines may seem like a natural approach in a system that focuses strongly on measuring outcomes, but it is also important for healthcare decisionmakers and guideline developers to acknowledge its potential side effects.

Emotional burnout, a significant indicator of teachers' mental health, affect both their teaching effectiveness and the interaction with children in early childhood education. A comprehensive longitudinal examination of the emotional burnout is important for enhancing ECE quality and promoting the professional and mental well-being of novice ECE teachers. We employed Growth Mixed Model (GMM) to examine the trajectory of emotional burnout among a prospective cohort study of 2,455 novice ECE teachers over a 24-month period after they just entry into the profession. Three domains of emotional burnout showed curvilinear patterns and separate into different trajectory classes. The study also examined the influence of several factors include, education background, rural or urban preschool, gender, and have internship or not, on novice ECE teachers' emotional burnout trajectories. Factors showed various influence on the trajectory classes of each domain. The role of emotional burnout should be considered both in improving teachers' professional skills and in providing suitable and comprehensive training for novice ECE teachers. The findings contribute to the existing theoretical framework on emotional burnout and suggest the need to integrate different factors into novice ECE teacher education programs and inform education policy aimed at fostering high overall quality of ECE.

Professional development is mandatory for addressing contextual realities and enhancing the professional knowledge, attitudes and skills of teachers. However, in the context of developing countries like Nepal, only limited forms or ways of professional development have been in practice. Considering the reality, this study explored the English language teachers’ perceptions and practices in the case of their professional development. For this study, I used a narrative inquiry method. Moreover, I interviewed four secondary-level English teachers from Darchula and Baitadi (two hilly) districts of Sudurpashchim province. The findings of this study were discussed under four themes such as English language teachers’ perception of professional development, the importance of English language teachers’ professional development, English language teachers’ practices for their professional development and English language teachers’ challenges in their professional development. The study found that the participant teachers perceive professional development as a process and practice. It was also found that teachers watch ELT videos, read online and printed materials, write on ELT issues and attend training, conferences and workshops for their professional development. Moreover, the internet issue, less issue-focused professional events and a lack of school and concerned authority support were the challenges to their professional development.

HighlightsWhat are the main findings?Nurses identify communicative competence as a core professional skill essential for fostering trust, addressing psychosocial needs, and ensuring high-quality, patient-centred oncology care.Significant barriers—such as staff shortages, workloads, emotional distress, cultural differences, and insufficient training in advanced communication competencies—limit nurses’ ability to apply these skills effectively.What are the implications of the main findings?Strengthening communication skills through targeted training and multidisciplinary support may improve both care quality and nurse well-being.Organizational models that support adequate time and resources for nurse–patient communication may enhance patient-centred oncology care and contribute to the broader advancement of contemporary nursing competencies.Background/Objectives: In the context of evolving healthcare systems, effective communication represents a fundamental skill for ensuring quality care and addressing the psychosocial needs of oncology patients. In line with the new challenges of nursing education, this study explores communication between nurses and oncology patients, analyzing facilitating and hindering factors from the nurses’ perspective within the hospital setting. Methods: A descriptive qualitative study was conducted using one-on-one semi-structured interviews. The interviews lasted from 15 to 30 min. The study population consisted of nurses working in the Medical Oncology units of the Regina Elena Institute in Rome (IRE). Data were analyzed using the Framework Analysis method by Ritchie and Spencer. Results: The sample consisted of 20 nurses with an average age of 33.5 years. Six main themes emerged: communication as the pillar of the care relationship between technical and human aspects, the need for a balance between closeness and personal protection, the influence of language and personalized approaches on communication, the stimulation of specific training needs, and barriers to nursing communication. Conclusions: Nurses recognize communication as an integral part of the care process and as a key competency for addressing the complex needs of oncology patients. However, inadequate training, time constraints, and staff shortages represent significant barriers, highlighting the need to invest in specific training programs and organizational strategies to improve the quality of care.

