Context Of Vocational Education Research Articles

Psychometric Validation of a Teamwork Skills Scale in a Vocational Training Context

The ability to work in a team is currently one of the most demanded competencies of professionals and, therefore, constitutes one of the key transversal aspects to be targeted by educational systems. This is especially important at stages prior to job insertion. The aim of the present study was to validate a scale measuring perceptions of teamwork skills within a sample of students undertaking vocational training in the south of Spain. For this, both exploratory ( n = 879) and confirmatory ( n = 1,843) factor analyses were performed using the IBM SPSS® 26 and IBM Amos Graphics® 23.0 software packages. This permitted a scale to be developed which was formed of ten indicators of teamwork skills. These indicators were grouped into three dimensions, namely, teamwork behaviors, ratings the importance of teamwork and self-perceptions of teamwork capabilities. Adequate fit indices were obtained (KMO = 0.845; CFI = 0.984; NFI = 0.978; IFI = 0.984; RMSEA = 0.037; and SRMR = 0.044). Thus, a robust and reliable scale is presented that rates student perspectives of essential aspects of Vocational Training, such as teamwork skills.

Providing access to training – Enough to achieve gender equality? An analysis of public gender policies in Vocational Education and Training

ABSTRACT This paper proposes a critical assessment of equality policies from a theoretical standpoint. As an analytical proposal, this idea is exemplified within the educational context of Vocational Education and Training in Spain, specifically in the Region of Valencia. We have analysed Order 85/2016, insofar as it establishes mechanisms that seek to encourage access by women to professional fields which have been historically and culturally masculinised. Our analysis is based on two key questions: Does this policy succeed in increasing the number of women who undertake studies in masculinised professional fields? Is providing access to training sufficient to drive changes in gender relations? To approach these questions, we have reviewed the theoretical framework that gives rise to public policy and performed a comparative analysis of the number of enrolments registered since these mechanisms came into force. Our findings have led us to conclude that not only does this policy fail to fulfil its goal of encouraging women to enrol in certain studies, but its theoretical implications have paradoxically been found to heighten the gender divide.

Predicting supervisor and student competency ratings from a developmental assessment center: A longitudinal validation study

The current study examined the ability of a developmental assessment center to support and predict professional competency development in a vocational education context. A longitudinal study was conducted where graduate organizational psychology students (N = 157 students and 501 placements) completed a developmental assessment center at the beginning of their degree, along with measures of Big Five personality and self-efficacy. Their performance was then assessed throughout the degree in three or four separate work placements using student and placement supervisor ratings. Both assessment center and placement ratings assessed students on seven work-relevant competencies. Competence developed linearly over placements with student-rated competency lower than supervisor-rated competency at the first placement but with these differences disappearing by the final placement. Consistent with the students undergoing a period of rapid professional development and principles of dynamic validity, the predictive validity of assessment center performance declined over time. The research also presents a rich picture of how competency ratings converge across raters and develop at different rates. The research provides novel longitudinal evidence regarding how objective competence and self-confidence are developed in a professional educational setting. It also shows how developmental assessment centers can be implemented within professional educational training to support career development.

Суб’єктний контекст професійної підготовки майбутнього вчителя початкової школи

Суб’єктний контекст професійної підготовки майбутнього вчителя початкової школи

A quantitative analysis of the identification of personality traits in engineering students and their relation to academic performance

ABSTRACT This study focuses on identifying personality traits in engineering students and testing whether they are related to academic performance. In addition, the importance of the personality construct in the educational and vocational training context was studied. A sample of 235 students from the Construction Engineering and Computer Engineering Schools of the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso was used. Through correlation and econometrics analysis, the results obtained indicate that there is a relation between academic performance and the personality traits of extraversion, openness and conscientiousness. In addition, these results led to characterization of students based on their personality traits and provided elements that may enhance the development of an effective personality that allows students to successfully face their environment, playing an important role in the educational process.

