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The 23rd EUROCALL conference was held in Cyprus from the 24th to the 27th of August 2016. The theme of the conference this year was "CALL Communities and Culture." It offered a unique opportunity to hear from real-world CALL practitioners on how they practice CALL in their communities, and how the CALL culture has developed in local and global contexts. Short papers from the conference are presented in this volume: (1) The impact of EFL teachers' mediation in wiki-mediated collaborative writing activities on student-student collaboration (Maha Alghasab); (2) Towards the development of a comprehensive pedagogical framework for pronunciation training based on adaptive automatic speech recognition systems (Saandia Ali); (3) Digital literacy and sustainability--a field study in EFL teacher development (Christopher Allen and Jan Berggren); (4) Self-evaluation using iPads in EFL teaching practice (Christopher Allen, Stella K. Hadjistassou, and David Richardson); (5) Amateur online interculturalism in foreign language education (Antonie Alm); (6) Teaching Turkish in low tech contexts: opportunities and challenges (Katerina Antoniou, Evelyn Mbah, and Antigoni Parmaxi); (7) Learning Icelandic language and culture in virtual Reykjavic: starting to talk (Branislav Bédi, Birna Arnbjörnsdóttir, Hannes Högni Vilhjálmsson, Hafdís Erla Helgadóttir, Stefán Ólafsson, and Elías Björgvinsson); (8) Investigating student choices in performing higher-level comprehension tasks using TED (Francesca Bianchi and Ivana Marenzi); (9) An evaluation of text-to-speech synthesizers in the foreign language classroom: learners' perceptions (Tiago Bione, Jennica Grimshaw, and Walcir Cardoso); (10) Quantifying CALL: significance, effect size and variation (Alex Boulton; (11) The contribution of CALL to advanced-level foreign/second language instruction (Jack Burston and Kelly Arispe); (12) Using instructional technology to integrate CEFR "can do" performance objectives into an advanced-level language course (Jack Burston, Androulla Athanasiou, and Maro Neophytou-Yiokari); (13) Exploiting behaviorist and communicative action-based methodologies in CALL applications for the teaching of pronunciation in French as a foreign language (Jack Burston, Olga Georgiadou, and Monique Monville-Burston); (14) Mobile assisted language learning of less commonly taught languages: learning in an incidental and situated way through an app (Cristiana Cervini, Olga Solovova, Annukka Jakkula, and Karolina Ruta); (15) Using object-based activities and an online inquiry platform to support learners' engagement with their heritage language and culture (Koula Charitonos, Marina Charalampidi, and Eileen Scanlon); (16) Urban explorations for language learning: a gamified approach to teaching Italian in a university context (Koula Charitonos, Luca Morini, Sylvester Arnab, Tiziana Cervi-Wilson, and Billy Brick); (17) Communicate to learn, learn to communicate: a study of engineering students' communication strategies in a mobile-based learning environment (Li Cheng and Zhihong Lu); (18) Using a dialogue system based on dialogue maps for computer assisted second language learning (Sung-Kwon Choi, Oh-Woog Kwon, Young-Kil Kim, and Yunkeun Lee); (19) Students' attitudes and motivation towards technology in a Turkish language classroom (Pelekani Chryso); (20) Vlogging: a new channel for language learning and intercultural exchanges (Christelle Combe and Tatiana Codreanu); (21) Japanese university students' self-assessment and digital literacy test results (Travis Cote and Brett Milliner); (22) Digital story (re)telling using graded readers and smartphones (Kazumichi Enokida); (23) HR4EU--a web portal for e-learning of Croatian (Matea Filko, Daša Farkaš, and Diana Hriberski); (24) Synchronous tandem language learning in a MOOC context: a study on task design and learner performance (Marta Fondo Garcia and Christine Appel); (25) What students think and what they actually do in a mobile assisted language learning context: new insights for self-directed language learning in higher education (Gustavo Garcia Botero and Frederik Questier); (26) An Audio-Lexicon Spanish-Nahuatl: using technology to promote and disseminate a native Mexican language (Rafael García-Mencía, Aurelio López-López, and Angélica Muñoz Meléndez; (27) The use of interactive whiteboards: enhancing the nature of teaching young language learners (Christina Nicole Giannikas); (28) A pre-mobility eTandem project for incoming international students at the University of Padua (Lisa Griggio and Edit Rózsavölgyi); (29) Can a "shouting" digital game help learners develop oral fluency in a second language? (Jennica Grimshaw, Walcir Cardoso, and David Waddington); (30) Feedback visualization in a grammar-based e-learning system for German: a preliminary user evaluation with the COMPASS system (Karin Harbusch and Annette Hausdörfer); (31) The multimodality of lexical explanation sequences during videoconferenced pedagogical interaction (Benjamin Holt); (32) Automatic dialogue scoring for a second language learning system (Jin-Xia Huang, Kyung-Soon Lee, Oh-Woog Kwon, and Young-Kil Kim); (33) Effects of task-based videoconferencing on speaking performance and overall proficiency (Atsushi Iino, Yukiko Yabuta, and Yoichi Nakamura); (34) Tellecollaborative games for youngsters: impact on motivation (Kristi Jauregi); (35) The Exercise: an Exercise generator tool for the SOURCe project (Kryni Kakoyianni-Doa, Eleni Tziafa, and Athanasios Naskos); (36) Students' perceptions of online apprenticeship projects at a university (Hisayo Kikuchi); (37) The effects of multimodality through storytelling using various movie clips (SoHee Kim); (38) Collaboration through blogging: the development of writing and speaking skills in ESP courses (Angela Kleanthous and Walcir Cardoso); (39) Cultivating a community of learners in a distance learning postgraduate course for language professionals (Angelos Konstantinidis and Cecilia Goria); (40) Task-oriented spoken dialog system for second-language learning (Oh-Woog Kwon, Young-Kil Kim, and Yunkeun Lee); (41) Promoting multilingual communicative competence through multimodal academic learning situations (Anna Kyppö and Teija Natri); (42) Teacher professional learning: developing with the aid of technology (Marianna Kyprianou and Eleni Nikiforou); (43) Quizlet: what the students think--a qualitative data analysis (Bruce Lander); (44) "Just facebook me": a study on the integration of Facebook into a German language curriculum (Vera Leier and Una Cunningham); (45) A survey on Chinese students' online English language learning experience through synchronous web conferencing classrooms (Chenxi Li); (46) Identifying and activating receptive vocabulary by an online vocabulary survey and an online writing task (Ivy Chuhui Lin and Goh Kawai); (47) Exploring learners' perceptions of the use of digital letter games for language learning: the case of Magic Word (Mathieu Loiseau, Cristiana Cervini, Andrea Ceccherelli, Monica Masperi, Paola Salomoni, Marco Roccetti, Antonella Valva, and Francesca Bianco); (48) Game of Words: prototype of a digital game focusing on oral production (and comprehension) through asynchronous interaction (Mathieu Loiseau, Racha Hallal, Pauline Ballot, and Ada Gazidedja); (49) PETALL in action: latest developments and future directions of the EU-funded Pan-European Task Activities for Language Learning (António Lopes); (50) Exploring EFL learners' lexical application in AWE-based writing (Zhihong Lu and Zhenxiao Li); (51) Mobile-assisted language learning and language learner autonomy (Paul A. Lyddon); (52) YELL/TELL: online community platform for teacher professional development (Ivana Marenzi, Maria Bortoluzzi, and Rishita Kalyani); (53) Leveraging automatic speech recognition errors to detect challenging speech segments in TED talks (Maryam Sadat Mirzaei, Kourosh Meshgi, and Tatsuya Kawahara); (54) Investigating the affective learning in a 3D virtual learning environment: the case study of the Chatterdale mystery (Judith Molka-Danielsen, Stella Hadjistassou, and Gerhilde Messl-Egghart); (55) Are commercial "personal robots" ready for language learning? Focus on second language speech (Souheila Moussalli and Walcir Cardoso); (56) The Digichaint interactive game as a virtual learning environment for Irish (Neasa Ni Chiaráin and Ailbhe Ní Chasaide); (57) Mingling students' cognitive abilities and learning strategies to transform CALL (Efi Nisiforou and Antigoni Parmaxi); (58) Taking English outside of the classroom through social networking: reflections on a two-year project (Louise Ohashi); (59) Does the usage of an online EFL workbook conform to Benford's law? (Mikolaj Olszewski, Kacper Lodzikowski, Jan Zwolinski, Rasil Warnakulasooriya, and Adam Black); (60) Implications on pedagogy as a result of adopted CALL practices (James W. Pagel and Stephen G. Lambacher); (61) Exploring the benefits and disadvantages of introducing synchronous to asynchronous online technologies to facilitate flexibility in learning (Salomi Papadima-Sophocleous and Fernando Loizides); (62) A CALL for evolving teacher education through 3D microteaching (Giouli Pappa and Salomi Papadima-Sophocleous); (63) Physicality and language learning (Jaeuk Park, Paul Seedhouse, Rob Comber, and Jieun Kiaer); (64) Designing strategies for an efficient language MOOC (Maria Perifanou); (65) Worldwide state of language MOOCs (Maria Perifanou); (66) A Spanish-Finnish telecollaboration: extending intercultural competence via videoconferencing (Pasi Puranen and Ruby Vurdien); (67) Developing oral interaction skills with a digital information gap activity game (Avery Rueb, Walcir Cardoso, and Jennica Grimshaw); (68) Using WebQuests as idea banks for fostering autonomy in online language courses (Shirin Sadaghian and S. Susan Marandi); (69) Integrating mobile technologies into very young second language learners' curriculum (Gulnara Sadykova, Gulnara Gimaletdinova, Liliia Khalitova, and Albina Kayumova); (70) Investigating commercially available technology for language learners in higher education within the high functioning disability spectrum (Georgia Savvidou and Fernando Loizides); (71) Learning languages in 3D worlds with Machinima (Christel Schneider); (72) What are more effective in English classrooms: textbooks or podcasts? (Jaime Selwood, Joe Lauer, and Kazumichi Enokida); (73) Mind the gap: task design and technology in novice language teachers' practice (Tom F. H. Smits, Margret Oberhofer, and Jozef Colpaert); (74) Language immersion in the self-study mode e-course (Olga Sobolev); (75) Aligning out-of-class material with curriculum: tagging grammar in a mobile music application (Ross Sundberg and Walcir Cardoso); (76) Meeting the technology standards for language teachers (Cornelia Tschichold); (77) Mobile-assisted language learning community and culture in French-speaking Belgium: the teachers' perspective (Julie Van de Vyver); (78) Classification of Swedish learner essays by CEFR levels (Elena Volodina, Ildikó Pilán, and David Alfter); (79) Mobile assisted language learning and mnemonic mapping--the loci method revisited (Ikumi Waragai, Marco Raindl, Tatsuya Ohta, and Kosuke Miyasaka); (80) CALL and less commonly taught languages--still a way to go (Monica Ward); (81) Demystifying pronunciation with animation (Monica Ward); (82) The effects of utilizing corpus resources to correct collocation errors in L2 writing--Students' performance, corpus use and perceptions (Yi-ju Wu); (83) A social constructionist approach to teaching and learning vocabulary for Italian for academic purposes (Eftychia Xerou, Salomi Papadima-Sophocleous, and Antigoni Parmaxi); (84) Flip-J: development of the system for flipped jigsaw supported language learning (Masanori Yamada, Yoshiko Goda, Kojiro Hata, Hideya Matsukawa, and Seisuke Yasunami); and (85) "Check your Smile", prototype of a collaborative LSP website for technical vocabulary (Nadia Yassine-Diab, Charlotte Alazard-Guiu, Mathieu Loiseau, Laurent Sorin, and Charlotte Orliac). An author index is included. (Individual papers contain references.)

