Entrepreneurial leadership competencies among Malaysian university student entrepreneurial leaders

Developments in entrepreneurial leadership as a distinct area of both research and practice raised many questions about the personal competencies of entrepreneurial leaders that enable them to successfully lead entrepreneurial endeavours. Although identifying entrepreneurs' specific capabilities has been one of the main focuses of entrepreneurship researchers, our knowledge is limited about personal leadership competencies required in entrepreneurial contexts. This qualitative study aimed to explore the personal competencies of undergraduate student entrepreneurial leaders in four Malaysian universities. Fourteen student entrepreneurial leaders were purposefully selected to participate in this study. Analysis of the semi-structured and in-depth interviews revealed different dimensions of proactiveness and innovativeness as previously identified competencies of entrepreneurial leaders for the student entrepreneurial leaders. Furthermore, love of challenges and versatility emerged as the personal competencies of the students. Implication of the findings and suggestions for developing entrepreneurial leadership competencies in university students through purposeful interventions are proposed.     

Complementary assessment in teacher and school leadership training: Necessity,conceptualization and validation

Contemporary education requires teachers and school leaders who have well developed basic skills and competencies such as interpersonal communication, teamwork and leadership, in order for them to lead their students toward successful integration into society. These skills and competencies are crucial for proper functioning in modern society. Existing training programs for teachers and school leadership roles, however, have little if any dedicated guidance for developing these skills and competencies. Inclusion of basic skill development in training programs necessitates a new model that focuses on their assessment. As a first step toward the development of such a model, this study, carried out using the Delphi method, offers definition and validation of a new concept called “complementary assessment”.     

Comparative study of the evaluation of professional competencies by experienced and trainee Spanish primary teachers

Taking as reference the proposals of the European Higher Education Area, the aim of this study is to identify the competencies which a wide sample of teachers in Spanish primary schools (6–12 age group) consider to be important for their professional performance and which they use in their everyday teaching, and to what extent their university training prepared them for their practising professional development. To do this, an ad hoc instrument was devised and applied to experienced practising teachers and to teacher trainees who were on teacher training placements during the last semester of their course. The results of the study show that initial teacher training should deal in depth with the competencies related to the organisation and management of teaching–learning, the use of new technologies in the primary classroom, the involvement of the families, education in values, social skills and skills for working in professional groups. Finally, proposals are made for training based on the articulation between theory and practice, to allow the professional competencies mentioned to be developed and used in practice, as well as encouraging close collaboration between teacher trainers and experienced practising teachers.     

Metacognition gains in public health graduate students following in-class peer evaluation

Peer evaluation provides an opportunity to give and receive feedback on work in a structured setting. Instructors can utilise peer evaluation as an opportunity to teach and for students to practice metacognition along with other professional skills. Second year Master of Public Health students in a professional development capstone course participated in a peer evaluation for two writing assignments. Students were administered pre- and post-surveys about their perceptions of peer evaluation. First years were administered the survey as a comparison group. Mixed methods were used to: (1) examine second years’ perceptions of skills gained/practiced after engaging in peer evaluation, (2) compare perceptions of peer evaluation in second to first years, and (3) measure agreement across skills gained following peer evaluation compared to self-reported competencies in their final capstone ePortfolio assignment. Results demonstrate gains in metacognition of professional skills and strong agreement of the skills reported following peer evaluation and self-reported competencies.     

Higher‐Performance Executives: Bringing Executive Development Programs Into Balance

Executive development programs teach various skills deemed important in future leaders and help shape future leadership and its performance. However, they are often excessively focused on competencies required for dealing with internal issues and relationships. They do a much less admirable job preparing future executives for the unique skills required in competing. This article proposes a human performance technique—a virtual competition simulation known as business war gaming‐that can have superior results in this domain.     

Basic Skills for Leadership of Counseling Groups

Basic skills training has emerged as an important element in educating counselors and other helping persons. Although the literature on small groups contains numerous schemata for describing and categorizing the behavior of group leaders, none was discovered which was specifically developed as a basis for systematic skill training in the leadership of counseling groups. The author identifies a set of basic group leadership skills to be used in a systematic skills training approach. The skills fall into two broad categories, teaching and group management. Definitions and examples of the skills are provided, and the author discusses adaptation of a microcounseling format for training in group leadership skills.     

Can weekly discussions in a sensory science course influence student's perception and confidence in their professional success skills?

