Enhancing critical thinking and media literacy in the context of IVET: a systematic scoping review

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Tommasi ◽  
Andrea Ceschi ◽  
Riccardo Sartori ◽  
Marija Gostimir ◽  
Giulia Passaia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Media Literacy ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Training Interventions ◽  
Educational Pathways ◽  
Combining Evidence ◽  
And Training

Purpose The alignment between the labour market and initial vocational education and training (IVET) is placing always more importance on technical knowledge and skills, whilst metacognitive competences such as critical thinking and media literacy are increasingly neglected. In the context of IVET, this results in authors and practitioners paying always more attention to how to devise possible training interventions, with the double aim of implementing their educational pathways and enhancing students’ critical thinking and media literacy. This paper aims to report the state of the art concerning such processes of enhancement in IVET students. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted the method of systematic scoping review to address the research questions on how to enhance critical thinking and media literacy in the context of IVET. Findings The paper presents the analyses of the n = 19 contributions collected. Then, it proposes an initial conceptualization of the dimensions of critical thinking and media literacy. Moreover, by combining evidence from various contributions, the review proposes implications for educational practices and strategies. Around these pieces of knowledge, further avenues of research and practice are proposed. Research limitations/implications This study contributes to the literature on critical thinking and media literacy in the context of IVET by advancing initial comprehensive conceptualizations of the two dimensions. Moreover, the study advances initial practical implications for teachers and trainers for the development of training interventions. Originality/value The originality of the present review rests in its proposal of definitions of critical thinking and media literacy; moreover, it widens the discussion of practices on how to enhance such metacognitive competences. Indeed, the study identifies the teaching and training practices meant to enhance critical thinking and media literacy and proposes applied implications in the context of IVET.

Competence-based analysis of needs in VET teachers and trainers: an Italian experience

2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riccardo Sartori ◽  
Giuseppe Tacconi ◽  
Beniamino Caputo
Keyword(s):  
Focus Groups ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Training Programs ◽  
Education And Training ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Italian Experience ◽  
And Training

Purpose – The aim of the research presented here was to detect, in line with the European Union’s “Education and Training 2020” work program, the training needs of teachers and trainers working in the vocational education and training (VET) system in the Italian Region of Veneto to design courses, experiences and other training programs tailored to meet the needs emerged. Design/methodology/approach – Four focus groups were including VET teachers and trainers were created, two before the construction and two after the online administration of an ad hoc questionnaire asking teachers and trainers to rate 67 competencies (43 for teachers, 24 for trainers) on the two dimensions of self-assessment (explicitly defined as the current level of mastery) and importance (explicitly defined as the expected level of mastery). Eight hundred twelve teachers and 166 trainers filled in the questionnaire which also asked them to give suggestions about the courses, experiences and other training programs to be designed. Findings – In questionnaires, teachers and trainers declare they are competent enough to do what they do (self-assessment always obtains higher ratings than importance, except in one competence for teachers), even if in focus groups they say they want to be trained. Accordingly, they express a clear preference for short or very short courses, tailored on their specific needs and for training experiences and programs which are alternative to classroom training. Practical implications – The research is a preliminary action to a European Social Fund project named “Training for trainers”, whose main aim is to give birth to courses, experiences and other training programs, specifically dedicated to VET teachers and trainers, to allow them to develop or refresh the competencies they feel they need for work. Besides, it allowed testing of the benefit of using mixed methods for a competence-based analysis of needs. Originality/value – Data will be used to design courses, experiences and other training programs that really meet the needs of VET teachers and trainers in Veneto to tackle those aspects they consider really important for work in a lifelong learning perspective.

Workplace learning for pre – service teachers’ practice and quality teaching and learning in technical vocational education and training: key to professional development

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Theresa Chinyere Ogbuanya ◽  
Taiwo Olabanji Shodipe
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Vocational Education ◽  
Workplace Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Education And Training ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
Quality Teaching ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Technical Vocational Education ◽  
And Training

Purpose With critical reviews of previous studies in workplace learning, this paper aims to investigate workplace learning for pre-service teachers’ practice and quality teaching and learning in technical vocational education and training: key to professional development. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted multistage sampling technique to select sample for the study. Empirical analysis was adopted to analyse the data collected from technical vocational education and training pre-service teachers. Findings The result of the study revealed that the constructs of social learning theory had a stronger linkage with the constructive teaching than traditional management. Originality/value This study emphasizes the need to adequately train pre-service teachers on instructional delivery processes, building strong relationship with learners and build the ability to organize and execute necessary actions required to successfully carry out a specific educational task in a particular context.

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

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Tacconi ◽  
Vidmantas Tūtlys ◽  
Marco Perini ◽  
Genute Gedvilienė
Keyword(s):  
Working Conditions ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
Vocational Teachers ◽  
European Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Career Opportunities ◽  
Curriculum Reforms ◽  
Pedagogical Growth ◽  
And Training

Purpose The 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/approach A structured survey was administered to Italian and Lithuanian teachers. The collected data were analysed and compared. Findings Results 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/value The 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.