This document consists of the 24 papers delivered at a conference that had five workshops examining various dimensions of the social and occupational transition of young people. The papers are arranged by workshop/session. A summary report precedes the other papers presented during a session. The papers in the session on perspectives on systems, institutions, and change are as follows: "Summary Report" (Karl Ulrich Mayer); "Understanding Change in Youth Labour Markets" (David Ashton); "Different Systems of Vocational Training and Transition from School to Career" (Hans-Peter Blossfeld); "Tracks and Pathways" (David Raffe); "On the Interest of Longitudinal Approaches in the Analysis of Vocational Transitions" (Jose Rose); and "Education and Training in Transition" (Karen Schober). Session 2 on labor market itineraries of secondary school leavers contains the following: "Summary Report" (Jose Rose); "Entry into Employment of Young People Who Have Successfully Completed Their Secondary Technical and Vocational Education in French-Speaking Brabant and Charleroi" (Simon Cabitsis, Adinda Vanheerswynghels); "Explaining the Differences in the Occupational Insertion of Educationally Lesser Qualified Young People" (Didier Demaziere, Brigitte Monfroy); "Transition to the Labour Market of Vocational and Technical Secondary School Leavers" (Jan Denys); "Complex Training Routes and the Results of Insertion among Young People" (Jordi Planas); "Time Spent in Education and Lack of Job Security" (Simon Cabitsis, Nouria Ouali, Andrea Rea); and "Analysis of the Use of Government Integration Measures Made by Young People Leaving Secondary Education" (Thomas Couppie, Patrick Werquin). The session on transitions in youth--social and household dimensions--includes these papers: "Summary Report" (Alessandro Cavalli); "Transition Behaviour and Career Outcomes in England and Germany" (Walter R. Heinz); "French Women Entering the Labour Process and Setting Up Households in the 1980's" (Annick Kieffer, Catherine Marry); "From Youth to Adulthood Project" (Matti Vesa Volanen); and "Main Features of the Structure of the Working Population" (Luis M. Larringa, Ascen M. F. de Landa). Session 4 on the process and consequences of education differentiation contains the following: "Summary Report" (Walter Mueller); "Transition from Education to the Labour Market for Young People in Sweden" (Karin Arvemo-Notstrand, Ingegerd Berggren); "Secondary Technical Education Qualifications" (Marcelo Ossandon, Pol Dupont); "Transition from School to Work" (Wim Groot, Hans Rutjes); "Returns to Education" (Richard Breen, Damian F. Hannan); and "Competition on the Labour Market" (Rolf van der Velden, Lex Borghans). Session 5 on labor market itineraries of higher education graduates consists of the following: "Summary Report" (Francois Pottier); "'How Does a Changing Labour Market Affect the Transition from Higher Education to Work?'" (Clara Aase Arnesen, Jane Baekken, Terje Naess); "Training and Employment in Hospitals" (Mateo Alaluf, Adinda Vanheerswynghels); "Family Social Status and Paths of Youths in the Systems of Education and on the Labour Market" (Lea Battistoni); and"Training and Occupational Routes of New University Graduates in Catalonia" (Josep M. Masjuan, Helena Troiano, Jesus Vivas, Miguel Zaldivar). (YLB)

