Practice-based holistic STEM teaching in VET

To provide high-quality education, teachers in vocational education are expected to keep their knowledge up to date. Vocational teachers’ knowledge includes both teaching knowledge and knowledge about the vocational practice teachers educate their students for. Research on teachers’ knowledge predominantly focuses on classroom practices in the context of primary and secondary education. There is significantly less research on vocational teachers’ knowledge and to the full extent of their teaching vocation within and beyond classroom practices. A study with repeated measures was conducted to explore what characterises vocational teachers’ knowledge. Over 3 years, 22 experienced vocational teachers annually constructed concept maps to articulate their knowledge. The content and nature of these concept maps were analysed using a framework developed in previous research. Results show that the nature of vocational teachers’ knowledge can be characterised as concrete, specific, and complex. The content of vocational teachers’ knowledge comprises knowledge about the process of teaching and coaching students, students’ vocational practice, organisational knowledge both inside and outside school boundaries, and knowledge about navigating between stakeholders and contexts. These results may inform professional development programmes and teacher education and stimulate an ongoing dialogue on professional standards in vocational education.

Introduction. Training, professional development and evaluation of professional competence of vocational education teachers is considered to be the basis of providing any national economy with qualified workers and specialists. It has been increasingly recognized that more attention needs to be paid to this area. The vocational training systems are currently undergoing significant changes worldwide and require new strategies for administrative decisions. The purpose of this article is to analyze and systematize the international experience of training, professional development and competence assessment of vocational education teachers with a focus on Germany, Finland, and China in order to take it into account in modern Russian education. Materials and Methods. The theoretical and methodological basis of the research includes theories of vocational training and vocational teacher education, theories focusing on the content of vocational and teacher education and professional development of teaching staff. The authors used the following research methods: reviewing and comparative analysis of scholarly literature, reports of state institutions, regulations, and websites of educational settings in Germany, Finland and China. Results. The authors have identified trends in the convergence of qualifications and positions of teachers of professional disciplines and industrial instructors. Significant differences in the qualifications and skills of teachers and instructors in the workplace have been identified. Among the forms of professional development for vocational teachers, the authors have highlighted in-service training and activities focused in teaching methods and curriculum development. It is emphasized that the development of teachers' competence is gradual and level-based, the set of skills being determined by vocational education positions, duties and responsibilities In the countries analyzed, internships and professional self-assessment play a particularly important role in the professional development of vocational school teachers. Conclusions. A comparative international analysis of training, professional development and competence assessment of vocational teachers has enabled the authors to determine the main vectors for updating the system of professional training and vocational teacher education in Russia.

The purpose of this study was to examine the situation and difficulties experienced by vocational training teachers in facilities before their retirement and to explore development plans. There was a purpose for research. The study participants were people who had experience working as vocational adaptation training teachers and 6 vocational training teachers who had currently retired were selected. The results were as follows. First at the perspective of the trainers, it was a workplace they chose with the goal of their own growth as professionals. Second, the trainees that the research participants met at the vocational adaptation training facility for the disabled were trainees who needed care rather than vocational training. Third, research participants complained of the burden of the user placement standard of 12 trainees per vocational training teacher and the difficulties of the reality of a shortage of vocational rehabilitation specialists. Fourth, operating standards that did not reflect on-site conditions, arduous work, and the resulting loss of direction as professionals appeared to be the process by which research participants retired. In conclusion, the current vocational adaptation training facility for the disabled serves as an institution that prepares employment through education and training for disabled people who had difficulty finding employment, but the actual users were so severely disabled that their focus was on care rather than employment. It appeared that only when the operating standards, operating system, and employee work requirements were improved will employees be able to maintain their jobs for a long period of time and operation suitable for the original purpose of operation will be possible.