Validating a model of strategic leadership practices for Malaysian vocational college educational leaders

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to conceptualize, validate and confirm a structural equation modeling (SEM) hypothesized model of strategic leadership practices of Malaysian vocational college educational leaders.Design/methodology/approachThe study used a quantitative survey approach. The data were collected from 500 educational leaders of 65 Malaysian vocational colleges throughout Malaysia using a five-point strategic leadership scale. The gender composition of the sample was almost equivalent. The study embarked on descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis and full-fledged SEM for the data analyses.FindingsThe findings revealed that the Malaysian vocational college educational leaders had high tendency and inclination of practicing strategic leadership at their workplace. Besides, there was also evidence that the educational leaders of the Malaysian vocational college exhibited high levels or degree of strategic leadership practices. The responses to the survey items were consistent with seven distinct practices of strategic leadership such as strategic orientation, strategic alignment, strategic intervention, restlessness, absorptive capacity, adaptive capacity and leadership wisdom. The use of SEM procedures had confirmed that the hypothesized model of strategic leadership practices for Malaysian vocational college educational leaders was empirically valid and reliable.Practical implicationsThe findings highlighted the importance of planning and development of a specific-context training program for Malaysian vocational college educational leaders in strategic leadership. The training was considered fundamental in pursuit of effective leadership and positive institutional outcomes for such colleges in Malaysia.Originality/valueThe study had successfully formulated, tested and validated a model of strategic leadership practices for Malaysian vocational college educational leaders. The model was believed to be the first of its kind in the Malaysian vocational education context.

An Empirical Test of Three Instructional Scenarios for Hypervideo Use in a Vocational Education Lesson

Recent technological advances are rekindling educational interest in hypervideo (HV). HV provides a good opportunity for enhanced teaching and learning thanks to its affordances for interactivity (advanced navigation control, hyperlinking with supplementary materials, and communication options). This study investigated how these functionalities can be employed in a vocational education context by examining the design of three prototypical HV lesson scenarios (expository, individual learning, and collaborative learning) and comparing their effectiveness with that of a traditional lesson. Effects on motivation and knowledge acquisition were assessed. Results indicated that the HV lessons supported learning more effectively than traditional lessons. On a delayed posttest, all experimental conditions scored significantly higher than the control condition. The special benefits of HV use for expository instruction are singled out for discussion. This study provides an encouraging starting point for scholars who would like to investigate the functional integration of HV in educational practices.

Appropriation of foreign approaches for sustainable development and transformational changes in Vietnamese vocational education

PurposeVietnam’s 11th National Party Congress prioritised integration, modernisation and industrialisation as the new key orientations for Vietnam. It outlined Vietnam’s integration with the world, not only economically, but also in terms of the social, cultural, educational, scientific and technological areas that can support social and economic development and sustainability. Vocational education has been recognised as pivotal to the nation’s sustainable workforce development and transformational changes. The purpose of this paper is to analyse how foreign approaches and practices have been filtered and appropriated to bring about sustainable development and transformational changes for Vietnamese vocational education.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is derived from a study that involves documentary analysis, observation and semi-structured interviews with vocational learners and staff across three different vocational education and training (VET) sites in Vietnam. The overall study includes three vocational education providers and 22 participants altogether, but this paper involves observation and semi-structured interviews with eight participants, including one leader, two teachers and five students. It focusses on a Germany-funded vocational college in the northern central area of Vietnam that came under the management of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, and the local province where the college located.FindingsThe findings of the study show a critical need to develop a new “Vietnamese VET pedagogy” that filters international influences and flexibly and creatively combines them with the existing local pedagogy. To meet the local and global demands and bring transnational changes for Vietnamese vocational education, new VET pedagogies need to align with both Vietnamese historical and political situations, especially the emergent demands of the open market socialist economy and to capitalise on international influences – Confucian, French, Soviet and Western. Such a balance will ensure Vietnam makes use of both international forces and local strengths for sustainable development and transformational changes rather than passive dependence on foreign practices.Research limitations/implicationsThe research provides valuable insights into the appropriation of foreign practices and principles in Vietnamese vocational education. However, it focusses only on three vocational education sites in central Vietnam. Further studies with larger scale of participants and across a variety of vocational education settings including public and private institutions, community centres and family workshops will offer broader findings related to this important topic.Practical implicationsThe study suggests practical implications for institutions to deal with the challenges associated with the adaptation of international forces into the vocational education context in Vietnam. It outlines the transformational changes in pedagogical practices related to the increased requirement to move from the traditional didactic teaching to more self-directed learning, to meet the requirements of a modern vocational education system.Originality/valueThis study provides unique insights into the practices and challenges of filtering foreign VET practices and principles to bring about transformational changes in Vietnamese vocational education. It, therefore, responds to the paucity of literature in this area. In addition, it examines internationalisation in Vietnamese VET, an under-researched area in the field of internationalisation of education as most of the literature in this field concentrates on the higher education sector.

