Voices in and beyond speech

In upper secondary school vocational education in Sweden practices of reading is an integrated part of teaching in vocational subjects. This study aims to gain a deeper understanding of vocational reading literacy practices, and how reading literacy practices are recontextualised into upper secondary school contexts. Three subsequent research questions specify the study: What kinds of texts are used? How is reading done and talked about? What purposes for reading (why) emerge? Theoretically, the study draws from New Literacy Studies (Barton, 2007). Nine vocational teachers were interviewed regarding reading in childcare, technical, culinary, and industrial vocations. The informants were also observed when teaching in four student groups in three upper secondary schools. Analyses were made of text categories, genres (Rose & Martin, 2012), reading literacy events, text movability (Hallesson & Visén, 2018; Liberg et al., 2012), and reading types (cf. Rosenblatt, 1995). The results reveal a wide range of text categories, from general to specialised texts, specific practice-oriented reading events, reading types that differ depending on vocational context. A conclusion is that disciplinary reading practices in vocational contexts are complex and require critical readers. Therefore, further knowledge of reading in vocational education might contribute to the teaching of disciplinary reading literacy in upper secondary vocational education.

ABSTRACTThe question of whether the potential short-term advantages of vocational qualifications are offset by disadvantages in later life is an important issue for policy debates. This paper analyses how the choice of vocational or general upper-secondary education affects future prospects of participation in non-formal education (NFE). It presents a comparative analysis of European countries in different six types according to the skill specificity of the vocational education and training system, using the 2014 Labour Force Survey data. Our results confirm the trade-off between short- and long-term benefits of vocational education. In countries with higher specificity of vocational education, the difference in NFE participation between vocational and general upper-secondary education at the beginning of the work career is higher compared to countries where specificity is lower. However, the same difference also appears in countries where general upper-secondary education dominates. Unexpectedly, the differences between the two educational groups in training participation did not diminish over the life-course but increased for the 30–34 year olds. The results highlight that in countries where general upper-secondary education dominates (type 6) those with vocational education are more likely to participate in NFE than in countries where school-based systems exist (type 5). Abbreviations: NFE - non-formal education and training; VET - vocational education and training; ISCED - International Standard Classification of Education; EU LFS - the European Union Labour Force Survey

Vocational and business training to improve women's labour market outcomes in low‐ and middle‐income countries: a systematic review

Alþjóðlegar rannsóknir hafa sýnt fram á ólíka stöðu bóknáms- og starfsnámsbrauta í framhaldsskólum hvað varðar inntak náms, félagslega virðingu, réttlæti og tækifæri til framhaldsmenntunar. Þetta hefur einnig verið umræðuefni hér á landi í næstum heila öld. Markmið greinarinnar er að skoða hvernig ólík staða bóknámsog starfsnámsbrauta, með tilliti til virðingar, áherslu og forgangs, birtist í íslensku menntakerfi. Umfjöllunin er í þremur meginköflum: (1) Hlutverk og áhrif ytri stýringar – þá er sérstaklega vísað til menntastefnu stjórnvalda, til háskólastigsins og til atvinnulífsins; (2) Umgjörð framhaldsskóla og hvað kann að hafa áhrif á val nemenda; (3) Fyrirkomulag kennslu og mismunandi afstaða kennara. Leitast er við að varpa ljósi á þessa þætti með því að skoða annars vegar námskrár, skýrslur og önnur opinber gögn sem tengjast viðfangsefninu og hins vegar gögn úr rannsókninni Starfshættir í framhaldsskólum. Niðurstöðurnar ber allar að sama brunni: Ólík staða bóknáms- og starfsnáms er bæði kerfislæg og félagsleg og rætur hennar og tilvist er víða að finna. Birtingarmyndir ólíkrar stöðu komu fram í öllum meginköflunum. Stöðumun var að finna í viðhorfum í opinberri menntastefnu, í aðsókn og aðgengi að framhaldsskólanámi, kennsluháttum í framhaldsskólum og tækifærum að námi loknu. Mikilvægt er að skoða niðurstöðurnar í samhengi við jafnrétti til náms, tilgang menntunar og það hvernig ráðandi viðhorf lita stjórnsýslu menntamála, samfélagslega afstöðu og starfshætti í skólum, jafnvel þó að opinber stefnumótun einkennist af hinu gagnstæða og yfirlýst stefna sé að efla starfsnám

.

