Vocational Education And Training Curricula Research Articles

Curriculum Making Across Sites of Activity in Upper Secondary School Vocational Education and Training: A Review of the Research in Sweden

Purpose: This paper presents a qualitative systematic review of Swedish research on vocational education and training (VET) at the upper secondary school level over the past 20 years. The review is based on a theoretical model on curriculum making as social practice that may serve as model for comparative studies between countries. By introducing the model, the ambition is to open for new perspectives on VET curriculum in policy and practice. Questions regarding key themes and the interplay of discourses and processes across multiple sites in the education system have not been addressed in previous systematic reviews of Swedish VET research. Methods: The methodological approach in the present paper is a qualitative systematic research review with an integrative and interpretative purpose and research design. The qualitative review is based on the conceptual model of curriculum making as social practice, seeking to capture the inherent complexity and porous boundaries of education systems and movements of ideas, discourses and actors between sites of activity. The model is used for mapping the research, and a content analysis for identifying main themes and emphases and exploring and discussing the potential gaps that may inform future international research studies. Findings: The results show that the research is focused on the micro and nano sites of curriculum making, with connections to macro site activities of national curriculum policy enactment. Research focusing on the macro site of activity has an emphasis on national policy and policymaking regarding the relationship between academic and vocational knowledge/programmes and apprenticeship and employability. In the micro and nano sites of activity – which comprise the majority of the research – the main themes are vocational knowing and identity, teaching, learning and assessment practices and work-based learning. Conclusion: An observation is the absence of principals and middle leaders as actors and informants in the studies. There is little evidence of actors moving between sites of activity and the meso site of activity only comprise a very small part of the research. In this respect, there is a potential gap to be explored, not least regarding how local curricula and syllabi are made and shaped in terms of the influence of representatives from local authorities, companies, trade unions, employer associations, universities and regional agencies. Curriculum making as social practice has the potential to be used for comparative international studies and as a framework that takes national differences in VET education systems into account.

Theoretical and practical exploration of work-based learning curriculum with a case study

This contribution reviews the development of vocational education and training (VET) curriculum development in the last two decades in China, which is categorised into three models: curriculum with theory and practice in parallel (TPP), curriculum with theory in the service of practice (TSP), and integrated curriculum between theory and practice (ITP). It describes briefly also a VET curriculum reform project that adopts a design-based research approach. The main objective of this project is to explore curriculum models that can more effectively promote the development of learners’ holistic professional competences. Result shows that the new work-based curriculum, especially ITP, plays a positive role in promoting the professional action competence of students. The new curriculum also has been welcomed by employers. Difficulties in implementation of new curriculum are teaching capability and work experience defect of teachers, and the lack of self-directed learning competence of some students. The key problem to be solved in the future is how to effectively identify the courses and learning contents through effective qualification research.

The competence-based VET curriculum and teaching of work values: the case of Lithuania

Purpose This paper aims to explore how the competence-based vocational education and training (VET) curricula facilitate shaping of work values of VET students. It discusses methodological and ideological orientations of competence-based VET in teaching work values and discloses the typical characteristics of teaching work values in the VET system of Lithuania. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative research approach leading to a survey method is adopted to investigate how VET students acquire and apply work-related values and attitudes to work. Findings The survey of the VET students has disclosed that students are open to accepting different values of work, including cognitive values, social prestige and altruist values. However, orientation of the VET curricula to and provision of instrumental values lead to relatively weak internalization of the work values related to societal and spiritual dimensions. Originality/value The paper provides empirical evidence regarding the implications of the competence-based curricula for teaching students work values in the school-based VET.

ПРИВЕДЕННЯ ПРОГРАМ НАВЧАННЯ ФАХІВЦІВ ЗІ ЗВАРЮВАННЯ У ВІДПОВІДНІСТЬ ДО ПРИНЦИПІВ ЕКОНОМІКИ ЗАМКНЕНОГО ЦИКЛУ

Vocational education is important for training competent specialists considering recent changes in the work processes and their related re-design due to the development of circular economy in the different sectors, especially in the industry. At the same time, the issue of the framework for the VET (vocational education and training) curricula for welders of different levels prepared to perform on a sustainable level remains extremely challenging. The aim of the article is to identify the ways to adjust the VET curricula to include the application of the principles of circular economy in the work process of welding. The article considers the main approaches to determining the components of the work process for welding and the specialists needed to perform it efficiently and sustainably. To achieve our goal, we used two different approaches, meaning the Daughnut model of social and planetary boundaries to establish the goal for the changes in the VET curricula, and the Work and Learning Station Analysis (WLSA) to create a roadmap of changes to the VET curricula. A structured seminar for target groups was organized, during which a survey of experienced workers, as well as teachers and trainers, was conducted. The survey included 8 areas of research, covering both the organization of the work process and the training curricula for welders and the necessary changes to it. A detailed analysis of the welding work process, as well as the necessary procedures for its implementation, allowed us to determine the basic skills and abilities that welders must have. This made it possible to determine the basic competencies that should be acquired by specialists in the process of vocational training. Six areas of competence were identified and the objectives of the curriculum for each of them were set. The analysis of the best practices of designing the welding wok process was carried out, the basic skills which are used by the welders are defined. It is established that the proper design of the work process requires the welders to perform efficiently and sustainably. It is determined that the use of the principles of the circular economy requires a significant adjustment to the VET curriculum for welders. The key factor in the successful implementation of the necessary changes was the legislative support.

