research topic ideas for tvl students

Top 100 Research Topics & Titles about Food & TVL

When you look for a good research paper topic, you can easily become the severest critic of any proposed idea. Some topics do not interest you at the very least, while others might shock your teachers. Where is the golden mean?

Check out this list of top 100 research paper questions and you will definitely find among them a captivating and inspiring idea for you. And remember to ask your friends to review your paper or proofread it by Grammarly.

⚒️ Practical Topics for TVL Students

• 🍲 60 TVL Topics on Food & Design
• 🌳 Good Topics Do Not Grow on Trees
• ⚡ Topics to Grab Everyone’s Attention
• 🔍 References

If you think that going to college is a waste of time, then you’re in the right place! Here you can start your TVL journey without any effort!

TVL is a technical-vocational livelihood. Here, you can find the best quantitative research topics for TVL students possible. With the help of the TVL track, you can start working and earning just after graduating high school. Let’s see how it is possible.

For example, most students finishing college don’t even know how to apply all the knowledge they gained over three to five years of studying. Some of them don’t also remember topics for practical research papers they wrote…

It creates a problem of too many graduates without practical skills. It takes them years of unpaid internships to finally start meeting the employers’ requirements. Then (maybe) they can begin earning the minimum wage. Later on, they find themselves stuck on the job they don’t like, “waiting for something better.”

But there is another option! And if you’re reading this, you decided to choose a TVL track! Dive deep and pick up a research topic about TVL strand to start your journey. It will provide you with real skills that are 100% relevant at all times! You can go for using a topic maker, too. Not a bad option.

Working on practical qualitative research topics for TVL students is the first step. You can find a list of interesting research titles about TVL strand below.

🍲 60 TVL Research Topics on Food & Design

• Dressmaking: the development of wedding dress models
• What are the most popular techniques of drafting in dressmaking?
• The most efficient pattern-making methods in dressmaking
• Fashion designers that changed the dressmaking forever
• Where do tailors and dressmakers seek for inspiration?
• How is computer modeling applied in the dressmaking process?
• The process of creating corsets that fit: a historical analysis
• The newest technologies in dressmaking: equipment you can’t miss
• The best methods of organizing working space to make dressmaking more efficient
• The development of the sewing machines up to modern times
• How does it fit and everything about sewing patterns?
• How have indie designers changed the fashion industry?
• The most common issues with the incorrectly chosen fabric
• The tricks to check the quality of the fabric and pick the best one
• Dressmaking as a creating culture: interviewing fashion designers
• Aerodynamics issues: designing a perfect Formula One racing car
• Car engineering: how is mileage improved in hybrid cars?
• What are the safest types of airbags in cars?
• Creating a robot car: what technologies are used?
• How to optimize the solar car: overcoming limitations?
• Modern cars and the benefits of automatic transmission
• How would hypercars improve the transportation experience?
• Challenges autonomous cars need to overcome
• What is the role of car engineers during the creation of autonomous cars?
• Car engineering: the future of using cryogenic fuels in cars
• Hydraulic linkages in the concept of the hy-wire cars
• Fuel cell system issues in the hy-wire cars: analyzing hydrogen properties
• Can air-powered cars be a solution for a zero-pollution future?
• Car designing: the role of rearward bias and its connection to aerodynamics
• The development of steam cars: a historical analysis
• How can you make crops immune to diseases?
• Agriculture: the aspects that affect the health of crops
• How does temperature affect the irrigation levels?
• The role GMO in agriculture: a case study of the US fields
• Possible ways to apply artificial intelligence in agriculture
• How do farmers use apps to foresee pest infections?
• Why should farmers keep an eye on export and import details?
• The methods of defining your prices: tracking the crops ratios

• What are the latest improvements in the gestational crates?
• The US regulations regarding the chemicals and pesticides
• Why should farmers be informed about all the changes in the policies?
• The methods of managing and adjusting the livestock population
• Is it better to start an organic farm rather than a conventional plane farming?
• The size matters: the reasons why new generations prefer smaller farms
• Why has hemp become such a popular crop recently?
• Fitting crops to the region: saving water and increasing profits
• How can optimizing tillage reduce the water use for farmers?
• What are the benefits of indoor vertical farming?
• Can covered crops help with controlling weeds?
• Analyzing sustainability of the crops: soil conservation
• Cookery: the benefits of pea protein over whey protein
• Younger generation stops drinking: the future of alcohol
• The rise of fast-food breakfast: overviewing the trends
• The impact of Italian cuisine on American food culture
• Why has intermittent fasting become so popular recently?
• Charcuterie as a part of the daily diet: pros and cons
• The development of a ghost kitchen concept: a case study of the US
• Why is being a flexitarian better than vegetarian?
• Low-sugar vs. stevia: contrast and compare the dietary benefits
• Adaptogens in everyday food: how takeaway can reduce your stress levels?

🌳 Good Research Paper Topics Do Not Grow on Trees

Surely, it is easier to find a good research paper topic, than to think of one from scratch. However, it might not be that easy to find topics – truly good research questions do not grow on trees. So don’t miss this opportunity and choose your topic from these great ideas (or ask us for professional writing help -all you have to do is just send a message):

• Are cell phones bad for your health?
• Is homosexuality genetic?
• Advertising: information vs. manipulation.
• Should businesses be ethical?
• Is it possible to replace animal testing with other types of testing?
• How to throw away our “throw-away” lifestyles?
• Should developed countries help Africa?
• Who is to blame for the European debt crisis?
• Is the arms race over now?
• Is China a new superpower?
• Should students receive salaries during their studies?
• Can standard tests measure something meaningful, apart from students’ short-term memory?
• Does access to condoms in high schools encourage teen sex?
• Are social networks good or bad for teens?
• Does Internet need censorship?
• Is there a glass ceiling in today’s society ?
• Should prostitutes have their own labor unions?
• Is it possible to eliminate the black market?
• What is the solution to the problem of human trafficking?
• Online banking : pros and cons.

⚡ Good Topics for Research Papers to Grab Everyone’s Attention

Do you want to grab everyone’s attention? Discover even more good research paper questions below:

• Are fast-food restaurants or fast food eaters to blame for obesity ?
• Is food labeling effective in controlling one’s calorie intake?
• Should parents punish their children for disobedience?
• Should spanking be outlawed?
• Isn’t the gap year between high school and college a waste of time?
• Has the “American dream” changed over the last decades?
• Can religious beliefs justify terrorism?
• Do people need a single world religion?
• Can racial profiling be useful?
• Islamophobia after 9/11.
• Emotional difficulties and eating disorders .
• Ways to encourage organ donation .
• Should mothers of Siamese twins have an abortion?
• The problem of personal identity in twins.
• Does their parents’ divorce have long-term consequences for children?
• Gender roles or gender stereotypes : where is the line?
• Is too much competition harmful to students?
• Do men need protection against feminists?
• What should be done about noise pollution?
• Should people study body language ?

Impress your teachers by using any of these fresh and truly good research project ideas. Writing good research papers does not need to be difficult. Now that you have a brilliant idea, you are halfway to your stunning success.

Learn more on this topic:

• 280 Good Nursing Research Topics & Questions
• 226 Research Topics on Criminal Justice & Criminology
• 204 Research Topics on Technology & Computer Science
• 178 Best Research Titles about Cookery & Food
• 497 Interesting History Topics to Research
• 180 Best Education Research Topics & Ideas
• 110+ Micro- & Macroeconomics Research Topics
• 417 Business Research Topics for ABM Students
• 190+ Research Topics on Psychology & Communication
• 512 Research Topics on HumSS
• 281 Best Health & Medical Research Topics
• 501 Research Questions & Titles about Science
• A List of Research Topics for Students. Unique and Interesting

🔗 References

• Education Research Highlights
• Research Topics from Dartmouth College
• Learning Practical Research Skills Using An Academic Paper Framework – An Innovative, Integrated Approach (ScienceDirect)
• Practical Research and Evaluation: SAGE
• A Background for Practical Research: JSTOR
• Learning cooking skills at different ages: a cross-sectional study (BMC)
• Adolescents’ cooking skills strongly predict future nutritional well-being: ScienceDaily
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Pls give me 2 Quantitative research ralated to TVL strand.

Quantitative research Title related to TVL strand

Kindly give me some idea of quantitative research title in tvl HE strand at least 5 research title

kindly give me some ideas of qualitative research title in tvl strand

Can you give me a 5 research title about HUMSS track Qualitative Research

Hi good afternoon! I just wanted to ask if you can help me with the evaluating the practical skills of TVL students? I really really need your help

Can you give me 5 research title about tvl horticulture with author, year of publication, statement of the problem/purpose and findings

Hi can you give a 5 task about TVL that interest you the most or you find the necessity to venture into research project.

Research Topic about TVL strand

Experimental Research Title about TLE

Do you want to create free survey about:

Researching the Attitude of TVL Students towards Research?

Or maybe something else?

or use this template:

Researching the Attitude of TVL Students towards Research

Uncover TVL students' research attitudes to enhance academic and career growth.

Would you like to work on this survey?

Startquestion is a free survey platform which allows you to create, send and analyse survey results.

Unveiling the Research Mentality: A Deep Dive into TVL Student Attitudes

Surveying the mindset of TVL students towards research is crucial for understanding their engagement and perspectives. This survey delves into their views on the importance of research, their confidence levels, challenges faced, and motivations. Questions on the benefits of research, the use of different research methods, and the impact on society provide valuable insights. Analyzing TVL students' responses can shed light on how to enhance their research skills and support their academic and career growth. From exploring their interests in specific research topics to their preferred sources of information, this survey captures the diverse perspectives of TVL students. As we navigate the world of academia and research, understanding the attitudes of TVL students can pave the way for cultivating a culture of curiosity, innovation, and knowledge seeking. Their feedback serves as a compass guiding educators and institutions in providing the necessary support and resources for an enriching research experience. So, let's embark on this journey of discovery and uncover the research prowess of TVL students. Are you ready to dive into the fascinating world of surveying the surveyors?

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The five stories that have resonated most with our readers this year.

HBR’s top five most popular articles of 2024 (so far), present an opportunity to reflect on the work you’ve done in the preceding months, and chart any necessary course changes. The list includes a case study of how Starbucks lost its way (and how it could pivot); a guide to how to shift your leadership style based on situation; and a playbook for assessing the quality of the questions you ask at work.

The waning days of summer present a prime opportunity to step back and reflect on the paths you’ve taken so far this year, whether they’re personal or professional, and ask yourself: Am I growing in the right direction? What are my blind spots? Where could I be doing better?

• Kelsey Hansen is the senior associate editor for audience engagement at Harvard Business Review.

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Why Many Parents and Teens Think It’s Harder Being a Teen Today

Is it harder these days to be a teen? Or do today’s teenagers have it easier than those of past generations? We asked the following question of 1,453 U.S. parents and teens: Compared with 20 years ago, do you think being a teenager today is harder, easier or about the same?

Parents and teens most often say it’s harder to be a teen today. Though parents are far more likely to say this.

Far fewer say it’s easier now …

… or that it’s about the same.

Teens, though, are more likely than parents to say they are unsure.

But why? We asked those who say teen life has gotten harder or easier to explain in their own words why they think so.

Why parents say it’s harder being a teen today

There are big debates about how teenagers are faring these days. And technology’s impact is often at the center of these conversations.

Prominent figures, including the U.S. Surgeon General, have been vocal about the harmful effects technology may be having on young people.

These concerns ring true for the parents in our survey. A majority blame technology – and especially social media – for making teen life more difficult.

Among parents who say it’s harder being a teen today, about two-thirds cite technology in some way. This includes 41% who specifically name social media.

While some mention social media in broad terms, others bring up specific experiences that teens may have on these platforms, such as feeling pressure to act or look a certain way or having negative interactions there. Parents also call out the downsides of being constantly connected through social media.

Pew Research Center has a long history of studying the attitudes and experiences of U.S. teens and parents, especially when it comes to their relationships with technology.

For this analysis, the Center conducted an online survey of 1,453 U.S. teens and parents from Sept. 26 to Oct. 23, 2023, through Ipsos. Ipsos invited one parent from each of a representative set of households with parents of teens in the desired age range from its  KnowledgePanel . The KnowledgePanel is a probability-based web panel recruited primarily through national, random sampling of residential addresses. Parents were asked to think about one teen in their household. (If there were multiple teens ages 13 to 17 in the household, one was randomly chosen.) After completing their section, the parent was asked to have this chosen teen come to the computer and complete the survey in private.

The survey is weighted to be representative of two different populations: 1) parents with teens ages 13 to 17, and 2) teens ages 13 to 17 who live with parents. For each of these populations, they survey is weighted to be representative by age, gender, race and ethnicity, household income and other categories.