The purpose of this article is to describe and analyse the state of the art of research on special needs education (SNE) in the context of the Nordic countries’ vocational education and training (VET) systems during the period January 2010 to September 2018. Twenty studies remained after the search procedure and thematic analysis, 15 of which deal with the practice level and five with the organisation level. No studies were identified as belonging to the policy level. The following themes were found at the practice level: teachers’ work and role, teaching and learning, student transition and student dropout. Themes identified at the organisation level were changes to vocational policy documents and educational practices, and school organisation and its implementation. Finland dominates in terms of number of studies. Furthermore, the review shows that there were few studies in the area of SNE in VET. The results show that further studies are needed to acquire more knowledge about SNE in vocational education.

The purpose of this article is to describe and analyse the state of the art of research on special needs education (SNE) in the context of the Nordic countries’ vocational education and training (VET) systems during the period January 2010 to September 2018. Twenty studies remained after the search procedure and thematic analysis, 15 of which deal with the practice level and five with the organisation level. No studies were identified as belonging to the policy level. The following themes were found at the practice level: teachers’ work and role, teaching and learning, student transition and student dropout. Themes identified at the organisation level were changes to vocational policy documents and educational practices, and school organisation and its implementation. Finland dominates in terms of number of studies. Furthermore, the review shows that there were few studies in the area of SNE in VET. The results show that further studies are needed to acquire more knowledge about SNE in vocational education.

Upper secondary vocational education and training (VET) in Sweden has been subject to frequent educational policy reforms which have resulted in reduced numbers of students and student groups comprising many students with special education needs (SEN). These changes can be assumed to have resulted in increasing demands on VET teachers’ work with special needs education (SNE). The purpose of this study is to contribute knowledge about VET teachers’ conditions for, and work with, SNE in Swedish VET programmes. An analysis of interviews with 15 teachers from eight VET programmes revealed the following themes: 1) Framework factors in the learning environments affecting teaching and learning, 2) The schools’ organisation of special educational competence and the VET teachers’ application of special needs education, 3) Communicative teaching for increased knowledge of students’ strengths and needs, 4) Adaptations at individual and group level, 5) Integration of theory and practice, and 6) Reconsidering teaching approaches through follow-ups. The analysis, based on Skrtic’s theory, reveals a dichotomy in the VET teachers’ conditions for, and work with, SNE. In the schools, a bureaucratic approach is applied where overriding goals are attributed high value, while the VET teachers strive for an adhocratic approach where the teaching is based on their students’ needs. Based on Ainscow’s theory, the analysis shows that the VET teachers take an interactive learning environment-related approach, which means that, based on their understanding of the students’ difficulties, they develop adaptations to stimulate their students’ learning and development.

Objectives To investigate sexual behaviour and contraceptive use among first-year high school students in two Swedish cities in 2009, to compare male and female students, students in theoretical and vocational study programmes, and their sexual behaviour with that reported in 1979, 1989 and 1999.Methods In a cluster sample of 20 classes, students (N = 387), median age 16 years, completed a questionnaire consisting of 46 questions.Results More girls than boys had experienced petting (p ≤ 0.003) and had received oral sex (p ≤ 0.01). More boys than girls had masturbated (p ≤ 0.0001) and watched pornography (p ≤ 0.0001). The median age at first sexual intercourse was 15 years. Students in vocational programmes were more sexually experienced compared to their theoretical peers. The proportion of students having had sexual intercourse (p ≤ 0.0002), and contraceptive use at first (p ≤ 0.0001) and latest (p ≤ 0.0001) sexual intercourse increased from 1979 to 2009. Alcohol use at first intercourse decreased over the period (p ≤ 0.0001).Conclusions Girls were more sexually experienced than boys, as were students in vocational programmes compared to their theoretical peers; this should be considered when tailoring sex education and counselling. Over time, an increase in students having had sexual intercourse, and contraceptive use at first and latest sexual intercourse was found.

This article discusses the contemporary discourse of ‘quality’ in upper secondary vocational education in Sweden. The study is based on a selection of government policy texts that preceded the reform of upper secondary education in 2011. The purpose is to present how the concept of quality gets its meaning, and to discuss this from a perspective of competence, knowledge and qualification in order to renegotiate the concept of quality. Hence, the article also discusses how an extended quality concept could contribute to a changed view of Swedish upper secondary vocational education and training (VET) from an economic, individual and social point of view, in terms of both content and attractiveness.
 A widened approach to quality in VET could lead to a change in the view of, and the discussion about, VET as such. Our purpose is to emphasize the importance of a broader understanding of how quality in VET can be understood and offer a more nuanced and expanded understanding to the contemporary discourse of VET quality, and thus offer opportunities for a more attractive VET.