Ms Kaylianne Aploon-Zokufa Kaylianne Aploon-Zokufa is a lecturer in the Institute for Post-School Studies (IPSS) in the Faculty of Education at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). She is a PhD candidate and her research topic is: ‘An investigation into how mature women ECD (early childhood development) practitioners access higher education through the BEd Foundation Phase programme’. Prof. Suzanne Bester Suzanne Bester is an associate professor and healthcare practitioner in educational psychology. She is employed by the University of Pretoria in the Department of Educational Psychology, where she has gained extensive experience in, amongst others, clinical supervision of students in educational psychology. Together with her students, she consults with children, adolescents, and their families in the treatment of diverse psychological challenges. She has a special interest in the assessment and diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorders in children. Dr Helen Brown Helen Brown is a PhD fellow in the IPSS in the Faculty of Education at the UWC. She is also a member of the Strategy and Research Division of the Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services Sector Education and Training Authority. Her PhD in education focused on artisan trade testing in the engineering technical and vocational education and training space (TVET). Her work in quality development of vocational education and training (VET) systems has been in the areas of large-scale competence diagnostics, professional development of TVET college lecturers, information and communications technology (ICT) teaching and learning platforms, and skills for the industrialisation of new product innovations. Dr Marcus Brändle Marcus Brändle is a member of the Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences at the University of Stuttgart. He has been working in the Department of Vocational Education with a focus on Teaching Technology (BPT) since 2018. His research interests include competency research for the interdisciplinary school subject, Science and Technology, as well as digitisation and digitisation-related competencies of teachers and student teachers in Germany and internationally. Ms Stefanie Holler Stefanie Holler is a research fellow in the Department of Vocational Education with a focus on Teaching Technology at the University of Stuttgart. Her research focus is professional development of TVET lecturers (with a particular focus on South Africa), digital teaching and learning, as well as language, literacy, and learning in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines. She has teaching experience in the engineering fields of study in Germany and, in research and development projects, has trained TVET lecturers in South Africa. Prof. Wayne Hugo Wayne Hugo is a member of the Department of Education and Development in the Faculty of Education at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He is dedicated to pursuing how education and learning function as mechanisms across various sectors of education (academic, technical, vocational, and occupational), different modalities (contact, hybrid, online), different scales (from neuron to international), and different types of learning mechanisms (artificial and natural). Dr Musa Mokoena Musa Mokoena is a member of the Department of Education and Development in the Faculty of Education at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and holds a PhD in education and development from this university. He has over 30 years’ experience in TVET in Eswatini and as a lecturer and later principal at two TVET colleges, the Swaziland College of Technology and the Vocational and Commercial Training Institute, Matsapa. Dr Ian Moll Ian Moll is a research fellow at the Centre for Researching Education and Labour (REAL) at the University of the Witwatersrand, having retired from the Division of Educational Technology at the university in 2021. With a PhD in cognitive science and education from the University of Geneva, his interests lie in theoretical psychology; knowledge, work and skill; the networked society; learning and pedagogy; and educational technology. Mr Mbofheni Abbie Mulaudzi Mbofheni Mulaudzi is a member of the Department of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Technology Education in the Faculty of Education at the University of the Free State. He is a teacher educator and an emerging researcher who is establishing himself as a leading voice in the field of electrical engineering education. He is known for his innovative approaches to technical teacher training and for his commitment to quality teaching and training. Dr Seamus Needham Seamus Needham is the Acting Director of the IPSS in the Faculty of Education at the UWC. He has been active in vocational education, policy and development for about 25 years. Ms Victoria NepembeVictoria Nepembe is a member of the Department of Secondary Education in the Faculty of Education at Rhodes University. She is a PhD scholar in the faculty and, has used her experience with digital technologies in TVET colleges to research technological pedagogical content knowledge among instructors. Her goal is to understand how the three areas of knowledge enforce effective integration of technology and teaching at vocational schools. Prof. Joy Papier Joy Papier is the National Research Foundation Chair: TVET at the IPSS in the Faculty of Education at the UWC. She has published on vocational and general teacher education in several academic journals, presented at conferences and on public panels, participates in national government task teams, and is an external examiner for numerous postgraduate dissertations in the field of TVET. She has been actively involved in TVET research, policy development, and capacity-building for over 25 years. Dr Benjamin Seleke Benjamin Seleke is a member of the Department of Sciences and Technology Education in the Faculty of Education at Walter Sisulu University. He is a prominent teacher educator specialising in technology education and TVET. Renowned for his work on problem-based learning and the infusion of indigenous knowledge, he advocates for an inclusive curriculum. He also champions continuous professional development and extends his expertise to those working in adult and community education. Dr Clement Simuja Clement Simuja is a senior lecturer in the Department of Secondary Education in the Faculty of Education at Rhodes University. He has spent a decade researching the integration of digital technology at schools and universities and in adult learning. His research involves the intricate interaction between content, pedagogy and technology in digital education, specifically concerning the obstacles encountered in technology-based education implementation. Dr Nixon Teis Nixon Teis is a teacher educator and researcher and the former Head of School of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Technology Education at the University of the Free State. His research interests are in teacher knowledge, with a discipline-specific focus on technical teacher knowledge, teacher professional development, and the impact of technological advancements on technical teacher knowledge and capacity. Prof. Bernd Zinn Bernd Zinn is a professor of vocational education with a focus on technology didactics at the Institute of Educational Science at the University of Stuttgart. His research focuses on teacher training, educational technologies, teaching and learning processes, competence development, as well as inclusion and dealing with heterogeneity in technical education and training.