Knowledge formation practices in the context of the VET curriculum reform in Lithuania

ABSTRACT In 2015, Lithuania entered a new stage of the vocational education and training (VET) curriculum reform with the introduction of the national competence-based qualifications standards and the modularisation of the VET curriculum on the basis of these standards. Competence in Lithuania is understood holistically as a ‘totality’ of knowledge, skills and attitudes. The statements of competencies in the standards mainly reflect work processes and it is the role of curriculum designers and vocational education and training teachers (VET teachers) to ‘uncover’ all domains of competency in learning outcomes, learning assignments and assessment criteria. In the Lithuanian context, the modularisation of VET programmes challenges integration of theory and practice within and between different modules and calls for more intensive cooperation of teachers in planning and implementing instruction. This paper aims to explore how knowledge representation has changed in the Lithuanian national and school VET curricula, how changes brought by the curriculum reform reflect in everyday work of VET teachers and, consequently, what challenges vocational teachers face in learners’ knowledge formation. The paper is based on content analysis of the national and school level curriculum documents and semi-structured interviews with VET teachers and administrative staff.

Development of pedagogical competencies of the vocational teachers in Italy and Lithuania: implications of competence-based VET curriculum reforms

PurposeThe present study aims to reveal common and diverging trends in the development of pedagogical competences of vocational education and training (VET) teachers and trainers in Italy and Lithuania.Design/methodology/approachA structured survey was administered to Italian and Lithuanian teachers. The collected data were analysed and compared.FindingsResults show that there are many common challenges and problems in the development of pedagogical competencies of the VET teachers in both countries; e.g.: the marginalisation of the VET teacher's work and working conditions, especially the dissatisfying wages and poor career opportunities, and the absent or weak institutionalisation of the VET teacher's qualifications and training.Originality/valueThe emerged results can be useful for directors of VET-centres and VET-schools to manage training and pedagogical growth of teachers both in Italy and in Lithuania. Moreover, the outputs can be considered as a set of suggestions also by the policymakers both at national and European level.

THE PLACE AND ROLE OF TRANSVERSAL KEY COMPETENCES IN VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING IN THE CONTEXT OF LIFE-LONG LEARNING

Vocational education and training (VET) plays a central role in the lifelong learning (LLL) continuum. In Europe Union and in Latvia, LLL is recognized and accepted as a tool that promotes human entrepreneurship, employability and resilience, active civic participation, social inclusion and personal self-development. The COVID-19 pandemic has seriously disrupted standard education and training activities, including VET across Europe. Young people entering the workforce at this time will find it harder to secure their first job. VET have to provide people with skills and competences for work which help them to cope with emergency situations and economic shocks and get or create jobs in demand on the labour market. Transversal key competences (TKC) is an essential part of VET. Professional and general competences reflect an individual's ability to work in a specific context, i.e. professional environment; at the same time they presume a set of abilities which we call transversal. The aim of this research is to analyze the process of implementation of four TKC (learning to learn, social and civic competences, initiative-taking and entrepreneurship, and cultural awareness and expression) in VET curriculum in Latvia. It is part of wider study of the National Centre for Education of Latvia and Erasmus + Srate­gic Partnership project Developing, assessing and validating transversal key competences in the formal initial and continuing vocational education and training (TRACK-VET), (2017–2020). The project produce detailed analysis of the systemic solutions, practices, and techniques in six EU countries regarding development and assessment of TKC.