The chapters in this edited volume cover a wide range of topics in theory, practice, and research and may be of interest to anyone concerned with the promotion of autonomy in language learning. There are 16 chapters divided into 5 parts. Part 1, "Setting the Agenda: Theory, Practice and Research," has 3 chapters: "Why Focus on Learning Rather than Teaching?" (David Little); "Why Focus on Learning Rather than Teaching? From Theory to Practice" (Leni Dam); and "Focus on Learning Rather than Teaching--With What Results?" (Lienhard Legenhausen). Part 2, "Some Examples of Practice," has 5 chapters: "Involving Learners in Their Own Learning--How to Get Started" (Tinne Seeman and Connie Tavares); "Learners' Favoured Activities in the Autonomous Classroom" (Hanne Thomsen); "Between a Rock and a Hard Place: The Interdependent Classroom" (Russell Whitehead); "Interdependence Can Help Independence" (Marion Geddes); and "Changing Attitudes Towards Treatment of Mistakes" (Leslie Bobb Wolff). Part 3, "Investigating Learners and Learning," has 4 chapters: "Learning Language Processes: Finding the Key to Learning Effectiveness and Learner Autonomy?" (Jane Nolan); "Towards Learner Autonomy in University Classrooms: The Role of Learners' Goals" (Jennifer Ridley); "Do They Mean What They Say? Learners Representations of Needs and Objectives" (Felicity Kjisik and Joan Nordlund); and "Self-Direction in Language Learning: What Does It Mean To Become Aware?" (Maria de los Angeles Clemente) Part 4, "Teachers and Teacher Training," has 3 chapters: "The Importance of Using the Target Language in the Classroom" (Lucie Betakova); "Focus on Interaction and Dialogue" (Jette Lentz) and "Developing Autonomy in Pre-Service Teacher Training Programme: A Case Study." (Jose Luis Vera-Batista). Part 5, "The Curriculum," consists of 1 chapter: "A Workshop to Develop Learner Autonomy" (Maria Candelaria Torres Diaz). Illustrations, tables, charts, and figures appear throughout the chapters. Each chapter contains references. (KFT)

This report focuses on social protections of teachers in Europe, synthesizes responses to a questionnaire by 18 European members of the World Confederation of Organizations of the Teaching Profession (WCOTP), and provides an overview of a variety of situations in European countries. The report includes a list of organizations/countries which replied to the questionnaire and information provided by each country. Eight topics are examined as follows: (1) health insurance contributions, reimbursement, sick leave, and legislation; (2) maternity insurance, leave, adoption, paternity, and work conditions; (3) family allowances and what assistance is for; (4) handicapped in the profession; (5) pensions; (6) unemployment protection; (7) death rights and benefits to beneficiaries; and (8) the position of trade union policy in relation to existing social systems, and persons in charge of social protection. Also included are: a draft recommendation on the social protection of teachers; reports on "The Social Protection Role and Economy" in Denmark, France, and Hungary; "Social Protection from a State Perspective" (Norway); "The Right of Teachers" (Poland); and reports on "The Social Protection of Teachers" in Russia, Sweden, and Turkey. (LL)

The aim of the International Society for Technology, Education, and Science (iHSES) conference is to offer opportunities to share ideas, discuss theoretical and practical issues, and connect with the leaders in the fields of "humanities," "education" and "social sciences." It is organized for: (1) faculty members in all disciplines of humanities, education and social sciences; (2) graduate students; (3) K-12 administrators; (4) teachers; (5) principals; and (6) all interested in education and social sciences. [Individual papers are indexed in ERIC.]

Eleven working papers are provided from a meeting to enable national training research and development organizations to present their current and future research and development priorities and exchange information and experience on projects of mutual concern. They cover a wide range of subjects in 11 of the 12 European Community Member States, but all the programs include work on changing qualification profiles needed to work effectively with new technologies. The papers include: "Summary of Major Research and Development Projects--AnCo (the Industrial Training Authority)--Ireland"; "Training Research Projects--The Centre for Studies and Research on Qualifications--France"; "Government Sponsored Research and Development on Vocational Training and New Technology--United Kingdom";"Work Results of the Federal Institute for Vocational Training--Federal Republic of Germany"; "Development of Research in the Field of Vocational Training--French- and German-Speaking Community, Onem, Belgium"; "Vocational Training by the National Manpower Service--Flemish Community, RVA, Belgium"; "Outline for Action in 1986--Institute for the Promotion of Workers' Vocational Training (ISFOL)--Italy"; "Summary Progress Report on the Training Research Programmes in Greece"; "Research Methods for the Investigation of Problems in the Linkage with the Labour Market in the Netherlands--University of Utrecht and PCBB"; "Vocational Training in Spain"; and "Development of Vocational Training in Small and Medium Craft Enterprises in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg." (YLB)

This paper provides a summary of the proceedings of a public lecture and a seminar conducted by William F. Mackey, on "Options for Language Promotion by Means of the Education System" and "Implications of Bilingualism," including the question and answer sessions. Part one, summarizing the lecture, discusses the role of the educational system, the use of Irish in the community, and the attitudes of the public. Part two, summarizing the seminar, discusses what state institutions, other agencies, and individuals can do to promote the use of Irish. It is felt that while two thirds of the population wish to see at least as much Irish in use as English, this cannot become a reality unless skills are improved and maintained, and that this cannot be done until there is some agreement on how the survival of the Irish language can be ensured. (Author/AM)

Thirteen essays discussing how teachers are trained to teach geography in various countries are presented. The papers are: "Teacher Education in Geography: The Comparative View" (W. E. Marsden); "The Training of Geography Teachers in the People's Republic of Bulgaria" (Paulina Vekilska and Dimitar Kantchev); "Note Sur la Formation des Maitres Enseignant la Geographie en France" (Jacques Bethemont; in French); "Geography and Teacher Training in Canada" (Dennis Milburn); "Educating Geography Teachers: The Experience of England and Wales" (Norman Graves); "Teacher Education in Geography: The New Zealand Model in the Eighties" (John MaCauley); "Teacher Education in Geography in the Republic of Ireland" (P. McGloin and J. Heywood); "Teacher Education for Australian Geography Teachers" (Rod Gerber); "Geography Teacher Education Programme in Nigerian Universities and Implications for Secondary School Geography" (Julie Okpala); "Geographical Teacher Education Models in West Berlin" (Joachim Barth); "Geography Teacher Education in West Germany with Special Reference to Rheinland-Pfalz" (Hans-Martin Closs); "Teacher Education in Geography in the United States" (Barbara Winston); and "The System of Preparing Students at the Pedagogical Institutes for Geography Teaching, USSR" (Lydia Pancheshnikova). (RM)

