Search

This article explores the support needed for early-career measurement professionals in research and testing companies. It emphasizes the importance of lifelong learning and the development of technical, statistical, and computational competencies, as well as understanding social and cultural contexts in educational measurement. The authors suggest strengthening partnerships between graduate training programs and research/testing organizations and highlight the significance of intellectual humility, interdisciplinary knowledge, and ethics in the field. The article also emphasizes the need for employers to create conditions that foster the development of critical thinking, creativity, and flexibility, and stresses the importance of modeling, mentorship, advocacy, and a sense of belonging in the field. Overall, the article calls for continued collaboration and support for early-career professionals in educational measurement. [Extracted from the article]

Why you should read this article: • To learn how clinical research projects can lead to improved patient outcomes and enhanced staff morale • To understand the importance of engaging clinical managers in research projects • To find out how clinical managers can contribute to the development of a research culture. There is growing evidence that clinical research activity is linked to better patient outcomes and that staff involvement in research is linked to enhanced morale and retention. Clinical managers have a pivotal role in supporting staff to engage with research, but they are not always given the means to do so and are not always aware of the benefits. In 2021 a research internship scheme was set up as a collaboration between two London NHS trusts and a university, enabling nurses and midwives to undergo training and undertake a range of research activities. Some participants experienced challenges in fitting internship activities around clinical duties despite the fact that the scheme was planned to give them protected time. This article describes the scheme, reports the findings of its evaluation at one of the two trusts, and discusses its implications for clinical managers in terms of how they can be supported to contribute to the development of a research culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Firstly, this study diagnosed professional competence amongst Chinese vocational students within a broad range of the manufacturing sectors; then, the authors examined how different types of P-E fit (job, organisation and vocation) and internship quality jointly shape the newly acquired professional competences of interns. Design/methodology/approach: This study utilised the COMET methodology to conduct a large-scale assessment of professional competence amongst 961 graduates from vocational colleges who had successfully completed internships. Participants actively engaged in the data collection process by responding to questionnaires that sought contextual information concurrently. Findings: The majority of students have attained fundamental functional competencies, indicating their fulfillment of basic requirements. However, there is a tendency to overlook the cultivation of shaping competence. Three types of P-E fit and task characteristics are positively correlated with professional competence. The indirect relationship between P-E fit and professional competence mediated by task characteristics was verified through P-V fit and P-J fit except for P-O fit. Overall, the model explains 39.2% of the variance in professional competence. Originality/value: "How to promote professional competence" has been highlighted as an important topic in vocational education. This paper contributes to identify the characteristics of a quality internship program for vocational colleges and firms. These insights are important in considering a student-centred approach, design internships programmes that better fit their own abilities, needs and vocations, avoiding a one-size-fits-all approach to implement internships and thus, enhance students' professional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The mentoring and leader–member exchange (LMX) literature suggests that the relationship formed between interns and their supervisors contributes to interns’ career development. Although interns and their supervisors evaluate their relationship quality differently, the quality of intern–supervisor relationship is often evaluated only by interns in the literature. Purpose: This study examined college intern-supervisor relationships from both the intern and supervisor perspectives. Methodology/Approach: The quantitative data were collected from 183 college intern-supervisor pairs in the United States by a survey questionnaire. Interns and supervisors both reported their weekly interaction frequency and their LMX quality. Interns also reported their perceived career support received from the supervisors and clarity of their professional identity. Findings/Conclusions: For both interns and supervisors, their interaction frequency was positively related to their evaluation of LMX quality. However, only interns’ perceived LMX led to a greater perception of career support, which in turn fostered a greater sense of clarity of professional identity among interns. Implications: The study highlights the importance of interaction frequency in the development of high-quality intern–supervisor relationships and intern–supervisor differences in evaluating the relationship. Guiding both interns and supervisors to develop relationships can benefit interns’ professional growth and better address employers’ recruitment needs through college internship programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]