Parents and teens were first asked whether they think it is harder, easier, or about the same to be a teen now than it was 20 years ago. Those who answered that it was easier or harder were then asked an open-ended question to explain why they answered the way they did. Center researchers developed a coding scheme categorizing the written responses, coded all responses, then grouped them into the themes explored in this data essay. Quotations may have been lightly edited for grammar, spelling and clarity.

Here are the questions among parents and among teens used in this analysis, along with responses, and its methodology .

This research was reviewed and approved by an external institutional review board (IRB), Advarra, an independent committee of experts specializing in helping to protect the rights of research participants.

“Social media is a scourge for society, especially for teens. They can’t escape social pressures and are constantly bombarded by images and content that makes them feel insecure and less than perfect, which creates undue stress that they can’t escape.” FATHER, 40s

“Kids are being told what to think and how to feel based on social media.” MOTHER, 40s

Parents name other forms of technology, but at much lower rates. Roughly one-in-ten parents who think being a teen is harder today specifically say the internet (11%) or smartphones (7%) contribute to this.

“Teens are online and they are going to encounter everything offered – positive and negative. Unfortunately, the negative can do major damage, as in cyberbullying, for example.” MOTHER, 30s

Another 26% say technology in general or some other specific type of technology (e.g., video games or television) makes teens’ lives harder today.

“Technology has changed the way people communicate. I can see how kids feel very isolated.” FATHER, 40s

Parents also raise a range of reasons that do not specifically reference technology, with two that stand out: more pressures placed on teens and the country or world being worse off than in the past. Among parents who think it’s harder to be a teen today, 16% say it’s because of the pressures and expectations young people face. These include teens feeling like they have to look or act a certain way or perform at a certain level.

“The competition is more fierce in sports and academics and the bar seems to be higher. Everything is more over-the-top for social activities too. It’s not simple as it was.” MOTHER, 50s

A similar share (15%) says teen life is harder because the country or world has changed in a bad way, whether due to political issues or to shifts in morals and values.

“Now it is more difficult to instill values, principles, good customs and good behavior, since many bad vices are seen in some schools and public places.” MOTHER, 50s

Other reasons that do not mention technology are less common. For example, roughly one-in-ten of these parents or fewer mention violence and drugs, bullying, and exposure to bad influences.

Why parents say it’s easier being a teen today

Teens today have a seemingly endless choice of technologies at their disposal, whether it be smartphones , video games or generative AI . And while relatively few parents say teen’s lives are easier today, those who do largely point to technology.

Among parents who say it is easier being a teen today, roughly six-in-ten mention technology as a reason.

Some reference a specific type of technology, like the internet (14%). Another 8% cite smartphones, and 3% cite social media.

“Although the internet can be toxic, it also opens up so many avenues for connection, learning and engagement.” MOTHER, 50s

“We didn’t have smartphones when I was a teenager. Nowadays, teenagers have all the answers in the palm of their hand.” FATHER, 40s

A fair portion (47%) mention technology broadly or name another specific type of technology.

“Technology has improved exponentially, giving access to the whole world at your fingertips.” FATHER, 30s

Some other reasons that emerge do not mention technology specifically. For instance, 18% of parents who say it’s easier being a teen today think this is because there are fewer pressures and expectations on teenagers than in the past.

“Teens today have been shown more leniency; they barely hold themselves responsible.” MOTHER, 40s

And one-in-ten say it’s easier because teens have access to more resources and information.

 “When I was a teen, I had to carry so many books and binders everywhere while my daughter can just have her school laptop. She can complete research easily with internet access on her school device.” MOTHER, 30s

Why teens say it’s harder being a teen today

Most teens use social media , and some do so almost constantly. But they also see these sites as a reason teens’ lives are harder today than 20 years ago.

In addition, teens point to the pressures and expectations that are placed on them.

Among teens who say it’s harder to be a teenager today than in the past, roughly four-in-ten mention technology as a reason. This includes a quarter who specifically name social media. Some mention these sites broadly; others link them to harmful experiences like increased pressures to look a certain way or negative interactions with others.

“Social media tells kids what to do and say. And if you aren’t up on it, you look like the fool and become like an outcast from lots of people.” TEEN GIRL

“Social media was not a part of my parents’ teenage lives and I feel that they did not have to ‘curate’ themselves and be a certain way in order to fit [in] as it is today.” TEEN GIRL

Few specifically mention the internet (6%) or smartphones (3%) as reasons. About one-in-ten (11%) cite technology broadly or another type of technology.

“For one thing, my phone is a huge distraction. It takes up so much of my time just looking at stuff that doesn’t even mean anything to me.” TEEN GIRL

Teens name several reasons that do not specifically mention technology – most prominently, the increased pressures and expectations placed on them. Roughly three-in-ten of those who say teen life is harder today (31%) say it’s because of these pressures and expectations.  

“We have so much more homework and pressure from other kids. We are always being looked at by everyone. We can’t escape.” TEEN GIRL

“Adults expect too much from us. We need to get good grades, do extracurricular activities, have a social life, and work part time – all at the same time.” TEEN BOY

Another 15% say it’s harder because the world is worse off today, due to such things as political issues, values being different or the country having declined in some way.

“Teenagers are less able to afford vehicles, rent, etc. and basic living necessities, and are therefore not able to move out for years after they graduate high school and even college.” TEEN BOY

Other reasons that don’t mention technology – including violence and drugs, bullying, and mental health problems – are named by 8% of these teens or fewer.

Why teens say it’s easier being a teen today

Teens also see ways that technology makes life better, whether that’s helping them pursue hobbies , express their creativity or build skills . Overall, few think teens’ lives are easier today than 20 years ago, but those who do largely say technology is a reason. 

Six-in-ten teens who say teen life is easier today reference technology in some way. This includes 14% who mention the internet and 12% who mention phones. Just 3% name social media.

“[Teens 20 years ago] didn’t have internet available anywhere and they also didn’t have smartphones to be able to use whenever needed.” TEEN BOY

This also includes 46% who reference technology in general or some other specific type of technology.

“Tech has made it easier to connect with friends.” TEEN BOY

These teens also name reasons that don’t specifically mention technology, including 14% who say life is easier because there are fewer pressures and expectations for people their age.

“Twenty years ago there was probably more pressure to become an adult sooner and get things like a job, a learner’s permit, etc.” TEEN GIRL

And a same share says having more resources available to them has made life easier.

“Nowadays, we have help to deal with your physical and mental well-being, and we have specialists/therapists that we can talk to about our feelings and emotions.” TEEN GIRL

Smaller shares say it’s due to the country and world being better off today (4%) or people being nicer to each other (3%).

How parents and teens compare

Parents and teens are mostly in agreement on what makes growing up today harder than in the past.

But the rate at which they cite certain factors like social media or facing pressures differ.

Among those who say being a teen today is harder , 65% of parents believe it’s because of technology in some way. This drops to 39% among teens.

This divide also stands out when it comes to social media specifically (41% vs. 25%).

Teens, on the other hand, are more likely than parents to describe issues related to overachieving or having to look a certain way. Among those who say teen life is harder today, 31% of teens cite pressures and expectations as a reason, compared with 16% of parents.

Still, there are areas in which parents and teens are in sync. For example, similar shares cite the country or world being worse today (15% each) and violence and drugs (8% each) as reasons life today for teens is harder.

And among those who say being a teen today is easier , roughly six-in-ten parents (59%) and teens (60%) mention technology in some way.

Why parents and teens think it’s harder or easier to be a teen today than 20 years ago

Read the quotes below showing how parents and teens think teenagers’ experiences today differ from before.

Find out more

This project benefited greatly from the contributions of Director of Internet and Technology Research Monica Anderson , Research Assistants Eugenie Park and Olivia Sidoti . This project also benefited from Communications Manager Haley Nolan, Editorial Assistant Anna Jackson and Copy Editor Rebecca Leppert .

Pew Research Center is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts, its primary funder.

Follow these links for more of our work on teens and technology:

• Teens, social media and technology
• Screen time among teens and parents
• Views of social media policies for minors
• Teens’ use of ChatGPT for schoolwork
• Teens and video games
• Cellphone distraction in the classroom
• Parents’ worries about explicit content, time-wasting on social media

Find more reports and blog posts related to  internet and technology on our topic page.

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This month’s new research from our faculty experts investigates how a family-centered education program in Tulsa supports student parents, visibility and wellbeing in the bi+ community, perceptions of a living wage, and how parent-child discussions can help address subtle racism.

Education and Human Development

A Family-Centered Approach to Helping Student Parents Succeed in Higher Education

Approximately four million people juggle parenthood and college in the United States. How can a family-centered education program in Tulsa support these student parents? IPR faculty researchers Lauren Tighe , Teresa Eckrich Sommer , Terri Sabol , and Lindsay Chase-Lansdale investigate the effects of the program in Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences . The Community Action Project of Tulsa’s Career Advance program provides education and career training in healthcare to low-income parents with children. Its original model was centered in Head Start and helped parents achieve postsecondary education while their young children received early education programming. The program also provided numerous supportive services such as free tuition and childcare. The second model, which was based in an adult education and workforce agency and designed to serve the broader Tulsa population, began offering parents similar family-centered support and assistance The IPR team conducted a randomized control trial to evaluate the impacts of the adult model. They surveyed 277 racially and ethnically diverse parents, mostly mothers, 191 of whom received access to the program and 86 who did not. After a year in the program, parent participants were more likely to have obtained a vocational certificate or an associate degree compared to those who did not participate. The study is one of the first to show experimentally that a two-generation program might be effective in promoting student parents’ educational success.

Health Inequalities

Visibility, Relationship Dynamics, and Wellbeing the Bi+ Community

Bi+ people—those who are attracted to more than one gender—are the largest group within the LGBTQ+ community, but they often feel invisible. They also experience greater mental health challenges than people who identify as heterosexual, gay, or lesbian. A study by Emma McGorray, IPR social psychologist Eli Finkel , and Brian Feinstein in Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity explores associations between bi+ individuals’ feelings of invisibility and their quality of life, particularly in the context of romantic relationships. The researchers focus on two main questions: whether feeling visible as a bi+ person is linked to greater wellbeing, and which features of romantic relationships are associated with greater feelings of visibility. The team surveyed 450 bi+ individuals who were single, in same-gender relationships, or in mixed-gender relationships. They found that feeling recognized as a bi+ person was linked to higher levels of wellbeing, especially for those who consider their sexual orientation central to their sense of self. Participants in mixed-gender relationships with heterosexual partners reported a lower sense of visibility compared to those in same-gender relationships and those with bi+ partners. The study also revealed that a bi+ individual may feel invisible even when their partner affirms and recognizes their identity. The researchers encourage clinicians working with bi+ individuals to pay attention to their romantic relationships and partner characteristics and to assess how visible and central these individuals consider their bi+ identity. Finkel is a Morton O. Schapiro IPR Faculty Fellow.

Race, Poverty, and Inequality

Perceptions of a Living Wage  

How much money is enough to live on is fundamental to many basic life decisions. In a working paper, IPR adjunct professor Michael Kraus and his colleagues examine how people estimate a living wage, how income shapes their estimates, and how it influences their support for government policies. The researchers asked 1,000 adults across the United States several questions, including what they think is a living wage, the average wage of working adults, and the average wage of workers earning the minimum wage. The participants also reported what they consider to be a basic need, their monthly spending, and their support for redistributive policies. The researchers find that people’s estimates of a living wage are higher than the federal poverty line, the state and federal minimum wage, a popular cost of living calculator called the MIT living wage calculator, and the proposed minimum wage standard of $15 per hour. Participants who reported higher estimates of a living wage were more likely to support redistributive policies, such as expanding programs that improve the living standards of disadvantaged groups or creating a federal job guarantee program. The results show that people generally report a living wage as higher than the federal standard and their beliefs about economic conditions are shaped by their own socioeconomic experiences. Future research should continue to explore income’s influence on perceptions of a living wage and how people calculate leisure as part of a living wage, given its importance for wellbeing.

Parent-Child Discussions Can Help Address Subtle Racism  

Experts recommend that White parents discuss racism with their children to reduce racial bias. However, many parents fail to do so. In a study published in  Developmental Psychology,  IPR psychologist Sylvia Perry and her colleagues  investigate  what sort of language White parents used in guided discussions of race with their 8–12-year-old children and whether the conversations effectively decreased bias.  The researchers recruited 84 White parent and child pairs who participated in a guided discussion task.  Parents and their children watched interactions between a White and Black child that showcased overt prejudice, subtle prejudice, or neutral interactions. Following this, parents used suggested discussion prompts meant to facilitate color-conscious conversations, where prejudice was acknowledged, and discourage colorblind conversations, where prejudice was downplayed. Parents and children separately completed implicit association tests to measure their anti-Black bias before and after the task. The results indicated that parents and children who had discussed race showed a significant decrease in anti-Black bias, with parents’ implicit bias score decreasing from 0.53 to 0.34 and children's implicit bias score decreasing from 0.41 to 0.16. Moreover, over 90% of parents and children used color-conscious language during their discussion, and this was associated with decreased bias in both parents and children. Although some parents also used colorblind language during the guided task, this language weakened but did not erase the positive effects of the color-conscious language on bias reduction. Researchers suggest that it is critical for parents to have honest conversations with their children about racism, even from a young age.

