Book•
Vocational Education: Purposes, Traditions and Prospects
02 Jul 2011-
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss what constitutes vocational education as well as its key purposes, objects, formation and practices, and argue that the provision of vocational education needs to realise important personal and social goals.
Abstract: This book discusses what constitutes vocational education as well as its key purposes, objects, formation and practices. In short, it seeks to outline and elaborate the nature of the project of vocational education. It addresses a significant gap in the available literature by providing a single text that elaborates the scope and diversity of the sector, its key objectives (i.e. vocations and occupations), its formation and development as an education sector, and the scope of its purposes and considerations in the curriculum. The volume achieves these objectives by discussing and defining the concept of vocational education as being that form of education that seeks to advise individuals about, prepare them for, and further develop their capacities to perform the kinds of occupations that societies require and individuals need to participate in-and through which they often come to define themselves. In particular, it discusses the distinctions between occupations as a largely social fact and vocations as being a socially shaped outcome assented to by individuals. As people identify closely with the kinds of occupations they engage in, the standing of, and the effectiveness of vocational education is central to individuals' well-being, competence and progress. Ultimately, this book argues that the provision of vocational education needs to realise important personal and social goals.
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TL;DR: The standing of vocational education is salient for how it is perceived by those who sponsor, participate in and work within it and how its provisions are supported and administered as mentioned in this paper. Yet, this standing continues to be intractably low, compared with other education sectors, more so in some countries than others.
Abstract: The standing of vocational education is salient for how it is perceived by those who sponsor, participate in and work within it and how its provisions are supported and administered. Yet, this standing continues to be intractably low, compared with other education sectors, more so in some countries than others. The consequences for this low standing can be profound. Serially, moreover, it has been the voices and sentiments of powerful others (e.g. aristocrats, theocrats, bureaucrats and academics) that have long been privileged in discourses about the standing of occupations and their preparation. In perhaps most instances, this privileging has and continues to come at a cost to the standing, processes of and goals for this important educational sector. Indeed, the legacies of earlier sentiments about and conceptions of different kinds of occupations and their preparation are now deeply embedded in societal discourses and variously sustain and constrain the standing of vocational education. At its stronge...
123 citations
TL;DR: Learning in the circumstances of practice stands as the commonest and most enduring way occupational capacities have been learnt across human history, and, likely, are currently learnt as discussed by the authors. Yet, a comp...
Abstract: Learning in the circumstances of practice stands as the commonest and most enduring way occupational capacities have been learnt across human history, and, likely, are currently learnt. Yet, a comp...
74 citations
Book•
15 Jul 2015TL;DR: In this paper, the authors consider and discuss how higher education students' experiences in practice settings can be most effectively provided and utilised in assisting students realise the intended outcomes of courses aiming to prepare them for particular occupations upon graduation.
Abstract: In its various forms and across its different sectors (i.e. primary, secondary, tertiary), the project of education is essentially about the provision of experiences from which students are intended to learn particular kinds of outcomes (i.e. knowledge). These outcomes can be focused on specific content, or on processes aiming to achieve changes in students participating in them. That is, an intentional process of providing experiences to secure particular outcomes. Therefore, alignments amongst the provision of experiences, intended learning outcomes and students’ engagement in learning are central to the educational project. It is this central education issue that is the broad focus of this book. More specifically, it considers and discusses how higher education students’ experiences in practice settings (e.g. workplaces) can be most effectively provided and utilised in assisting students realise the intended outcomes of courses aiming to prepare them for particular occupations upon graduation. That is, how the combination of experiences provided for and engaged in by these students can best develop the kinds of capacities that will permit them to be competent in their preferred occupations upon graduation and establish bases for long and successful careers. This educational goal has become important for higher education institutions and programs as, increasingly, their educational processes and expected student outcomes are now increasingly being aligned with meeting the requirements of: (i) occupational practices, (ii) how successfully graduates are able to find employment in those occupations, and (iii) moving smoothly to practise those occupations.
64 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyze vocational teachers' participation in a Swedish national initiative that targets vocational teachers's continuing professional development (CPD) within their vocational subjects, focusing on the socio-cultural theory of identity formation, with a focus on the boundary crossing between different communities of practice.
Abstract: This study concerns the continuing professional development (CPD) of vocational teachers. As a starting point, vocational teaching as a profession is based on a type of dual professionalism. Thus, the conditions of vocational teachers’ competence in their teaching subject differ from those of other groups of teachers. In this article, we analyse vocational teachers’ participation in a Swedish national initiative that targets vocational teachers’ CPD within their vocational subjects. Because of changes in working life and demands to strengthen the quality of Swedish vocational education, vocational teachers are expected to be well qualified and up-to-date in the vocation they teach. Swedish vocational teachers normally spend most of their time teaching in schools, and the means through which vocational teachers meet the demands of contemporary vocational competence differ. The national initiative provides vocational teachers opportunities to participate in the vocational, work-life community of practice of their subject for at least 2 weeks. This study aims to explore vocational teachers’ participation in this CPD programme. The analysis is based on registry data on participation in the initiative. Our theoretical foundation is the socio-cultural theory of identity formation, with a focus on the boundary crossing between different communities of practice, and a theory of adults’ participation in education. The findings show differences in participation according to age, vocational area, and geographic location. The results indicate that participation opportunities may be influenced by, for example, institutional factors and situational factors. This implication is discussed in relation to vocational teachers’ development of a professional identity and their teaching of the vocational subject.
52 citations
Cites background from "Vocational Education: Purposes, Tra..."
...2009), The purposes of vocational education, the required qualifications for vocational teachers, and the forms of teacher employment vary; furthermore, there is no single way to organise vocational education (e.g., Billett 2011)....
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...2009), and furthermore, vocational teachers work in various vocational education systems (e.g. Billett 2011)....
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...Because of different national educational policies and traditions, there are varying requirements for vocational teachers’ competence (e.g., Billett 2011; Grollmann 2008) and, accordingly, different requirements and models of vocational teachers’ CPD....
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...However, as mentioned above, the conditions that vocational teachers face are related to various national educational traditions and cultures (Billett 2011; Brockmann et al....
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TL;DR: In this paper, a curriculum research project aimed at investigating and improving the vocational relevance in Norwegian VET curricula is presented, where an important part of the project is to investigate epistemological perspectives on how vocational knowledge is constituted and developed, and consequences for the curriculum.
Abstract: This article addresses challenges regarding relevance in vocational education and training (VET) curricula. Recent research on Norwegian VET shows that the educational content is not sufficiently related to the students' needs for qualification in the actual vocations. I will present a new curriculum research project aimed at investigating and improving the vocational relevance in Norwegian VET. An important part of the project is to investigate epistemological perspectives on how vocational knowledge is constituted and developed, and consequences for the curriculum. The article presents results from these epistemological investigations. I will argue that the relevance problem relates to a one-sided rationalist epistemology in which a main idea is that vocational knowledge consists of theoretical principles and procedures to be applied in practical situations. This idea influences educational traditions and structures, and leads to a separation between theoretical and practical subjects and learning arenas. From a pragmatic epistemological perspective, it can be argued that vocational knowledge is contextual and holistic, and consists of complex wholes of physicality, motor skills, intellectual understandings, values, and verbalized concepts. To ensure curriculum relevance, a curriculum is needed in which authentic practical work is the base, and subjects are integrated with students' practical work experience.
51 citations
Cites background from "Vocational Education: Purposes, Tra..."
...kind of separation and domination is seen in many VET models and curricula (Billett, 2011; Young, 2004)....
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...This kind of separation and domination is seen in many VET models and curricula (Billett, 2011; Young, 2004)....
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