Introduction. The features of vocational teacher education (the system of vocational teacher training), its understanding and management complexity, dynamics of modern changes, and needs of educational practice call for conceptual visualisation of its present-day state. The paper presents the authors’ vision of this phenomena based on the ideas of humanisation, continuity, and democratisation of vocational teacher training system. The authors put forward some principles developing these ideas and outline the conditions for their implementation.Aim. The current research aims to present the conceptual foundations of vocational teacher training in a systematic way, providing its complete explanation and facilitating its designing amid socio-economic and socio-pedagogical changes.Methodology and research methods. The research is conducted in the context of humanistic educational paradigm, which seems to be the most advantageous for achieving the goal set, based on systemic, activity-shaped personality, integrative, and managerial-and-technological approaches, as well as theoretical and methodological analysis of the scientific sources concerning the object under study.The research is based on the nearly 100-year experience of training teaching staff for educational organisations of vocational training, the results of pedagogical research on the training problems, analysis of the history and current state of Russian vocational teacher training and relevant foreign experience, the results of experiments on introducing state educational standards and designing the vocational teacher training content.Results and scientific novelty. The conceptual foundations of vocational teacher training are represented in the unity of three components. The first component represents the general methodology, which reveals its history (development stages), role and place in the social, economic and educational system of the country. The second component determines the development prospects of vocational teacher training, which include the following aspects: its purpose, consisting in creating and maintaining conditions necessary for effective and high-quality training of teachers for the system of professional education and vocational training; conditions necessary for the development of a personality capable of self-implementation in vocational education; objectives including the formation of a versatile, socially functional, and continuously developing personality, ready for effective vocational and professional training; the guiding ideas of humanisation, democratisation and continuity of vocational education and training, as well as the conceptual principles of humanitarisation, fundamentalisation, action orientation, self-organisation of educational activities, public administration, correspondence of the content of continuous vocational teacher training stages to the main stages of personality development, continuity of training curricula, diversity of educational institutions, and the deployment of an advanced vocational teacher training system. The third component outlines the expected state indicated by the necessary conditions for the implementation of conceptual principles of vocational teacher training and concerning the selection of teaching content, building the structure of the system of vocational teacher training system supported with relevant management tools.Practical significance. The information presented in the article can contribute to the development of vocational teacher training programmes; serve as a methodological basis when forming the topics of fundamental, applied research and development on vocational teacher training, as well as for the organisation and coordination of relevant research and the implementation of the practical results obtained. The research results can also be taken into account in adapting different approaches to this type of education and in defining further development policies. There are reasons to believe that such a view on vocational teacher training complements the experience gained by other authors, and in turn, can be developed in further research.