Neighborhoods and Community Safety

Officer-Involved Killings of Unarmed Black People and Racial Disparities in Sleep

Research shows that Black Americans are more likely to report that they sleep less than White Americans, putting them at risk for worse physical and mental health outcomes. In a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, IPR sociologist Andrew Papachristos and his colleagues investigate whether exposure to police officer-involved killings of unarmed Black people is linked to sleep duration in Black communities. The researchers use data on sleep duration from two nationally representative surveys: the US Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS) and the American Time Use Surveys (ATUS). They examined responses from 181,865 Black and 1,799,757 White adults in the BRFSS and 9,858 Black and 46,532 White adults in the ATUS between 2013 and 2019. They also reviewed data from Mapping Police Violence (MPV), an online database tracking officer-involved killings since 2013. They then used data from both surveys to examine changes in sleep duration for Black adults before and after exposure to officer-involved killings of unarmed Black Americans in their area of residence and nationally. The evidence reveals that Black Americans are more likely to report that they got short sleep—less than seven hours of sleep—or very short sleep—less than six hours of sleep—compared to White Americans after police killed an unarmed Black person. Black Americans reported less sleep when the killing was in the state where they lived. These findings highlight the role police violence can play in shaping racial disparities in sleep duration.

Photo credit: Unsplash

Published: August 28, 2024.

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• Published: 02 December 2020

Enhancing senior high school student engagement and academic performance using an inclusive and scalable inquiry-based program

• Locke Davenport Huyer   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-1526-7122 1 , 2   na1 ,
• Neal I. Callaghan   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-8214-3395 1 , 3   na1 ,
• Sara Dicks 4 ,
• Edward Scherer 4 ,
• Andrey I. Shukalyuk 1 ,
• Margaret Jou 4 &
• Dawn M. Kilkenny   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-3899-9767 1 , 5  

npj Science of Learning volume  5 , Article number:  17 ( 2020 ) Cite this article

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The multi-disciplinary nature of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers often renders difficulty for high school students navigating from classroom knowledge to post-secondary pursuits. Discrepancies between the knowledge-based high school learning approach and the experiential approach of future studies leaves some students disillusioned by STEM. We present Discovery , a term-long inquiry-focused learning model delivered by STEM graduate students in collaboration with high school teachers, in the context of biomedical engineering. Entire classes of high school STEM students representing diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds engaged in iterative, problem-based learning designed to emphasize critical thinking concomitantly within the secondary school and university environments. Assessment of grades and survey data suggested positive impact of this learning model on students’ STEM interests and engagement, notably in under-performing cohorts, as well as repeating cohorts that engage in the program on more than one occasion. Discovery presents a scalable platform that stimulates persistence in STEM learning, providing valuable learning opportunities and capturing cohorts of students that might otherwise be under-engaged in STEM.

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Introduction.

High school students with diverse STEM interests often struggle to understand the STEM experience outside the classroom 1 . The multi-disciplinary nature of many career fields can foster a challenge for students in their decision to enroll in appropriate high school courses while maintaining persistence in study, particularly when these courses are not mandatory 2 . Furthermore, this challenge is amplified by the known discrepancy between the knowledge-based learning approach common in high schools and the experiential, mastery-based approaches afforded by the subsequent undergraduate model 3 . In the latter, focused classes, interdisciplinary concepts, and laboratory experiences allow for the application of accumulated knowledge, practice in problem solving, and development of both general and technical skills 4 . Such immersive cooperative learning environments are difficult to establish in the secondary school setting and high school teachers often struggle to implement within their classroom 5 . As such, high school students may become disillusioned before graduation and never experience an enriched learning environment, despite their inherent interests in STEM 6 .

It cannot be argued that early introduction to varied math and science disciplines throughout high school is vital if students are to pursue STEM fields, especially within engineering 7 . However, the majority of literature focused on student interest and retention in STEM highlights outcomes in US high school learning environments, where the sciences are often subject-specific from the onset of enrollment 8 . In contrast, students in the Ontario (Canada) high school system are required to complete Level 1 and 2 core courses in science and math during Grades 9 and 10; these courses are offered as ‘applied’ or ‘academic’ versions and present broad topics of content 9 . It is not until Levels 3 and 4 (generally Grades 11 and 12, respectively) that STEM classes become subject-specific (i.e., Biology, Chemistry, and/or Physics) and are offered as “university”, “college”, or “mixed” versions, designed to best prepare students for their desired post-secondary pursuits 9 . Given that Levels 3 and 4 science courses are not mandatory for graduation, enrollment identifies an innate student interest in continued learning. Furthermore, engagement in these post-secondary preparatory courses is also dependent upon achieving successful grades in preceding courses, but as curriculum becomes more subject-specific, students often yield lower degrees of success in achieving course credit 2 . Therefore, it is imperative that learning supports are best focused on ensuring that those students with an innate interest are able to achieve success in learning.

When given opportunity and focused support, high school students are capable of successfully completing rigorous programs at STEM-focused schools 10 . Specialized STEM schools have existed in the US for over 100 years; generally, students are admitted after their sophomore year of high school experience (equivalent to Grade 10) based on standardized test scores, essays, portfolios, references, and/or interviews 11 . Common elements to this learning framework include a diverse array of advanced STEM courses, paired with opportunities to engage in and disseminate cutting-edge research 12 . Therein, said research experience is inherently based in the processes of critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration. This learning framework supports translation of core curricular concepts to practice and is fundamental in allowing students to develop better understanding and appreciation of STEM career fields.

Despite the described positive attributes, many students do not have the ability or resources to engage within STEM-focused schools, particularly given that they are not prevalent across Canada, and other countries across the world. Consequently, many public institutions support the idea that post-secondary led engineering education programs are effective ways to expose high school students to engineering education and relevant career options, and also increase engineering awareness 13 . Although singular class field trips are used extensively to accomplish such programs, these may not allow immersive experiences for application of knowledge and practice of skills that are proven to impact long-term learning and influence career choices 14 , 15 . Longer-term immersive research experiences, such as after-school programs or summer camps, have shown successful at recruiting students into STEM degree programs and careers, where longevity of experience helps foster self-determination and interest-led, inquiry-based projects 4 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 .

Such activities convey the elements that are suggested to make a post-secondary led high school education programs successful: hands-on experience, self-motivated learning, real-life application, immediate feedback, and problem-based projects 20 , 21 . In combination with immersion in university teaching facilities, learning is authentic and relevant, similar to the STEM school-focused framework, and consequently representative of an experience found in actual STEM practice 22 . These outcomes may further be a consequence of student engagement and attitude: Brown et al. studied the relationships between STEM curriculum and student attitudes, and found the latter played a more important role in intention to persist in STEM when compared to self-efficacy 23 . This is interesting given that student self-efficacy has been identified to influence ‘motivation, persistence, and determination’ in overcoming challenges in a career pathway 24 . Taken together, this suggests that creation and delivery of modern, exciting curriculum that supports positive student attitudes is fundamental to engage and retain students in STEM programs.

Supported by the outcomes of identified effective learning strategies, University of Toronto (U of T) graduate trainees created a novel high school education program Discovery , to develop a comfortable yet stimulating environment of inquiry-focused iterative learning for senior high school students (Grades 11 & 12; Levels 3 & 4) at non-specialized schools. Built in strong collaboration with science teachers from George Harvey Collegiate Institute (Toronto District School Board), Discovery stimulates application of STEM concepts within a unique term-long applied curriculum delivered iteratively within both U of T undergraduate teaching facilities and collaborating high school classrooms 25 . Based on the volume of medically-themed news and entertainment that is communicated to the population at large, the rapidly-growing and diverse field of biomedical engineering (BME) were considered an ideal program context 26 . In its definition, BME necessitates cross-disciplinary STEM knowledge focused on the betterment of human health, wherein Discovery facilitates broadening student perspective through engaging inquiry-based projects. Importantly, Discovery allows all students within a class cohort to work together with their classroom teacher, stimulating continued development of a relevant learning community that is deemed essential for meaningful context and important for transforming student perspectives and understandings 27 , 28 . Multiple studies support the concept that relevant learning communities improve student attitudes towards learning, significantly increasing student motivation in STEM courses, and consequently improving the overall learning experience 29 . Learning communities, such as that provided by Discovery , also promote the formation of self-supporting groups, greater active involvement in class, and higher persistence rates for participating students 30 .

The objective of Discovery , through structure and dissemination, is to engage senior high school science students in challenging, inquiry-based practical BME activities as a mechanism to stimulate comprehension of STEM curriculum application to real-world concepts. Consequent focus is placed on critical thinking skill development through an atmosphere of perseverance in ambiguity, something not common in a secondary school knowledge-focused delivery but highly relevant in post-secondary STEM education strategies. Herein, we describe the observed impact of the differential project-based learning environment of Discovery on student performance and engagement. We identify the value of an inquiry-focused learning model that is tangible for students who struggle in a knowledge-focused delivery structure, where engagement in conceptual critical thinking in the relevant subject area stimulates student interest, attitudes, and resulting academic performance. Assessment of study outcomes suggests that when provided with a differential learning opportunity, student performance and interest in STEM increased. Consequently, Discovery provides an effective teaching and learning framework within a non-specialized school that motivates students, provides opportunity for critical thinking and problem-solving practice, and better prepares them for persistence in future STEM programs.

Program delivery

The outcomes of the current study result from execution of Discovery over five independent academic terms as a collaboration between Institute of Biomedical Engineering (graduate students, faculty, and support staff) and George Harvey Collegiate Institute (science teachers and administration) stakeholders. Each term, the program allowed senior secondary STEM students (Grades 11 and 12) opportunity to engage in a novel project-based learning environment. The program structure uses the problem-based engineering capstone framework as a tool of inquiry-focused learning objectives, motivated by a central BME global research topic, with research questions that are inter-related but specific to the curriculum of each STEM course subject (Fig. 1 ). Over each 12-week term, students worked in teams (3–4 students) within their class cohorts to execute projects with the guidance of U of T trainees ( Discovery instructors) and their own high school teacher(s). Student experimental work was conducted in U of T teaching facilities relevant to the research study of interest (i.e., Biology and Chemistry-based projects executed within Undergraduate Teaching Laboratories; Physics projects executed within Undergraduate Design Studios). Students were introduced to relevant techniques and safety procedures in advance of iterative experimentation. Importantly, this experience served as a course term project for students, who were assessed at several points throughout the program for performance in an inquiry-focused environment as well as within the regular classroom (Fig. 1 ). To instill the atmosphere of STEM, student teams delivered their outcomes in research poster format at a final symposium, sharing their results and recommendations with other post-secondary students, faculty, and community in an open environment.

The general program concept (blue background; top left ) highlights a global research topic examined through student dissemination of subject-specific research questions, yielding multifaceted student outcomes (orange background; top right ). Each program term (term workflow, yellow background; bottom panel ), students work on program deliverables in class (blue), iterate experimental outcomes within university facilities (orange), and are assessed accordingly at numerous deliverables in an inquiry-focused learning model.

Over the course of five terms there were 268 instances of tracked student participation, representing 170 individual students. Specifically, 94 students participated during only one term of programming, 57 students participated in two terms, 16 students participated in three terms, and 3 students participated in four terms. Multiple instances of participation represent students that enrol in more than one STEM class during their senior years of high school, or who participated in Grade 11 and subsequently Grade 12. Students were surveyed before and after each term to assess program effects on STEM interest and engagement. All grade-based assessments were performed by high school teachers for their respective STEM class cohorts using consistent grading rubrics and assignment structure. Here, we discuss the outcomes of student involvement in this experiential curriculum model.

