Showing papers in "Journal of Vocational Education & Training in 2004"
TL;DR: In the Dutch Vocational Education and Training (VET) system, competence-based education is the leading paradigm for innovation, both at the system level and at the level of learning environments as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: In the Dutch Vocational Education and Training (VET) system, competence-based education is the leading paradigm for innovation, both at the system level and at the level of learning environments. This article provides an historical analysis of the development of competence-based education in various countries and explores the concept of competence and its popularity. Possible pitfalls with respect to the concept of competence, standardisation, school and workplace learning, determining learning activities, assessment of competencies, changing teacher roles/identity and competence-based management will be discussed. Taking these pitfalls into account, roads for future development will be sketched. A learning policy connecting governance, practice and research is believed to be the most fruitful way to develop flexible VET systems that are suited to the emerging knowledge-based economy.
286 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigate rigorously the link between sandwich placement and academic performance, two cohorts of bioscience students (n = 164) were described in terms of gender (male = 0, female = 1), pre-university qualifications (HESA score), academic performance (%) for each year of degree study (first, second, and final).
Abstract: The UK Government's recent emphasis on the graduate workforce raises the profile of work placements within higher education. Anecdotally, the authors find that students on their optional bioscience sandwich degrees benefit academically from placement experience but there is little supportive evidence of this in the literature. To investigate rigorously the link between sandwich placement and academic performance, two cohorts of bioscience students (n = 164) were described in terms of gender (male = 0, female = 1), pre-university qualifications (HESA score), academic performance (%) for each year of degree study (first, second, and final), and mode of study (non-placement = 0, placement = 1). Multiple regression analysis yielded the following predictive equation where all terms were significant: Final % = 28. 80 + 2. 97 (gender) + 0. 14 (HESA score) + 0. 44 (Second%) + 3. 82 (mode). On average, placement students gain an advantage of nearly 4% in their final year performance. Given that the final ...
102 citations
TL;DR: This paper argued that much of the confusion can be traced to both proponents and opponents of competence variously sharing highly questionable assumptions about learning that revolve around viewing it as a product, and identified five pervasive errors that stem from a failure to recognise this threefold distinction.
Abstract: The notion of competence has received sustained and ongoing critical attention. Despite this, many important matters remain unclear. This article argues that much of the confusion can be traced to both proponentsand opponents of competence variously sharing highly questionable assumptions about learning that revolve around viewing it as a product. An examination of various writings demonstrates the pervasive influence ofthese assumptions on both proponents and opponents. The result is ambiguity and equivocation as both camps run together items that are logically and conceptually distinct. It is argued that to advance these matters we need to distinguish clearly between three items – performance and its outcomes, the underpinning constituents of competence (capabilities, abilities, skills) and the education, training or development of people to be competent performers. This article identifies five pervasive errors that stem from a failure to recognise this threefold distinction. These distinctions...
100 citations
TL;DR: This paper explored student athletes' perceptions of the athletic career transition process and found that career path well planned, balancing Academics and athletics, and positive role model emerged from the participants' responses.
Abstract: The termination of a collegiate athletic career is inevitable for all student athletes. The purpose of this study was to explore student athletes' perceptions of the athletic career transition process. One-hundred-andforty- three (n= 143) National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II student athletes were administered the Life After Sports Scale (LASS) designed by the authors. The LASS is a 58-item mixed method inventory. The scope of this inquiry explored the qualitative section, which examined participants' perceptions that were visually primed with a narrative description of a student athlete who made the transition out of collegiate sport successfully. Three major themes emerged from the participants' responses: Career Path Well Planned, Balancing Academics and Athletics, and Positive Role Model. These themes are discussed in relation to the contextual approach used to explore human enactment in life and career.
57 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the conceptual terrain for new social partnerships in terms of their prospect of building communities through participation in vocational education and training (VET) is set out and some of the qualities and characteristics of new social partnership being enacted in VET are identified.
