GiLE Journal of Skills Development
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Paul Delnooz (2025) Research Done Right: A Practical Guide to Social Science Research
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Factors Impeding Communication Skills Proficiency among Higher Learning Students: Study of College of Business Education and Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology
Full text linkEffective communication is essential for both academic and professional achievement in higher learning institutions. Although stakeholders in Tanzania have attempted several initiatives toward rectifying communication challenges, the difficulties students encounter in acquiring verbal and written competencies remain unresolved. This study investigates the main factors that impede the development of effective communication skills among students at two higher learning institutions. The study uses a qualitative design with in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, document reviews, and observations. Data were collected from 100 participants and analyzed using NVivo 12 software for thematic exploration. The findings identify four major barriers: teaching and learning methods; lecturer qualification; student-related behaviours; and poor English language proficiency. The findings offer practical insights for educators, curriculum planners, and policymakers aiming to enhance communication skills among Tanzanian students while contributing to the broader theoretical understanding of communication proficiency in multilingual, resource-constrained higher education contexts
We Have Enough Neurotypical Thinkers Already: Why Accommodating and Developing a Neurodiverse Workforce is the Right Strategic Approach to Navigating the Fourth Industrial Revolution
Full text linkWith the development of advanced technologies such as Large Language Models (LLMs), 3D printing, the Internet of Things, blockchain technologies, advanced robotics, material ecology and driverless vehicles, the requirements from the workforce of the future will be significantly different from the workforce we have today. This paper explores the potential for organisations to proactively manage this problem by adopting an approach that accommodates a neurodiverse workforce more effectively. Placing the fourth industrial revolution and volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) economy in a broad historical context informs the discussion on why and how this accommodation may be effectively achieved. This paper adds to the knowledge by identifying positive correlations between the emerging labour market and the underleveraged potential of neurodiverse employees. In addition to its constructive recommendations to employers and educators, this paper offers positive guidance to young neurodiverse people entering the labour market
Developing University Students’ Transferable Skills Through Object-Based and Collaborative Learning: An Exploration into the Role of Art Galleries and Museums
Full text linkThis empirical paper reports on the findings of a pilot study that aimed to explore student attitudes towards the innovative use of the arts to develop university students’ transferable skills. Postgraduate business and management students were taken to a local museum and nearby art gallery to undertake a guided object-based learning activity. The art centre activities were designed to help students to learn, practice and develop key transferable skills through collaboration in an experiential learning setting. Methods: A questionnaire was dispersed to the students after the second trip had taken place, to ascertain student feedback on both their experience and skill development because of the object-based learning approach. Results: Of the 21 students who took part in the museum and art gallery trips, a total of 19 completed the questionnaire. The results show that the students found their visits to the museum and art gallery to be valuable, enjoyable, and social, while also gaining new skills. The quantitative and qualitative analysis supports that these experiences were especially effective in fostering discussions among students, promoting critical thinking through object-based learning, and allowing students to compare their perspectives with those of their peers. This study supports the use of informal learning environments like museums and galleries as they can be highly effective in complementing traditional classroom education by encouraging deeper engagement and support a shift toward more interactive, discussion-driven education. This deeper learning approach fosters critical thinking, cultural competence, and teamwork, thus simulates key skills employers seek in the workplace
Does the Winner Truly Take It All? : Rethinking Youth, Perpetual Competition, and Character Development Through a Systematic Literature Review
Full text linkCompetition is an intrinsic aspect of human behaviour, evolving from fundamental survival mechanisms to complex socio-cultural phenomena such as status acquisition, achievement recognition, and recreational engagement. Despite its ubiquity, our understanding of competition—particularly among vulnerable youth—remains limited, with variability across cultural, temporal, and individual contexts. This systematic literature review, based on high-quality peer-reviewed articles, seeks to analyse the opportunities and challenges of early competition, providing a comprehensive overview for stakeholders. The review focuses on three key areas: competition in general, its advantages and disadvantages, and its future prospects. The findings indicate that, notwithstanding prevalent negative associations (e.g., akin to war), competition and cooperation are interdependent constructs that collectively underpin motivation, engagement, and developmental processes across diverse domains. Here, an interesting paradox emerged: healthy competition fosters cooperation by enhancing motivation and goal attainment, while its absence may reduce engagement and intrinsic motivation. By its nature, competition produces unequal outcomes, generating winners and losers, which can elicit diverse psychosocial responses (ranging from pressure to pleasure). Despite limited cognitive understanding of competition, children evidently show preferences for competitive play structures, which, when thoughtfully managed from an early age, foster the development of essential life skills such as resilience, coping strategies, humility, and teamwork. As per the findings, foundational principles including fairness, equity, and a calibrated balance between challenge and enjoyment are essential to fostering adaptive coping and positive developmental trajectories. However, effective implementation requires sustained collaboration between parents and educators, prioritizing cooperative, task-focused pedagogies and fostering