Student performance and engagement

Student grades were assigned, collected, and anonymized by teachers for each Discovery deliverable (background essay, client meeting, proposal, progress report, poster, and final presentation). Teachers anonymized collective Discovery grades, the component deliverable grades thereof, final course grades, attendance in class and during programming, as well as incomplete classroom assignments, for comparative study purposes. Students performed significantly higher in their cumulative Discovery grade than in their cumulative classroom grade (final course grade less the Discovery contribution; p  < 0.0001). Nevertheless, there was a highly significant correlation ( p  < 0.0001) observed between the grade representing combined Discovery deliverables and the final course grade (Fig. 2a ). Further examination of the full dataset revealed two student cohorts of interest: the “Exceeds Expectations” (EE) subset (defined as those students who achieved ≥1 SD [18.0%] grade differential in Discovery over their final course grade; N  = 99 instances), and the “Multiple Term” (MT) subset (defined as those students who participated in Discovery more than once; 76 individual students that collectively accounted for 174 single terms of assessment out of the 268 total student-terms delivered) (Fig. 2b, c ). These subsets were not unrelated; 46 individual students who had multiple experiences (60.5% of total MTs) exhibited at least one occasion in achieving a ≥18.0% grade differential. As students participated in group work, there was concern that lower-performing students might negatively influence the Discovery grade of higher-performing students (or vice versa). However, students were observed to self-organize into groups where all individuals received similar final overall course grades (Fig. 2d ), thereby alleviating these concerns.

a Linear regression of student grades reveals a significant correlation ( p  = 0.0009) between Discovery performance and final course grade less the Discovery contribution to grade, as assessed by teachers. The dashed red line and intervals represent the theoretical 1:1 correlation between Discovery and course grades and standard deviation of the Discovery -course grade differential, respectively. b , c Identification of subgroups of interest, Exceeds Expectations (EE; N  = 99, orange ) who were ≥+1 SD in Discovery -course grade differential and Multi-Term (MT; N  = 174, teal ), of which N  = 65 students were present in both subgroups. d Students tended to self-assemble in working groups according to their final course performance; data presented as mean ± SEM. e For MT students participating at least 3 terms in Discovery , there was no significant correlation between course grade and time, while ( f ) there was a significant correlation between Discovery grade and cumulative terms in the program. Histograms of total absences per student in ( g ) Discovery and ( h ) class (binned by 4 days to be equivalent in time to a single Discovery absence).

The benefits experienced by MT students seemed progressive; MT students that participated in 3 or 4 terms ( N  = 16 and 3, respectively ) showed no significant increase by linear regression in their course grade over time ( p  = 0.15, Fig. 2e ), but did show a significant increase in their Discovery grades ( p  = 0.0011, Fig. 2f ). Finally, students demonstrated excellent Discovery attendance; at least 91% of participants attended all Discovery sessions in a given term (Fig. 2g ). In contrast, class attendance rates reveal a much wider distribution where 60.8% (163 out of 268 students) missed more than 4 classes (equivalent in learning time to one Discovery session) and 14.6% (39 out of 268 students) missed 16 or more classes (equivalent in learning time to an entire program of Discovery ) in a term (Fig. 2h ).

Discovery EE students (Fig. 3 ), roughly by definition, obtained lower course grades ( p  < 0.0001, Fig. 3a ) and higher final Discovery grades ( p  = 0.0004, Fig. 3b ) than non-EE students. This cohort of students exhibited program grades higher than classmates (Fig. 3c–h ); these differences were significant in every category with the exception of essays, where they outperformed to a significantly lesser degree ( p  = 0.097; Fig. 3c ). There was no statistically significant difference in EE vs. non-EE student classroom attendance ( p  = 0.85; Fig. 3i, j ). There were only four single day absences in Discovery within the EE subset; however, this difference was not statistically significant ( p  = 0.074).

The “Exceeds Expectations” (EE) subset of students (defined as those who received a combined Discovery grade ≥1 SD (18.0%) higher than their final course grade) performed ( a ) lower on their final course grade and ( b ) higher in the Discovery program as a whole when compared to their classmates. d – h EE students received significantly higher grades on each Discovery deliverable than their classmates, except for their ( c ) introductory essays and ( h ) final presentations. The EE subset also tended ( i ) to have a higher relative rate of attendance during Discovery sessions but no difference in ( j ) classroom attendance. N  = 99 EE students and 169 non-EE students (268 total). Grade data expressed as mean ± SEM.

Discovery MT students (Fig. 4 ), although not receiving significantly higher grades in class than students participating in the program only one time ( p  = 0.29, Fig. 4a ), were observed to obtain higher final Discovery grades than single-term students ( p  = 0.0067, Fig. 4b ). Although trends were less pronounced for individual MT student deliverables (Fig. 4c–h ), this student group performed significantly better on the progress report ( p  = 0.0021; Fig. 4f ). Trends of higher performance were observed for initial proposals and final presentations ( p  = 0.081 and 0.056, respectively; Fig. 4e, h ); all other deliverables were not significantly different between MT and non-MT students (Fig. 4c, d, g ). Attendance in Discovery ( p  = 0.22) was also not significantly different between MT and non-MT students, although MT students did miss significantly less class time ( p  = 0.010) (Fig. 4i, j ). Longitudinal assessment of individual deliverables for MT students that participated in three or more Discovery terms (Fig. 5 ) further highlights trend in improvement (Fig. 2f ). Greater performance over terms of participation was observed for essay ( p  = 0.0295, Fig. 5a ), client meeting ( p  = 0.0003, Fig. 5b ), proposal ( p  = 0.0004, Fig. 5c ), progress report ( p  = 0.16, Fig. 5d ), poster ( p  = 0.0005, Fig. 5e ), and presentation ( p  = 0.0295, Fig. 5f ) deliverable grades; these trends were all significant with the exception of the progress report ( p  = 0.16, Fig. 5d ) owing to strong performance in this deliverable in all terms.

The “multi-term” (MT) subset of students (defined as having attended more than one term of Discovery ) demonstrated favorable performance in Discovery , ( a ) showing no difference in course grade compared to single-term students, but ( b outperforming them in final Discovery grade. Independent of the number of times participating in Discovery , MT students did not score significantly differently on their ( c ) essay, ( d ) client meeting, or ( g ) poster. They tended to outperform their single-term classmates on the ( e ) proposal and ( h ) final presentation and scored significantly higher on their ( f ) progress report. MT students showed no statistical difference in ( i ) Discovery attendance but did show ( j ) higher rates of classroom attendance than single-term students. N  = 174 MT instances of student participation (76 individual students) and 94 single-term students. Grade data expressed as mean ± SEM.

Longitudinal assessment of a subset of MT student participants that participated in three ( N  = 16) or four ( N  = 3) terms presents a significant trend of improvement in their ( a ) essay, ( b ) client meeting, ( c ) proposal, ( e ) poster, and ( f ) presentation grade. d Progress report grades present a trend in improvement but demonstrate strong performance in all terms, limiting potential for student improvement. Grade data are presented as individual student performance; each student is represented by one color; data is fitted with a linear trendline (black).

Finally, the expansion of Discovery to a second school of lower LOI (i.e., nominally higher aggregate SES) allowed for the assessment of program impact in a new population over 2 terms of programming. A significant ( p  = 0.040) divergence in Discovery vs. course grade distribution from the theoretical 1:1 relationship was found in the new cohort (S 1 Appendix , Fig. S 1 ), in keeping with the pattern established in this study.

Teacher perceptions

Qualitative observation in the classroom by high school teachers emphasized the value students independently placed on program participation and deliverables. Throughout the term, students often prioritized Discovery group assignments over other tasks for their STEM courses, regardless of academic weight and/or due date. Comparing within this student population, teachers spoke of difficulties with late and incomplete assignments in the regular curriculum but found very few such instances with respect to Discovery -associated deliverables. Further, teachers speculated on the good behavior and focus of students in Discovery programming in contrast to attentiveness and behavior issues in their school classrooms. Multiple anecdotal examples were shared of renewed perception of student potential; students that exhibited poor academic performance in the classroom often engaged with high performance in this inquiry-focused atmosphere. Students appeared to take a sense of ownership, excitement, and pride in the setting of group projects oriented around scientific inquiry, discovery, and dissemination.

Student perceptions

Students were asked to consider and rank the academic difficulty (scale of 1–5, with 1 = not challenging and 5 = highly challenging) of the work they conducted within the Discovery learning model. Considering individual Discovery terms, at least 91% of students felt the curriculum to be sufficiently challenging with a 3/5 or higher ranking (Term 1: 87.5%, Term 2: 93.4%, Term 3: 85%, Term 4: 93.3%, Term 5: 100%), and a minimum of 58% of students indicating a 4/5 or higher ranking (Term 1: 58.3%, Term 2: 70.5%, Term 3: 67.5%, Term 4: 69.1%, Term 5: 86.4%) (Fig. 6a ).

a Histogram of relative frequency of perceived Discovery programming academic difficulty ranked from not challenging (1) to highly challenging (5) for each session demonstrated the consistently perceived high degree of difficulty for Discovery programming (total responses: 223). b Program participation increased student comfort (94.6%) with navigating lab work in a university or college setting (total responses: 220). c Considering participation in Discovery programming, students indicated their increased (72.4%) or decreased (10.1%) likelihood to pursue future experiences in STEM as a measure of program impact (total responses: 217). d Large majority of participating students (84.9%) indicated their interest for future participation in Discovery (total responses: 212). Students were given the opportunity to opt out of individual survey questions, partially completed surveys were included in totals.

The majority of students (94.6%) indicated they felt more comfortable with the idea of performing future work in a university STEM laboratory environment given exposure to university teaching facilities throughout the program (Fig. 6b ). Students were also queried whether they were (i) more likely, (ii) less likely, or (iii) not impacted by their experience in the pursuit of STEM in the future. The majority of participants (>82%) perceived impact on STEM interests, with 72.4% indicating they were more likely to pursue these interests in the future (Fig. 6c ). When surveyed at the end of term, 84.9% of students indicated they would participate in the program again (Fig. 6d ).

We have described an inquiry-based framework for implementing experiential STEM education in a BME setting. Using this model, we engaged 268 instances of student participation (170 individual students who participated 1–4 times) over five terms in project-based learning wherein students worked in peer-based teams under the mentorship of U of T trainees to design and execute the scientific method in answering a relevant research question. Collaboration between high school teachers and Discovery instructors allowed for high school student exposure to cutting-edge BME research topics, participation in facilitated inquiry, and acquisition of knowledge through scientific discovery. All assessments were conducted by high school teachers and constituted a fraction (10–15%) of the overall course grade, instilling academic value for participating students. As such, students exhibited excitement to learn as well as commitment to their studies in the program.

Through our observations and analysis, we suggest there is value in differential learning environments for students that struggle in a knowledge acquisition-focused classroom setting. In general, we observed a high level of academic performance in Discovery programming (Fig. 2a ), which was highlighted exceptionally in EE students who exhibited greater academic performance in Discovery deliverables compared to normal coursework (>18% grade improvement in relevant deliverables). We initially considered whether this was the result of strong students influencing weaker students; however, group organization within each course suggests this is not the case (Fig. 2d ). With the exception of one class in one term (24 participants assigned by their teacher), students were allowed to self-organize into working groups and they chose to work with other students of relatively similar academic performance (as indicated by course grade), a trend observed in other studies 31 , 32 . Remarkably, EE students not only excelled during Discovery when compared to their own performance in class, but this cohort also achieved significantly higher average grades in each of the deliverables throughout the program when compared to the remaining Discovery cohort (Fig. 3 ). This data demonstrates the value of an inquiry-based learning environment compared to knowledge-focused delivery in the classroom in allowing students to excel. We expect that part of this engagement was resultant of student excitement with a novel learning opportunity. It is however a well-supported concept that students who struggle in traditional settings tend to demonstrate improved interest and motivation in STEM when given opportunity to interact in a hands-on fashion, which supports our outcomes 4 , 33 . Furthermore, these outcomes clearly represent variable student learning styles, where some students benefit from a greater exchange of information, knowledge and skills in a cooperative learning environment 34 . The performance of the EE group may not be by itself surprising, as the identification of the subset by definition required high performers in Discovery who did not have exceptionally high course grades; in addition, the final Discovery grade is dependent on the component assignment grades. However, the discrepancies between EE and non-EE groups attendance suggests that students were engaged by Discovery in a way that they were not by regular classroom curriculum.

In addition to quantified engagement in Discovery observed in academic performance, we believe remarkable attendance rates are indicative of the value students place in the differential learning structure. Given the differences in number of Discovery days and implications of missing one day of regular class compared to this immersive program, we acknowledge it is challenging to directly compare attendance data and therefore approximate this comparison with consideration of learning time equivalence. When combined with other subjective data including student focus, requests to work on Discovery during class time, and lack of discipline/behavior issues, the attendance data importantly suggests that students were especially engaged by the Discovery model. Further, we believe the increased commute time to the university campus (students are responsible for independent transit to campus, a much longer endeavour than the normal school commute), early program start time, and students’ lack of familiarity with the location are non-trivial considerations when determining the propensity of students to participate enthusiastically in Discovery . We feel this suggests the students place value on this team-focused learning and find it to be more applicable and meaningful to their interests.