Disruption of qualifications in manufacturing: challenges and prospects

PurposeThis paper aims to disclose the implications of the 4th Industrial Revolution for vocational and professional qualifications and their systems. It also seeks to enhance more active discussion of experts and researchers about the change of vocational and professional qualifications created by the advent of the 4th Industrial Revolution.Design/methodology/approachResearch is based on the case studies of the design and development of vocational and professional qualifications focused on the skills requirements of the 4th Industrial Revolution. There are analyzed and compared two cases of the international (EU) projects aiming to design and implement new qualifications in the metalworking industry and the case of introduction of additional qualifications in Germany. The main research methods include content analysis of the qualifications descriptors and vocational education and training (VET) curricula, a meta-analysis of the research on the implications of Industry 4.0 for VET.FindingsThe choices of the structure and contents of qualifications and VET curricula in the context of the 4th Industrial Revolution are defined by the specific state of technologies and work organizations in the enterprises, limitations of VET providers, individual skills needs of learners, national and sectoral policies in the field of qualifications and curricula. It requires compromises between the concept of solid qualifications based on the holistic orientation to work processes and the trends toward flexible curriculum; between the design of new qualifications and adjustment of the existing ones, as well as between the individualistic and collective approaches to qualifications.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is focused on the development of qualifications in the manufacturing sector (metalworking and engineering industry). The paper contributes to the theoretical discussions and research of qualifications, competence, VET and human resource development by suggesting a theoretical framework for the analysis of the development of qualifications in the context of the 4th Industrial Revolution, as well as by stressing the importance of holistic view to this development which should comprise both policies and practices of the design of qualifications, curriculum design, education and training and assessment of learning outcomes.Originality/valueThe paper provides insight into the implications of the 4th Industrial Revolution to the key processes of the national systems of qualifications by referring to the cases of current efforts to adjust qualifications in the metalworking sector and engineering industry. It also suggests possible scenarios for the future development of vocational and professional qualifications in the context of the 4th Industrial Revolution.

Income during the early career: Do institutional characteristics of training occupations matter?

This paper addresses the mechanisms leading to income differences during the early career, both between individuals and between occupations. It compares the level of standardization, vocational specificity, and vertical differentiation of vocational education and training (VET) programmes and examines how these differences affect VET diploma holders’ incomes in their early careers. We go beyond previous research by developing refined theoretical concepts of vocational specificity, standardization, and differentiation and by measuring them with novel curriculum-based data. Theoretically, the paper assumes that training programmes’ institutional characteristics determine income by influencing diploma holders’ productivity as well as the signalling power of the degree. We test our hypotheses by combining institutional data from VET curricula with individual-level data from the Swiss Labour Force Survey and by applying multilevel regression analyses. The results show that the institutional dimensions, in particular vocational specificity, are multifaceted and consist of several subdimensions, which impact young workers’ incomes to different degrees at various time points during their early careers.

The modularisation approach of work-based VET in Scotland

The issue of modularising vocational education and training (VET) systems has been the subject of heated debate in many European countries. In particular, in Scotland the use of modules within the curriculum has been seen as either restrictive or liberating depending upon the theoretical stance taken. At a more pragmatic level modularisation of VET has been regarded as one facet of a broader strategy to modernise training systems. Indeed, a strategy that has resulted in significant changes at the system level in VET, with a consequent impact at the institutional and practitioner levels. These discussions on modularisation have been on going in Scotland since the mid-1980s and are still of relevance today. However, rather interestingly this initial enthusiasm in Scotland for modular approaches has waned slightly and been replaced by a degree of scepticism. The work of Professor David Raffe and his colleagues at Edinburgh University has been instrumental in shaping the debate about modularisation. In particular, the conceptual contribution based upon the notion of ‘institutional and intrinsic logic’ and ‘institutional diversity’ has been very helpful. David acted as an advisor to our modularisation project with CEDEFOP and repeatedly reminded us of the need to collect data on implementation studies, with a particular comparative focus. This article will do just that, building upon a distinctive theoretical framework we will explore how modularisation has impacted on the work-based Scottish VET curriculum. Fortunately, we have substantial data on this based upon the example of a ‘mature’ VET system that has a long history of using modular based curriculum. Our findings will illustrate how modular structures can work towards both an expansive and restrictive notion of learning and assessment.

Craft Working and the “Hard Problem” of Vocational Education and Training

Analogies are drawn between the “hard problem” of philosophy of mind consisting in the attempts to reconcile mental and physical phenomena and the similarly long-standing intractability of a core problem in vocational education and training (VET) concerning the vocational/academic divide and the inferior status of vocational studies in systems of education. Previous reconciliation strategies in relation to upgrading vocationalism have included recommendations for VET curriculum and assessment reform, changes in the nature and organisation of apprenticeships, new forms of partnerships between employers and trainers, and suggestions for alternative philosophical perspectives on the nature of work, training and education. Staying mainly within this latter philosophical domain, it is suggested here that recent works on conceptions of craft and craftworking—particularly the links between intellectual, ethical and manual activity—offer valuable insights, which can inform the perennial debate on these issues. Reflections on the central problems in consciousness studies may also help to illuminate the reimagining of the traditional dualisms of theory and practice, thinking and doing, the intellectual and the practical which are at the heart of the vocational/academic divide.