Abstract: Social partnerships that respond to and address local needs are becoming an increasingly significant feature of public policy, particularly in Europe and more recently Australia The trend is also being actively promoted through the development planning agencies such as the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, UNESCO and World Bank The common policy intent is to devolve decision-making to the local level where action consequences are more immediate and more readily realised than in more centralised forms of governance Working to secure mutuality of interests and reconciliation of conflicting interests among client groups then becomes the hallmark of mature service delivery This article sets out the conceptual terrain for ‘new’ social partnerships in terms of their prospect of building communities through participation in vocational education and training (VET) It initially identifies some of the qualities and characteristics of ‘new’ social partnerships being enacted in VET,
53 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a study of trainee further education (FE) teachers on a full-time, postgraduate certificate course in the Midlands was carried out to examine trainee experiences of their placement college and of the pedagogic relations in which they are placed.
Abstract: Further education has become pivotal to English educational policy with the sector being central to strategies that seek to raise educational standards and widen participation. This article derives from a study of trainee further education (FE) teachers on a full-time, postgraduate certificate course in the Midlands. It seeks to examine trainee experiences of their placement college and of the pedagogic relations in which they are placed. In particular, the article analyses trainees' initial orientation towards learning and teaching in the sector, and sets this against college experiences. Heuristically, trainees' understandings of care are located within and mediated by the pedagogic context in which they labour. Conceptualisations of emotional labour, performativity, and the relations between learner and teacher are central to understanding these orientations to care.
46 citations
TL;DR: In this article, an insight into the regulation and conduct of training and education in a globalised industry, and across an international labour market, is provided, focusing on the cargo shipping sector of the maritime industry.
Abstract: This article offers an insight into the regulation and conduct of training and education in a globalised industry, and across an international labour market. Focusing on the cargo shipping sector of the maritime industry, it considers the provision of training and education for modern merchant officers within the context of an international regulatory framework. The article is based on an international, year-long, small-scale study funded by the British Academy (Ref: LRG33549).
46 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the progress made in transforming the public further education and training college system in South Africa in the first decade of democracy is analysed and a series of remaining challenges for the sector is highlighted.
Abstract: This article analyses the progress made in transforming the public further education and training college system in South Africa in the first decade of democracy. It charts the evolution of policy for the sector and how it relates to broader policy development in South Africa. It examines the extent to which policy has been implemented and highlights a series of remaining challenges for the sector. The article concludes that much has been done in transforming the college sector, most notably through the creation of 50 non-racialised, multi-site colleges. However, it also notes that many of the reforms envisaged by the Department of Education remain only partially implemented. Most crucially, and inevitably, the sector continues to struggle with the challenge of developing skills in a context of extremely high youth unemployment.
33 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, an action research project was conducted by primary students during their final professional experience component, i.e. an internship, to connect what is learned at university and within school sites.
Abstract: The question of student teachers connecting what is learned at university and within school sites has always been considered problematic. At the University of New England (UNE), in New South Wales, Australia, this issue is addressed through an action research project undertaken by fourth year Bachelor of Education (BEd) primary students during their final professional experience component, i.e. an internship. This article sets out the theoretical framework for the project, which is grounded on previous work on the problems of knowledge production. Additionally, the articulation between the action research project and professional experience within the internship is discussed. Although this article reports on a project designed within the context of the Australian teacher education system, the concept may well be of interest to a much wider audience.
27 citations
TL;DR: In this article, teachers and coordinators of vocational education and training in schools (VETiS) programs in eight Australian secondary schools were interviewed to determine the extent to which their involvement in school-based VET was grounded in their contact with contemporary workplaces, to identify the nature of barriers secondary teachers may face in forming and maintaining such contact, and to assess the issues that impact on the development of secondary teachers' sense of identity in relation to VET.