Given post-secondary admission requirements for STEM programs, it would be prudent to think that students participating in multiple STEM classes across terms are the ones with the most inherent interest in post-secondary STEM programs. The MT subset, representing students who participated in Discovery for more than one term, averaged significantly higher final Discovery grades. The increase in the final Discovery grade was observed to result from a general confluence of improved performance over multiple deliverables and a continuous effort to improve in a STEM curriculum. This was reflected in longitudinal tracking of Discovery performance, where we observed a significant trend of improved performance. Interestingly, the high number of MT students who were included in the EE group suggests that students who had a keen interest in science enrolled in more than one course and in general responded well to the inquiry-based teaching method of Discovery , where scientific method was put into action. It stands to reason that students interested in science will continue to take STEM courses and will respond favorably to opportunities to put classroom theory to practical application.

The true value of an inquiry-based program such as Discovery may not be based in inspiring students to perform at a higher standard in STEM within the high school setting, as skills in critical thinking do not necessarily translate to knowledge-based assessment. Notably, students found the programming equally challenging throughout each of the sequential sessions, perhaps somewhat surprising considering the increasing number of repeat attendees in successive sessions (Fig. 6a ). Regardless of sub-discipline, there was an emphasis of perceived value demonstrated through student surveys where we observed indicated interest in STEM and comfort with laboratory work environments, and desire to engage in future iterations given the opportunity. Although non-quantitative, we perceive this as an indicator of significant student engagement, even though some participants did not yield academic success in the program and found it highly challenging given its ambiguity.

Although we observed that students become more certain of their direction in STEM, further longitudinal study is warranted to make claim of this outcome. Additionally, at this point in our assessment we cannot effectively assess the practical outcomes of participation, understanding that the immediate effects observed are subject to a number of factors associated with performance in the high school learning environment. Future studies that track graduates from this program will be prudent, in conjunction with an ever-growing dataset of assessment as well as surveys designed to better elucidate underlying perceptions and attitudes, to continue to understand the expected benefits of this inquiry-focused and partnered approach. Altogether, a multifaceted assessment of our early outcomes suggests significant value of an immersive and iterative interaction with STEM as part of the high school experience. A well-defined divergence from knowledge-based learning, focused on engagement in critical thinking development framed in the cutting-edge of STEM, may be an important step to broadening student perspectives.

In this study, we describe the short-term effects of an inquiry-based STEM educational experience on a cohort of secondary students attending a non-specialized school, and suggest that the framework can be widely applied across virtually all subjects where inquiry-driven and mentored projects can be undertaken. Although we have demonstrated replication in a second cohort of nominally higher SES (S 1 Appendix , Supplementary Fig. 1 ), a larger collection period with more students will be necessary to conclusively determine impact independent of both SES and specific cohort effects. Teachers may also find this framework difficult to implement depending on resources and/or institutional investment and support, particularly if post-secondary collaboration is inaccessible. Offerings to a specific subject (e.g., physics) where experiments yielding empirical data are logistically or financially simpler to perform may be valid routes of adoption as opposed to the current study where all subject cohorts were included.

As we consider Discovery in a bigger picture context, expansion and implementation of this model is translatable. Execution of the scientific method is an important aspect of citizen science, as the concepts of critical thing become ever-more important in a landscape of changing technological landscapes. Giving students critical thinking and problem-solving skills in their primary and secondary education provides value in the context of any career path. Further, we feel that this model is scalable across disciplines, STEM or otherwise, as a means of building the tools of inquiry. We have observed here the value of differential inclusive student engagement and critical thinking through an inquiry-focused model for a subset of students, but further to this an engagement, interest, and excitement across the body of student participants. As we educate the leaders of tomorrow, we suggest that use of an inquiry-focused model such as Discovery could facilitate growth of a data-driven critical thinking framework.

In conclusion, we have presented a model of inquiry-based STEM education for secondary students that emphasizes inclusion, quantitative analysis, and critical thinking. Student grades suggest significant performance benefits, and engagement data suggests positive student attitude despite the perceived challenges of the program. We also note a particular performance benefit to students who repeatedly engage in the program. This framework may carry benefits in a wide variety of settings and disciplines for enhancing student engagement and performance, particularly in non-specialized school environments.

Study design and implementation

Participants in Discovery include all students enrolled in university-stream Grade 11 or 12 biology, chemistry, or physics at the participating school over five consecutive terms (cohort summary shown in Table 1 ). Although student participation in educational content was mandatory, student grades and survey responses (administered by high school teachers) were collected from only those students with parent or guardian consent. Teachers replaced each student name with a unique coded identifier to preserve anonymity but enable individual student tracking over multiple terms. All data collected were analyzed without any exclusions save for missing survey responses; no power analysis was performed prior to data collection.

Ethics statement

This study was approved by the University of Toronto Health Sciences Research Ethics Board (Protocol # 34825) and the Toronto District School Board External Research Review Committee (Protocol # 2017-2018-20). Written informed consent was collected from parents or guardians of participating students prior to the acquisition of student data (both post-hoc academic data and survey administration). Data were anonymized by high school teachers for maintenance of academic confidentiality of individual students prior to release to U of T researchers.

Educational program overview

Students enrolled in university-preparatory STEM classes at the participating school completed a term-long project under the guidance of graduate student instructors and undergraduate student mentors as a mandatory component of their respective course. Project curriculum developed collaboratively between graduate students and participating high school teachers was delivered within U of T Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering (FASE) teaching facilities. Participation allows high school students to garner a better understanding as to how undergraduate learning and career workflows in STEM vary from traditional high school classroom learning, meanwhile reinforcing the benefits of problem solving, perseverance, teamwork, and creative thinking competencies. Given that Discovery was a mandatory component of course curriculum, students participated as class cohorts and addressed questions specific to their course subject knowledge base but related to the defined global health research topic (Fig. 1 ). Assessment of program deliverables was collectively assigned to represent 10–15% of the final course grade for each subject at the discretion of the respective STEM teacher.

The Discovery program framework was developed, prior to initiation of student assessment, in collaboration with one high school selected from the local public school board over a 1.5 year period of time. This partner school consistently scores highly (top decile) in the school board’s Learning Opportunities Index (LOI). The LOI ranks each school based on measures of external challenges affecting its student population therefore schools with the greatest level of external challenge receive a higher ranking 35 . A high LOI ranking is inversely correlated with socioeconomic status (SES); therefore, participating students are identified as having a significant number of external challenges that may affect their academic success. The mandatory nature of program participation was established to reach highly capable students who may be reluctant to engage on their own initiative, as a means of enhancing the inclusivity and impact of the program. The selected school partner is located within a reasonable geographical radius of our campus (i.e., ~40 min transit time from school to campus). This is relevant as participating students are required to independently commute to campus for Discovery hands-on experiences.

Each program term of Discovery corresponds with a five-month high school term. Lead university trainee instructors (3–6 each term) engaged with high school teachers 1–2 months in advance of high school student engagement to discern a relevant overarching global healthcare theme. Each theme was selected with consideration of (a) topics that university faculty identify as cutting-edge biomedical research, (b) expertise that Discovery instructors provide, and (c) capacity to showcase the diversity of BME. Each theme was sub-divided into STEM subject-specific research questions aligning with provincial Ministry of Education curriculum concepts for university-preparatory Biology, Chemistry, and Physics 9 that students worked to address, both on-campus and in-class, during a term-long project. The Discovery framework therefore provides students a problem-based learning experience reflective of an engineering capstone design project, including a motivating scientific problem (i.e., global topic), subject-specific research question, and systematic determination of a professional recommendation addressing the needs of the presented problem.

Discovery instructors were volunteers recruited primarily from graduate and undergraduate BME programs in the FASE. Instructors were organized into subject-specific instructional teams based on laboratory skills, teaching experience, and research expertise. The lead instructors of each subject (the identified 1–2 trainees that built curriculum with high school teachers) were responsible to organize the remaining team members as mentors for specific student groups over the course of the program term (~1:8 mentor to student ratio).

All Discovery instructors were familiarized with program expectations and trained in relevant workspace safety, in addition to engagement at a teaching workshop delivered by the Faculty Advisor (a Teaching Stream faculty member) at the onset of term. This workshop was designed to provide practical information on teaching and was co-developed with high school teachers based on their extensive training and experience in fundamental teaching methods. In addition, group mentors received hands-on training and guidance from lead instructors regarding the specific activities outlined for their respective subject programming (an exemplary term of student programming is available in S 2 Appendix) .

Discovery instructors were responsible for introducing relevant STEM skills and mentoring high school students for the duration of their projects, with support and mentorship from the Faculty Mentor. Each instructor worked exclusively throughout the term with the student groups to which they had been assigned, ensuring consistent mentorship across all disciplinary components of the project. In addition to further supporting university trainees in on-campus mentorship, high school teachers were responsible for academic assessment of all student program deliverables (Fig. 1 ; the standardized grade distribution available in S 3 Appendix ). Importantly, trainees never engaged in deliverable assessment; for continuity of overall course assessment, this remained the responsibility of the relevant teacher for each student cohort.

Throughout each term, students engaged within the university facilities four times. The first three sessions included hands-on lab sessions while the fourth visit included a culminating symposium for students to present their scientific findings (Fig. 1 ). On average, there were 4–5 groups of students per subject (3–4 students per group; ~20 students/class). Discovery instructors worked exclusively with 1–2 groups each term in the capacity of mentor to monitor and guide student progress in all project deliverables.

After introducing the selected global research topic in class, teachers led students in completion of background research essays. Students subsequently engaged in a subject-relevant skill-building protocol during their first visit to university teaching laboratory facilities, allowing opportunity to understand analysis techniques and equipment relevant for their assessment projects. At completion of this session, student groups were presented with a subject-specific research question as well as the relevant laboratory inventory available for use during their projects. Armed with this information, student groups continued to work in their classroom setting to develop group-specific experimental plans. Teachers and Discovery instructors provided written and oral feedback, respectively , allowing students an opportunity to revise their plans in class prior to on-campus experimental execution.

Once at the relevant laboratory environment, student groups executed their protocols in an effort to collect experimental data. Data analysis was performed in the classroom and students learned by trial & error to optimize their protocols before returning to the university lab for a second opportunity of data collection. All methods and data were re-analyzed in class in order for students to create a scientific poster for the purpose of study/experience dissemination. During a final visit to campus, all groups presented their findings at a research symposium, allowing students to verbally defend their process, analyses, interpretations, and design recommendations to a diverse audience including peers, STEM teachers, undergraduate and graduate university students, postdoctoral fellows and U of T faculty.

Data collection

Teachers evaluated their students on the following associated deliverables: (i) global theme background research essay; (ii) experimental plan; (iii) progress report; (iv) final poster content and presentation; and (v) attendance. For research purposes, these grades were examined individually and also as a collective Discovery program grade for each student. For students consenting to participation in the research study, all Discovery grades were anonymized by the classroom teacher before being shared with study authors. Each student was assigned a code by the teacher for direct comparison of deliverable outcomes and survey responses. All instances of “Final course grade” represent the prorated course grade without the Discovery component, to prevent confounding of quantitative analyses.

Survey instruments were used to gain insight into student attitudes and perceptions of STEM and post-secondary study, as well as Discovery program experience and impact (S 4 Appendix ). High school teachers administered surveys in the classroom only to students supported by parental permission. Pre-program surveys were completed at minimum 1 week prior to program initiation each term and exit surveys were completed at maximum 2 weeks post- Discovery term completion. Surveys results were validated using a principal component analysis (S 1 Appendix , Supplementary Fig. 2 ).

Identification and comparison of population subsets

From initial analysis, we identified two student subpopulations of particular interest: students who performed ≥1 SD [18.0%] or greater in the collective Discovery components of the course compared to their final course grade (“EE”), and students who participated in Discovery more than once (“MT”). These groups were compared individually against the rest of the respective Discovery population (“non-EE” and “non-MT”, respectively ). Additionally, MT students who participated in three or four (the maximum observed) terms of Discovery were assessed for longitudinal changes to performance in their course and Discovery grades. Comparisons were made for all Discovery deliverables (introductory essay, client meeting, proposal, progress report, poster, and presentation), final Discovery grade, final course grade, Discovery attendance, and overall attendance.

Statistical analysis

Student course grades were analyzed in all instances without the Discovery contribution (calculated from all deliverable component grades and ranging from 10 to 15% of final course grade depending on class and year) to prevent correlation. Aggregate course grades and Discovery grades were first compared by paired t-test, matching each student’s course grade to their Discovery grade for the term. Student performance in Discovery ( N  = 268 instances of student participation, comprising 170 individual students that participated 1–4 times) was initially assessed in a linear regression of Discovery grade vs. final course grade. Trends in course and Discovery performance over time for students participating 3 or 4 terms ( N  = 16 and 3 individuals, respectively ) were also assessed by linear regression. For subpopulation analysis (EE and MT, N  = 99 instances from 81 individuals and 174 instances from 76 individuals, respectively ), each dataset was tested for normality using the D’Agostino and Pearson omnibus normality test. All subgroup comparisons vs. the remaining population were performed by Mann–Whitney U -test. Data are plotted as individual points with mean ± SEM overlaid (grades), or in histogram bins of 1 and 4 days, respectively , for Discovery and class attendance. Significance was set at α ≤ 0.05.