Since 1979, the Education Information Network in the European Community (EURYDICE) has been conducting seminars designed to improve understanding of the different educational systems of the member states and to facilitate network cooperation. The papers in this document were given by speakers both from the Irish Department of Education and other educational institutions and cover a variety of educational issues in Ireland including recent developments and data. Topics included are: "School Administration in Ireland" (primary and secondary); "Curriculum, Examinations, Schools, Inspection" (primary and secondary); "Special Education in Ireland"; "Teacher Training and Recruitment" (primary and secondary); "Vocational Guidance in Ireland"; "Transition from School to Working Life";"Temporary Grant Scheme for Youth Employment"; "Youth Employment Agency"; "Overall View of State Involvement in Higher Education"; "Higher Education and the Role of the Higher Education Authority"; "Third Level Education Outside the Universities"; "The National Council for Educational Awards"; "The Teaching of French in Ireland"; "Instituid Teangeolaiochta Eireann/The Linguistics Institute of Ireland"; and "Adult Education in Ireland." (BZ)

This paper explores the utilisation of "Twitter" as a dynamic language learning platform in order to create an authentic domain of use for learners of Irish as an Additional Language (IAL) in a primary school setting in Ireland wherein 20 fourth class children and their parents participated. The Irish language context is firstly introduced, which contextualises a rationale for utilising Twitter for language learning. Teacher, child, and parent engagement with "Twitter" is then outlined with reference to the action research methodology employed. The repository of class tweets, periodic participant advisory group discussions and questionnaires, coupled with teacher-researcher reflection informed a qualitative data analysis. Results indicate notable student engagement with and enjoyment of tweeting in class "as Gaeilge" [in Irish] whereby the class Twitter account emerged as a practicable language learning platform. Its affordances enabled the student composition and publishing of short texts (tweets) and the provision of authentic Irish tweets for class reading. Parent and child engagement out of class, while relatively low, also demonstrated a promising additional domain of use, subject to the negotiation of orientation-related and implementation-related challenges for learners in a blended setting. In conclusion, recommendations to support the use of Twitter in endangered language school contexts are suggested. [For the complete volume, "Intelligent CALL, Granular Systems and Learner Data: Short Papers from EUROCALL 2022 (30th, Reykjavik, Iceland, August 17-19, 2022)," see ED624779.]

Although smartphones have become normalised in people's everyday behaviours, they remain under-exploited from a language learning perspective. This paper describes a study in an Irish university which explored the nature and extent of language learners' existing use of smartphones for informal learning purposes through a survey, a case study, and a group interview. The results showed that firstly, smartphones played only a limited and tangential role in their language learning, and secondly, that learners had narrow perceptions of what 'actual, proper study' entails, demonstrated by their overwhelming preference for more traditional language learning resources and practices. The paper finishes by making suggestions regarding how smartphones can be integrated into the language classroom, at both third and second level, to help broaden learner perceptions of what language study is, and consequently, allow smartphones to play a more significant role in their learning practices. [For the complete volume, "CALL and Professionalisation: Short Papers from EUROCALL 2021 (29th, Online, August 26-27, 2021)," see ED616972.]

New Product Development (NPD) is a critical yet challenging aspect of business development, with failure rates ranging from 40% to 80%. This challenge is particularly pronounced in startups, which form the backbone of most developed economies. Despite their importance, startups often struggle with NPD, with some studies suggesting a failure rate as high as 90%. This research paper contributes to the existing literature by examining the NPD journey of a technology startup, Plugable. Plugable, an Irish enterprise in the mobility sector, aims to create a platform similar to Airbnb for private Electrical Vehicle (EV) chargers. The paper traces the journey of two products the company attempted to launch. The first product did not reach the launch stage, leading the business to revise its strategy and develop Plugable. At the time of writing, Plugable is at the prototype stage, having secured €50,000 in external funding and won several national business awards. The case study provides several key learnings for entrepreneurs in the NPD space. It underscores the importance of accurately defining the problem statement, the critical role of validation, and the significance of assembling the right team to develop an effective go-to-market strategy. These findings contribute to the emerging body of knowledge on NPD within the startup context, providing practical insights into the application of established NPD models. Furthermore, the study offers valuable insights into technology startups' unique challenges during the NPD process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For learners to be individuals equipped with the 21st-century skills when they start business life after graduation, they must be able to gain these skills during their education. However, due to their nature, it's not possible for students to acquire these skills under a specific course. For these skills to be achieved, they must be integrated across all curricula. In this study, an evaluation was conducted to see whether various countries incorporate the 21st-century skills in their curricula, how these skills are applied, and how these skills should be handled in their curricula. Within the scope of this research, the curricula applied in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, England, Ireland, and Turkey were examined. When the 12 skills defined by the P21 platform are considered, it can be seen that all skills are interconnected and that one cannot fully exist without the other. It can be said that starting to gain these skills, which are required by the 21st-century professions and which employers expect from graduates, from an early age it is important for individuals to be properly and fully prepared for the future. In accordance with the 21st-century expectations, evaluations, educational materials, teaching methods, professional growth opportunities, and learning environments should all be synchronized to create a supportive framework that generates the 21st-century results for contemporary students. [This paper was published in: "EJER Congress 2023 International Eurasian Educational Research Congress Conference Proceedings," Ani Publishing, 2023, pp. 97-126.]

Within the parameters of the new Erasmus programme, this Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) combines virtual exchange with physical mobility. There were three institutions involved in this project: Letterkenny Institute of Technology, Ireland, Hochschule Bremerhaven, Germany, and Malaga Healthcare College, Spain. The virtual exchange ran for five weeks from November to December 2021 and the physical mobility took place in Bremerhaven in the first week of April 2022. Twenty-seven participating students from diverse academic backgrounds engaged in shared tasks during the virtual exchange on a Blackboard platform, hosted by Letterkenny Institute of Technology and were awarded two ECTS credits, which was embedded into their local curricula. Content was delivered using both synchronous and asynchronous tools. The topic was global citizenship and students collaborated in multicultural teams to create presentations on their chosen topics. In addition to this team work, they also shared their individual insights into the course content by posting to a discussion forum in Weeks 1, 3, and 4. [For the complete volume, "Intelligent CALL, Granular Systems and Learner Data: Short Papers from EUROCALL 2022 (30th, Reykjavik, Iceland, August 17-19, 2022)," see ED624779.]

This paper presents results of a comparative international study on some aspects of school counseling in the following 12 countries: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Ireland, Malta, North Macedonia, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, UK, and USA. The authors explain the multifunctional character of school counseling, give an idea of establishing a research field that could be called 'comparative school counseling studies', show the original terms in individual countries, and compare six aspects of school counseling: 1) legislative framework; 2) position requirements; 3) role of school counselors; 4) functions of school counselors; 5) interaction; and 6) ratio. The paper concludes with a long list of qualities school counselors are expected to possess. This is a document study chiefly based on examining, systematizing and comparing national documents (laws, reports, instructions, advices, position requirements, ministerial orders, recommendations, strategies, and statistics) on school counseling.

Intelligent Computer-Assisted Language Learning (ICALL) involves using tools and techniques from computational linguistics and Natural Language Processing (NLP) in the language learning process. It is an inherently complex endeavour and is multi-, inter-, and trans-disciplinary in nature. Often these tools and techniques are designed for tasks and purposes other than language learning, and this makes their adaptation and use in the CALL domain difficult. It can be even more challenging for Less-Resourced Languages (LRLs) for CALL researchers to adapt or incorporate NLP into CALL artefacts. This paper reports on how two existing NLP resources for Irish, a morphological analyser and a parser, were used to develop an app for Irish. The app, Irish Word Bricks (IWB), was adapted from an existing CALL app -- Word Bricks (Mozgovoy & Efimov, 2013). Without this 'joining the blocks together' approach, the development of the IWB app would certainly have taken longer, may not have been as efficient or effective, and may not even have been accomplished at all. [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED600837.]