Aim/Purpose: The aim of this work is to explore which factors impact on the adoption of the flipped classroom in vocational education to pave the way for the schools which want to apply this model. Background: Although various experiences in the use of the flipped classroom have been reported in recent years in the literature, fewer efforts have been done on how to implement this model from a pedagogical standpoint. The factors that influence its adoption have not been studied in depth, at least not in a global way. These factors include the use of technology and teaching methodologies active in the classroom, the trend towards innovation of teachers and schools, and whether teachers have the necessary ICT training and infrastructures. Moreover, although the results of many experiences in Higher Education have been published, this is not so for other levels of education, such as vocational schools. Methodology: A quantitative research method was used by constructing a questionnaire. The questionnaire included open questions in order to obtain qualitative information, which enriched the results obtained. Descriptive and factor analysis was used to analyze data, within the framework of the project FlipIT!–Flipped Classroom in the European Vocational Education”, ERASMUS+ Strategic Partnership (2015-1-HU01-KA202-013555) funded by the European Union, with the participation of Hungary, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Czech Republic, and Spain. The research sample includes 625 teachers (434 from Spain, 121 from Hungary and 61 from the Czech Republic) from schools participating or somehow associated to the project. Contribution: An empirically validated framework of the factors influencing the adoption of the flipped classroom approach in schools was obtained. This framework can guide the curriculum design of flipped classroom model courses for vocational education teachers. Findings: Empirically validated factors for the adoption of the flipped classroom in technical schools are presented. In addition, descriptive analysis results from a sample of 625 vocational education teachers confirmed that the countries involved in the survey fulfill the factors needed for the adoption of the flipped classroom in vocational education schools. Another important result is that, according to the surveyed teachers, the flipped classroom is a strongly practice-oriented method very suitable for vocational education. Recommendations for Practitioners: The framework here presented can guide the curriculum design of flipped classroom model courses for vocational and technical education teachers and allow schools to know the factors to review and improve in order to use the model. Recommendation for Researchers: This study is a first step toward determining the factors needed for the adoption of the flipped classroom model in vocational and technical schools. More studies using alternative data sources and methods are needed to obtain a definite model to support this adoption since FC has proved to be a very successful model for motivating students. We hope these results pave the way for schools who want to adopt the FC model and for focusing teaching training on the competences that this work detected. Impact on Society: Recently, we are witnessing an important debate about the future of education at every level. Different innovative methodologies have emerged in a search for more motivating and effective ways to learn, as well as to develop in our students the so-called 21st-century skills such as critical thinking, communication and collaboration, creativity, and information, media and technology skills. The flipped classroom approach can help to improve vocational education by changing traditional classes and teaching students other important soft skills, such as teamwork and collaboration, reflection, digital skills, and self-study. Future Research: The model is currently being implemented in schools in Spain, Hungary, and the Czech Republic using the results obtained here under the framework of the European project “FlipIT!–Flipped Classroom in the European Vocational Education”, ERASMUS+ Strategic Partnership (2015-1-HU01-KA202-013555). After checking the criteria obtained in the framework for each of the participating schools, as a first step, an online course has been created using the competences obtained in this framework, both pedagogical and ICT. Once the course is completed, the teachers will carry out a pilot project to use the model. We hope the framework is useful to other researchers in order to implement the model in other countries and extend it with other criteria to obtain a validated international framework. This study is a first step toward determining the factors needed for the adoption of the flipped classroom model in technical schools. More studies using alternative data sources and methods are needed to obtain a definite model to support this adoption since FC has proved to be a very successful model for motivating students. We hope these results pave the way for schools who want to adopt the FC model and for focusing teacher training on competences.

The research analyzed the key issues of preparing future vocational education teachers for the economic recovery of Ukraine, particularly emphasizing the relevance and necessity of ensuring the economic component of their pedagogical training for the further development of entrepreneurial competence of students in vocational education, which will meet the state's needs during the post-war period in qualified specialists and workers. In the process of scientific research, a set of problems of preparing future vocational education teachers for professional activities in the context of post-war recovery of Ukraine was identified, particularly emphasizing the need for systematic updating of the content of pedagogical training taking into account the socio-economic factors that influence the labor market and determine the content of economic components of educational programs in vocational education. The research utilized methods such as analysis of scientific-pedagogical and socio-economic literature, periodicals, monographs; study of state standards, legislation in the field of education, qualification frameworks, concepts of competency-based approach, strategies for post-war recovery, etc., systematization of research results; interviews with specialists from the Ministry of Education, teachers in vocational education, educators and masters; pedagogical observations, and more. The author identified and justified the relevance of a number of key issues in preparing future teachers in preliminary higher and vocational education considering the economic component of pedagogical training, and also planned perspectives for further research on the readiness of future teachers to carry out their professional activities at the sufficient level, taking into account the modern requirements of the labor market for qualified specialists and workers, as well as the socio-economic factors in the country during the period of post-war recovery

