ABSTRACT Due to common stereotypes of bureaucratic work, administrative staff in the public sector, and in public universities in particular have often been perceived as uncreative. This is at odds with the strong societal push for public sector innovation, where creativity is considered both the origin and the means to achieve this goal. To address this stereotype, the current study drew on prior creativity training literature to develop a 1‐day training workshop aimed at improving the creative thinking of public university administrative staff. The training was tested for its limited efficacy using a sample of administrative staff from three public universities across Vietnam. Training outcomes of creative self‐efficacy ( N = 75) and divergent thinking ( N = 73) were collected immediately before and after the workshop on the same training day. Bootstrapped mixed‐ANOVA and t ‐tests showed limited effects on divergent thinking, as participants generated more ideas; however, this effect was only significant for easier task, with no change observed for the creative value of ideas. The results for creative self‐efficacy show great promise, with significant improvement observed across all training locations. These findings contribute to the limited literature on creativity development among public servants and university administrative staff by providing preliminary evidence of the feasibility and value of a brief, evidence‐based creativity intervention. Furthermore, the results suggest that short, low‐cost creativity training workshops can be a viable tool for university leaders to promote administrative staff's confidence in their creative capabilities to support innovation agendas and broader institutional goals.
ABSTRACT Inquiry‐based science teaching is increasingly promoted within competency‐based curriculum reforms as a means of developing learners' critical thinking, problem‐solving, and scientific reasoning skills. However, the success of such reforms depends largely on teachers' access to professional learning that supports subject‐specific instructional expertise. Despite growing interest in teacher professional development, limited research has examined how lower‐primary generalist teachers experience science‐focused professional learning within curriculum reform contexts, particularly in low‐resource settings. This study explored teachers' experiences of science‐focused professional development under Ghana's Standards‐Based Science Curriculum (SBSC), its influence on inquiry‐based science teaching, and the forms of professional learning teachers perceive as most effective for supporting curriculum implementation. Guided by an interpretivist paradigm, the study employed a qualitative research design involving semi‐structured interviews with twelve purposively selected lower‐primary teachers from public schools in the Abuakwa North Municipality of Ghana. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Three interrelated themes emerged. First, teachers experienced professional development as largely generic and insufficiently aligned with the specialised demands of inquiry‐based science teaching. Second, the findings revealed a mismatch between curriculum expectations and teacher learning opportunities, highlighting the challenges lower‐primary generalist teachers face in translating inquiry‐oriented reform goals into classroom practice. Third, participants identified practice‐based and sustained professional learning, including mentoring, coaching, demonstration lessons, and science‐focused Professional Learning Communities, as more effective than one‐off workshop approaches. The study contributes new insight into the implementation of curriculum reform by revealing how a mismatch between curriculum expectations and teachers' learning opportunities constrains inquiry‐based science teaching among lower‐primary generalist teachers, a group that remains underrepresented in professional development research. It further advances scholarship on professional development and curriculum reform by demonstrating that the effectiveness of professional learning depends less on its availability than on its alignment with the pedagogical and disciplinary demands of curriculum implementation. Beyond Ghana, the findings contribute to global debates on teacher learning and educational change by suggesting that competency‐based and inquiry‐oriented reforms in low‐ and middle‐income countries are unlikely to achieve their intended outcomes without sustained investment in contextually relevant, practice‐based professional learning systems.
This study examines the transfer of gamified training activities aimed at developing key workplace competences, focusing on creativity, innovation and decision-making within a specific organisational context. We conducted an exploratory case study in a Spanish public-sector organisation. Data were collected through pre- and post-training interviews with 24 employees who participated in a gamification activity. A semi-structured interview was also conducted with the Internal Training Manager. Participants perceived that gamification activity contributed to the improvement of their competences, particularly creativity, innovation and decision-making. They reported higher motivation and engagement, as well as a greater readiness to apply gamification methods in their daily tasks. Although they faced challenges, including limited time and resources, participants expressed a strong willingness to continue using gamified practices. This study extends the application of gamification beyond educational contexts and explores its use in a professional environment, addressing a gap in the literature. It presents empirical findings on how gamified training is associated with the development and transfer of soft competences within a public sector organisation. By drawing on Baldwin and Ford's (1988) transfer model in a workplace setting, the study contributes to understanding the conditions under which gamification may support competence development beyond the classroom. The study is limited by its single-case design and reliance on self-reported data. Future research should examine similar training initiatives in different organisational contexts. Organisations seeking to enhance employee competences can adopt gamification as a strategic learning tool. Effective implementation requires sufficient time, resources and managerial support. By fostering competences such as creativity, innovation and decision-making, gamification can contribute to a more adaptive and innovative workforce in an evolving labour market.
ABSTRACT Human resource development increasingly emphasizes strategic training and development activities to support the growth of leaders and their leadership skills. This underscores the growing importance of human resource (HR) practitioners, who are often responsible for overseeing leadership development (LD). Despite their central role, research on HR practitioners' experiences and perspectives on LD design and delivery remains limited. This study explores how HR practitioners organize and refine LD in various organizational settings. This qualitative study employes an exploratory design and uses inductive thematic analysis of 24 semistructured interviews conducted across diverse organizational settings in Sweden. HR practitioners use three main strategies to organize LD: (1) tailoring LD to the organizational context, (2) tailoring LD to leaders' personal needs and growth expectations and (3) tailoring LD activities to context and leaders. The effectiveness of these strategies, however, depends on the practitioners' organizational support and work conditions, which can enable or constrain HR efforts. HR practitioners play a multifaceted role in shaping LD, balancing organizational goals with individual growth. Successful implementation of tailored LD strategies requires not only professional expertise, but also adequate resources, organizational support and strategic involvement.
With the emergence of entrepreneurship education, its integration within the arts discipline remains limited. Existing literature on entrepreneurship education in higher education has primarily focused on outcomes, with assessments relatively overlooked. This study investigated entrepreneurship education assessment through the expectations and perceptions of multiple stakeholders, including students, teachers and professionals from the field of arts. An open-ended survey was administered to first and final year students at a university in Hong Kong, followed by individual semi-structured interviews with higher education students and educators, as well as professionals. Findings showed that entrepreneurship education was valued in the arts discipline, and results recommended focusing on creative processes and fostering entrepreneurial competencies to enhance employability and career management. Non-traditional but authentic and experiential approaches in evaluation methods were highlighted. In light of the findings, this study offers valuable insights to curriculum design, as well as teaching and learning in the arts discipline within higher education.