Reporting summary

Further information on research design is available in the Nature Research Reporting Summary linked to this article.

Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available upon reasonable request from the corresponding author DMK. These data are not publicly available due to privacy concerns of personal data according to the ethical research agreements supporting this study.

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Acknowledgements

This study has been possible due to the support of many University of Toronto trainee volunteers, including Genevieve Conant, Sherif Ramadan, Daniel Smieja, Rami Saab, Andrew Effat, Serena Mandla, Cindy Bui, Janice Wong, Dawn Bannerman, Allison Clement, Shouka Parvin Nejad, Nicolas Ivanov, Jose Cardenas, Huntley Chang, Romario Regeenes, Dr. Henrik Persson, Ali Mojdeh, Nhien Tran-Nguyen, Ileana Co, and Jonathan Rubianto. We further acknowledge the staff and administration of George Harvey Collegiate Institute and the Institute of Biomedical Engineering (IBME), as well as Benjamin Rocheleau and Madeleine Rocheleau for contributions to data collation. Discovery has grown with continued support of Dean Christopher Yip (Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, U of T), and the financial support of the IBME and the National Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) PromoScience program (PROSC 515876-2017; IBME “Igniting Youth Curiosity in STEM” initiative co-directed by DMK and Dr. Penney Gilbert). LDH and NIC were supported by Vanier Canada graduate scholarships from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and NSERC, respectively . DMK holds a Dean’s Emerging Innovation in Teaching Professorship in the Faculty of Engineering & Applied Science, U of T.

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These authors contributed equally: Locke Davenport Huyer, Neal I. Callaghan.

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Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

Locke Davenport Huyer, Neal I. Callaghan, Andrey I. Shukalyuk & Dawn M. Kilkenny

Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

Locke Davenport Huyer

Translational Biology and Engineering Program, Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

Neal I. Callaghan

George Harvey Collegiate Institute, Toronto District School Board, Toronto, ON, Canada

Sara Dicks, Edward Scherer & Margaret Jou

Institute for Studies in Transdisciplinary Engineering Education & Practice, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

Dawn M. Kilkenny

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LDH, NIC and DMK conceived the program structure, designed the study, and interpreted the data. LDH and NIC ideated programming, coordinated execution, and performed all data analysis. SD, ES, and MJ designed and assessed student deliverables, collected data, and anonymized data for assessment. SD assisted in data interpretation. AIS assisted in programming ideation and design. All authors provided feedback and approved the manuscript that was written by LDH, NIC and DMK.

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Correspondence to Dawn M. Kilkenny .

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Davenport Huyer, L., Callaghan, N.I., Dicks, S. et al. Enhancing senior high school student engagement and academic performance using an inclusive and scalable inquiry-based program. npj Sci. Learn. 5 , 17 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-020-00076-2

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The Online Journal for Technical and Vocational Education and Training in Asia

ISSN: 2196-839X

Hybrid Collaborative Model of Technical-Vocational-Livelihood (TVL) Track in Senior High School in the Philippines

Feb 6, 2022 | Issue 18

Abstract  

This paper presents the pilot study of the Hotel and Restaurant Services and the Electro Mechanic Course of the University of San Carlos, Basic Education Department during the academic years 2012-2015. These pilot classes initiated the Senior High School program before its full implementation in June 2016. Mindful of the objective of employment generation as championed by the Philippine government, a collaboration between the University of San Carlos, Basic Education Department, and the Center for Industrial and Technical Enterprise was formed to provide ideal conditions for the pilot study graduates to gain immediate employment. The collaboration is anchored on the expertise of the two learning institutions: the University of San Carlos Basic Education Department hosted the general education subjects while the Center for Industrial and Technical Enterprise delivered technically oriented courses. The in-plant or job training programs paved the way for broadened industry exposure. The pilot implementation of the collaborative Senior High School program provided evidence from various stakeholders that competency-based training is what works best for both academic institutions and industry, as most students were employed after graduation and were workplace-ready. Thus, the hybrid model of the collaborative TVL program was effective in developing the competencies needed in the workplace.  

Keywords: TVET, Electro Mechanic Course, Hotel and Restaurant Services, Hybrid Collaborative Model, Senior High School (SHS), Technical-Vocational-Livelihood Track  

1. Introduction   

Technical vocational education and training (TVET) has been recognized worldwide as a tool for empowering people, especially the youth, for sustainable livelihood and social-economic improvement (Okwelle & Deebom 2017). According to Okwelle (2013), TVET broadly refers to deliberate interventions to bring about learning which would make people more productive (or simply adequately productive) in designated areas of economic activity (e.g., economic sectors, occupations, specific work tasks). For Alhasan and Abdullahi (2013), technical and vocational education and training plays an essential role in improving the well-being of youths and communities, and increasing productivity, empowering individuals to become self-reliant and stimulating entrepreneurship. Thus, there is a need to promote TVET as a promising program for students who want to ensure employment after graduation. However, most people are prejudiced with regard to technical and vocational education and training (TVET), seeing it as second-class education (Ratnata 2013; Che Rus et al. 2014). In reality, competency or skills training is an assurance of employability. According to the National Statistics Office, results from the January 2016 Labor Force Survey reflect an estimated 94.2 % employment rate.  

The Philippine educational system encompasses both formal and non-formal education. Due to family tradition and cultural considerations, formal education is preferred to a non-formal system because society is degree-conscious. While there are attractive career opportunities for degree holders, technical education graduates have more employability prospects. The ultimate goal of going to school is to gain employment. However, getting a degree is not the only means to get employed, considering the structure of the labor market. The high demand for manual services suggests that technical and vocational education and training can address its needs. Despite the attractive employability rate of technical and vocational education, there is still a need to put more weight on providing evidence and marketing the program effectively. During the UNESCO General Conference in 2015, United Nations (UN) explained that technical and vocational education and training (TVET) comprises education, training, and skills development relating to a wide range of occupational fields; production, services, and livelihood (UNESCO 2015). TVET, as part of lifelong learning, can take place at secondary, post-secondary, and tertiary levels. It includes work-based education, continuing training, and professional development, which may lead to qualifications. Dual VET is in demand worldwide, and double forms of vocational training are becoming increasingly common in many countries (Angles & Lindemann 2019). 

Technical-Vocational-Livelihood (TVL) is one of the Senior High School program tracks under the K to 12 Enhanced Basic Education program. Compared to the academic track, the TVL track is the most challenging due to the availability of resources and linkages; and was thus given less attention compared to the academic track. Since the creation of the Philippines’ formal education system, cultural conditioning among parents for their children has always leaned towards the academic pathway. Filipino parents always plan for their children’s college education. The thought of encouraging students to pursue a technical-vocational course has always been a remote option. However, some perspectives have changed through time as the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 came into the picture. The implementation of the Senior High School program has paved the way for the inclusion of technical and vocational education as one of the four (4) tracks offered from Grade 11 to Grade 12. Specifically, the Technical-Vocational-Livelihood (TVL) track has gained traction as the shift from content-based to outcome-based learning has becomes a tagline in most, if not all, schools in the country. The TVL track provides students with subjects focused on job-ready skills. It offers practical knowledge and exposure for students to earn National Certificates (NCs) to help them land their desired job after they graduate from Senior High School (SHS). Not many have expressed interest in pursuing a technology-vocational-livelihood track in Senior High School. This is partly because little has been written and advertised about the benefits and potential opportunities this program offers.  

Thus, this study contributes to baseline data on the employment index and its implications for skills development training. Limited local literature on the competitiveness and employability of technical and vocational education graduates is one reason why so few are pursuing the technological-vocational-livelihood track in Senior High School as their priority. Caballero & Cabahug (2015) recommended in their study that a thorough assessment of the functionalities of facilities and equipment needed for each sub-strand of the TVL Home Economics strand should be provided by stakeholders before implementation. This program will ensure the readiness of the school to offer such a strand by the academic year 2016.  

1.1 Purpose of the Study  

The purpose of this study is to present the result of the pilot study of the Electro Mechanic program of the University of San Carlos, Basic Education Department during the Academic Years 2012-2015. This was the SHS pilot class that initiated the Senior High School (SHS) Technological-Vocational Livelihood track under the K+12 program before it started its full implementation in the academic year in June 2016. 

Statement of the Problem:

This study aims to present the pilot study implementation of the hybrid model of the collaborative Technical Vocational Livelihood (TVL) program in a private school in Cebu City, Philippines.

Specifically, it aims to answer the following questions: 

• What is the Senior High School (SHS) track offered?
• How many students are enrolled in each track, and how many completed it?
• Where do these students go after graduating from SHS? 
• What is the effect of the hybrid model of the collaborative TVL program? 

1.2 Technical and Vocational Education in the Philippines  

The Philippine educational system is classified according to the three specific levels of education handled by different government agencies. The Department of Education (DepEd) runs basic education from Kindergarten until Senior High School (Grade 12). The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) handles post-secondary technical and vocational education and training, while the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) handles higher education.  

The government agency mandated to supervise technical education in the Philippines is the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). TESDA uses competency assessment and certification as both the means and the end of competency and skills development. TESDA’s vision is to be the leading partner in developing the Filipino workforce with world-class competence and positive work values. In the performance of its mandate and the pursuit of its vision, TESDA supervises more than 4,500 Technical Vocational Institutions consisting of 4,148 private TVET Institutions, 365 Public Schools and Training Centers, 822 enterprises providing leadership and apprenticeship programs, and 126 TESDA Technology Institutions. The Technical Vocational Institutions employ more than 23,000 Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Trainers covering 215 qualifications (TESDA 2010, 1).  

Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) in the Philippines is handled by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). This government agency manages and supervises technical education and skills development (TESD) in the Philippines. It was created under Republic Act 7796, otherwise known as the Technical Education and Skills Development Act of 1994, which integrated the functions of the former National Manpower and Youth Council (NMYC), the Bureau of Technical-Vocational Education of the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (BTVE-DECS), and the Office of Apprenticeship of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) (TESDA n.d. [a]).  

Because of the need to provide equitable access and provision of TESD programs to the growing number of TVET clients, TESDA continues to undertake direct training provisions. There are four training modalities: school-based, center-based, enterprised-based, and community-based. These are aligned with TESDA’s infrastructure – 57 TESDA administered schools, 60 training centers, enterprise-based training through DTS/apprenticeship, and community-based training in convergence with the LGUs. There are four types of program delivery: School-Based Programs, Center-Based Programs, Community Based Programs, and Enterprise Based Programs. Overall, TESDA formulates workforce and skills plans, sets appropriate skills standards and tests, coordinates and monitors human resources policies and programs, and provides policy directions and guidelines for resource allocation for the TVET institutions in private and public sectors (TESDA n.d. [b]).  

In 2014, TESDA reported that technical vocation (tech-VOC) had soared to new heights. The number of graduates increased tremendously and demand for skilled workers brought tech-voc graduates to a record peak. During the administration of President Benigno Aquino III from July 2010 up to June 2014, tech-voc graduates reached 6,281,328, according to records of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). TESDA data further revealed that from January 1986 to June 2014, there were 21,700,308 tech-voc graduates in the country (TESDA n.d. [c]). 

2. Collaborative Senior High School TechVoc Program   

During the academic year 2012-2013, the Basic Education Department (BED) of the University of San Carlos (USC) piloted the first Senior High School (SHS) program in the region. By the time the first cohort of the Senior High School takers start to enroll in their chosen SHS track and strand, the USC BED has already produced graduates of the pilot special hybrid collaborative Technical Vocational Livelihood (TVL) program. 

The Basic Education Department of the University of San Carlos pioneered implementing the Senior High School program by offering the Hotel and Restaurant Services (SHS) and the Electro Mechanic Course of the University of San Carlos, Basic Education Department during the Academic Years 2012-2015. These classes initiated the senior high school program before its full implementation in June 2016. Mindful of the objective of employment generation as championed by the Philippine government, the collaboration between the University of San Carlos (USC), Basic Education Department (BED), and the Center for Industrial and Technical Enterprise (CITE) was established with the goal of providing immediate employment to the graduates under the pilot study. The collaboration was based on the expertise of the two institutions of learning, wherein the University of San Carlos Basic Education Department hosted the general education subjects. At the same time, the Center for Industrial and Technical Enterprise delivered the technically oriented topics. The inclusion of the students’ in-plant or the on-the-job training program paved the way to broadened industry exposure. 