The Institute of Food Technologists’ (IFT) success skills highlight the importance of developing professional skills in the food science curriculum. On the other hand, many students in higher education report that the public school system feels disconnected and unrelated to their future. In this context, this study aimed to evaluate student's perceived importance of professional skills, as well as to enhance their awareness and confidence in them. Students in a sensory science class at the University of Illinois completed a questionnaire at the beginning, middle, and end of the semester to assess their opinion of and self‐assurance in professional skills, such as writing technical reports, providing leadership, making formal presentations, and applying critical thinking. During the semester, students received basic training and guidelines on each skill and were given assignments and activities to practice them as part of their coursework. Results showed increased knowledge about the existence of IFT core competencies, as well as an increased motivation to practice success skills regularly. They also showed an increased perceived importance of presentation skills, leadership, dealing with group conflict, researching scientific information, and library resources. Confidence in 80% of the skills increased significantly by the end of the semester, after students had been presented with opportunities to practice and discuss the skills in groups. Students were also able to relate their learning of specific success skills to different course assignments. This study concluded that a general exposure to the importance of practicing professional skills in a college setting enhanced student's experiences and awareness by connecting them to their future professional careers.     

Repertoire of practice: Reconceptualizing instructor competency in contemporary adventure education

Abstract

Historically, adventure educators have used the metaphor of hard and soft skills to understand their practice: hard skills representing technical competencies, and soft skills representing interpersonal competencies. In light of current research and in the face of increasingly complex varieties of adventure practice, the categorization of skills into “hard” or “soft” may obscure important aspects of experiential learning and limit the development of an effective pedagogy for adventure education. This paper interrogates the hard/soft metaphor from various perspectives and offers “repertoire of practice” (Wenger, 1998) as a possible framework to further discuss instruction and learning in contemporary adventure education. ‘What we have learned to see something as, becomes in turn, the guide to our outward practical activity’. (Wartofsky, 1979, p. 207)     

顶岗实习：高职教育能力观视角下的课程新模式

职业能力是高职教育能力体系的核心,在课程模式构建中,首先要注意培养学生的职业能力,其次是培养学生的关键能力,以实现对职业技能的促进和迁移。顶岗实习是目前高职教育实践课程改革的重要举措,是培养高职教育能力的有效途径。     

Repertoire of practice: Reconceptualizing instructor competency in contemporary adventure education

Historically, adventure educators have used the metaphor of hard and soft skills to understand their practice: hard skills representing technical competencies, and soft skills representing interpersonal competencies. In light of current research and in the face of increasingly complex varieties of adventure practice, the categorization of skills into “hard” or “soft” may obscure important aspects of experiential learning and limit the development of an effective pedagogy for adventure education. This paper interrogates the hard/soft metaphor from various perspectives and offers “repertoire of practice” (Wenger, 1998) as a possible framework to further discuss instruction and learning in contemporary adventure education. 'What we have learned to see something as, becomes in turn, the guide to our outward practical activity'. (Wartofsky, 1979, p. 207)     

‘Removing the chaos from the narrative’: preparing clinical leaders for practice development

This article explores the work of a group of ward leaders who worked in a large acute NHS Trust in London in identifying the need for practice development in their clinical settings and their own leadership development needs. The ward leaders worked with a facilitator over a period of 6 months to develop knowledge, skills and experience in leading practice developments. The project was deliberately focused on helping the ward leaders become aware of the need for change and increase their potential as leaders of changes arising from the project. The ward leaders worked with the facilitator (the lead author) over a 7-month period, utilising a variety of integrated developmental and data collection techniques. The methods employed included reflection on practice, observation of practice, discussions with practitioners, 360-degree feedback and the use of a variety of creative arts. The project was based on the narrative framework of Frank (1995), and this framework was utilised to shape the interpretation of the processes and outcomes of the project. This article thus presents the combined narrative journey of the facilitator and the participants.     

Teaching Group Counseling Skills: Problems and Solutions

The authors discuss ethical and professional issues regarding group counseling and argue that it is challenging to meet or exceed the standards established by the American Counseling Association's Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs for teaching principles and theories, leadership skills, and group counseling methods for effective group practice. This task is especially difficult for counselor education programs that do not have doctoral students who can provide instruction and group leadership. The authors present a model involving 2 courses that allow for mastery of skills and solve practical dilemmas of providing an experiential group experience and leadership opportunities.     

Personal growth and development of parent leaders through a group parent education program

Many scholars assert that current parent education practices in Hong Kong are dominated by the transmission perspective. This perspective assumes inadequacies in the knowledge and skills of parents; hence, the goal of parent education appears to be the transmission of facts as well as skills development and values information that prepare children to become better members of society. Simply providing parents with knowledge about child development and teaching them certain skills cannot help them gain deeper insights. Indeed, parents find it difficult to apply what they have learned because of inadequate reflections on their goals and values related to parenthood. These criticisms have serious implications on the re-conceptualization of parent education. This article reports on a new approach to parent education, in which a group of parent leaders developed and facilitated a group parent education program (GPEP) for low-income parents. The GPEP emphasized the use of the group approach and interactive activities as well as homework to help the target parents practice the skills they learned during the program. The parent leaders taught positive parenting strategies and exchanged their own experiences with low-income parents. This research aims to study how parent leaders evaluate their challenges, growth, and development, as well as analyze the impact of the GPEP approach on these parents. The study provides valuable data to facilitate further studies on GPEP and other alternative approaches for parent education.     