respectful relational dynamics through appropriate feedback, guidance, pressure. Additionally, the alignment of expectations with children’s developmental readiness—accounting for individual and contextual factors—seems to be crucial for optimizing developmental outcomes. The review concludes by outlining methodological limitations and emphasizing the need for further research due to the limited understanding in this field
University Teachers’ Conceptions of Their Role in Teaching Problem-Solving
Full text linkEquipping young adults with problem-solving skills is critical in today’s knowledge economy. Universities have increasingly adopted approaches like problem-based learning (PBL) to foster critical thinking and independent learning. However, while extensive research exists on the benefits of PBL, less attention has been given to studying tutors\u27 conceptions about their role from a phenomengoraphic research perspective. This study addresses this gap by investigating university tutors\u27 conceptions of their roles in teaching problem-solving skills within a PBL environment. Data from interviews with 15 tutors identified a progression of conceptions, from creating a safe learning environment to fostering independent learners. Each conception affects practices in tutorial groups, shaping inquiry depth, collaboration quality, and transferable skills development. The findings highlight the importance of understanding tutors’ roles in enhancing the potential of PBL to equip students with essential problem-solving skills. By uncovering the diverse ways tutors conceive their role, this research offers actionable insights for academic developers and educators aiming to refine teacher training programs and foster student-centred learning in higher education
Supporting Transition to the Workforce for Neurodivergent Learners: Insights from a Canadian Study on the Neuroinclusivity of Post-Secondary Education
Full text linkThis article offers evidence-based recommendations to enhance the neuroinclusivity of post-secondary career education and practices for career educators and student support professionals. The authors share insights from an applied research study that employed a mixed method design that included a national survey of neurodivergent post-secondary students and recent graduates (n=400) and 78 in-depth interviews with neurodivergent students and recent graduates (n=45) and staff and leaders working in accessibility services (n=33). Findings revealed that neurodivergent post-secondary students encountered significant barriers to post-secondary education, which impact graduation rates and successful workforce transitions. Reduction of stigma, improved access to tailored supports, and neuroaffirming approaches to supporting students with potential transition challenges such as employment searching, disclosure, and accommodations were identified as enablers for success. This article presents recommendations from the most comprehensive national data set on neuroinclusivity in Canadian post-secondary education. This article offers actionable recommendations for career educators to use strength-based approaches and reduce employment barriers for neurodivergent individuals
Building Resilience Skills among Educational Managers: Latent Content Insights from Talent Development – Training Plans
Full text linkAs contemporary educational organisations face persistent operational challenges and evolving institutional demands, cultivating organisational resilience among their managerial ranks has become imperative. Amid rapid disruption and systemic transitions, educational managers encounter multifaceted pressures that necessitate proactive and sustained capacity-building. This study addresses this demand by investigating how organisational resilience is conceptualised and reinforced through Training Plans designed for Talent Development. Grounded in the Theory of Reasoned Action, this qualitative inquiry employed Latent Content Analysis to examine Training Plans formulated by Filipino and Chinese doctoral students, each offering applied insights into dynamic leadership development and institutional adaptability. The analysis revealed three (3) distinct yet interrelated themes: Tempering the Tensions, Treading toward Thriving, and Targeting the Triumphs. These themes underscore the strategies for enhancing resilience across individual, relational, and systemic dimensions of educational management. Central to these findings is the cultivation of conflict navigation, strategic thinking, and outcome-orientation as foundational resilience skills. The study advances theoretical discourse by asserting that resilience-building is not a passive or incidental process but a deliberate endeavour shaped by belief systems and organisational contexts. Practically, the findings inform the design of training initiatives, enabling educational managers to integrate Organisational Development and Human Resource Management principles to sustain agile, responsive, and future-ready institutions
Reviewing the Primary Generalist Teacher’s Role in Teaching Fundamental Movement Skills and Prosocial Behaviour
Full text linkThe delivery of the primary school physical education (PE) curriculum has been subject to ongoing debate in Western countries. In Australia, the primary school teacher is by and large considered a generalist. Previous research indicates that primary school PE programmes that employ the teaching of fundamental movement skills (FMS) and Hellison’s Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility (TPSR) model have a positive impact on children’s development by increasing motor skill proficiency, positive values, autonomy, and prosocial behaviour. While both generalist and specialist teachers are responsible for helping children develop FMS, they are also required to help children identify their emotional, social, physical and intellectual characteristics. While FMS might provide optimal support to the development of motor skills, TPSR can help develop social skills. The challenges involved for the primary generalist PE teacher in understanding the pedagogical content knowledge required to teach and evaluate both FMS and TPSR is an under researched area. Specifically, there is a lack of research on pedagogical content knowledge, the challenges and the content required for primary generalist teachers to implementation both FMS and TPSR. Therefore, the issue of what constitutes effective pedagogical content knowledge along with the organization of the educational process related to the discipline of PE for the primary generalist teacher requires further attention. Structured FMS and TPSR professional development hold considerable promise for supporting active, child-centred learning environments for primary PE teachers and presents an adaptable framework for implementation. This narrative review explores the advantages and challenges for primary generalist teachers in teaching and learning FMS and TPSR. Practical implications to improve the PE profession are suggested to re-focus professional development efforts for primary generalist teachers, locally, nationally and globally, to concentrate on the expansion of a strategic and longstanding program intended at merging FMS and prosocial frameworks