Not just skills: what a focus on knowledge means for vocational education

This contribution to the symposium on Michael Young’s article ‘Overcoming the crisis in curriculum theory: a knowledge based approach’, supports his contention that curriculum theory has lost sight of its object—‘what is taught and learned in schools’, and argues that this has particularly deleterious consequences for vocational education and training (VET). VET is unproblematically positioned as applied, experiential and work-focused learning, and it is seen as a solution for those who are alienated from or unsuccessful in more traditional forms of academic education. This article argues that rather than being a mechanism for social inclusion, VET is instead a key way in which social inequality is mediated and reproduced because it excludes students from accessing the theoretical knowledge they need to participate in debates and controversies in society and in their occupational field of practice. It presents a social realist analysis to argue why VET students need access to theoretical knowledge, how a focus on experiential and applied learning constitutes a mechanism for social exclusion and what a ‘knowledge rich’ VET curriculum would look like.

A Mixed Method Approach Enabling the Triangulation Technique: Case Study in Vietnam

An exploratory study was conducted to investigate the perceptions of various key stakeholders about the current vocational education and training (VET) sector in Vietnam using three methods. The quantitative method adopted was a data gathering questionnaire aimed to measure students’ perceptions of the VET sector and identify factors that impact students’ intentions in enrolling and completing VET programs in Vietnam. The qualitative method was then used to explore other views about the VET sector from the students’ parents using the open-ended interviews. The third approach used a nominal group technique to investigate other key stakeholders’ perceptions of Vietnam’s VET sector. Through triangulation, the reliable findings of the research indicated that the “real” issue impacting the VET sector was the relationship between VET providers and industries. This should be considered and researched carefully in the design of a VET curriculum. In addition, this study revealed that a web of influences was created which impacted significantly in both positive and negative ways on the students’ perception of the VET sector.

Scaffolding Collaborative Reflective Writing in a VET Curriculum

Learning journal writing is an effective tool to foster the development of reflective capacity in the context of Vocational Education and Training (VET) if conceived as a collection of descriptions and reflections on real professional experiences. Reporting professional situations in a learning journal outside the workplace in turn fosters the connection between places of learning. Taking into account that collaborative writing with peer-feedback stimulates reflective writing and that comparisons between different professional experience boosts reflection, we conducted a study based on peer-to-peer commenting and revising on a reflective journal entry. Considering that this kind of reflection needs to be properly stimulated and scaffolded, we implemented a 3 × 2 study with three different levels of prompts (low-medium-high) for revision and commenting and two kinds of tool (paper-based vs. computer-based). We measured the improvement of the quality of reflection between the initial drafts and the final revised texts on the basis of the reflective grid by Bain et al. (2002). Results show the impact of scaffolding in medium and high scaffolded conditions, whose texts significantly outperformed the low-scaffolded ones in terms of reflection. Revisions and comments are mostly related to the Reporting and Relating dimensions. Moreover, the study confirms the impact of scaffolding on the number of comments produced by peers in the different conditions, but no mediating effect of comments on the text quality was found. The type of tool used has a significant role in determining the quantity of comments developed.

Authenticity is in the eye of the beholder: student and teacher perceptions of assessment authenticity

In vocational education and training (VET) in the Netherlands, learning and working are integrated from the start. Authentic assessments are used during competence‐based VET curricula to achieve correspondence between learning and working. The premise behind this study is that authenticity is subjective and that perceptions of assessment authenticity influence student learning for the assessments. It examines whether students and teachers differ in their perceptions of the authenticity of various assessment characteristics. Subsequently this study investigates whether freshman and senior students, who differ in their amount of practical experience, differ in their perceptions of assessment authenticity. The main findings were that teachers rated most assessment characteristics as more authentic than students did, while freshman and senior students did not differ in their perception of authenticity. Implications deal with communicating about and developing authentic assessment in the eyes of both students and teachers to stimulate students’ professional skills development during a VET curriculum

Dumbing It Down: Where do Standards Fit?

In Australia, Vocational Education and Training (VET) programs are delivered in a variety of settings. You can be enrolled within a course in a high school, at a technical institution, private training provider or at your place of employment. Recognition of prior learning, on the job training and industry partnerships are strong factors supporting the change of delivery. The curriculum content within these programs has also changed. For example within the Business Services programs, the prerequisite and corequisite skill of touch keyboarding to an Australian Standard has moved from a core requirement in the 1990’s to an elective requirement in the 2000’s. Where a base skill becomes an elective skill, how does this effect the performance and outcomes for the learner, educator, employer and society as a whole? This paper will explore these issues and investigate the current position of standards within the VET curriculum today.