Ensuring quality in EPs’ use of dynamic assessment: a Delphi study

Dynamic Assessment (DA) is an interactive form of cognitive assessment used by some educational psychologists (EPs) to assess the learning potential of children and young people, through a focus on cognitive and affective aspects of learning. In terms of UK EP practice, this approach has the potential to complement the focus on ‘person-centred planning’ set out in the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice. However, there is little guidance or consensus on what constitutes good DA practice. This research employed a Delphi methodology to identify competencies required to carry out quality DA. A panel of five international experts in DA and 17 EPs, using DA in practice, participated in three rounds of a Delphi study that identified 13 knowledge and 12 skills competencies considered essential for quality DA practice. The resulting framework could inform training and professional development programmes for EPs wishing to develop their skills and competence in practice.     

Information use skills in the engineering programme accreditation criteria of four countries

The need for twenty-first century information skills in engineering practice, combined with the importance for engineering programmes to meet accreditation requirements, suggests that it may be worthwhile to explore the potential for closer alignment between librarians and their work with information literacy competencies to assist in meeting accreditation standards and graduating students with high-level information skills. This article explores whether and how information use skills are reflected in engineering programme accreditation standards of four countries: Canada, the USA, the UK, and Australia. Results indicate that there is significant overlap between the information use skills required of students by engineering accreditation processes and librarians’ efforts to develop information literacy competencies in students, despite differences in terms used to describe these skills. Increased collaboration between engineering faculty and librarians has the potential to raise student information literacy levels and fulfil the information use-related requirements of accreditation processes.     

Improvement of Word Problem Solving and Basic Mathematics Competencies in Students with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Mathematical Learning Difficulties

Problem solving represents a salient deficit in students with mathematical learning difficulties (MLD) primarily caused by difficulties with informal and formal mathematical competencies. This study proposes a computerized intervention tool, the integrated dynamic representation (IDR), for enhancing the early learning of basic mathematical competencies and word problem solving skills. The goal was to compare and contrast the effects of IDR on the acquisition of informal and formal mathematical competencies in students with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and MLD. Participants were 216 students (6–9 years), who were classified into three groups: ADHD (n = 72), MLD (n = 82), ADHD and MLD (n = 62). They completed the Test of Early Mathematics Ability (Third Edition). The results showed that all three diagnosed groups improved significantly postintervention in all mathematical competencies, with the MLD‐only group benefiting the most at posttest.     

Berufliches Selbstverständnis und Beanspruchung in der Schulleitung

This contribution investigates the professional self-concept of school heads and the demands on their professional competencies using a standardized survey of 861 school leaders. The paper starts with a sketch of the theoretical basis of the investigation, which is a framework model for school leadership. The initial findings of the research project contradict the concept of a homogeneous group of professionals. Using cluster analysis it is possible to identify five leadership groups, which not only display divergent occupational concepts, but differ systematically in their satisfaction and their experience of stress.     

Developing Professional Learning Environments: Model and application

In this article we offer a number of insights and instruments to facilitate the realisation of learning communities in professional training contexts, and in the context of adult education in general. We direct our attention towards environments that support the development of professional skills that follow the line of the behavioural sciences, and more especially management competencies and organisation psychology competencies. Firstly, we give a brief outline of our view of learning and the general approach that this may require. We then go on to present a number of theoretical viewpoints mainly from an experiential, and from a constructionist, situated learning perspective. We structure our argument introducing three concepts: orientation, elaboration and integration. Simultaneously, we illustrate our point with a case: CIGO, 1 a training program that regards the development of variable competencies with reference to change within groups and organisations. Finally, we discuss the model/method more critically, which leads us to its refinement, showing the tensions between the practice of orienting, elaborating and integrating within a learning trajectory.     

Core competencies: A systems approach for training and organizational development in extension

The authors present a rationale for developing core competencies for training and organizational development in extension. Core competencies are defined as “the basic knowledge, attitudes, skills, and observable behaviors that lead to excellence in the workplace.” Competency-based models can be used to create an infrastructure that promotes innovation and continuous learning in every dimension of an extension organization. Competency models are designed around the skills individuals and groups need to be effective now and in the future. Competencies must be tied directly to the mission and strategic issues of the organization. A ten-step model is offered for identifying, validating and developing core competencies for an extension training and organizational development system. The seven core competencies developed by North Carolina Cooperative Extension using this process are defined. These competencies are being used or adapted by several states in the Southern Extension Region of the United States, and extension organizations throughout the United States are beginning to develop competency-based models for training and development. Illustrations of the application of the core competencies in North Carolina are provided along with preliminary qualitative evidence of the impact of this approach.     

Development and Validation of an Instrument for Early Assessment of Management Potential in a Mid‐size Chemical Company

This study reports on development and concurrent validation of a competency instrument to identify potential leaders in a mid‐size chemical company. Four competencies were identified: courageous problem solving, perceived energy, networking, and perceived motivation. Four different comparison groups were examined in logistic regression analyses. The instrument demonstrated promising validity.