The increasing use of design thinking can be observed through large organisations such as Google and IBM adopting the discipline. Recognized as a driver for innovation, organisations are turning to design thinking education as an approach for increasing organisation innovation capabilities. There has been little research that evaluates the impact of internal design thinking training on internal innovation capability. This research focuses on the internal training activities at Musgrave’s Retail Partners Ireland (MRPI), Ireland’s largest retail organisation. MRPI have implemented an internal training programme in the form of a Design Academy to educate employees about design thinking. The Design Academy has been operating over the last 3 years with the goal of educating employees about design thinking techniques and mindsets to encourage change towards innovation culture across the organisation. This work-in-progress paper presents an investigation of the potential impact of internal design thinking training programmes on firm innovation capabilities using existing literature and a casestudy analysis. This paper presents an initial literature review and proposed research methodology. The literature review leverages theories from multiple related fields including business strategy, innovation, organisational behaviour, information systems, design, and intrapreneurship. The proposed research methodology includes a single case-study analysis of MRPI. The primary method of data gathering is semi-structured interviews. Secondary data consists of observations gathered during training sessions and other interactions. The data collection is conducted over a course of 6-8 months. This research is likely to generate significant contributions to academic research in internal innovation training and will have consequent benefits for design thinking education practitioners. The research will contribute to the growing body of design thinking training research and includes an evaluation of the impact of training through the lens of organisation innovation capabilities, providing a unique lens for understanding. Practitioners will also benefit from a formalisation of how specific design training approaches impact the organisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how governance failure on behalf of the Irish Government led to the ‘mica’/defective blocks catastrophe. It will examine the governance process adopted by the Irish state in the ‘mica’ case and review the recommendations made in 2012 (Pyrite Panel, 2012) following a similar crisis – ‘pyrite’ and whether the Irish Government’s response to these recommendations were acted upon in a timely manner. It will further examine whether the government’s action/inaction in relation to these recommendations could have contributed to the scale of this mica crisis and whether it may have exacerbated this crisis further. This paper will also establish the key lessons to be learnt from this crisis. The findings of this research will be of value to Public Sector organisations /Government departments when considering governance approaches at a local and a national level that should be in place, in particular when permitting concrete products to be placed on to the marketplace. Finally, it will be of interest to other researchers/ academics interested in Governance at both an organisational and at a governmental level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This pilot study focuses on a tool called L2L that allows second language (L2) learners to visualise and analyse their Zoom interactions with native speakers. L2L uses the Zoom transcript to automatically generate conversation metrics and its playback feature with timestamps allows students to replay any chosen portion of the conversation for post-session reflection and self-review. This exploratory study investigates a seven-week teletandem project, where undergraduate students from an Irish university learning French (B2) interacted with their peers from a French university learning English (B2+) via Zoom. The data collected from a survey (N=43) and semi-structured interviews (N=35) show that the quantitative conversation metrics and qualitative review of the synchronous content helped raise students' confidence levels while engaging with native speakers. Furthermore, it allowed them to set tangible goals to improve their participation, and be more aware of what, why, and how they are learning. [For the complete volume, "CALL and Professionalisation: Short Papers from EUROCALL 2021 (29th, Online, August 26-27, 2021)," see ED616972.]

This descriptive study presents the first research cycle with four synchronous telecollaborative language learning sessions on Zoom between Irish and Chinese teenagers. Intercultural Sensitivity Scale (ISS) post-questionnaire results show that the mean of interaction enjoyment scale is the highest compared to the other four categories, which implies that telecollaboration provides an enjoyable and authentic environment for Irish adolescent learners to experience communication with native speakers. However, low averages of ISS categories indicate some factors are at play such as short telecollaboration duration and potential technological issues. The gap between the previous needs analysis and current findings demonstrates that participants probably underestimated the challenge of engaging with Chinese native speakers, which would suggest that more scaffoldings and preparations are required for beginning-level learners before and during telecollaborations. [For the complete volume, "CALL and Professionalisation: Short Papers from EUROCALL 2021 (29th, Online, August 26-27, 2021)," see ED616972.]

Copyright of Proceedings Music Pedagogy in the Context of Present & Future Changes 5 is the property of Academy of Music in Pula, Juraj Dobrila University of Pula and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Innovation economy demands new skills and competences, creates the need to repeatedly and regularly improve one's knowledge and skills, therefore the link must be maintained between labour market requirements and higher education offer. As solution to above mentioned tendencies strategy proposes that educational and cultural education institutions should become the centres of social networking, in the management of which parents, teaching staff, students, alumni, as well as wider local community, including entrepreneurs, representatives of professional and sectoral associations, participate and co-operate. There is a particular emphasis on the need to develop programs of voluntary mentors. In year, 2017-18 higher education institutions in the UK and Ireland raised 1,082,803,835 GBP in total voluntary support [1]. Alumni donations constitute 26% of the entire amount raised [2]. This experience proves that keeping meaningful contact with alumni is a long-term strategy and eventually results in not only intellectual cooperation but also a substantial source of financing. Alumni engagement activities have proved to be an effective tool providing life-long learning for alumni, experience exchange between experienced alumni and young alumni and students as well as, in the long-term, financial support for the universities by alumni and their companies. History of alumni relations, customer management perspective as well as a puzzle game solution for curriculum design are being discussed in this paper. Paper is based on the Riga Technical University's example, EXTEND project case studies also publicly available statistics/data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL) use is increasing and it is good to be able to provide language learners with new resources to enhance their language learning experience. One such resource is WordBricks, a non-commercial, educational app that facilitates the learning and reinforcement of grammar rules. It uses bricks and connectors of different colours and shapes for different parts of speech, and the learner can (only) form grammatically correct sentences. Learners can choose to form sentences from examples or create their own original sentences. Originally, WordBricks was designed for personalised, individual, out-of-classroom learning for English language learners. This paper provides an overview of research on the original WordBricks app for English. A version of WordBricks has been developed for Irish and adapted for use in the primary school setting. There are very few interactive resources available for Irish and the Irish WordBricks app is a new addition to the Irish Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) cannon. This paper reports on how the Irish WordBricks app was used by teachers and students in a primary school and the feedback received on the app. [For the complete volume, see ED578177.]

ePortfolios are emerging as an alternative to the paper based CV in the employment recruitment process. This paper reports on the findings of research project that was designed to explore the perceptions of adult jobseekers on the use of an ePortfolio as a jobseeking tool. The research project utilised a qualitative exploratory case study to investigate the jobseekers perceptions over the course of a six week online ePortfolio development programme. The perceptions of jobseekers were investigated in the context of three questions; what was the learner's perception of the ePortfolio as a potential job seeking tool, what was the learner's perception of the ePortfolio development programme and what was the learner's perception of the ePortfolio system. Data was collected through structured online questionnaire, virtual focus groups and observations from the researcher during the programme. The research findings were discussed in the context of a number of themes that emerged from previous research including the importance of a programmatic approach to ePortfolio development, the challenges with institutional ePortfolio systems and the barriers to the use of an ePortfolio as a jobseeking tool. The research project built on a number of existing research themes while also positioning new concepts such as the role of eMentoring and gamification design principles in ePortfolio development. [For the complete proceedings, see ED579335.]