Abstract: Thirteen teachers and coordinators of vocational education and training in schools (VETiS) programs in eight Australian secondary schools were interviewed to determine the extent to which their involvement in school-based vocational education and training (VET) was grounded in their contact with contemporary workplaces, to identify the nature of barriers secondary teachers may face in forming and maintaining such contact, and to assess the issues that impact on the development of secondary teachers' sense of identity in relation to vocational education and training. VET studies are becoming an increasingly popular option for secondary students; however, this research indicates that these changes have had only limited impact on the role of secondary teachers. VET in schools, in spite of increasing student enrolments, has remained a marginal operation in many secondary schools, all but ignored by the majority of teachers, while making considerable demands and offering minimal support to those involved.
27 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used focus group methods to investigate ISO 9000 implementation at nine career and technical centers in Pennsylvania and found that there are strengths of ISO 9000 in vocational education such as an improvement in leadership.
Abstract: ISO 9000 is a set of quality standards that assists an organization to identify, correct and prevent errors, and to promote continual improvement. Educational institutions worldwide are implementing ISO 9000 as they face increasing external pressure to maintain accountability for funding. Similar to other countries, in the United States vocational education providers are implementing ISO 9000. Although ISO has been successful in manufacturing and service industries, the application to education is relatively new and not without its problems. This study used focus group methods to investigate ISO 9000 implementation at nine career and technical centers in Pennsylvania. The findings indicated that there are strengths of ISO 9000 in vocational education such as an improvement in leadership. However, a number of weaknesses of ISO 9000 were also reported, e. g. the time-consuming implementation process. The findings are intended to assist career and technical educators during the implementation of ISO...
TL;DR: In this paper, a case study of learnership management in KwaZulu-Natal is presented, where the authors examine a series of pilot projects, implemented between 1997 and 2001, in order to understand how learnerships are managed.
Abstract: Since 1998, the ‘Learnership’ model of workplace training has been promoted in South Africa as a creative vehicle for addressing high unemployment rates and a serious skills shortage. This is achieved through fast-tracking the acquisition of skills and increasing a learner's chances of employment. However, because learnerships are a recent innovation, the body of applied knowledge is small. This article aims to contribute to what is known through examining a series of pilot projects, implemented between 1997 and 2001 in KwaZulu-Natal. A key finding concerns how learnerships are managed: the effective delivery of a learnership programme and of its outcomes requires the involvement of key stakeholders from the outset, role clarity and a carefully structured and monitored process of implementation. Using a case study approach, this article situates learnerships within the context of workplace training; explores four key lessons learnt and presents a proposed model of effective learnership management.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored the views and experiences of key stakeholders, including employer-bodies, training providers, employers and apprentices of Modern Apprenticeships (MAs) in retail.
Abstract: The findings reported in this article are based on qualitative research that explored the views and experiences of key stakeholders, including employer-bodies, training providers, employers and apprentices of Modern Apprenticeships (MAs) in retail. The study identifies fundamental barriers to the successful implementation of MAs in this sector. These are related to the culture of the sector, including the mobility of young workers, who frequently change jobs, and the preoccupation with serving the customer, which can restrict and fragment training and development opportunities. The stresses and strains of this working environment do not provide conditions that support the use of MAs. The paper explores some of the steps that could be taken in order to increase the demand for training and more generic skills among employers. However, it concludes that government initiatives such as MAs alone will not change employers' attitudes towards training.
TL;DR: In this paper, a critical review of policy and literature relating to vocational education and training (VET) in schools in Australia is presented, along with some of the benefits and challenges of VET in schools, both from a schooling perspective and from a national skills formation perspective.
Abstract: This article is a critical review of policy and literature relating to vocational education and training (VET) in schools in Australia. Over the past decade in Australia, VET in schools has grown considerably so that not only are nearly half of senior school students now involved, but also VET in schools represents around 10% of total VET activity. In both schools and the VET sector itself, VET in schools was originally marginalised and this article explores its movement from the margins towards the mainstream in both spheres. An overview of the growth of VET in schools in Australia, along with other vocational developments in schools, is given, along with discussion of some of the benefits and challenges of VET in schools, both from a schooling perspective and from a national skills formation perspective. The consequences of the move from margins to mainstream have not yet been fully digested and debate rarely moves beyond consideration of implications for the school sector. The article moves be...
