Career development of foreign trained immigrants from regulated professions

In this article, we aim to examine and understand the career development experiences of foreign-trained immigrants from regulated professions (FTIRPs) in Canada. To provide some background on immigration in a Canadian context, we focus on a myriad of factors that affect the vocational well-being of FTIRPs. We apply key concepts from several major career development theories to FTIRPs, proposing some general helping strategies intended to empower this population in managing and developing their careers in a new world of work in their host country.     

Stress prevention through a time management training intervention: an experimental study

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a short-term time management training programme on perceived control of time and perceived stress. The sample of 177 freshmen was randomly assigned to a time management training (n?=?89) and an active control group (CG) (n?=?88). We expected that an increase in external demands during the first weeks of the semester would lead to more perceived stress in the CG, but not in the time management training group, due to the time management intervention. As hypothesised, perceived stress increased in the CG, but not in the time management training group. Furthermore, perceived control of time increased in the time management training group but remained unchanged in the CG. Even a rather short intervention of 2?h can protect freshmen from an increase in perceived stress at the beginning of the semester.     

Stichwort: Erziehungswissenschaftliche Perspektiven auf das Lernen Erwachsener

This leading article assumes that the understanding of learning is increasingly influenced by educational science and identifies several theoretical starting points for research in adult education. In doing so, the understanding of learning will be discussed in relation to various related disciplines and non-scientific discourses. The account is based on a scheme of self-reference and external-reference founded in systems theory which captures the relational character of learning—something that is developed more or less explicitly in all theoretical portrayals of learning. Central aspects for the facilitation of adult learning, such as self-monitoring of learning, the relationship of learning to meaning expressed in the term “competency”, embedding learning in social expectations and assumptions, as well as the link between individual learning and the learning of social systems, can be captured within this theoretical framework and related to one another.     

Precision teaching through Irish: effects on isolated sight word reading fluency and contextualised reading fluency

The current study examines the impact of a three-week precision teaching (PT) intervention programme through the Irish language on a group of primary school pupils’ Irish reading fluency. The study employed a mixed factorial experimental design. Thirty-six Irish primary school pupils who were learning Irish as a second language were recruited for this study. Participants were divided evenly into two groups: experimental and control (N?=?18). Participants completed tests of isolated sight word reading fluency and contextualised reading fluency before and after the PT intervention programme. The experimental group was exposed to the PT programme, which focused on isolated Irish vocabulary, while the control group experienced typical teaching of Irish. The results of a one-way multivariate analysis of variance and a series of dependent-samples t-tests revealed that in contrast to the control group, the experimental group exhibited a significant increase in both isolated sight word reading fluency and contextualised reading fluency following the intervention. This study emphasises the potential value of utilising PT to aid second language learning, not only for increasing isolated sight word reading fluency, but also for enhancing contextualised reading fluency.     

The role of guidance in computer-based problem solving for the development of concepts of logic

The effect of two instructional variables,manipulation of objects and guidance, inlearning to use the logical connective,conditional, was investigated. Instructions for72 first- and second year social sciencestudents were varied in the computer-basedlearning environment Tarski's World, designedfor teaching first-order logic (Barwise &Etchemendy, 1992). Guidance, which wasoperationalised by giving the learners problemsthat guided them to all different types ofbasic problem situations that could be derivedfrom the conditional by stimulating them tomanipulate or to imagine to manipulate thegeometrical objects, significantly influencedthe scores from pre- to post test.Manipulation, which was operationalised bygiving the learners a visual representation inwhich (concrete) geometrical objects could bemanipulated, yielded significant results frompost- to retention test. The results supportthe authors' view that guidance in combinationwith the possibility to manipulate objects in adomain, support the acquisition of knowledgeand skills in that domain. Guidance leads tothe students seeing all situations that arerelevant for the development of new knowledge,which has a positive effect directly afterinstruction. The possibility to manipulateleads to the students playing around in such away that they (systematically) experience theresults of their actions by the feedback given,having an effect after two weeks ofnon-instruction.     

Revising lecture notes: how revision,pauses, and partners affect note taking and achievement

Note taking has been categorized as a two-stage process: the recording of notes and the review of notes. We contend that note taking might best involve a three-stage process where the missing stage is revision. This study investigated the benefits of revising lecture notes and addressed two questions: First, is revision more effective than non-revision? Second, what revision method is best? Experiment 1 addressed the first question by comparing the performance of participants who revise or recopy lecture notes. Experiment 2 addressed the second question by investigating whether revision was best done (a) during pauses throughout the lecture or one equally-timed pause after the lecture, and (b) with a partner or alone. Dependent measures were original and additional notes and fact and relationship test scores. Results upheld three effects: (a) a modest revision effect—revisers recorded more additional notes and achieved somewhat higher scores on relationship items than re-copiers, (b) a pause effect—those revising during pauses outperformed those revising after the lecture on the notes and achievement measures, and (c) a modest partner effect—those revising with partners recorded more original notes than those revising alone. Furthermore, the combination of pauses and partners has merit and holds promise as a means for revision. Overall, findings suggested that revision is a new student-centered means to boost lecture note taking and achievement.