This paper describes an innovative model of teacher professional learning that has evolved over a decade. Working in a range of different school contexts, in conjunction with an ongoing engagement with the research literature, has enabled the development over three phases of a robust, yet, flexible framework that meets teachers' expressed needs. At the same time, the framework helps to shift their pedagogical orientation, as the learning design supports school-focused, job-embedded teacher professional learning, which challenges more traditional instructional environments by infusing digital technologies and other elements of 21st century skills into teaching and learning. Building on this experience the paper then reports the most recent phase of designing and developing a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), which could potentially enable the massive scaling up of access to this already validated model of teacher professional learning. Finally, we discuss the importance of maintaining key elements and signature pedagogies in the design of MOOCs for teacher professional learning, and conclude with early lessons from this latest work in progress. [For full proceedings, see ED571459.]

A question often asked and rarely answered effectively in the Computer Science Education field is "What is the best First Programming Language"? We find ourselves asking this due in part to the low retention rates in third level introductory programming courses. With the ever-increasing requirements for Computer Science graduates in industry, and the introduction of programming courses in second level schools worldwide, now is the time to answer this question with confidence. If we can set younger students on the right educational path early on, we should see better performance at third level. This paper discusses the implementation of two identical introductory 8-week short courses, one based in Java and one based in Snap. These courses were taught to Transition Year students in Ireland and data was collected on how they performed and around their opinions of the languages. The goal was to determine if there is any significant difference in the difficulty to learn either course. If a difference is present, then there may be elements of the language itself causing difficulty given that the courses were identical. From the results of this phase of the study, we can make some initial recommendations about favorable First Programming Language choices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The teaching of spoken Chinese in the context of post-primary education in Ireland faces several complexities. Learners of Mandarin Chinese as a Foreign Language (CFL), including both Irish and heritage learners, have demonstrated difficulty in learning spoken Chinese. This exploratory research is part of a larger project which aims to develop appropriate ad hoc intelligent Computer-Assisted Language Learning (iCALL) solutions by providing visualised instruction and a gamified feedback system for Mandarin tone acquisition, and using a spoken dialogue system to create a simulated virtual environment for practising spoken Chinese. This paper presents a qualitative needs analysis, in the form of semi-structured interviews, which has been conducted with 12 CFL teachers with various linguistic and sociocultural backgrounds. It aims to investigate learners' difficulty in learning spoken Chinese and teachers' willingness to implement technology in CFL curricula. [For the complete proceedings, see ED600837.]

Ireland's new strategy for foreign language education, "Languages Connect," identifies the establishment of Mandarin Chinese as a curricular language as a key goal for the coming years. Within the curriculum specification for Mandarin at Junior Cycle (ages 12-15), "using digital technology is identified as a core component: the student uses technology and digital media to learn, communicate, work and think collaboratively and creatively" (NCCA, 2016, p. 6). While the introduction of Chinese courses in Ireland faces a number of challenges (e.g. a shortage of communication opportunities and appropriate learning resources), it also provides a unique opportunity to generate innovative solutions to these challenges through technology, specifically Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC). This paper outlines the overarching goal and Design-Based Research (DBR) methodology for this research project as well as the results of the initial learner needs analysis conducted at a post-primary school in Ireland. Participants in the needs analysis workshop consisted of 19 students aged 12-15 who are learning Chinese, and their teacher. The results of the needs analysis with students and their Chinese language teacher identified opportunities for meaningful communication, particularly with Chinese native speakers, and more learning about Chinese culture as the key needs to address within the broader research project, needs that could be addressed using CMC tools. [For the complete proceedings, see ED600837.]

The orthographical depth of a language impacts on a learner's ability to learn a language (Katz & Frost, 1992). If it is easier for learners to read the language as it is written, it will make the learning process easier. One way to address the problem of orthographically deep or opaque languages where the pronunciation is not very easy to determine is to demystify its pronunciation by using animation. This involves showing learners graphically how a combination of certain letters or diacritics produces a particular sound. This is particularly useful when the combination is different to what might be expected given the learner's knowledge of how those letters or symbols sound individually. This is also important when two orthography systems may appear similar on a superficial level but are actually different. This paper provides an overview of the animation component of the CALLIPSO system--a CALL resource for Irish orthography and pronunciation. Irish uses the same letters as the English alphabet but there are differences in the letter-sound correspondences. In the animation component, words are passed to the animation tool which demonstrates how each combination of letters gives rise to the overall pronunciation of the word. The tool is language independent and can be used for languages other than Irish. [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED572005.]

This is an historical and comparative paper that examines the importance of women's educational organizations across time and space and the deliberative attempts of individual members to advocate for the expansion of their professional knowledge, expertise and reach. Specifically, the historical spotlight is turned on the International Federation of University Women (IFUW) and the National University Women's Graduate Association (NUWGA, Ireland) as illustrative examples of the power and potential of women's organizations to the development of women's professional knowledge, academic expertise and strategic ambition. As we highlight, associations such as the IFUW and NUGA, as communities of like-minded women, prompted women to shape and define new ways of thinking about the interpersonal, organizational and international aspects of their work.

School-based practicum is a critical component of teacher education programmes. Recent studies show that high-performing programmes evidence well-developed school university partnerships. In Ireland, recent policy changes mean pre-service teachers complete practicum placements of up to ten weeks in duration. Programme providers must design these placements in partnership with schools. This paper discusses a two-year action research study examining the key relationships involved between schools and one Higher Education Institution. Using the notion of 'Learning Communities' posited by Stoll et al as a theoretical framework and Dey's model of cyclical analysis, this paper finds that positive relationships enhance the practicum experience and the development of partnerships and highlights improvements which can be made to future iterations of the practicum.

Presented in this paper is the Patient Assessment-Data Quality Model (PA-DQM). It is designed to assess how patient datasets which are poor in composition can impact on the decision processes following patient assessment. The PA-DQM in particular examines four key Data Quality (DQ) dimensions: timeliness, accuracy, consistency and completeness. This DQ model is generic in nature as any number of decision making processes can be substituted to reflect the medical scenario under consideration. For example, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admissions, Emergency Room (ER) triage systems or Modified Early Warning Scorecards (MEWS). The PA-DQM presented is evaluated using the MEWS process as an exemplar. Paper based MEWS are utilised to assist medical staff identify at risk patients with a declining health status. The calculated MEWS score is designed to trigger earlier medical interventions to avoid or reduce the potential impact of catastrophic events. In particular the existing MEWS system which (i.e. a paper based approach) is evaluated alongside an electronic- Modified Early Warning Scorecard (e-MEWS) system, which is designed and developed to reduce the number of DQ issues which continue to persist with the paper based process. To validate the assertions presented in this paper a workshop (participation of 51 medical staff) was held in St. Luke's Hospital, Kilkenny, Ireland, where the paper based MEWS has been adopted for the last 3 years. It is clear from our initial findings that the proposed e- MEWS system has the ability to greatly enhance the levels of DQ over its existing paper based counterpart. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Out-of-field teaching' refers to the practice of assigning teachers to teach subjects that do not match their training or education -- an international phenomenon that seems particularly prevalent in mathematics. This paper reports on a study evaluating the impact of a national professional learning program for out-of-field secondary mathematics teachers in Ireland. An online survey investigated teachers' beliefs about mathematics, mathematics teaching and mathematics learning, and changes in teaching practices. These teachers reported largely child-centred beliefs and practices consistent with the problem-solving orientation of the new mathematics curriculum, thus providing some evidence of the program's impact.

