Impact of secondary education reform on tertiary students’ generic competencies: A case study of associate degree freshmen in Hong Kong

Abstract

This paper examines the correlation between curriculum reforms and the development of generic competencies among Hong Kong tertiary students (or secondary leavers who were admitted to Associate Degree and Higher Diploma). A total number of 3626 freshmen completed a set of self-assessment questionnaires, which were used to analyse the correlation between five generic competencies, across three academic years from 2010 to 2012. Five of the generic competencies, which were highlighted in the proposed new three-year New Senior Secondary (NSS) academic structure, were measured and compared between students from different academic backgrounds. The finding of the study indicated significantly higher scores in generic competencies for the traditional Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (HKALE) secondary school curriculum in 2012 compared to earlier cohorts, whilst in general no significant difference was found between students from the traditional curriculum and the new academic structure of the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) in the mixed 'double cohort' year of 2012. The result points to the potential early impact of NSS on students' generic skill development across both the old and new curriculum.

Mixed Methods Research in Employability Discourse: A Systematic Literature Review Using PRISMA

“…Furthermore, with MMR, the ideas of the stakeholders can be integrated and incorporated into the curriculum. Hence, curriculum reforms can intertwine effective and sustainable paths to enhance employability [56]. It provides a way to improve and promote employability.…”

Generic Competences in Peruvian University Students

“…Currently, higher education institutions are facing new challenges, such as the reformulation of teaching paradigms, due to globalization, scientific development and information and education technologies (Martínez, Benítez & Hernández, 2019). Faced with this situation, various countries around the world began to develop reforms in curricula to adapt to the global market and social change, with the aim that students can have a comprehensive training to meet the new challenges that arise (Ng & So, 2017) and provide quality labor services (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization [UNESCO], 2017).…”

Rendimiento académico y factores educativos de estudiantes del programa de educación en entorno virtual. Influencia de variables docentes

“…Las competencias genéricas sirven a los estudiantes universitarios para convivir con un mundo cada vez más global, versátil y digitalizado; el predominio de la tecnología y el cambio continuo de la sociedad exigen competencias para aprender a aprender y para convivir, especialmente; estas habilidades son multifuncionales y, una vez adquiridas, se aplican en diferentes disciplinas de aprendizaje y situaciones de trabajo; son muchas las competencias genéricas, pero, para este estudio se consideraron: trabajo cooperativo, trabajo autónomo y competencia digital (Ng y So, 2017). La competencia de trabajo cooperativo o trabajo en equipo supone la interacción y colaboración del estudiante con sus compañeros de grupo para lograr una tarea común, Tang, (2020), encontraron que las competencias de trabajo en equipo o trabajo cooperativo en las aulas se relacionan con la mejora del rendimiento académico.…”