Vocational education–industry linkages: intensity of relationships and firms’ assessment

ABSTRACTTwenty years since educational reforms were implemented in Spain aiming at the modernisation of the vocational education system and at the improvement of its educational and developmental functions, relationships between education and industry have not been widely analysed. This study reviews the recent international literature on the topic and then looks at one advanced regional case within the school-based, Spanish vocational education context. Analysing data from a sample of 330 industrial firms from the Basque Country, binary logistic regression was applied in order to identify factors especially associated to the fact that SMEs have a greater or lower number of collaboration relations with vocational schools. We also examined the variables that have the greatest impact on whether firms assess vocational schools positively. Results indicate a strong association between intensity of relationships and positive assessment of vocational schools’ educational and developmental functions.

Challenges and contributions regarding integration of disciplines in the Vocational Education integrated to Upper Secondary Education at IFMS, Nova Andradina Campus

This study aimed to discuss and identify challenges and contributions from the comprehensive curricular proposal in the context of Upper Secondary Education integrated to Vocational Education in Farming, mainly concerning the integration of propaedeutic and technical disciplines, offered by the Federal Institute of Mato Grosso do Sul, Nova Andradina Campus. The research is relevant given that it is necessary to rethink the curriculum model implemented in the current context of Vocational Education, as well as the model to be implemented with the Brazilian Secondary School reform established by the Law 13.415, on February 16th, 2017. A set of methodological procedures has been used, comprehending a qualitative approach, descriptive and explanatory methods (VAN ZANTEN, 2004) with technical procedures of action research (THIOLLENT, 1997; 2011). Data has been analyzed taking into account some curricular studies, the transdisciplinary educational approach (NICOLESCU, 2000) and the complex thinking theory (MORIN, 2001; 2011). The study brought to light that the integration of disciplines may foster greater achievement by students, since the compliance to the process was predominantly positive. Students emphasized greater learning and motivation, especially in respect to the frequent group work activities. Regarding limitations, participants have indicated the importance of integrating all disciplines from the curriculum in order to avoid overload of assessment tasks and, possibly create a more favorable situation relating to time management. In addition, students have pointed their need to be fully aware of the content which will eventually enable them in their professional life.

Situated Learning in Acquisition of a Workplace Genre

For learners in vocational education, acquiring the specialized language of their field is important in facilitating the ability to communicate appropriately with colleagues and customers. Spoken and written discourse in a range of workplace settings has received some attention, but less attention has been given to discourse in vocational education contexts. This article concerns Builders’ Diaries; this is a key written text produced by trainee carpenters, both in an educational setting and once they move into the workplace as apprentices. Writing the Builders’ Diary gives trainees experience in producing a text important also to carpenters in the workplace. An analysis that focuses on language and meaning is used to investigate the purposes served by the Builders’ Diary in educational settings and the meanings expressed in it. Drawing on insights from Applied Linguistics, the analysis uses a small corpus of trainee diaries as well as interviews with qualified carpenters/tutors. It includes a comparison of writing done early on while the trainees are still in an educational setting, and towards the end of carpentry training, once the trainees have moved into the workplace. The study demonstrates the effectiveness of apprenticeship and situated learning in trainees’ acquisition of written workplace discourse.

Co-regulations of learning in small groups of chef apprentices: when do they appear and what influences them?

BackgroundThe debate around the regulation of learning has recently penetrated the domain of collaborative learning, introducing a social dimension to what was earlier seen, essentially, as a personal initiative. The present study aims at understanding the development of co-regulation episodes in the specific context of vocational education and training (VET), an under investigated domain.MethodsThis study involves 22 apprentice chefs who were asked to work in small groups on various learning activities related to their professional learning. Each group was videotaped while performing the activities; videos were then coded and analysed, through the nVivo software, on the basis of a coding scheme focussing on regulation and interaction. More specifically, we analysed the nature of the content discussed within the groups, the socio-regulatory processes and the types of interaction observed.ResultsResults showed that inquiries formulated as ‘how’ questions, efforts to give others explanations, as well as attempts to monitor the group’s work found in high-level content co-regulation episodes significantly more often than in the other types of episodes. None of the indicators of positive or negative socio-emotional interactions could be linked to the quality of group regulation, neither in terms of level of content nor with respected to the socio-regulatory processes engaged in.ConclusionsPossible explanations for the results are provided in line with the specificity of the context in which this study was run (initial VET). Implications for further research on these issues are discussed.