TL;DR: Combining practice-based learning and appropriate formative assessment of generic and vocational endpoints offers the means of effecting changes in both learning behaviour and medical practice that meet the needs of today's patient.
Abstract: The training and education of doctors is a complex process. The traditional apprenticeship model of clinical medical education following a pre-clinical sciences curriculum had many strengths and produced a doctor who met the needs of several generations of patients. More recently, medical training has been criticised for not adapting to the more holistic needs of contemporary society, whilst the scientific literature has highlighted deficiencies in both the procedural and humanistic clinical skills of newly qualified doctors. External bodies have called for radical curriculum reforms and failure to deliver risks increasing political interference. Apprenticeship style training has largely been abandoned as insufficiently systematic in its methods and educational responses have focused on the process of learning. Modified curricula emphasise a humanistic and student-centred approach. Although implementation is widespread, there is little evidence that the finished product is better equipped to meet...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors focus on the interface between the formal learning associated with the curricula of school and college, and the personal knowledge and broader learning lives and identities of two young people as they move into and through their post-16 careers.
Abstract: This article focuses on the interface between the formal learning associated with the curricula of school and college, and the personal knowledge and broader learning lives and identities of two young people as they move into and through their post-16 careers. The interviews reveal the complex interaction between the formal curriculum, contingent social, economic and cultural influences and dispositions, and everyday learning, inside and outside of school and college. Whilst we appreciate the value and contribution of the formal curriculum, where young people find their own meanings and understandings, we maintain that all young people would profit from a curriculum in school and college that is catalytic, and more explicitly centred upon their knowledge conceptions, and their sense of themselves as learner and agent in all of the different dimensions of their lives. Such a curriculum would be empowering. It would challenge all young people to critique what is accepted as knowledge (its content, ...
TL;DR: In this paper, a household survey of 1001 adults in the west of England and South Wales was conducted to understand what learning activities ICTs are actually being used for throughout the adult population.
Abstract: Within the hyperbole surrounding information and communications technologies (ICTs) and lifelong learning, our understanding of what learning activities ICTs are actually being used for throughout the adult population remains under-developed. Based on a household survey of 1001 adults in the west of England and South Wales, this article considers who amongst the adult population is using ICTs and what they are using them for. Moreover, the article also takes time to consider who is not using ICTs for learning given the widespread claims made about ICTs' potential for social inclusion. The survey data show that within adults' use of computers and the Internet, education and learning are minority activities, most commonly taking the form of informal learning at home. Moreover, any educative use of ICTs appears to be patterned by a number of social factors. In particular, logistic regression analysis shows that whether or not an individual uses ICTs for educative purposes can be predicted (with 82% ...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present the findings from research conducted on a work-related learning program for disengaged and disaffected 14-16-year olds, focusing on a range of issues including the problems of securing transfer between workplace and school-based settings, and the importance of social and cultural capital in shaping the nature of participants' workplace-based experiences.
Abstract: This article presents the findings from research conducted on a work-related learning programme for disengaged and disaffected 14-16-yearolds. The article begins by examining work-related learning within the context of national policy developments in England. The findings from the research are analysed in relation to the capacity of workplace learning to impact upon the schooling of the participating young people. The analysis focuses upon a range of issues including the problems of securing transfer between workplace- and school-based settings, and the importance of social and cultural capital in shaping the nature of the participants' workplace-based experiences.
TL;DR: In this paper, an alternative human factors explanation for the profound difficulties and low transfer of training experienced during error pattern retraining, and the correction of habitual performance faults is proposed, and an experimental trial of this behaviour change methodology is presented.
