Mohamad Hidir Mhd Salim

The fourth industrial revolution (4IR) has intensified policy concerns regarding the capacity of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) systems to support future workforce development. While national strategies increasingly emphasize skills development for industry 4.0, less attention has been paid to the governance mechanisms that shape policy coherence and implementation. This study examines skills governance within Malaysia’s TVET system, focusing on how policy alignment, quality assurance (QA), institutional coordination, and industry engagement influence workforce readiness for the 4IR. Adopting a qualitative approach, data were collected through focus group discussions (FGD) with key stakeholders from government agencies, industry, and TVET institutions, and analyzed thematically. The findings identify four key governance dimensions which are security procedures and policies in managing skills data, QA and standards, collaboration policy between institution and industry, and strengthens curriculum developments. Despite strong policy commitments, fragmented governance arrangements continue to constrain the effectiveness of skills development initiatives. By reframing skills development as a governance challenge, this study contributes to policy futures debates and offers insights for strengthening integrated and future-ready TVET governance frameworks in developing economies undergoing rapid socio technical transformation.

This quasi-experimental study examined the effectiveness of Augmented Reality (AR)-enhanced instruction on creativity development in Malaysian Design and Technology education. Forty-six, fifteen-year-old female students were assigned to AR-enhanced (n = 23) or traditional instruction (n = 23) groups for a four-week Mechatronic Design unit. Creativity was assessed using an adapted Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking-Figural (TTCT-F) instrument with expert validation and independent scoring by three raters. Bootstrapped ANCOVA (5000 iterations) controlling for pretest differences revealed significant improvements across all Guilford creativity components in the AR group: Elaboration (F = 27.093, p < 0.001, η² = 0.387), Originality (F = 20.445, p < 0.001, η² = 0.322), Fluency (F = 17.896, p < 0.001, η² = 0.294), and Flexibility (F = 7.593, p = 0.008, η² = 0.150). The differential effect pattern suggests AR operates through multiple mechanisms, primarily socio-constructivist collaborative scaffolding, followed by motivational enhancement and cognitive load reduction. These findings demonstrate AR’s substantial potential for creativity development in Design and Technology education, particularly for collaborative elaboration and generative ideation. However, single gender sampling, brief intervention duration, and quasi-experimental design limit generalizability, warranting future research with diverse populations and extended interventions.

The development of society has put forward higher requirements for K-12 talent cultivation. However, some situations are not optimistic, such as students’ low interest in mathematics, science and other disciplines, and the subject setting cannot match the needs of talent cultivation. Numerous studies confirmed that in the context of curriculum integration, further integration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) curriculum, learning methods and other aspects is needed, but there are still few summaries of the development direction and approaches of STEM in the context of STEM integration. This paper focuses on STEM integration, to clarify the development direction and approaches of STEM integration in the context of education reform, and then systematically summarize the development and existing problems of STEM integration education with a systematic literature review (SLR) method, 62 articles from 2013-2023 were finally selected from Web of Science (WoS). This study reveals the development of STEM curriculum, STEM pedagogy and models in STEM integration, attaches importance to the concept of interdisciplinary integration, advocates curriculum integration and improves students’ 21st century skills by integrating. In addition, there needs to be more research focusing on the internal impacts of learning outcomes, STEM literacy, and student STEM identity.

Background: Longer life expectancy makes physical exercise crucial for active aging. However, adherence to traditional exercise among community-dwelling older adults is generally low. Virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR) Tai Chi exergames, as novel health promotion tools, show significant potential, particularly for older adults exercising in a home setting. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the usability and feasibility of a VR and MR Tai Chi exergame for community-dwelling older adults, focusing on subjective experience, physiological comfort, and objective interaction performance. The study also explored the relationships between key usability factors and sought to quantify links between objective accuracy and subjective experience (the Game Experience Questionnaire or Virtual Reality Sickness Questionnaire [VRSQ]) to inform choices of display mode, feedback strength, and session length. Methods: Of the 86 community-dwelling older adults recruited for this study, data from 70 participants were considered valid after an initial screening, during which 16 (18.6%) were excluded due to issues with VR adaptation. Participants were sequentially assigned in a rotating order to 1 of 4 variants (VR/MR×soothing/intense) to balance exposure; however, primary analyses were preplanned to be collapsed across variants, focusing on whole-sample usability and feasibility rather than confirmatory between-group hypotheses. The primary outcome measures included the Game Experience Questionnaire, VRSQ, and objective gameplay logs. Results: The VR/MR Tai Chi game demonstrated good overall usability and acceptability among the screened participants. Subjective experience was highly positive, with median scores for “positive affect” (median 4.0) and “competence” (median 3.8) being significantly high, whereas the median for “Challenge” (median 1.4) was significantly low ( P <.001 for all). Physiological comfort in the postscreening sample was acceptable, with the most common mild symptoms being dizziness with eyes closed (20.0%) and vertigo (18.6%), both of low severity; however, the initial exclusion of 18.6% of participants due to VR discomfort is noteworthy. Therefore, generalizability is limited because the analyzed sample overrepresents older adults who tolerate immersive displays. Accuracy showed significant positive correlations with flow (ρ=0.342) and competence (ρ=0.322), whereas the VRSQ total score was significantly negatively correlated with positive affect (ρ=−0.334, P =.005). Conclusions: Tai Chi exergames based on immersive technologies offer a feasible and attractive pathway for promoting physical exercise among community-dwelling older adults, particularly within the home environment, supporting the goal of aging in place. As a single, laboratory-based session, the reported satisfaction may partly reflect a novelty effect; therefore, longer-term, home-based follow-ups are needed to assess durability. Analysis of the key usability factors provides guidance for specific design choices, while also indicating directions for future research, such as longitudinal evaluations, extension to more diverse populations, and application in real-world home settings.