Videoconferences are a perfect scenario for autonomous Foreign Language (FL) and intercultural speaking practices. However, it is also a threatening context as learners communicate in an FL, often with a stranger and about personal information and experiences. That may lead to increase Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) among participants, affecting students' learning experiences and even provoking drop-outs (Bailey, Onwuegbuzie, & Daley, 2003). This study aims to explore the relationship between FLA and Self-Disclosure (SD) as personality traits. The first indicators of the potential relationship between FLA and SD in online speaking practice were found by Fondo and Erdocia (2018) in which anxious learners showed a tendency to self-disclose as a means to manage their discomfort using the FL. Data was gathered in the first stage of a nine-week-synchronous oral Online Intercultural Exchange (OIE) project between undergraduate business students from the United States, Ireland, Mexico, and Spain. [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED590612.]

This study aims to identify a few perception-action relations or affordances enacted in an asymmetrical (tutor-tutee) videoconferencing environment for L2 learning. Following Engeström's (2014) Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) and an ecological Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) perspective, the study focusses on the interactions between language use, technology use, and the enactment of designed language learning tasks. Master's students of French as a foreign language from a French university interacted online via videoconferencing with undergraduate students of business learning French at an Irish university over a six-week period. The online interactions between tutors and tutees generated a multimodal corpus (ISMAEL). The fifth session plan prepared by the tutors and their online conversations were investigated for four tutor-tutee systems. The findings reveal that the designed and emerging technological and linguistic affordances influence the online interactions at the micro level and the educational affordances at the macro level. [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED590612.]

In today's globally competitive environment, creativity and innovation are critical for organisational competitiveness. Intrapreneurship, typically defined where an individual or team act in an entrepreneurial manner within an organisation (Omotunde 2017; Burns 2015; Buekens 2014) has emerged as a new buzzword in organisations as diverse as Virgin, Google and Intel, driving innovation and competitiveness. Fostering intrapreneurship within organisations, while hugely beneficial, (Trott 2008 and Desouza 2011) can be problematic. Often it can be a delicate balance between environmental, internal organisational and managerial factors (Costello and Powers 2018). Research suggests that internal organisational conditions (Buekens, 2014; Desouza, 2011), organisational strategy (Perez-Uribe et al. 2018), business hierarchy and culture (Antoncic and Hisrich (2003), Kuratko et al. 2014) and crucially management support and tolerance of risk-taking (Alpkan et al. (2010) all play a critical role in creating and supporting an intrapreneurial culture. How different sectors manage the intrapreneurship process, most notably the healthcare, ICT, educational and banking industries (for example Lages et al (2016) and Benitez-Amado (2010) is now gaining increased attention. Intrapreneurship offers huge potential to service businesses, where continuous innovation in terms of service, customer experience and technology is critical to maintaining competitiveness within the sector (Backman, Klaesson and Oner (2017). The hospitality sector, a sector in the front line in terms of competition and technology disputing is a case in point. In Ireland alone, the hospitality sector generated some €7.6 billion in 2020 and is responsible for nearly 200,000 jobs, (ITIC 2020), equivalent to 8% of the working population. This research paper investigates intrapreneurship within the hospitality sector, by analysing interview data with industry experts along with survey data from 110 companies. The results suggest that while managers understand and perceive the sector as intrapreneurial, the reality in practice suggest a lack of time, management supports and rewards for employees. Intrapreneurship, where it happens, occurs organically. The paper closes with suggestions for policy initiatives and the role of support agencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If teachers of Less-Commonly Taught Languages (LCTLs), such as Irish, are to make use of Open Educational Resources (OERs) and many other CALL tools, then there must be an appropriate adaptation of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) in that LCTL. The need to be "Bologna-compliant" has seen language courses and syllabuses in Ireland being set out according to Common Reference Levels of the CEFR. Many CALL tools and resources which have been developed in a European context are underpinned by the Common Reference Levels of the CEFR. This symbiosis means that, in many cases, making use of one cannot be done properly without due regard to the other. In Ireland, however, the applications of the CEFR and integration of CALL have been engaged in separately for the most part. As the demand for CALL grows in Ireland, the lack of an Irish language adaptation of the CEFR becomes more problematic. This paper presents a case study on the Irish language partner on the SpeakApps project (http://www.speakapps.eu/). It will begin with a brief literature review on implementing CALL principles in LCTLs, and application of the CEFR to LCTLs. It then examines the experiences of the Irish partner in designing online oral production and interaction tasks according to the CEFR to be used on language courses that have not previously used CEFR learning goals or reference levels. In this paper we conclude that adaptations of the CEFR's Common Reference Levels with clear illustrative descriptors are needed before teachers of LCTLs can optimise OERs and other CALL tools. [For full proceedings, see ED565087.]

This paper details how collaborative self-study can contribute to instruction and learning in coaching and teacher education. The practice of self-study has gained much advocacy in Teacher Education Practice (TEP) and has been strongly promoted by Physical Education Teacher Educators (PETE). In this research, two teacher educators (from Science Education and Physical Education) participated in a collaborative self-study outside of their TEP. Both participants coached a university Gaelic football team. The collaborative self-study focused on improving their coaching practices and also developing empathy through learning experiences. The findings provide evidence of the dual value of collaborative self-study: as coach learners, they improved their understanding of their coaching practices; as TEPs, they developed empathy for their student teachers.

This study is based on Second Language Acquisition through blended learning and explores the application of new educational technologies in the development of distance education. In particular, the paper focuses on ways to enhance oral, aural, and intercultural skills through learners' engagement, develop authentic social interaction and intercultural awareness in virtual environments and at the same time actively engage the students' powers of perception, communication and reasoning. A speech visualization technology is introduced, specifically tailored to pronunciation training. It provides relevant and comprehensible visual feedback of all three components of speech: prosody-intonation, stress and rhythm. In this paper we stress that the achievement of successful communication should be the main objective of a second language learner, whilst overcoming the foreign accent can be deemed as a secondary goal. A strong or incorrect placement of word stress may impair understanding--from the listener's point of view--of the word(s) being pronounced. On the other hand, acquiring correct timing of phonological units helps to overcome the impression of foreign accent, which may ensue from an incorrect distribution of stressed vs. unstressed stretches of linguistic units such as syllables or metric feet. For these reasons our study looks at how to improve a student's performance both in perception and production of spoken Italian prosodic features, which include the correct position of stress at word level, the alternation of stress and unstressed syllables, the correct position of sentence accent, the generation of the adequate rhythm from the interleaving of stress, accent, phonological rules, and the generation of adequate intonation patterns for each utterance related to communicative functions. [For full proceedings, see ED565044.]

The work reported in this paper is part of a large European study commissioned by the Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) which explores interactions between the labour market and vocational education and training as well as up-dates the content Initial Vocational Education and Training (IVET) provision in 15 European countries in the study. This paper presents the interactions between VET and the labour market in the Republic of Ireland. The paper examines the nature of VET system, the feedback mechanisms and the characterisation of the feedback loops in Ireland's VET system. The paper concludes with a highlight of the significant features of the interactions between VET and the labour market. [For complete volume, see ED567118.]

