Despite the substantial efforts made by higher education institutions to reduce dropout rates, a considerable proportion of students still discontinues their initial study program. In view of this situation, the present study aims to investigate whether participation in first-year courses for personal and academic support goes along with a…

Background: A peer-led self-advocacy group, Our Voice SA, is used as a case study to explore how the social engagement of people with intellectual disability contributed to their self-advocacy about things that are important to them. Method: Secondary analyses of data (interviews, observations and program data) were thematically analysed using…

Forest school is a pedagogical practice widely used in the U.K., and increasingly in other parts of the world. This paper contributes to the growing body of research on forest school by focussing on how children engage with and respond to forest school. It draws on practitioners' experience of working with children to examine their perspectives on…

With this paper we want to contribute to the debate on the usage of vocational training as a tool to promote the integration of disadvantaged groups. We focus in particular on programmes that target refugees and highlight the organisational and coordination challenges that must be addressed in order to develop such programmes. Relying on knowledge…

This report projects Northern Ireland's skills base through to 2030 and compares this to a number of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. The report shows that on current trends Northern Ireland will continue to lag many other countries on a number of measures of learning and skills in 2030. These shortfalls can…

The current study analysed teachers' methodologies, practices and needs to promote the integration of newly arrived migrant/refugee pupils in educational contexts. Twentynine Italian primary and middle school teachers answered a qualitative survey analysed with ATLAS.ti software. In analysis, seven categories emerged: teaching values and beliefs;…

This article shows the result of an international project from the European Commission, and it aimed to analyse 30 cases of effective European entities in the field of adult education, from Poland, Spain, Finland and Italy. The objective was to collect the best strategies that generate good employment and social inclusion results. The research…

With a fast-growing population of immigrant and international students entering English medium higher education in Canada, it is critical to understand the nature of academic experiences for these students and what contributes to their academic acculturation and postsecondary success. As such, a literature review was carried out to identify…

Fostering skills development is one of the tenets of education. For a long time, the traditional binary teacher-student interaction was used as the sole approach to teaching and learning but it is now overwhelmingly regarded as insufficient. The present paper reports on an initiative based on the principles of peer learning. The discussion groups…

This report focuses on the social and economic resilience that might be achieved by well-designed and well-targeted investment in education. It provides a review of the individual and social returns of education in terms of both economic and non-economic effects. The most important economic benefits for individuals include better skills, better…

The benefits attributed to field trips by science educators are: social development; observation and perception skills; giving meaning to learning; providing first-hand experience and stimulating interest and motivation. Arguably, the "real value" of field work is attributed by students. In this study, 100 first-year students took part…

The objective of this study was to examine whether continuing education that focuses on service learning could provide older students (over the age of 50) with knowledge and skills that increase their life satisfaction, confidence, and community integration. We also examined whether it could provide them with meaningful and purposeful experiences.…

Migrants and refugees settling permanently in a new country face significant social, linguistic and cultural challenges. However, they also bring intercultural strengths and skills which, if acknowledged and enhanced, can support successful settlement and inclusion in a pluralistic society. This paper describes the underpinning rationale and…

Although communication skills in English are important for both their career prospects and the success of their overall study experience, many international students find their spoken English a barrier to employment after graduation. In this paper, we draw on longitudinal interview data from international postgraduates to investigate the…

Prisons play a significant role in contributing to the lifelong learning needs of their inmates who often have limited formal education and skills. The main function of correctional centres, among others, is the secure containment of inmates committed to their custody, and provision of skills and training in an effort to help them integrate more…