Abstract: This study addresses an issue of global concern in skills training, namely, the rapid and permanent eradication of persistent habit errors, and bad or unsafe working practices. This article offers an alternative human factors explanation for the profound difficulties and low transfer of training experienced during error pattern retraining, and the correction of habitual performance faults. It describes Old Way New Way, a metacognitive strategy for achieving rapid and permanent error and technique correction and habit unlearning, and presents the results of an experimental trial of this behaviour change methodology. Vocational education students, representing a broad range of skill types, were recruited and randomised to one of two error correction modes, or to a control group. One Old Way New Way correction session with students yielded 80% or higher performance improvement that was maintained over three post-test periods. Students and teachers reacted positively to the Old Way New Way c. The high level of transfer of learning obtained is consistent with results in other settings. Implications for education, training, coaching and other performance enhancement settings are discussed.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: This article examined ways in which more explicit connections might be forged between students' experiences as humanities students and their experiences as part-time workers, by using Van Oers' (1998) framework for contextualisation.
Abstract: This article examines ways in which more explicit connections might be forged between students' experiences as humanities students, and their experiences as part-time workers. The purpose is to connect particularisations of meaning with the development of a coherent whole, by using Van Oers' (1998) framework for contextualisation. It is argued that the meaning that humanities students derive from their academic studies is provided through the specifics of the context in which it is learned, and the relationships that the student discerns between this particularised meaning and its coherence with a wider whole. Similarly, the meaning that is derived from experiences of part-time work is provided by the specifics of the workplace context and the relationships that the student discerns between workplace meanings, and the particularised meanings from other contexts. Data gathered in Griffith University's Workplace Learning Project are re-analysed here to indicate how these relationships can be built ...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors provide a critical evaluation of demand-led training in practice, focusing on the policy of workforce development and, in particular, on one workforce development pilot project.
Abstract: This article provides a critical evaluation of demand-led training in practice. It focuses on the policy of workforce development and, in particular, on one workforce development pilot project. At the heart of the pilot is the notion of a ‘learning broker’ whose role is to stimulate demand for training in companies with little history or tradition of employee development, whilst simultaneously ensuring value for public funding. The article explores the tensions inherent to this role, and examines the contextual factors that constrain and enable the effectiveness of the broker. The article also addresses the issues of ownership and commitment to training. Finally, we show how the cases highlight certain systemic problems within publicly funded training in the United Kingdom (UK).
TL;DR: This article investigated what the past tells us about adult literacy and numeracy policy, provision and practice in Australia, and found that the key national and some state policies which have informed program development in Australia will be outlined in order to highlight some policy shifts over the last decade.
Abstract: This article reports on some of the data gathered for an Australian research project which investigated ‘What does the past tell us about adult literacy and numeracy policy, provision and practice?’ First, the key national and some state policies which have informed program development in Australia will be outlined in order to highlight some policy shifts over the last decade. Secondly, transcripts of interviews with a sample of key policy makers and program coordinators at state and Commonwealth levels will be analysed to establish perspectives on how policies and programs have positioned adult literacy and numeracy in relation to lifelong learning and national socio-economic well-being.
TL;DR: In this paper, the development of Community Consortia for Education and Training (CCET) in Wales is reviewed and the role of such consortiums in the development a cohesive post-16 learning strategy is explored.
Abstract: This article reviews the development of Community Consortia for Education and Training (CCET) in Wales, and explores their role in the development of a cohesive post-16 learning strategy The article examines the development of the formation of one such consortium as a case study A range of challenges are identified for making effective progress These highlight the difficulties, as well as the successes for this key contemporary cross-sector educational partnership between schools, colleges, universities, businesses and voluntary organisations
TL;DR: In this paper, an assessment of the effectiveness of privately administered "structured on-site training" (SOST) programs funded by the California Employment Training Panel is presented. And the authors report on the characteristics of SOST programs that increased trainees' competitiveness in the internal and external labor markets.