Continuing education for teachers is a lifelong learning process that enables educators to improve their teaching, keep their knowledge and skills up to date, increase their self-confidence, and advance in their careers. It can be provided by formal or informal institutions. Officially, it may take the form of courses, seminars, workshops, and career programmes; informally, it can be delivered through webinars, online forums, educational blogs, and similar platforms. Professional development for teachers contributes to the professionalisation of teachers and school leaders. It develops and maintains the quality of teaching and schools. Professional development supports teachers throughout their careers and across the full range of their professional activities. It enables teachers and school leaders to work competently and collaboratively. The Pedagogical Centre PZ.BS (Pädagogisches Zentrum PZ.BS) strengthens schools so they can develop with a focus on the future. PZ.BS supports teachers, specialists, administrators, and other school staff. Continuing education &amp;amp; consulting for schools is designed for teachers, school principals, and other stakeholders in the education sector. Further training courses for school principals and staff; the course offerings of the school development and school leadership department focus on the competencies required by school leaders and staff involved in school development, within the context of their leadership and change management duties. Continuing education for professionals; further training opportunities for specialists contribute to professionalisation and quality assurance, offering the chance to expand skills and exchange ideas within one's professional field. With the online course programme, you can attend courses that strengthen your professional skills, exchange ideas with colleagues, and find practical solutions together for school-related challenges. There are many current courses on teaching, communication, didactics, leadership, and other topics to explore. The programme is also continually expanded with new courses; it is worth checking back regularly at https://kurse-pz.bs.ch.

Education plays a vital role in preparing learners to become skilled professionals and globally competitive members of the workforce. Addressing the need to understand how academic performance relates to employability, this study examined the association between academic achievement and work readiness among graduating Bachelor of Multimedia Arts students at a private, deregulated HEI in Bacoor, Cavite, Philippines. Using a descriptive correlational research design, the study analyzed the General Weighted Average of 45 student-respondents from Batch 2025 and assessed their perceived readiness to demonstrate competencies aligned with CMO No. 20, s. 2017, alongside the Graduate Attributes, Program Educational Objectives, and Program Learning Outcomes. A researcher-developed, validated, and reliable survey instrument (Cα = 0.98) was used, and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a chi-square test. Results revealed that most students achieved academic ratings ranging from “very good” to “superior,” and their work readiness was likewise high, with an overall mean of 4.77. However, the chi-square test yielded X² (45, 6) = 8.02, p = 0.237, which is below the critical value, indicating no significant association between academic performance and work readiness. This finding suggests that readiness for employment may depend more on practical experience, exposure to current industry technologies, and the development of soft skills than on academic grades alone. The study highlights the need for the BMMA program to strengthen performance-based and project-based learning, enhance access to industry aligned tools and facilities, and support faculty development focused on innovative, student-centered instruction. These improvements can help ensure that graduates are not only academically competent but also fully prepared for the demands of the creative industry.

Large-scale stadiums and gymnasiums are important material carriers for building a higher level of public service system of national fitness and promoting the construction of a strong sports country. At present, the scale of China's sports competition and performance industry continues to expand, and the number of various commercial activities is increasing. Under this background, the safe operation of stadiums and gymnasiums is particularly important. This study constructs a model of risk identification and emergency management of large-scale stadiums and gymnasiums by introducing artificial intelligence technology, and explores a new mode of stadium management, aiming at improving the level of risk management of large-scale stadiums and gymnasiums. Method: This study employs a comprehensive approach, integrating literature review, expert interviews, and Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) to identify risk factors in the operation of large sports venues and assess their significance and priority. Subsequently, a model-building approach was utilized to develop an intelligent operational and emergency management model for large sports venues through empirical analysis. This study identifies risk factors such as market competition, operating costs, industry standards, insurance system, management system, staffing, building materials quality, natural disasters, and constructs a risk identification and emergency management model for large-scale stadiums and gymnasiums. Meantime, establish a data collection and processing platform through the integration of intelligent devices and sensors and other technical means to provide timely access to dynamic information of venues, to provide a decision-making basis for people flow scheduling, resource allocation, and so on. Construct a risk prediction and early warning system, using the collected multi-dimensional information, combined with the actual situation of the venue, to quickly identify abnormal behavior, and automatically generate the optimal emergency response plan. This study provides a scientific and intelligent solution for the operation and safety management of large-scale stadiums and gymnasiums. In the future, it is necessary to strengthen the application and research and development of AI, explore more intelligent and automated management methods, continuously optimize the algorithm model, improve the prediction accuracy and decision support capability; Improve the data collection and analysis system, establish a data sharing mechanism, promote data circulation and collaboration among different departments. Attach importance to personnel training in the field of stadium operation and risk management, improve the professional quality and skill level of the team through training and education, and provide strong support for the high-quality development of large stadiums.