Impact of Different Levels of Epistemic Beliefs on Learning Processes and Outcomes in Vocational Education and Training

Epistemic beliefs are individuals’ beliefs about knowledge and knowing. Modelling them is currently based on two central assumptions. First, epistemic beliefs are conceptualized as a multi-level construct, i.e. they exist on a general, academic, domain-specific and/or topic-specific level. Second, research assumes that their more concrete levels predict learning processes and outcomes more strongly than their more general levels. However, studies directly investigating these assumptions are still missing. 975 prospective retailers, wholesalers, bank assistants, and industrial assistants reported their grades and learning motivation in accounting and marketing as well as their epistemic beliefs in an effort to prove both assumptions within the context of Vocational Education and Training. Second-order confirmatory factor analysis confirms the multi-level conceptualization of epistemic beliefs. The findings here indicate a superiority of domain- and topic-specific epistemic beliefs compared to general epistemic beliefs for predicting motivation and achievement in marketing and accounting. The study concludes that domainand topic-specific epistemic beliefs explain different facets of learning phenomena. In addition, further research should concentrate more on both the domain- and topic-specific levels.

Case studies as pedagogy for reading development within a vocational education context

Case studies often do not receive due recognition as a work-integrated learning (WIL) modality for reading development. This article focuses on the case study as a reading strategy to draw on world of work experience as a means of acculturation to professional knowledge and practice. The purpose of this research project was to determine whether case studies used at first and third year levels in a Marketing diploma achieved the desired objective of introducing students to workplace dynamics. The findings from student questionnaires revealed that although case studies seemed to be effective in merging the world of work with conceptual knowledge of the field of study, constructing meaning seemed to be illusive for many students due to ineffective reading strategies and lack of textual comprehension. For the lecturer, case studies were affordances for learning, but student feedback suggests that case studies might have been missed opportunities for engagement due to minimal interaction with the texts to elicit depth of understanding. This article foregrounds the need for lecturers to incorporate interactive reading strategies aligned with using case studies as a pedagogy for reading development to ensure that both students and lecturers share a common understanding of purpose, approach and intended learning experience.

What Would Humboldt Say: A Case of General Bildung in Vocational Education?

A classic philosopher in the Bildung tradition, Humboldt argued that general Bildung was the opposite of specialist training (vocational education). This has been a matter of contention and the aim here is to revisit the issue through an empirical case study. In the vocational education biography of craft master Wolfgang B. he speaks about aspects of his education that have much in common with Humboldt’s ideal of general Bildung but transposed into the context of vocational education and training (VET). The concept of vocationalism (Beruflichkeit) provides context to the present argument which is that the contrast Humboldt made is relevant but not in the sense of there being two categories of education (general and vocational) but rather two expressions of pedagogy: one expansive and one exclusive. Furthermore, there are two versions of general or expansive Bildung present in the case. The conclusions are that empirical studies of vocational Bildung expand on the concept of Bildung, increase our understanding of how VET contains affordances of Bildung and of the curriculum-patterns related to this.

‘I’m not like that, why treat me the same way?’ The impact of stereotyping international students on their learning, employability and connectedness with the workplace

A significant body of literature on international education examines the experiences of international students in the host country. There is however a critical lack of empirical work that investigates the dynamic and complex positioning of international students within the current education-migration nexus that prevails international education in countries such as Australia, Canada and the UK. This paper addresses an important but under-researched area of the education-migration landscape by examining how the stereotyping of students as mere ‘migration hunters’ may impact their study and work experiences. It draws on a four-year research project funded by the Australian Research Council that includes more than 150 interviews and fieldwork in the Australian vocational education context. Positioning theory is used as a conceptual framework to analyse how generalising international students as ‘mere migration hunters’ has led to the disconnectedness, vulnerability and marginalization of the group of international students participating in this research.

