PurposeThis study aims to examine how multicultural experiences shape university students’ intention to participate in international internship programs. Drawing on social cognitive theory, the study conceptualises multicultural experiences as environmental stimuli that foster students’ psychological readiness for global learning and career opportunities through cultural intelligence and openness to experience.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from a convenience sample of university students in Vietnam using a two-wave, time-separated survey design to reduce the risk of common method bias. The first wave measured multicultural experiences and cultural intelligence, while the second wave measured openness to experience and international internship intention. A total of 291 valid responses were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling.FindingsThe findings show that multicultural experiences have a positive direct effect on students’ intention to participate in international internship programs. The results further reveal that cultural intelligence and openness to experience serve as parallel mediating mechanisms, explaining how exposure to multicultural environments is translated into stronger international engagement intention.Originality/valueThis study contributes to quality education and international higher education literature by clarifying the psychological pathways through which multicultural experiences support students’ access to global learning opportunities, particularly in the context of an emerging economy.
PurposeThis study aims to investigate the roles of students’ outcome expectation and gender on their academic engagement and achievement of Mathematics.Design/methodology/approachPost-positivism paradigm, quantitative approach and correlation design were used, and 351 students, which were selected from randomly taken six sections, were included. Outcome expectation and engagement were measured using adapted questionnaire, whereas achievement was measured using teacher-made tests.FindingsThe descriptive statistics indicated that students have low outcome expectation and low engagement, which were accompanied by satisfactory level of achievement. The path analysis result indicated that 5.8% of variance in engagement and 33% of variance in Mathematics achievement were predicted by outcome expectation. It also revealed that standardized regression weights of outcome-expectation on engagement (β = 0.240, p < 0.05), and outcome expectation on achievement (β = 0.575, p < 0.05) were statistically significant. The result of independent sample t-test indicated that there was significant gender difference in engagement t(348) = 1.503, p < 0.05. Significant gender difference of outcome expectation was also evident t(348) = 2.539, p < 0.05. However, there was no significant gender difference in achievement.Practical implicationsHence, the researchers recommended that describing the outstanding achievement of pioneer mathematicians by teachers in each lesson, and organizing annual award programs for Mathematics by Woreda education offices, are vital to enhance students’ outcome expectation and the resultant achievement.Originality/valueThis research is original and adds stalks of knowledge to areas of education.
PurposeThis study aims to examine how night-time food delivery gig workers experience and manage occupational risks. It investigates how algorithmic management, inadequate infrastructure, fragmented learning pathways and risk externalisation shape rider vulnerability. The paper contributes to debates on digital labour, learning equity, inclusion and safety in platform-mediated work.Design/methodology/approachA visual ethnographic approach was used, combining systematic field observations, georeferenced photographs, ride-along video recordings and informal rider conversations. Hazard locations across Auckland were examined to explore how platform incentives interact with urban infrastructure and influence rider experiences and mobility practices.FindingsRider risk exposure appears to be influenced by the interaction between infrastructure conditions and platform incentive structures. Poor lighting, uneven surfaces and physical obstructions, combined with time-sensitive delivery expectations, affect navigation practices. Learning occurs largely through informal experience-based processes, potentially creating unequal skill development between novice and experienced riders. Algorithmically mediated time pressures may also influence rider behaviour under certain conditions.Research limitations/implicationsFindings reflect one urban area and informal rider accounts.Practical implicationsThis study recommends improved onboarding, platform-funded learning, clearer algorithmic transparency and hazard data sharing.Social implicationsThis study suggests how digital labour systems can reinforce urban inequality.Originality/valueThis study provides a visual ethnographic contribution examining how algorithmic management and urban design jointly shape night-time risk for micromobility gig workers. It advances digital labour debates by foregrounding learning equity and revealing how digitally mediated governance generates occupational vulnerability.
PurposeThe gig economy offers flexible, autonomous and short-term employment. It offers employment opportunities for workers interested in non-conventional work patterns. In several developing economies, physical gig jobs are one of the primary sources of income for many educated young people. It can lead to educational imbalances and hinder economic development. This paper aims to examine the alignment of food delivery gig workers’ academic education with their current work and analyse the consequences for career adaptability and workers’ well-being.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 325 respondents through a structured questionnaire. These respondents are food delivery workers registered with the Tamil Nadu Gig Workers Welfare Board in the Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu, India.FindingsThis study analyses the relationship between horizontal skill mismatch, career adaptability and workers’ well-being. The study seeks to explain why educated young people enter gig jobs, driven by inadequate formal employment opportunities and short-term financial necessity. The findings reveal that focusing on career adaptability helps gig workers manage career progression and the underutilisation of skills. The study’s findings provide insights for policymakers and platform companies to develop strategies to reduce horizontal skill mismatch.Research limitations/implicationsThe theoretical implications of the study are that career adaptability is an important psychosocial factor supporting educated gig workers’ coping with horizontal mismatch in their work lives and their work well-being in platform-based work.Originality/valueThis research paper addresses underexplored areas of skill mismatch, career adaptability and workers’ well-being among platform-based physical gig workers. Existing literature on the gig economy has focused on the precarity of gig workers. The theoretical contribution of this research lies in its emphasis on career adaptability as a psychosocial strategy for addressing skill mismatch among educated gig-economy workers. The result shows that career adaptability is positively related to well-being and horizontal mismatch. Another contribution of the study is the establishment of linkages between academic mismatch and career sustainability among educated gig-economy workers in the extant literature.
PurposeIn Ethiopia, students’ performance in Grade 12 national exams has been consistently low, raising questions about the effectiveness of secondary education. Previous research has focused on specific factors affecting examination performance, with little consideration given to how the interaction of these factors influences student performance. In this study, the relationships between teacher competence, curriculum examination alignment, psychological stress, language barriers, school leadership capacity and outcomes of Grade 12 examinations are examined, guided by general systems theory.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopted a quantitative cross-sectional survey design where the data were obtained from 455 Grade 12 students in five university-based examination centers in Ethiopia. The direct, mediating and moderating relationships among the study constructs were analyzed using SPSS and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).FindingsThe findings suggest that teacher competence is positively associated with curriculum examination alignment and psychological stress. Language barriers are exacerbated by curriculum misalignment and psychological stress, and negatively impact examination results. The moderating effect of school leadership capacity on the relationship between language barriers and examination outcomes was not statistically significant, whereas it was statistically significant in educational processes. According to recent data, only 10% of students were successful in exams between 2022 and 2025. The results indicate that low examination performance should be considered a symptom of systemic issues that are interconnected rather than a reflection of individual student shortcomings.Research limitations/implicationsHowever, the authors must consider some weaknesses associated with this study. To begin with, the data were collected during national examinations, when most pupils were under immense pressure and stress. It is possible that this environment affected the respondents’ views, especially regarding psychological and structural aspects, Second, the research design used in the paper is that of a cross-section. This kind of design makes it impossible to identify the causation among the various variables. While PLS-SEM enables the identification of relationships between different constructs, a longitudinal approach would be more helpful in this regard.Practical implicationsThis study’s findings can be very useful for enhancing the quality of the educational process in the context of high-stakes testing. Given the significant contribution of teacher skill levels and the alignment between the curriculum and exam syllabus.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature by bringing together several educational, psychological and institutional factors in one systems approach. It focuses on the conditions of education rather than explanations at the student level, and thus can provide evidence for designing a holistic educational reform that would improve the quality of students’ learning and examination results in Ethiopia and other developing country.