Vocational teacher training is at the heart of vocational education. The search for modernization of vocational teacher training leads to the incorporation of entrepreneurship education into vocational teacher training. However, little attention has been given to the context analysis of entrepreneurship education in vocational teacher training. The research question is as follows: what is the context for entrepreneurship education in vocational teacher training? The aim of the research is to analyze the macro-level context of entrepreneurship education in vocational teacher training underpinning elaboration of a hypothesis on the promotion of the development of vocational teachers’ entrepreneurship key competence within vocational teacher training. The present research involves a process of analysing the meaning of the key concepts entrepreneurship , entrepreneurship education , experience , competence , context and macro-level context . Moreover, the study demonstrates how the key concepts are related to the idea of “vocational teacher training”. Explorative research was employed. Interpretive research paradigm was used. The empirical study involved a focus group of five vocational education’s stakeholders from different European countries on September 23, 2014 in Brussels, Belgium. The findings of the research allow drawing the conclusions on the macro-level context of entrepreneurship education in vocational teacher training. Directions of further research are proposed. KEYWORDS: entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship education, experience, context, macro-level context, vocational teacher training, entrepreneurship key competence. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/ 10.15181/atee.v2i0.939

The Problem and Countermeasure of Team Construction of Double-certificate Teachers in Vocational Colleges

This research aims to (1) study the problems with integrating Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education into teaching by vocational college teachers and (2) to determine the most appropriate method for applying STEM education to teaching by vocational college teachers. The sample for this study was 400 vocational college teachers affiliated with the Office of the Vocational Education Commission, Bangkok, chosen using the technique of simple random sampling. The research instruments included a questionnaire on the problems with integrating STEM education into teaching by vocational college teachers and the demands of such integration, with a reliability of .945. The statistical methods included mean, standard deviation, and content analyses of focus group discussions. The results showed that (1) the problems with integrating STEM education into teaching by vocational college teachers related to four aspects: content, operational skills, learning activities, and an application of practical knowledge at high levels and (2) the most appropriate method of applying STEM education to teaching by vocational college teachers should include encouraging teachers to incorporate lesson content of STEM education which allows the learners to think reasonably and logically, while improving their ability to seek knowledge and solve problems systematically. Teaching and learning activities should also focus on 21st century skills and how to integrate those skills into knowledge gained from STEM education so that it benefits society in practical ways.

Context: The context of the study is vocational teacher education and the participants are vocational student teachers. They are studying in a blended learning setting as part time students. They represent several disciplines of vocational education and training. The vocational teacher studies take one year and are 60 credits. The study relates to the discussion of vocational education and training (VET) and teachers’ competencies that they are transferring to their VET students by sharing the knowledge of their subject area and working practices. This study is an exploration of one of these working practices: making competence visible in a digital format.Approach: Student teachers’ descriptions of their practices and recommendations of supportive methods for composing an ePortfolio are reviewed and their motivation to compose an ePortfolio is studied as a part of the personal learning environment (PLE) philosophy.Findings: The data revealed some typical practices, such as composing an ePortfolio (the most popular ways of doing this were recording reflections in a learning diary and using digital tools to document artefacts) and making vocational teachers’ competence visible through an ePortfolio (understanding the difference between workspace and showcase portfolios and what kinds of competence to document). The recommendations mentioned by participants were supportive methods of composing an ePortfolio (collaborative learning processes with peers, lecturers’ feedback and assessment and clear instructions) as well as methods of making vocational teachers’ competence visible (e.g. orientation to ePortfolio work using learning objectives and assessment criteria for ePortfolios). Participating student teachers are/were motivated to work with ePortfolios in various ways and expressed an intrinsic motivation to pursue personal growth and become a vocational teacher.Conclusions: The study revealed vocational student teachers’ various perceptions of scaffolding and motivational orientations to make their competence visible through ePortfolios. These can be used to design scaffolding processes to support students’ ePortfolio activities. ePortfolios are used as a study method to promote student teachers’ career development and personal growth and to help them acquire teacher competencies. The study concludes with a review of the learning objectives and the assessment criteria for the ePortfolio process in a vocational teacher education program.