Perceptions of Nursing Students Face Their Trainee Supervisors (Case of the University Clinics of Lubumbashi)

Teaching aims to introduce the learner to the realities of social and professional life. In the context of vocational education, these learning activities are confined to two interacting poles, namely learning in a school situation (simulation) and that in a clinical situation, that is to say next to the patient. The general objective of this study was to raise the awareness of nursing supervisors to improve the quality of the supervision they offer to trainee students in their professional circles in order to overcome this challenge. We used a prospective, cross-sectional descriptive study conducted at the university clinics in Lubumbashi. The study found that 54% of the trainees were female, 46% male; 47.3% were between 21 and 25 years old and 24.3% between 31 and 35 years of age; The attitude of the Trainees towards the trainee supervisors was distrustful in 36% of the cases and Positive in 27%; Indifferent in 26% of cases. In relation to the quality of the supervision, 38% of the students found this to be of poor quality and 39% said that the quality was good. The supervision of students seems to be a real challenge for all the care management of an institution and for the educational institution that sent these trainees. The commitment of all is necessary to carry out this mission of supervision of internstudents.

EPortfolios: Enhancing Professional Learning of Vocational Educators

Vocational educators urgently need to keep learning throughout their careers. However, traditional professional development (PD), such as courses and workshops, yields limited transfer to the workplace as it does not align with how professionals naturally learn at work. The study discussed here reports on professional learning of vocational educators within one institute for technical vocational education in Western Canada. Seven instructors and five program chairs from five different programs were interviewed regarding professional learning in their departments, the extent to which this learning was enhanced through the implementation of an ePortfolio approach, and factors that contributed to or inhibited this learning. Our analysis shows that the ePortfolio approach increased some professional learning activities including goalsetting, documenting growth, discussions with peers, and reflection. Cross-case analysis illustrates that professional learning is embedded in professional practices and cannot be understood by examining individual factors separately from departmental environments. Based on our study, we can draw three conclusions: i) the interaction between the cultures in the original trade/profession and the vocational educational department is unique to the vocational education context and should be further explored, ii) the role of program chairs in vocational education is of crucial importance to instructor professional learning, and iii) our findings indicate that instructor professional learning practices are not static and can and should be improved. Further studies into and experiments with comprehensive approaches to supporting professional learning of vocational educators are necessary and long overdue.

A comparative thematic review of vocational leadership literature from the USA, Great Britain and Australia

Vocational education and its leadership is an important sphere of economic activity worldwide and is being impacted by several trends including: the increasing significance and centrality of skills development in today’s economies; economic trends associated with globalisation (internationalisation of education and emergence of global labour markets); and demographic trends resulting in ageing populations and workforces. Leadership in vocational education contexts is crucial to the economic success of this sector. The aim of this paper is to provide a comparative thematic review of the research and literature on leadership in vocational education between the USA, Great Britain and Australia posed by the research question, ‘What are the key leadership issues facing vocational education and training sectors in the USA, Great Britain and Australia?’ This study contributes to the research and literature by identifying key impact factors for vocational education leadership in these nations over the last 13 years. Results from the comparative review established the following three key issues: a concern over equity and diversity; the importance of change management; and leadership skills and their development. Although leadership competencies are the subject of some debate there appears to be a broad consensus that leaders are developed not only by formal courses, but more importantly by on-the-job experiential learning. The future development of leaders within vocational education is discussed in relation to the implications for policy and practice, and suggestions for future research are provided.

Using game mechanisms to foster GBL designers' cooperation and creativity

This paper focuses on ScenLRPG, a method, based on a graphic formalism, for designing game-based learning systems in a vocational training context. We detail in Section 2 the theoretical background for our hypotheses on three properties such a method should provide: 1) supporting the elicitation of the game mechanisms so as to boost learner's motivation; 2) enabling a team of designers to collectively build a game-based learning scenario; 3) improving designers' creativity. Section 3 presents the ScenLRPG method and the different types of tool we have developed using this method. Section 4 presents an evaluation study performed using a tangible version of the method, based on a board game. The aim of this study was to test whether the method effectively favours designer collaboration and creativity, but also to gather the pros and cons of a board game-based design tool versus a computer-based environment. The final section is devoted to an analysis of the obtained results.