Abstract: This article reports findings from an assessment of the effectiveness of privately administered ‘structured on-site training’ (SOST) programs funded by the California Employment Training Panel. It reports on the characteristics of SOST programs that increased trainees' competitiveness in the internal and external labor markets. In addition, it provides implications for on-the-job training (OJT) programs that are funded privately and offers additional implications unique to OJT funded with public dollars.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigate the issues emerging from the retraining programme implemented to ease the transition from mining to alternative forms of employment and question the veracity of the New Labour government's commitment to lifelong learning in practice.
Abstract: In the spring of 2004, the Selby Coalfield, the largest of the remaining coal mines in the United Kingdom (UK) will close and 2071 employees will lose their jobs. The impact of the closure will be severe in the surrounding area, and will present a challenge to local employment services and training agencies. It will also test the UK government's rhetoric on the importance of lifelong learning. The primary objective of this article is to investigate the issues emerging from the retraining programme implemented to ease the transition from mining to alternative forms of employment. It questions the veracity of the New Labour government's commitment to lifelong learning in practice. Our research suggests that the retraining programme to assist the Selby miners does not meet the expectations engendered by the UK government's rhetoric on lifelong learning and calls into question the New Labour government's commitment to lifelong learning in practice.
TL;DR: In this paper, a descriptive sample survey design plus a focus group interview was employed on an opportunity sample of 22 lecturers to identify strengths and weaknesses in lecturers' rationale construction by identifying (a) components of reasoning and (b) ideas used in rationales.
Abstract: Commonly, the task of constructing rationales is used in development programmes as a means of advancing Further Education College (FEC) lecturers' understanding of their practice. Often lecturers also teach this task as a part of student project work. Drawing on psychological research on argumentative reasoning the aim was to illuminate strengths and weaknesses in lecturers' rationale construction by identifying (a) components of reasoning and (b) ideas used in rationales. A descriptive sample survey design plus a focus group interview was employed on an opportunity sample of 22 FEC lecturers. They provided 89 pages of word-processed responses to nine questions. Content analyses indicated that participants used only two of Kuhn's (1991) five broad components of argumentative reasoning and educational literature was cited without commentary or evaluation. It is argued that course design needs to draw on ideas from at least three bodies of research: pedagogies for learning argumentative reasoning, ...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors identify influences on young males' decisions to withdraw from their studies in certificate courses at a Western Australia College of Technical and Further Education (TAFE), and their reasons for either dropping out of or persisting in entry-level business courses with the School of Management and Business.
Abstract: This purpose of this study was to identify influences on young males' decisions to withdraw from their studies in certificate courses at a Western Australia College of Technical and Further Education (TAFE). The research focused on males aged between 17 and 21 years, and their reasons for either dropping out of or persisting in entry-level business courses with the School of Management and Business. The case study design provided the opportunity to gain a holistic view of the participants' perspectives. Data were collected through focus group and in-depth semi-structured individual interviews, and analysed using open coding to identify overarching themes. Propositions that emerged from the themes provide a basis for further research on the relationships between a specific program's practices, and student development and success.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors assessed whether the use of an extreme opening statement is today an appropriate interpersonal skill and examined the impact of this strategy on young people acting as both management and union representatives.
Abstract: Training young people in work-related interpersonal skills can be difficult. For them adopting ritualistic tactics such as using an extreme opening statement in a negotiation is a very different approach to communicating than the cryptic and concise technique they use when, for example, they send a text message. This study assesses whether the use of an extreme opening statement is today an appropriate interpersonal skill. The study examined the impact of this strategy on young people acting as both management and union representatives. It was found both responded more generously when they received a more extreme opening statement than a more moderate one. This occurred no matter how reasonable the statement was seen to be. Males and females reacted similarly to an extreme statement. It was suggested it may be considered a sound negotiating strategy. The case study itself can be used in vocational courses that include interpersonal skill training components as a means of demonstrating the effecti...