The Irish experience of LEADER since the early 1990s provokes considerable interest in rural development circles throughout Europe and beyond. This paper charts the emergence and evolution of LEADER in Ireland. It begins by looking at the rural development policy context. It then focuses on the dynamics and practices at the local level, and it questions the extent to which specific features of LEDAER, namely place-based development and multi-level governance pertain in practice. The paper takes a case study approach, though which a distillation of processes and outputs at the local level is presented. The research involved longitudinal reviews (1991–2013) of the performance of two LEADER organisations, based on a trawl of their strategic plans and output reports. Data were also collected through a survey of project promoters (entrepreneurs and civil society bodies), which asked them to evaluate their interfaces with LEADER. The paper notes how LEADER in Ireland has been driven by civil society and is strongly endogenous in its orientation. Moreover, its contributions to rural economic diversification and the strengthening of social capital are significant. The paper concludes by pointing-up the elements of LEADER that need to be retained and strengthened in promoting territorial competitiveness. These include the need to place greater emphasis on on-going animation and capacity-building of rural actors, reducing bureaucratic burdens, and enabling bodies to be more innovative in responding to local needs and development potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to provide evidence concerning the validity of the purchasing power parity (PPP) in the euro area. By applying unit root tests we find evidence of the PPP for the panel of the 12 euro area countries over the period 1970 – 2017, more concretely for the real exchange rates of Austria, the Belgium-Luxembourg Union and Ireland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to increase the understanding of the role of economic threat in the formation of public attitudes toward immigration in Ireland. Research has identified realistic threat, particularly related to scarce economic resources, as one of the main drivers of anti-immigration sentiment (Quillian, 1995; Mayda, 2006; Billiet et al., 2014). Since the onset of the economic crisis, public opinion in many European countries has become more hostile towards migration, particularly in those countries most affected by economic recession. This is generally assumed to be a consequence of economic threat, with greater competition for jobs and resources leading to a hardening in attitudes. Using the European Social Survey and the Labour Force Survey, this paper investigates if individuals in sectors and occupations; i) more exposed to economic uncertainty, and ii) with greater representation of migrants can account for hardening attitudes towards immigration. This study contributes to the larger body of research on anti-immigration attitudes and contributes to a better understanding of economic threat in the formation of public attitudes towards immigrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents abstracts on human resources, including a cast study of management education in Ireland, a study of psychological contracts, and research on management through the Internet.

The construction professionals' believed Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a way to improve the current construction practices more effectively and efficiently, specifically in applying Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR. 4.0) and during this pandemic situation. However, there is still uncertainty in relation to the interpretation of the successful BIM implementation in projects due to incompetent BIM personnel. Therefore, several models have used the maturity concept to evaluate the success of BIM implementation. This paper aims to conduct a narrative systematic literature review on the existing BIM maturity model that assesses the success of BIM implementation. The findings are expected to enrich an understanding of the current state of the BIM maturity model used to assist construction professionals in BIM implementation. However, the review shows that there is still a limitation of the BIM maturity model that could be used to improve current competencies as most of the model focuses on improving the use of BIM technology, client and facility managers' perspectives. Hence, further research is needed to focus on the developing maturity model that could be used to ensure the competencies of construction professionals before they can be acknowledged and certified as BIM competence persons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

STEM family e-learning involves increasing the engagement in STEM home learning activities. STEM home learning activities range from exploring subjects such as science technology, engineering, and maths through a fun play based K-6 STEM curriculum. The family are trained to act as teachers, mentors, and coaches to the K-6 members. Families from educational disadvantaged areas are typically early school leavers and having the STEM capacity to support their children is a challenge. This research proposes a STEM Family e-Learning framework to increase family engagement in supporting the K-6 members engaged in STEM learning activities. The proposed framework combines training for volunteers and STEM learning activities provided to families. Training for volunteers focuses on how to work with families in disadvantaged communities. STEM learning activities involve providing the family with STEM programmes such as Virtual Robotic Coding Clubs, Card Challenges, e-Learning Programme, STEM Play and Learn, STEM Workshops, Showcases and Events. Parent and child evaluation data indicate that the activities stimulated interest in STEM for both children and their parents and increased confidence in STEM subjects. This research can potentially enhance the mainstreaming and extension of STEM e-learning to disadvantaged communities. [For the full proceedings, see ED639633.]

Government regulations require businesses to improve their processes and products/services in a green and sustainable manner. For being environmentally friendly, businesses should invest more on eco-innovation practices. Firms eco-innovate to promote eco-efficiency and sustainability. This paper evaluates the eco-innovation performance of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries with data envelopment analysis (DEA). Data were gathered from the world bank database and global innovation index report. Findings show that for most OECD countries, energy use and ecological sustainability are more important than other inputs and outputs for enhancing eco-innovation. [For full proceedings, see ED571459.]

This paper describes a unique project known as MindRising Games. It reports how the innovative use of Minecraft™ combined with the principles of mindfulness and meaningful learning contributed to rich digital story telling. MindRising Games was a competition, which was part of the 100-year commemoration of the Easter Rising, designed to celebrate 200 years of the Island of Ireland. It involved over 450 young people and educators from nearly every corner of Ireland in a digital exploration of the past, the present and the future. In brief, MindRising Games was about telling digital stories through the experiences of today's youth in reflecting on the events of 1916 and reimaging what the next 100 years could bring for Ireland. Participants were required to create a project portfolio in Sway, build a virtual world in Minecraft™ and make a short video showcasing their efforts. These videos provide a rich archive and valuable insight in to the level of mindfulness and meaningful learning generated by the MindRising Games projects. [For full proceedings, see ED571459.]

Increasingly, international entrepreneurship education policy has been attracting research attention (Smallbone & Welter, 2010). Entrepreneurship education has been pushed to the top of socio-economic and political agendas, and is currently a high priority imperative for government policy makers (Mitra and Matlay, 2004). It is widely recognised that the benefits of entrepreneurship education are not limited to the creation of new business ventures and subsequent new jobs, but will also develop key competencies of students, encourage innovative mind sets and as a consequence enable them to be more creative and self-confident in whatever they undertake. It has been highlighted by (Hytti & Kuopusjärvi, 2004, p.6) that there is also a distinction between preparing people to be enterprising/entrepreneurial and preparing them to be entrepreneurs. Additionally, there is an increasing role for entrepreneurship in a complex world where there are constantly changing needs of a very diverse population due to changes in society, technology and the economy. The design of specific entrepreneurship modules for non-business disciplines are key to making students more employable, giving them skills and knowledge required across all disciplines (Hamouda and Ledwith, 2016). The aim of this paper is to investigate the impact of the integration of entrepreneurship across third level programmes and explore its impact on the development of entrepreneurial mind-sets amongst undergraduate students. The findings are based on results of 137 surveys from graduates from across ten programmes in the Schools of Business and Humanities, Engineering and Applied Science and Nursing at Dundalk Institute of Technology, Ireland. The findings indicate that an entrepreneurship programme specifically designed for non-business students has had an overwhelming positive impact on their entrepreneurial attitudes and intentions. In particular, they have an increased entrepreneurial awareness and their level of confidence towards the consideration of starting a business as a viable career option has increased. The paper provides an innovative approach to entrepreneurship education and creates a framework for other third level institutions to develop similar initiatives to help lay the foundations for entrepreneurship to be the norm, and as such will also be of interest to researchers in this space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]