MCAST Research picks up pace – its Research Journal goes biannual

For the first time ever, the MCAST Journal of Applied Research and Practice has gone biannual, with Volume 3, Issue 2 of 2019 being released this week.

An electronic copy of the new journal issue can be downloaded from https://moodle.mcast.edu.mt/course/view.ph p?id=3647 and a hard copy can be collected from the MCAST main library at the Kordin main campus.

This significant increase in applied research at MCAST follows a number of correlated initiatives, primarily the launching of a Research Framework in 2019 that allows all MCAST academics the possibility to take on research and the increasingly popular PostGraduate Certificate in Research Methods that is important CPD material for these academics.

The aim of the MCAST Journal of Applied Research and Practice is to serve as a platform for showcasing vocational and applied research that is carried out by the researchers and professionals working within MCAST and its collaborative partners. The nature of the research and innovative practice that is published is varied in nature to reflect the various aspects of vocational specialisation that MCAST focuses on. The journal, now published biannually, is aimed at researchers, academics and practitioners.

The editorial board for this edition consisted of Dr Ing. Alex Rizzo, Ing. Christian Camilleri, Dr Perit Jevon Vella, Doreen Micallef, Edwin Zammit, Dr Rose Falzon and Dr Ing. Robert Wielgat. This issue highlights several applied research studies carried out in 2019 by MCAST academics and their collaborating partners.

These research endeavours include: Remaining the Vocational Professional: A Grounded Theory Study of IVET Teachers’ Continuing Professional Development by Rachel Curmi; Mathematical Modelling of Heat Transfer Physics in Sea and Air Deployed PV Systems by Ing. Stephen Sammut and Dr Patrick Attard; A Study of the Effects of Facility and Service Provision on Physical Activity among students and staff at MCAST by Renzo Kerr Cumbo, Matthew Muscat Inglott and Dorianne Caruana Bonnici; Evaluating the Efficacy of Different Manures in the Cultivation of Aubergine and Green Pepper – A Case Study of the Maltese Islands by Kimberly Terribile, Malcolm Borg, Daniel Grech, Prof. Liberato Camilleri and Dr Ruben Sakrabani; The Impact of the Hairdressing Profession on Practising Hairdressers: A Gozitan Perspective by Amanda Bonnici; Achieving Sustainable Development Goals: The Role of the Accountancy Profession in Malta by Dorianne Tabone Saliba; The Case for Lead Internal Verification: An Intrinsic Element of

MCAST Quality Assurance Practices by Jacqueline Micallef Grimaud; Housing Affordability – A Local Perspective by Joan Ann Farrugia Galea; Autism Spectrum Disorder. How do Maltese care services respond? by Damian Spiteri and Jessica Borg and From Learning to Assessment, How to Utilize Blockchain Technologies in Gaming Environments to Secure Learning Outcomes and Test Results by Dr Michael Black, Dr Lloyd Donelan, Dr Trevor Higgins, Dr Nikolaus Dr Koenig, Brenton Lenzen, Dr Nick Muniz, Dr Kishan Patel, Dr Alexander Pfeiffer, Dr Aksel Taylan, Dr André Thomas and Dr Thomas Wernbacher.