This model draws its curriculum design from the Outcomes-Based Education (OBE) model framework that highlights competency-based training to produce graduates who can effectively demonstrate their factual knowledge and 21st-century skills in future workstations. In this model, students assume responsibility for learning as they are engaged in industry immersion through On the Job Training (OJT), which is geared towards the development of the necessary work skills. 

In order to prepare both the teachers and the students for SHS implementation, USC BED initiated several activities to ensure the proper execution of the program. The three core activities are: the SHS student portfolio used for student assessment as the basis in guiding them on which tracks to choose, the conduct of the SHS Students’ Summit, Parents’ Summit, and Teachers’ Summit to disseminate the SHS policies, curriculum and learning outcomes. 

2.1 The Hybrid Model of the Collaborative Senior High School TechVoc Program  

In 2011, the Department of Education made the historic shift in implementation from the 10-year basic education curriculum to the Kinder to 12 Program (K-12) phases. The additional two-year Senior High Track aims to prepare graduates for their chosen path with the requisite knowledge and skills – be it higher education, employment, or entrepreneurship. The extra two years of specialist upper secondary education allow students to choose a specialization based on their aptitude, interest, and capability. Compared to the academic track, the Technical-Vocational-Livelihood track is almost always the last choice in most surveys. Ultimately Grade 12 graduates make a choice after graduation: tertiary education, middle-level skills development, employment, or entrepreneurship. It is in this context that the Hybrid Senior High School TechVoc Program model is anchored. Its collaborative nature has allowed the sharing of expertise that can lead to the intended learning outcomes, thus making the graduates employable.  

The hybrid model of the Collaborative Senior High School (SHS) Technological Vocational Livelihood (TVL) Program pioneered the competency-based training of a private academic institution in Cebu City, Philippines, thus initiating the school-industry partnership. The nature of the collaboration highlights the critical contributions of both academia and industry. The collaboration was based on the expertise of the two learning institutions – the University of San Carlos Basic Education Department hosted the General Education subjects and the Center for Industrial and Technical Enterprise delivered technically oriented courses. The inclusion of in-plant or the on-the-job training program paved the way to broadened industry exposure. The school provided general education courses while the industry provided competency training. The curriculum centered on competency development vis-à-vis academic preparation for competent and skilful graduate employability. The collaborative nature of this program and the sharing of expertise and resources among stakeholders became the unique feature of this model, vital to the program’s feasibility and effectiveness.  

The SHS Collaborative program pioneered the hybrid model of the school-industry partnership. Moreover, the Senior High School (SHS) Students’ Summit and Parents’ Summit initiated by USC BED became a benchmark for other schools to emulate. As a result, USC BED shared the idea of organizing their summit with the resource speakers’ assistance (the writers of this article). These resource speakers were also invited to other schools to facilitate their own SHS summit. Collaboration (communication + collaboration) is at the heart of the SHS program as it enhances stakeholders’ awareness of embracing the challenges of educational reform. The program leads to improved quality education in the country through graduate employability. 

3. Methodology  

The study used the mixed method type of research design, with quantitative and qualitative research procedures to collect and analyze the pilot of the hybrid collaborative Senior High School program. Quantitative data was drawn from respondents’ profiles in terms of gender and Senior High School (SHS) track, the number of enrollees and graduates were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Qualitative data, was based on semi-structured personal interviews and a survey (questionnaire) supplemented by focus group discussion to elicit students’ feedback regarding their SHS TechVoc program. Data was collected from all 33 students enrolled from the two TechVoc Senior High School tracks. It examined the implementation of the pilot study of the Hotel and Restaurant Services and the Electro Mechanic Course of the University of San Carlos, Basic Education Department during the academic years 2012-2015. These were the pilot classes that initiated the Senior High School Program in the country before its full implementation in the academic calendar in June 2016.  

The research participants were two groups of the first Senior High batch on the TechVoc track, namely: the Electro Mechanic Course (EMC), handled by the Center for Industrial and Technical Enterprise (CITE), and the Hotel Restaurant and Services (HRS) by the Banilad Center for Professional Development (BCPD). These were the only two groups of the initial Senior High School enrollees on the Technological and Vocational track, as the majority of students are enrolled in the academic track. 

4. Results and Discussion   

There were two strands of the TechVoc track that were offered, namely: Electro Mechanic Course (EMC), handled by the Center for Industrial and Technical Enterprise (CITE), and the Hotel Restaurant and Services (HRS) by Banilad Center for Professional Development (BCPD). The former is an all-male school while the latter caters to female students.  

Table 1. TVL Strands and Enrollees   

Table 1 shows the number of students who enrolled in the two TVL programs. There were 15 electro-mechanic students who all graduated, except for one (who withdrew). All of the female students who enrolled in Hotel and Restaurant Services graduated after the TechVoc SHS program. The students who were enrolled in the Electro Mechanic Course (EMC) at the Center for Industrial and Technical Enterprise (CITE), and the Hotel Restaurant and Services (HRS) by the Banilad Center for Professional Development (BCPD) were able to graduate at the expected time.  duate at the expected time.  

Table 2.  Deployment after Graduation  

After the two-year pilot implementation of the tech-voc SHS program, all students enrolled in the program, except for one who withdrew. All of these students actually received their respective National Certificates (NC I and NC II) before graduation. As a result, 11 (73%) of the Electro Mechanic students were directly employed after SHS graduation and 16 (89%) from the Hotel Restaurant and Services. All those who graduated have developed technical skills through competency-based training and on-the-job training. After graduation, most of these students were immediately employed by the companies who had provided them with on-the-job training. The workplace-ready students were even offered jobs before they graduated, which implies that their in-plant experience had been crucial in developing competencies needed in the workplace. Their training proved relevant and helpful in securing offers of work after graduation. The program shows that competency-based training through the collaborative SHS model can help to bridge the gap between academic institutions and industry. This is proven in the students who were employed after the graduation. Arayata’s article (2017) cites from an ADB study from 2012 when she notes that “it takes about six months to one year for TVET graduates to land a job, compared to three years for high school graduates to get their first job, and one to two years for college graduates to penetrate the job market”. In this study, all the graduates of the tech-voc Senior High School program’s hybrid collaborative model were immediately employed, apart from those who proceeded to college. This proves that the hybrid collaborative TVL model has many positive benefits: competency building, work ethics, and graduates’ immediate employability (Arayata 2017).  

4.1 Effect of the hybrid model of the collaborative TVL program  

The hybrid collaborative Senior High School TVL program proved that the sharing of expertise among schools and the industry can create an encouraging effect as all the graduates are employed after graduation.  This is in biew of the fact that the comptenecy-based training and the blended curriculum and delivery of instruction provided the students the needed skills and competencies that make them highly employable.  The curriculum provided a combination of core subjects required for all SHS strands and sepcialized hands-on courses that meet the standard competency-based assessment of Technical Educational and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).  Students in this strand undergo and passed the TESDA assessemnt for National Certifications (NCs) that increased their employability after graduating in their Senior High School.  They can also pursue degree courses in college reated to their SHS track.

5. Conclusion  

The implementation of the collaborative Senior High School program between the University of San Carlos and the Center for Industrial and technological Enterprise has been effective in providing varied stakeholders with the evidence that competency-based training is what works best for both academic institutions and industry. The program’s objective is based on the employability of the students who are enrolled in the program. The collaborative Senior High School pilot study adheres to the aim of employment generation as championed by the Philippine government. The collaboration was forged between the University of San Carlos, Basic Education Department, and the Center for Industrial and Technical Enterprise with the aim of providing immediate employment to the graduates under the pilot study. The hybrid model of the collaborative TVL program proved to be effective in developing the competencies needed in the workplace, as the students enrolled in the program were subsequently hired by the companies where they had their on-the-job training. Collaboration (communication + collaboration) is at the heart of the SHS program as it enhances stakeholder awareness to embrace the challenges of educational reform. The program leads to improved quality of education in the country through the graduates’ employability. 

6. Recommendations  

In light of the study’s findings, the following recommendations are proposed to achieve a seamless implementation of this competency-based Senior High School program. 

• It is recommended that the Hybrid program of the Senior High School be explored by the Department of Education vis-à-vis other private and state-run universities. 
• It is suggested that the challenge of “buy-in” in the context of competency-based programs be granted more focus by the government to facilitate a well-balanced perspective of ongoing educational reform in the Philippines. 
• It is recommended that the mastery of essential competencies as one of the K-12 program’s core objectives be provided with a clear blueprint across all of the different levels of the educational system. 
• It is recommended that a bi-annual consultative meeting be arranged for students, teachers, administrators, parents, and industry partners to share best practices and create action plans for more relevant and productive school and industry partnerships. 
• For stakeholders, this hybrid collaborative Senior High Program can be redesigned, based on available expertise and resources, and callibrated to make it more useful, effective and relevant. 

References  

Alhasan, N.U & Abdallahi, T. (2013). Revitalizing technical vocational education and training (TVET) for youth empowerment and sustainable development. In: Journal of Educational and Social Research, 3(4). 

Angles, E. & Lindemann, H. J. (2019). The dual model of vocational training in Peru. In: TVET@Asia, issue 13, 1-16. Online: https://tvet-online.asia/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Lindemann_et_al.pdf (retrieved 30.06.2019). 

Arayata, M. C. (2017). Tech-voc training a good investment: TESDA. In: Philippine News Agency. Online: https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1018449 (retrieved 30.06.2019).  

Caballero, F. R. & Cabahug, R. (2015). The K to 12 Senior High School Technical–Vocational Livelihood Track is Not All Ready for Implementation. In: JPAIR Institutional Research, 5(1). 

Che Rus, R., Yasin, R. M., & Rasul, M. R. (2014). From zero to hero: Becoming an employable knowledge worker (k-worker) in Malaysia. In: TVET@Asia, issue 3, 1-16. Online: https://tvet-online.asia/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/che-rus_etal_tvet3.pdf (retrieved 30.06.2014).  

Okwelle, P. & Deebom, T. M. (2017). Technical Vocational Education and Training as a Tool for Sustainable Empowerment of Youths in Niger Delta, Nigeria. In: International Journal of Innovative Social & Science Education Research, 5(1), 29-38. 

Okwelle, P. (2013). Appraisal of the Theoretical Models of Psychomotor Skills and Applications to Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) System in Nigeria. In: Journal of Research and Development, 1(6), 25-35. 

Ratnata, I. W. (2013). Enhancing the image and attractiveness of TVET. In: TVET@Asia, issue 1, 1-13. Online https://tvet-online.asia/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/ratnata_tvet1.pdf (retrieved 30.05.2013).  

Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). (2010). The Philippine TVET Trainers -Assessors Qualification Framework. Manila: TESDA.  

Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). (n.d. [a]). Manila: TESDA. Online: http://www.tesda.gov.ph/About/TESDA/11 (retrieved 10.03.2016).  

Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). (n.d. [b]). Technical education and skills development. Manila: TESDA. Online: http://www.tesda.gov.ph/About/TESDA/10 (retrieved 10.03.2016).  

Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). (n.d. [c]). Online: http://www.tesda.gov.ph/News/Details/1436 (retrieved 26.08.2012). 

UNESCO. (2015). Proposal for the revision of the 2001 Revised Recommendation concerning Technical and Vocational Education. In: General Conference, 38th, 2015. Paris: UNESCO.  

CITATION: 

Jaca, C. A. & Javines Jr., F. B. (2022). Hybrid Collaborative Model of Technical-Vocational-Livelihood (TVL) Track in Senior High School in the Philippines. In: TVET@Asia, issue 18, 1-12. Online: https://tvet-online.asia/issue/18/hybrid-collaborative-model-of-technical-vocational-livelihood-tvl-track-in-senior-high-school-in-the-philippines / (retrieved 31.07.2021).

University of San Carlos in Cebu City

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A new Stein Fellow for 2024

Andrew Ilyas will join our community of Fellows at the start of the fall quarter. Andrew has completed a lengthy career at MIT — undergraduate, graduate, and PhD — and hopes to teach on topics of deep learning, general machine learning, algorithms, causal inference, optimization, and more. To date his research has aimed at developing a precise understanding of the machine learning pipeline, characterizing the roles of deployment environments, learning algorithms, and especially training data in shaping the performance of ML models. Looking forward, he will work to uncover robust general principles for building predictable, reliable ML that will enable analysts who use it to be confident in the validity and robustness of their results.

Specialized Subjects for TVL Track: Home Economics (HE) Strand

This Technical-Vocational-Livelihood (TVL) component consists of specializations equivalent to qualifications under garments, tourism, health, processed food and beverages, and social and other community development service sectors. Students with home economics specializations will be able to demonstrate the necessary skills, competencies, and values in taking care of oneself and one’s family, and in providing efficient services to others and to the community.

