The Vocational Education Study

Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) research has become a recognized and well-defined area of interdisciplinary research. This is the first handbook of its kind that specifically concentrates on research and research methods in TVET. The book’s sections focus on particular aspects of the field, starting with a presentation of the genesis of TVET research. They further feature research in relation to policy, planning and practice. Various areas of TVET research are covered, including on the vocational disciplines and on TVET systems. Case studies illustrate different approaches to TVET research, and the final section of the book presents research methods, including interview and observation methods, as well as of experimentation and development. This handbook provides a comprehensive coverage of TVET research in an international context, and, with special focus on research and research methods, it is a cutting-edge resource and reference.

The volume is devoted to the research of comparative vocational education and training, placing a special emphasis not only on theoretical development, but also on methodological approaches and on achieving excellent research outcomes by strictly concerning comparative studies in vocational education and training. This volume contains scientific contributions by renowned researchers of vocational education from all over the world.

This book introduces, rationalizes and describes some ways to circumvent the challenges of providing ‘hands-on’ learning when programmes with practice-based focuses have to be offered via distance learning. It presents a framework to help deconstruct the many aspects of ‘learning to become’ a professional or practitioner. Then, it demarcates the skills, knowledge and attributes towards ensuring learners are prepared for the exigencies of the future of work. The book details the types of pedagogical approaches, including project/inquiry/problem-based learning, which help assist learners to learn both the competencies and capabilities required. It introduces technology-enhanced learning (TEL) platforms and tools supporting ‘education 4.0’, and presents a series of contemporary research studies on the integration of TEL, which are augmented and updated to allow for the challenges of provisioning opportunities for ‘learning by doing’ through distance learning. Finally, the book proposes recommendations to help ensure that institutions are better prepared for the sustainable shift to distance learning.

Vocational Education in the Nordic Countries: Learning from Diversity is the second of two books that disseminates new and systematic knowledge on the strengths and weaknesses of the different models of vocational education and training (VET) in four Nordic countries. Vocational education in Europe has resisted standardisation to a higher degree than other fields of education, and during the last decade, there has been a growth in international, comparative VET research. While the Nordic countries provide an ideal case for comparative education studies, the literature in English on the Nordic VET systems is at present very limited. This book provides thorough examinations of VET in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland. Each section examines the current challenges for VET, compares how these challenges are managed, and explores recent reforms and institutional innovations. Contributors also analyse institutions and policies at the national level and include comparative studies of two occupations at the micro-level in the four countries. The book explores what can be learned from the diversity of the VET systems in the Nordic countries, which otherwise have many similarities and share a common heritage in education policy. This volume will help strengthen the knowledge base required for transnational policy learning, and for developing vocational education internationally for the future. As a result, the book will be of interest to researchers, academics and postgraduate students involved in the study of vocational education, educational studies and educational policy, as well as policy makers.

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.

A collection of the theories, practices, and policies of vocational education and training written by international experts The Wiley Handbook of Vocational Education and Training offers an in-depth guide to the theories, practices, and policies of vocational education and training (VET). With contributions from a panel of leading international scholars, the Handbook contains 27 authoritative essays from a wide range of disciplines. The contributors present an integrated analysis of the complex and dynamic field of VET. Drawing on the most recent research, thinking, and practice in the field, the book explores the key debates about the role of VET in the education and training systems of various nations. The Handbook reveals how expertise is developed in an age of considerable transformation in work processes, work organization, and occupational identities. The authors also examine many of the challenges of vocational education and training such as the impact of digital technologies on employment, the demand for (re)training in the context of extended working lives, the emergence of learning regions and skill ecosystems, and the professional development of vocational teachers and trainers. This important text: Offers an original view of VET’s role in both the initial and continuing development of expertise Examines the theories and concepts that underpin international perspectives and explores the differences about the purposes of VET Presents various models of learning used in VET, including apprenticeship, and their relationship with general education Explores how VET is shaped in different ways by the political economy of different countries Reviews how developments in digital technologies are changing VET practice Discusses the challenges for universities offering higher vocational education programs Draws on both recent research as well as historical accounts Written for students, researchers, and scholars in the fields of educational studies, human resource development, social policy, political economy, labor market economics, industrial relations, sociology, The Wiley Handbook of Vocational Education and Training offers an international perspective on the topic of VET.

An OECD study of vocational education and training designed to help countries make their systems more responsive to labour market needs. It expands the evidence base, identifies a set of policy options and develops tools to appraise VET policy initiatives.

Severe economic depression and the difficulty to acquire employment with adequate income have significant impact on a nation’s social welfare. The need to provide ample educational opportunities is more imperative than ever, particularly in emerging economies. Technical Education and Vocational Training in Developing Nations is a comprehensive reference source for the latest literature on optimizing the implementation of curriculum development and instructional design strategies for technical and vocational education. Featuring innovative coverage across a range of relevant topics, such as curriculum deficiency, teacher competencies, and accessible learning, this book is ideally designed for policy makers, academicians, researchers, advanced-level students, technology developers, and educators interested in the improvement of professional learning programs.

This book provides an overview of some fundamental topics of international Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), e.g. genesis of TVET research, fields of TVET research, curriculum development, TVET planning and developing, methods of TVET research etc. The International Handbook of Technical and Vocational Education and Training Research (Rauner/Maclean), published in 2009 by Springer, was the first handbook to provide a comprehensive coverage of TVET research in an international context and with a special focus on research and research methods. Building upon the great success of this handbook and replying to the great demand expressed by researchers, (postgraduate) students and decision makers in VET, this new book “Areas of Vocational Education Research” focuses on providing an easier accessible overview of the fundamental topics of international TVET research.