In Sweden, history has recently become a compulsory subject in upper secondary vocational education and training (VET). The aim of this interview study with teachers was to problematize the transition between the ideals of history education in the curriculum and the everyday practices of history teaching. It investigated how the teachers assess the objectives of the history curriculum and how they relate the curriculum to their knowledge and conceptions of their students. This study complicates the phenomenon of academic subjects in vocational education and provides an empirical example to centre a discussion of the challenges associated with a history curriculum that seeks to acknowledge different orientations of history teaching. The teachers articulated potential problems that stem from the students’ capabilities and motivation. The objectives of the disciplinary and critical orientation assume factual knowledge, which, according to the teachers, the students do not have. In the interviews, the teachers showed that they seek to transform the curriculum to allow them to teach more substantive knowledge. Continuing citizenship education for students in upper secondary VET through compulsory academic subjects, such as history, might contribute less than expected to the individual’s process of becoming a citizen.

The paper examines if upper secondary education acts as a filter in the private sector of the Greek labor market and tests both the «strong» version and the «weak» version of the screening hypothesis. The paper uses the method of Mincerian earnings function with an interaction term on years of education or training and experience in labor market. The data has been collected through primary research and include employees who are graduates of upper secondary, general and vocational education and lower secondary education (control group) and they are working in the private sector. Applying the method reveals that for the employees in the private sector (Total data) who are holders of an upper secondary education diploma (general and vocational) and lower secondary education diploma the criteria of the weak version are met. Particularly, per gender and in above educational cases, the results are statistically significant for females and show that is valid the weak version. As concerns the males, the results are not statistically significant. Keywords: Upper secondary education, general and vocational, human capital, screening hypothesis

In Upper secondary vocational education and training (VET) we note the presence of students with learning challenges, including reading and writing difficulties. However, both the learning and practice of a trade require the use of trade-related writing. One characteristic of those writings is their plurisemioticity which we can see as different semiotic resources at hand to do things and make meaning in the situation. The purpose of the present contribution is to describe the use of trade-related writing in upper secondary vocational training (VET) within a heterogeneous group of individuals in terms of their level of education upon entering the training program. Our results from analysis of data from a case study of a carpentry programme shows that learners use such writing with an affective attitude of openness and that they are inclined to use at the first place semiotic systems and mediums with which they are more familiar. Results raise as well issues of information literacy, particularly in terms of the quality of the information obtained by learners in digital medium.

Indonesia has prioritized upper secondary vocational education since 2006. This study examines the labour market outcomes of upper secondary vocational education in terms of decent work (DW), using Indonesian Family Life Survey data and a research framework that links DW into the broader labour economics of the school to work transition. We compare urban and rural workers with upper secondary vocational education to those with general education, using both simple regressions and propensity score matching. Workers with upper secondary vocational education do not earn higher wages or have better employment conditions than workers with general education. An exception is for workplace-provided training and pensions, where vocational graduates did better than general ones in 2014–15, a change from 2007; this effect was also much stronger in urban than in rural areas. Our findings raise questions about Indonesia’s policy of expanding upper secondary vocational education without also focusing on its quality.

This study explores industry–education collaboration on vocational education and training (VET) in upper secondary schools in Sweden and Norway, with particular attention to the initiatives, organisation and operational management, and aspects of robustness and lock-in effects. The case studies include two upper secondary schools situated in manufacturing based towns, which are similar in size and industrial structure, and have the dual system of education. Pupils come from these towns and other places in the surrounding region. The research design is based on a mixed-method approach, including interviews and other sources of information from schools and industry. This covered organisational and operational levels, corporate motives and arrangements, industrial composition, labour market conditions, and other regional and national characteristics. The results demonstrated how shared goals of improving the reputation and quality of VET and meeting industries’ needs for skills formed in two distinct organisational models. These findings raise concerns about the robustness of these collaborations, since how changes occur in companies’ economic situations may affect their ability and motivation to participate in VET training. The authors conclude that the arrangements have had success but may create a lock-in-situation regarding the companies’ ability to restructure and develop new skills for new sectors.