Advanced nations have focused a lot of attention and effort on establishing effective STEM educational practices and preparing students to enter the STEM workforce in recognition of the importance of the STEM workforce. Within the current educational paradigms, learning concepts like STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) continue to emerge. With its integrated approach that involves students in systematic inquiries that call for cross-disciplinary knowledge, STEM education is currently one of the most up-to-date subjects in line with 21st century learning. The purpose of this study was to investigate educational strategies for increased student enrollment at TVET colleges in Kenya. This research has used analysis of secondary data and review of several current literatures from different documents and articles. From the review, the researchers were able to conclude that that in order to increase the number of STEM students enrolled in TVET institutions in Kenya, these institutions should establish partnerships with relevant businesses to help them absorb the yearly production of new graduates into the labor market for internships and subsequent employment. In order to promote students’ enrollment in STEM programs at tertiary institutions, the government of the Republic of Kenya should also run mentorship programs through the ministry of education. From primary to secondary and finally tertiary levels, this should start.

The basis for this study is the integration of quality assessments of vocational education teachers training, the essence of which is revealed through the interdependence of the major spheres of public life, interpreted by us as the integration of education, science, and industry, aimed at the sustainable development of society and economic knowledge. Integration itself, is a relationship with a higher-order system - society, as well as sub-systems (education, science, and industry), which will also be subjects of study. Consistency in this study can be ensured by the consistency with the logic of the general systematic theory. This article attempts to resolve the educational problem of comprehensive assessments of the quality of vocational teachers training, including industrial and public assessment. The study aims at mainstreaming the accessibility of quality vocational teachers training, in the context of the satisfaction of all participants, by the result of professional and pedagogical education. Methods, used in the study, are the following: theoretical methods such as; comparison, explanation, induction and deduction, and empirical methods such as; observation, and measurement.

Educational development is inseparable from excellent teachers and cultivating outstanding vocational education teachers is the precondition for vocational education development. At present, the vocational education teachers’ status, whether seen from quality or from quantity, can not adapt to requirements of modern vocational education development, so intensifying and speeding up the efforts for cultivating vocational education teachers so as to guarantee the quantity and quality of vocational education teachers is the first question to be solved. Conducting research on early admission in colleges for cultivating vocational education teachers is to explore feasibility of early admission for vocational education teachers, making sure that better students are selected for cultivation through entrance examination so as to guarantee the quality of vocational education teachers as well as the healthy and orderly development of vocational education.KeywordsVocational Education TeachersCultivateEarly AdmissionEnrollment

The present study aimed to explore the reality of the obstacles facing the vocational education (VE) teachers in public primary schools in Jordan from the perspective of those teachers. The researcher selected a sample consisting from 100 vocational education teachers. Those teachers were selected from the public primary schools in Jordan. The researcher developed a two part questionnaire. The first part collects demographic data from the respondents (i.e. gender and years of experience). The second part sheds a light on the obstacles facing the vocational education teachers. The examined obstacles include the obstacles related to (infrastructure, tools & equipment, and the apparatus of occupational safety and health). It was found that the severity of the obstacles facing the vocational education teachers in public primary schools in Jordan is low from the perspective of those teachers. It was found that there isn’t any statistically significant difference between the respondents’ attitudes in this regard which can be attributed to (gender or years of experience). Several recommendations are proposed. For instance, the researcher recommends exerting effort by the Jordanian Ministry of Education to increase the level of occupational security and safety inside the workshops that are designated for the vocational education course. That can be done through providing these workshops with the necessary equipment that can raise the level of occupational security and safety. Keywords: obstacles, vocational education DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-8-11 Publication date: March 31 st 2020