ABSTRACT This study investigates how emotions and temporal structures interact to shape the timing of return among highly skilled Chinese professionals. Drawing on the Affective Poly‐Temporal Alignment (APA) framework, it conceptualises return migration not as a linear response to opportunity but as a rhythmic synchronisation between affective intensity and temporal urgency. The analysis is based on twenty‐five life‐history interviews and accompanying emotion‐timeline artefacts collected across the Australia‐China corridor. Using an interpretive‐comparative design, the study integrates narrative interpretation with configurational reasoning to identify how different patterns of emotion and time interact to produce distinct decision rhythms. Three recurrent alignment pathways: synchronous surge, gradual accumulation, and extended deliberation illustrate how migrants' readiness to return crystallises when emotional salience converges with institutional and familial clocks. The findings reveal that the “right time” to return is not externally fixed but affectively produced through moral obligations, biographical milestones, and shifting senses of temporal urgency. Conceptually, the APA framework advances a cross‐scalar understanding of temporal governance, showing how affective attunement to multiple temporalities: legal, institutional, and familial organises mobility even beyond state regulation. In doing so, the study contributes to a more rhythm‐sensitive and relational sociology of migration.

Exploration of the multidisciplinary integration teaching model in forensic science: A case study of death by high fall after drinking alcohol.

ABSTRACT The increasing demand for skilled professionals in technical and vocational domains necessitates intelligent training systems that adapt to individual learners. Conventional assessment methods often fail to capture real-time progress and provide personalised feedback. Recent advances in Artificial Intelligence and wearable technologies enable continuous tracking of complex learner behaviour. This research explores the integration of Deep Learning (DL) and real-time feedback systems to predict and enhance vocational skill acquisition efficiency. Data were collected from multiple sources, including sensor data, task performance logs, user interaction behaviour, and biometric inputs such as eye tracking and hand movements. The data were normalised, and features were extracted using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and selected through Adaptive Inertia Weight Particle Swarm Optimisation (AIW-PSO). A Residual Long Short-Term Memory (ResLSTM) network is employed to accurately predict individual skill acquisition efficiency. Based on model outputs, real-time feedback dynamically adapts training tasks to provide personalised guidance. The proposed framework achieves high performance, with an accuracy of 98.7% and strong results across recall, AUC, MCC, precision, and F1-score, demonstrating its effectiveness for smart vocational training systems.

The article examines the ethnocultural character of phraseological units related to Kazakh folk crafts, as well as their connection with material culture, traditional labor practices, and the national worldview. Phraseological units of the Kazakh language are analyzed as linguistic reflections of craft activities that developed in the everyday life of the people (wool processing, clothing production, wood and stone carving, spinning, blacksmithing, etc.). The author analyzes elements of material culture that underlie the formation of phraseological expressions, their figurative nature, semantic development, and evaluative function. The study demonstrates the process of phraseologization of specific tools and actions associated with crafts (qalýp – mold, astau – wooden bowl, urshyq – spindle, diírmen – mill, qyl arqan – horsehair rope, qulpytas – gravestone, etc.), and reveals their role in characterizing human traits, social status, professional skill, and life situations. Phraseological units are viewed as carriers of ethnocultural information and as a linguistic cultural code that ensures the continuity of traditions. The article analyzes the linguistic representation of traditional Kazakh crafts and material culture, revealing the relationship between craft-based phraseological units and the national worldview, philosophy of labor, and cultural memory. The aim of the study is to identify the ethnocultural significance of phraseological expressions related to crafts and to determine their role in representing national linguistic consciousness and cultural traditions. The research methodology is based on an interdisciplinary approach that integrates elements of phraseology, ethnolinguistics, cultural studies, and cognitive linguistics.

This study investigates the fluctuating employment rates of hotel management graduates from Guilin Tourism University, a Sino-foreign cooperative program with École hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL). Despite the program's aim to cultivate internationally competitive talent, employment rates have seen a significant decline, from a peak of 98.21% to a low of 45.28%. Through a mixed-methods approach—incorporating surveys of 246 graduates and 120 industry stakeholders, alongside focus group discussions—this research identifies critical deficiencies in graduates' professional knowledge, practical skills, and sense of responsibility. Concurrently, employers emphasized high expectations in professional ethics, service quality, adaptability, and English proficiency. Statistical analysis (e.g., correlation, regression) confirmed significant relationships between these competencies and employment outcomes.The findings reveal a pronounced gap between student competencies and industry demands. In response, this paper proposes an integrated set of strategies, including curriculum modernization, systematic practical training, soft skills development, enhanced career guidance, and faculty internationalization. These measures are designed to bridge the identified gap, improve graduate competitiveness, and ultimately contribute to the development of both the university and the regional tourism industry. The study offers valuable insights for optimizing Sino-foreign cooperative education models within China's evolving hospitality landscape.