This study examines the application of the Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) method as a digital image compression technique on the Yogyakarta Cosmological Axis object which is used as a digital learning medium in vocational education. The background of this study is based on the need for high-quality visual media with efficient file sizes for easy storage, transmission, and access through digital-based learning systems. The study uses an experimental quantitative approach with data in the form of high-resolution digital images processed through SVD-based compression stages. The research procedure includes image transformation into matrix form, matrix decomposition using SVD, selection of a number of dominant singular values (ranks), and reconstruction of the compressed image. The research data were analyzed using image quality evaluation parameters, namely Mean Squared Error (MSE), Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR), Structural Similarity Index (SSIM), and Compression Ratio (CR). The results show that an increase in the rank value is directly proportional to an increase in the quality of the reconstructed image, as indicated by a decrease in the MSE value and an increase in the PSNR and SSIM values. Conversely, a decrease in the rank value results in a higher compression rate but is followed by a degradation in the visual quality of the image. Experimental data also shows that most of the visual information of an image can be represented by a small number of principal singular values, thus allowing for significant file size reduction without losing the important visual structure of the image object. Visually, the compressed image at a medium rank value is still considered suitable for use as a learning medium because the main details, object contours, and visual characteristics of the Yogyakarta Cosmological Axis can still be recognized well. These findings prove that the SVD method is effective as a mathematical-based image compression technique to support the development of efficient, informative, and contextual digital learning media based on local wisdom in vocational education

The metaverse, powered by immersive technologies such as virtual, augmented, and mixed reality, has emerged as a promising tool to enhance online education by creating interactive and engaging learning environments. Despite its growing relevance, few bibliometric studies have systematically explored its development in education, which has left gaps in understanding research trends and priorities. This study conducted a bibliometric analysis of 838 publications from the Scopus database (2010–2025) using VOSviewer to examine publication trends, subject areas, influential countries, journals, and highly cited works. The results revealed a sharp increase in publications after 2020, with computer science and social sciences leading contributions, followed by engineering and medicine. The United States and China dominate outputs, while IEEE Access is the most productive journal. The five emerging research areas identified were applications and evaluation, immersive technologies, instructional design, secure platforms, and intelligent systems. This study offers valuable insights and guidance for researchers, educators, and policymakers to promote sustainable adoption of the metaverse in education.

BACKGROUND The extension of life expectancy has increasingly highlighted the importance of physical exercise in active aging. However, adherence to traditional exercise among community-dwelling older adults is generally low. Virtual Reality (VR) and Mixed Reality (MR) Tai Chi exergames, as novel health promotion tools, show significant potential, particularly for older adults exercising in a home setting. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to systematically evaluate the overall usability and feasibility of a VR/MR Tai Chi exergame designed for community-dwelling older adult users. It specifically focused on its potential to promote home-based physical activity, including subjective experience, physiological comfort, and objective interaction performance. The study also explored the relationships between key usability factors and user characteristics to provide empirical evidence for design optimization. METHODS Of the 86 community-dwelling older adults recruited for this study, data from 70 participants were considered valid after an initial screening in which 18.6% were excluded due to issues with VR adaptation. The study employed a between-groups design where participants were assigned to one of four conditions combining two display modes (VR vs. MR) and two feedback intensities (Soothing vs. Intense). Primary outcome measures included the Game Experience Questionnaire (GEQ), Virtual Reality Sickness Questionnaire (VRSQ), and objective game performance logs data. RESULTS The VR/MR Tai Chi game demonstrated good overall usability and acceptability among the screened community-dwelling older adult participants, suggesting its potential as a home-based exercise tool. Subjective experience was highly positive (mean Positive Affect M=3.74, mean Competence M=3.53; P<.001), with low perceived challenge (M=1.43) and high competence. Physiological comfort in the post-screening sample was acceptable, with common mild symptoms being dizziness with eyes closed (20.00%) and vertigo (18.57%), both of low severity; however, the initial exclusion of 18.6% of participants due to VR discomfort is noteworthy. Accuracy showed significant positive correlations with flow (ρ=0.342) and competence (ρ=0.322), while the VRSQ total score was significantly negatively correlated with positive affect (ρ= -0.334, P=.005). CONCLUSIONS Tai Chi exergames based on immersive technologies offer a feasible and attractive pathway for promoting physical exercise among community-dwelling older adults, particularly within the home environment, thereby supporting their ability to age in place. Analysis of the key usability factors provides guidance for specific design choices, while indicating directions for future research, such as longitudinal evaluations, extension to more diverse populations, and application in real-world home settings.