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There is a growing demand for advanced education from mature learners who seek postgraduate qualifications whilst maintaining career and family responsibilities, but recent research has identified concerns regarding their well-being. This study assesses students' emotional well-being and examines how well-being is associated with the way students learn and the grades they receive. In a survey of 206 part-time postgraduate students who worked for 30 or more hours a week, we assessed activated aspects of affective well-being (in the form of self-reported anxiety and enthusiasm), learning behaviour, and grades. We observed positive relationships between anxiety, enthusiasm, and learning behaviour and grades. Our results suggest that learning behaviour mediates the relationship between positively activated well-being (enthusiasm) and grades and that negatively activated emotional well-being (anxiety) moderates the effect of lifelong learning on grades. The implications for theory and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educators are responsible for developing generic graduate capabilities, but the theoretical justification for teaching techniques is infrequently articulated. This conceptual paper aims to provide theory-informed principles to guide teaching practice in developing future-focused generic capabilities. The paper describes future-focused generic capabilities and then considers how cognitive constructivist, transformational and social learning theories inform the development of these capabilities. From these theories, four principles (4Es) for teaching generic capabilities are identified: students need to 1) be Enthused to develop personally relevant generic capabilities, 2) have opportunities to Explore by intellectually and emotionally connecting learning to processes, topics and situations, 3) develop by purposefully Extending their capabilities within varied and progressively more complex contexts, and 4) be given opportunities to Exhibit their capabilities. We contend that the development of generic capabilities can be informed by this set of principles. By unearthing and researching them, educators can become more versatile, informed, and impactful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An accepted role of universities is to prepare students for their careers and lives. However, what should or could be taught and how, in order to better prepare students for their futures, is contested. In this study, we interviewed 18 New Zealand university teachers about their experiences of developing students' employability capabilities within university courses. By adopting activity theory as a theoretical framework, we identified an activity system that was experienced by university teachers and multiple contradictions within the activity system. Our study showed the uncertainties and disparities in views regarding the employability capabilities students need, the limited pedagogical tools for developing employability capabilities, and the role of organisational drivers in leveraging the delivery of disciplinary knowledge and the development of employability capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]