Nie, Youyan

This three-wave longitudinal study underscores the importance of identifying elements in school settings that can help academically at-risk students--those who are likely to follow a trajectory of low achievement or academic failure-- to develop academic resilience. The study utilised both quantitative (i.e., survey questionnaires and standardised achievement tests) and qualitative (i.e., open-ended questions and semi-structured interviews) approaches, and focused on two subject domains--English Language (EL) and Mathematics (Maths). The participants of the study were 1305 students from 22 schools in Singapore. These students were considered as potentially at-risk academically as their aggregate scores in the Primary School Leaving Examination were lower than the cohort’s mean score. From this pool of students, students facing different levels of academic risk (i.e., low, moderate and high) in EL or Maths were identified on the basis of their school grades and scores in standardised achievement tests at the end Secondary One (S1). Low language or numeracy proficiency on entry to secondary school, which is a critical transition phase in students’ life, was considered as a significant risk factor that can directly predispose students towards continued poor academic performance in later years.
The profiles of the students in the three risk groups were compared in relation to their background characteristics and the focal variables of this study: socio-emotional strengths (i.e., emotional awareness, empathy, goal setting, social competence, and emotional regulation), academic motivation (i.e., amotivation, extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation), perceived relatedness with teachers (i.e., student-to-teacher communication, teacher trust and teacher alienation), and perceived teacher autonomy and competence support. The results of the study suggest that, compared to students facing low academic risk, students facing high academic risk tended to report lower emotional awareness, goal setting and perceived teacher support; and higher amotivation, teacher alienation, and student-to-teacher communication. These variables can be considered as potential foci of interventions that can be implemented before or at the beginning of secondary school in order to preclude students from facing high levels of academic risk or to mitigate the effects of academic risk factors.
This study applied a dual approach in defining academic resilience. Using a trait-based approach, subjective academic resilience was defined as the students’ capacity to effectively handle challenges, adversities, pressures and setbacks in school setting; it was measured using students’ self-ratings on items acting as indicators of trait-based or dispositional form of academic resilience. Using a process- based approach, objective academic resilience was defined as the achievement of positive academic outcomes despite the presence of challenging situations or risk factors (i.e., low achievement on entry to S1). In this study, a positive academic outcome is assessed in Secondary Three (S3): It corresponds to at least a passing grade in EL (or Maths) and/or a score in standardized achievement tests in Reading (or Maths) above the 23rd percentile of the norming population.
Focusing on objective academic resilience, high-risk students who achieved positive academic outcomes in S3 were considered as resilient, and those who remained at a high-risk status were considered as less resilient. Compared to the less resilient students, the resilient students tended to report a greater improvement in goal setting, emotional awareness, and student-to-teacher communication and had a more stable perceived teacher trust over three years. The resilient students tended to have lower amotivation and teacher alienation than their less resilient peers. There were also indications that the resilient students were more competent in setting goals and in working towards their goals; they also tended to frame failure and deal with failure more positively, and to report receiving more competence and relatedness support than their less resilient peers. The key sources of support that helped students deal with academic challenges were mainly peers, followed by family members and teachers.
The results of the study also indicate that student-to-teacher communication and students’ goal-setting ability (particularly, a positive change), perceived teacher competence support, and students’ emotional regulation were the most consistent positive predictors of academic resilience in both objective and subjective forms. The aforementioned factors were found as significant predictors of academic resilience more consistently and strongly in relation to EL than Maths.

Description of the aims of this research project This research project has two objectives: (1) identify a repertoire of school leaders' autonomy-supportive behaviours which are a ssociated with teachers' psychological needs satisfaction and autonomous motivation; and (2) develop and validate an Autonomy-Supportive School Leadership Behaviours scale for assessing school leaders' autonomy-supportive behaviours. There are two research questions to guide the study:
1. Which behaviours of school leaders are perceived by teachers as 'autonomysupportive'? 2. What is the psychometric property of the Autonomy-Supportive School Leadership Behaviours scale?

The purpose of this study is to revise the Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES), developed by Tschannen-Moran and Woolfolk Hoy (2001 ) and to examine its factorial, predictive, convergent and discriminant validity, as well as its intemal consistency reliability. One hundred nine primary and secondary school teachers in Singapore participated in this research. The revised scale consists of three factors: efficacy for instruction, efficacy for classroom management, and efficacy for motivation. The revised sub- scales showed good intemal consistency reliability. The factor analysis results also indicated that the specific teacher efficacy beliefs could be further collapsed into one general factor. The convergent validity was good but the discriminant validity was weak. The appropriate use of TSES is also discussed.