List of Specialized Subjects for TVL Track: Home Economics (HE) Strand

CONTINUE READING:

• List of DepEd Senior High School (SHS) Core Curriculum Subjects
• List of Applied Track Subjects Across the Four SHS Tracks
• List of DepEd Senior High School (SHS) Tracks and Strands
• List of Specialized Subjects in ABM Strand
• List of Specialized Subjects in STEM Strand
• List of Specialized Subjects in HUMSS Strand
• List of Specialized Subjects in General Academic Strand (GAS)
• List of Specialized Subjects in Sports Track
• List of Specialized Subjects in the Arts and Design Track
• Specialized Subjects for TVL: Agricultural and Fisheries Arts (AFA) Strand
• Specialized Subjects for TVL Track: Industrial Arts (IA) Strand
• Specialized Subjects for TVL Track: ICT Strand

Mark Anthony Llego

Mark Anthony Llego, a visionary from the Philippines, founded TeacherPH in October 2014 with a mission to transform the educational landscape. His platform has empowered thousands of Filipino teachers, providing them with crucial resources and a space for meaningful idea exchange, ultimately enhancing their instructional and supervisory capabilities. TeacherPH's influence extends far beyond its origins. Mark's insightful articles on education have garnered international attention, featuring on respected U.S. educational websites. Moreover, his work has become a valuable reference for researchers, contributing to the academic discourse on education.

4 thoughts on “Specialized Subjects for TVL Track: Home Economics (HE) Strand”

hi sir, pwde po mkahingi ng modules in FBS. thank you so much! God bless po

Hi sir. Magandang Araw! Pwede po makahingi ng modules Home Economics-Dressmaking/Tailoring Grade 11/12. Salamat po. Godbless

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Yale announces $150 million to support leadership in ai.

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Yale will commit more than $150 million over the next five years to support faculty, students, and staff as they engage with artificial intelligence (AI), the university announced today.

The investment will help the community develop, use, and evaluate AI and apply it to deliver breakthrough research at an unprecedented speed and scale, Yale Provost Scott Strobel wrote in a message to the Yale community . It will support key areas, including compute infrastructure, community access to secure generative AI tools, targeted faculty hires, seed grants, and opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration.

“ Yale has long been at the forefront of AI development and research, and our leadership continues to be necessary as this technology evolves and endures,” Strobel said. “To fulfill the university’s mission to improve the world and prepare the next generation of society’s great leaders and thinkers, we must explore, advance, and harness AI for its benefits while providing ethical, legal, and social frameworks to address the challenges it poses.”

The commitment will benefit all of campus while contributing to school- and unit-specific AI strategies, including curricular, research, and recruitment goals that each dean has identified for the coming year, he said.

The $150 million commitment responds to the report of the Yale Task Force on Artificial Intelligence . During the spring, the 18-member group of faculty and campus leaders engaged with dean-led faculty panels and university experts in education, collections, clinical practice, and operations to review AI activity already underway and develop a vision for Yale’s leadership in the future.

The task force recommendations guide the following commitments:

Expanding research infrastructure

Over the next several years, Yale will build a portfolio of approximately 450 graphics processing units (GPUs) — advanced processors that have become foundational to modern AI development — invest in cloud-based GPU access, and hire new computational research support analysts.

When paired with high performance computing clusters and advanced GPUs, AI enables processing and analysis of big data sets, advanced simulations, and more, Strobel said. This allows investigators to conduct research on and with AI in ways not possible using traditional computers alone. Such research can enable drug discovery, enhance understanding of biological and physical systems, track migration patterns, and reconstruct historical sites, among many other innovative applications.

To facilitate these complex AI computations, the task force advised that the university invest in several hundred GPUs, enable cloud access to additional GPUs through technology providers, and explore partnerships with other institutions seeking to share compute resources, Strobel said.

The new commitment will support:

A portfolio of GPUs : The university will stagger purchases of the approximately 450 GPUs “to naturally track with the anticipated rapid evolution of GPU technology,” Strobel said.

Most of these new GPUs will be installed on clusters maintained by the Yale Center for Research Computing (YCRC) and located at the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center (MGHPCC) , a LEED Platinum certified data center and joint venture between Yale and several other universities. To supplement these resources, the university will also invest in cloud-based GPU access, expanding capacity for research that demands a very large number of GPUs for short periods of time.

Computational research support analysts: To support researchers across campus as they access this new AI infrastructure, the YCRC will hire new computational research support analysts to join its existing research support team. These professionals will offer training and assist members of the community as they advance their research using new GPU-intensive compute resources.

Delivering secure access to generative AI

If the Yale community is to shape how AI is developed, experiment with its possibilities, and evaluate its role in society, the AI task force concluded, it must have equitable access to generative AI , Strobel said.

Specifically, he said, the task force recommended that Yale procure or develop secure generative AI tools capable of protecting individual and university data and adapting to new innovations over time. In response, the university will launch the Clarity platform , which will provide faculty, students, and staff with secure access to robust AI tools.

The Clarity platform : In its initial phase, Clarity offers an AI chatbot powered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4o. Importantly, Clarity provides a “walled-off” environment; its use is limited to Yale faculty, students, and staff, and information entered into its chatbot is not saved or used to train external AI models.

Clarity is appropriate for use with all data types, including high-risk data , provided that all security standards are observed, Strobel said. Its chatbot is capable of content creation, coding assistance, data and image analysis, text-to-speech, and more. Over time, the platform may expand to incorporate additional AI tools, including other large language models . Clarity is designed to evolve as generative AI develops and the community offers feedback. (Before using the Clarity AI chatbot, Strobel said, members of the Yale community should review training resources and guidance on appropriate use .)

Additional AI tools : In addition to Clarity, the university will also offer faculty, students, and staff access to other AI tools, including Microsoft Copilot Enterprise and Adobe Firefly. More information about these tools, including instructions and training material, is available on the AI at Yale website , a new and evolving hub of information about AI at the university. Additional details on AI tools will be shared with the community soon.

Building expertise to support research and education

In addition to offering secure AI tools, Yale will broaden and deepen its expertise in AI to advance research, scholarship, and education, Strobel said. These will include:

Faculty positions: While meeting with faculty and leaders across campus, the task force observed the breadth of Yale’s engagement with AI. Many of the university’s researchers and scholars have been developing, utilizing, and analyzing AI for years. Their breakthroughs and insights — from using AI to produce faster medical diagnoses to examining AI’s impact on human labor — are producing knowledge that impacts lives around the world, Strobel said. In addition, faculty are increasingly engaging with AI in their teaching, using it as a tool and a phenomenon to study and critique.

To further expand Yale’s capacity for AI-related research, teaching, and learning, the university expects to recruit more than 20 faculty whose scholarship centers on AI technology. In the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS), the School of Engineering & Applied Science (SEAS), and the School of Medicine, deans are allocating positions, some recently created through the expansion of the FAS and SEAS faculty , to supplement existing capabilities in AI research, application, and development, Strobel wrote.

Spread across campus, these targeted positions will support field-specific approaches to AI while creating opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration.

“ Additional faculty expertise will strengthen Yale’s depth of knowledge and enhance the learning environment for students, who will be expected to understand, navigate, and make decisions about AI technologies throughout their lives and careers,” Strobel said.

Seed grants for reviewing curricula in the context of AI: Addressing the need to prepare Yale’s graduates to lead and thrive in a future infused with AI, the task force acknowledged Yale’s “opportunity to serve as a model by adapting its curricula.” Deans and faculty are already implementing innovative changes to coursework and offering answers to questions about what it means to teach and train in this new age, Strobel said.

To aid their work, the Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning will pilot curriculum review grants this year, assisting schools and departments as they examine their programs and disciplines in the context of AI. These grants will facilitate pioneering approaches to curriculum review and design. The learning opportunities that result will give students the range of skills needed to shape AI and its role in their professions and communities.

The Poorvu Center will share more information about these grant opportunities later this year, Strobel said.

Facilitating innovation and collaboration

Though the task force noted “rich disciplinary distinctions” in school and unit approaches to AI, it also remarked on the critical contributions Yale makes by “draw[ing] on expertise from the full breadth of its diverse community…” The task force members encouraged the university to create “catalysts for collaboration” that exploit Yale’s strength in cross- and inter-disciplinary research and scholarship, Strobel said.

To leverage Yale’s wide-ranging expertise and perspectives on AI, Strobel said, the university will offer opportunities for innovation and collaboration across schools, units, departments, and disciplines. This academic year, Yale will host a campus-wide research symposium on AI, inviting faculty, students, and staff to present research, share ideas, and establish connections across intellectual boundaries.

To offer a variety of ways to engage, the university will also sponsor interdisciplinary AI prompt-a-thons, seminars, and a research seed grant program, he said. Additionally, the Yale University Library will play a key role in facilitating research and educational innovation throughout the community, offering support and AI-powered tools to improve access to digitized collections and unlock new research possibilities. Details will be posted to the AI at Yale website .

“ Whether you are studying, teaching, researching, or working at Yale, I encourage you to explore the resources available now and engage with the opportunities to come,” Strobel wrote in his message. “Members of our community — from Information Technology to the Library to deans’ offices — continue to work diligently to implement these investments.”

Strobel expressed gratitude to Jenny Frederick, associate provost for academic initiatives and executive director of the Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning, for her work in “orchestrating AI investments across campus.”

“ As we advance Yale’s leadership in AI, let us embrace one of the fundamental tenets of a university: curiosity,” he added. “Our willingness to share — with each other and with the world — various perspectives, ideas, evaluations, and analyses will be critical to our success.

“ Our efforts will equip society and the next generation with the tools and frameworks necessary to positively shape a world continuously transformed by technological innovation.”

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• Why don’t women use artificial intelligence?

Even when in the same jobs, men are much more likely to turn to the tech

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B e more productive . That is how Chat GPT , a generative-artificial-intelligence tool from Open AI , sells itself to workers . But despite industry hopes that the technology will boost productivity across the workforce, not everyone is on board. According to two recent studies, women use Chat GPT between 16 and 20 percentage points less than their male peers, even when they are employed in the same jobs or read the same subject.

The first study, published as a working paper in June, explores Chat GPT at work. Anders Humlum of the University of Chicago and Emilie Vestergaard of the University of Copenhagen surveyed 100,000 Danes across 11 professions in which the technology could save workers time, including journalism, software-developing and teaching. The researchers asked respondents how often they turned to Chat GPT and what might keep them from adopting it. By exploiting Denmark’s extensive, hooked-up record-keeping, they were able to connect the answers with personal information, including income, wealth and education level.

Across all professions, women were less likely to use Chat GPT than men who worked in the same industry (see chart 1). For example, only a third of female teachers used it for work, compared with half of male teachers. Among software developers, almost two-thirds of men used it while less than half of women did. The gap shrank only slightly, to 16 percentage points, when directly comparing people in the same firms working on similar tasks. As such, the study concludes that a lack of female confidence may be in part to blame: women who did not use AI were more likely than men to highlight that they needed training   to use the technology.

Another potential explanation for the gender imbalance comes from a survey of 486 students by Daniel Carvajal at Aalto University and Catalina Franco and Siri Isaksson at the Norwegian School of Economics ( NHH ). It also found a gender gap: female students enrolled in the NHH ’s only undergraduate programme were 18 percentage points less likely to use Chat GPT often. When the researchers separated students by admission grades, it became clear that the gap reflected the behaviour of mid- and high-performing women (see chart 2). Low performers were almost as likely as men to use the technology.

Why might this be? The researchers probed what was going on with some clever follow-up questions. They asked students whether they would use Chat GPT if their professor forbade it, and received a similar distribution of answers. However, in the context of explicit approval, everyone, including the better-performing women, reported that they would make use of the technology. In other words, the high-achieving women appeared to impose a ban on themselves. “It’s the ‘good girl’ thing,” reckons Ms Isaksson. “It’s this idea that ‘I have to go through this pain, I have to do it on my own and I shouldn’t cheat and take short-cuts’.”

A lack of experience with AI could carry a cost when students enter the labour market. In August the researchers added a survey of 1,143 hiring managers to their study, revealing that managers value high-performing women with AI expertise 8% more than those without. This sort of premium does not exist for men, suggesting that there are rewards for women who are willing to relax their self-imposed ban.

Tera Allas of McKinsey, a consultancy, worries that by the time AI is firmly embedded into modern working life, it might be designed to appeal more to men, who are its main users—potentially shutting women out in the long term. But not everyone is as concerned. Despite the fact that the early internet was dominated by men, for example, young American women were more online than their male counterparts by 2005. On top of this, Danielle Li of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology notes that the studies do not actually show whether men’s current Chat GPT use translates into better or more productive work. At the moment, the technology may be more of a digital toy, she says. Perhaps, then, high-achieving women are simply better at avoiding distraction. ■

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This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline “A new gender gap”

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