YouTube as a site for vocational learning: instructional video types for interactive service work in retail

Abstract

ABSTRACT Online instructional videos have been presented as an efficient instructional method in workplace learning and vocational education and training (VET). Increasingly, public video-sharing sites like YouTube are used by firms, educators and learners to teach and learn about work practices, new work roles and skills. However, more knowledge is needed about what instructional videos exist and how they facilitate vocational learning. This article draws from online video research to explore vocational learning on YouTube for interactive service work. Focusing on connected service encounters in which transactions and customer service are intertwined through interaction with digital technologies, cashier work was used as the empirical case. With concepts from narrative and multimodal analysis, the theory of practice architectures was the framework for analysing 160 YouTube videos for cashier work. The article proposes a taxonomy of online instructional video types for VET and workplace learning comprising nine video types divided into two main categories: professional instructional videos and peer instructional videos (vlogs). It is found that transactions and customer service are instructed separately. Consequently, YouTube videos do not yet prepare learners for connected service encounters. Overall, the taxonomy can contribute to a more purposeful use of video in VET and workplace learning.