This study examined how classroom management practices—teachers’ control and care—were differentially associated with students’ engagement, misbehavior, and satisfaction with school, using a large representative sample of 3196 Grade 9 students from 117 classes. Results of hierarchical linear modeling showed differential relations: After controlling for students’ gender and socioeconomic status, both control and care were positively related to student engagement. Moreover, control was a significant negative predictor of classroom misbehavior and care was a significant positive predictor of satisfaction with school. Our findings underscore the importance of blending teacher control and care to achieve multiple goals of classroom management.

This book examines evolving trends in pre-employment and continuing education, focusing on how formal learning affects learners’ skills, career motivation, and work readiness. It also addresses adult workers’ skills development, continuous training and workplace learning, highlighting key enablers, barriers and factors influencing their motivation and employability. Drawing on insights from experienced scholars and practitioners from Singapore and some Asia-Pacific contexts, including Australia, Bangladesh, and China, the book uniquely integrates the synergy between pre-employment and continuing education, offering a deeper understanding of their interconnectedness in fostering a sustainable workforce. As a comprehensive resource, it provides valuable insights for advancing higher education, vocational training, continuing education, workplace learning, and workforce development.

The Twenty-first century is frequently depicted as a dynamic era marked by rapid change, unpredictability, complexity, and ambiguity. The global COVID-19 pandemic has significantly accelerated digital transformation across various industries, resulting in the emergence of new sectors and roles requiring novel skill sets, while also making many existing jobs obsolete. These developments underscore the evolving landscape of work and highlight the urgent need to reform pre-employment education, forging stronger connections with continuing education and workplace learning to meet the changing demands of the workforce. This introductory chapter highlights the importance of developing a resilient, future-ready workforce to face new challenges brought about by changing times. It provides a brief overview of the book and outlines three main sections with each section focusing on a key theme. The three key themes are: (i) Future-Oriented Learning and the Development of Graduates’ Work Competencies, (ii) Enhancing Adult Workers’ Employability Through Continuing Education and Training, and (iii) Supporting Workplace Learning and Skills Development for Individual and Organisational Growth. The subsequent chapters of the book explore these three themes extensively, providing detailed insights that contribute to research, policy and practice.

In an increasingly competitive and volatile global economy, many organisations are investing more resources in continuing education to help workers to upskill and reskill to respond to changing business needs and increase organisational productivity. However, workplaces may vary in their ability to provide support for workers’ training needs and transfer of skills. In the current study, we examined how perceived workplace learning support may affect workers’ motivation to transfer training, training transfer and readiness to change. The study used a convenience sample of 143 adult learners who attended continuing education courses in Singapore. Informed consent from each participant was obtained prior to data collection. Results from path analysis revealed that perceived workplace learning support positively predicted workers’ motivation to transfer training. In addition, perceived workplace learning support predicted training transfer and readiness to change via motivation to transfer training. Motivation to transfer training therefore served as a mediator variable in this study. This study suggests that organisations could consider implementing effective learning support structures to develop supportive workplace learning environments to promote workers’ training transfer and work performance.

The rapid pace of technological advancements and the growing complexity of global challenges require a dedicated focus on continuous learning and skill development. The skills that may be sufficient for current job roles can quickly become obsolete as new job skills emerge. To remain relevant in the face of evolving work environments and the demands of a volatile global economy, numerous countries have recognised the crucial role of workers’ adaptability and continuous learning throughout their working lives. Thus, adopting a mindset of lifelong learning is intricately linked to the individuals’ ability to constantly equip themselves with the necessary skills to thrive in the future for sustainable employability. This concluding chapter will summarise the key insights and findings presented by the chapters of this book as well as provide recommendations for research, policy and practice.

Workers experience many challenges and changes, hence, the ability to adapt and thrive at work is important for keeping up with work-related demands. The current study identified goal orientations as antecedents of career adaptability and thriving at work. It also examined the relationships between learning goal orientation, performance goal orientation, career adaptability, learning and vitality. This study is based on a convenience sample of 232 adult individuals who attended postgraduate courses at a university. They voluntarily participated in the research by responding to an online questionnaire. The results showed that learning goal orientation was a positive predictor of career adaptability, thriving at work in learning and thriving at work in vitality, while performance goal orientation only positively predicted thriving at work in learning. Implications in educational practices for adult learners were discussed and workers could be encouraged to pursue more learning goals to promote better adaptability and thriving at work.