Australian Government failure and the VET FEE-HELP loan programme

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 271-281
Author(s):  
Caillan John Fellows ◽  
Brian Dollery
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
Australian Government ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Government Failure ◽  
Policy Success ◽  
Big Picture ◽  
Training Quality ◽  
And Training ◽  
Shed Light

PurposeIn an effort to boost participation in vocational education and training (VET), in 2009, the Australian Government launched its VET FEE-HELP income-contingent loan programme for VET students. The programme was terminated in 2016 following numerous failed attempts to arrest its escalating costs and improve its performance. In an effort to shed light on the failure of the VET FEE-HELP programme, in this paper, the authors offer estimates of the aggregate costs involved and the quantum of graduates.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, the authors examined the VET FEE-HELP programme through the analytical lens offered by Marsh and McConnell’s (2010) framework, which offered a broad, “big-picture” view covering three dimensions of policy success or failure.FindingsBy identifying the causes of the failure, the authors concluded that the features of the scheme designed to improve accessibility of VET also allowed for exploitative behaviour on the part of VET providers, causing deterioration in training quality and leading to a substantial amount of wasteful public expenditure.Originality/valueThe authors seek to illuminate the demise of the hitherto neglected programme to contribute towards the literature on Australian Government failure.

Learning from errors in dual vocational education: video-enhanced instructional strategies

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 357-373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto A.P. Cattaneo ◽  
Elena Boldrini
Keyword(s):  
Error Analysis ◽  
Vocational Education ◽  
Instructional Strategies ◽  
Procedural Knowledge ◽  
Education And Training ◽  
Procedural Learning ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
Learning From Errors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
And Training

Purpose Starting from the identification of some theoretically driven instructional principles, this paper presents a set of empirical cases based on strategies to learn from errors. The purpose of this paper is to provide first evidence about the feasibility and the effectiveness for learning of video-enhanced error-based strategies in vocational education and training. Design/methodology/approach Four different cases are presented. All of them share the same design-based research perspective, in which teachers and researchers co-designed an (iterative) intervention in the field. Two cases are preliminary investigations, while the other two profit from a quasi-experimental design with at least one experimental condition based on error treatment and a control group. Findings The four cases show the effectiveness of learning from error (and from error analysis). More specifically, they show the validity and flexible adoption of the specific instructional principles derived from the literature review: the use of inductive strategies and in particular, of worked-out examples; the reference to a concrete, possibly personal, experience for the analysis task; the use of prompted writing to elicit self-explanations and reflection; and the use of video for recording and annotating the situation to be analysed. Research limitations/implications The four cases constitute only a starting point for further research into the use of errors for procedural learning. Moreover, the cases presented are focused on learning in the domain of procedural knowledge and not in that of declarative knowledge. Further studies in the vocational education and training sector might serve this research area. Practical implications The paper provides concrete indications and directions to implement effective instructional strategies for procedural learning from errors, especially within vocational education. Social implications Errors are often identified with and attributed to (individual) failures. In both learning institutions and the workplace, this can engender an intolerant and closed climate towards mistakes, preventing real professional development and personal growth. Interventions on learning from errors in schools and workplaces can play a role in changing such a culture and in creating a tolerant and positive attitude towards them. Originality/value The majority of studies about learning from errors are focused on disciplinary learning in academic contexts. The present set of cases contributed to filling in the gap related to initial vocational education, because they deal with learning from errors in dual vocational training in the field of procedural knowledge development. Moreover, a specific contribution of the presented cases relies on the use of video annotation as a support that specifically enhances error analysis within working procedures.

scholarly journals How to measure the efficacy of VET workplace learning: the FET-WL model

2015 ◽  
Vol 57 (6) ◽  
pp. 602-622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pilar Pineda-Herrero ◽  
Carla Quesada-Pallarès ◽  
Berta Espona-Barcons ◽  
Óscar Mas-Torelló
Keyword(s):  
Work Environment ◽  
Workplace Learning ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
Skilled Workers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organization And Management ◽  
Quantitative Design ◽  
Probabilistic Sample ◽  
And Training

Purpose – Workplace learning (WL) is a key part of vocational education and training (VET) because it allows students to develop their skills in a work environment, and provides important information about how well VET studies prepare skilled workers. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to develop and validate an instrument to evaluate WL efficacy in VET. Design/methodology/approach – The research presented in this paper was based on a quantitative design, after having identified factors that influence training efficacy. The factors to evaluate transfer in WL (FET-WL) questionnaire was formed of 57 items (five-point Likert scale) and applied to a stratified probabilistic sample of 1,026 VET students in the Barcelona area (Spain). Findings – After conducting an exploratory factor analysis, the model explained 48.42 per cent of the variance and six factors merged: coherence of the training of the school with the WL, school tutor’s sole, host company tutor’s role, the possibilities of developing the WL, integration into the company and student’s motivation. Originality/value – Results show that the FET-WL may be a useful tool for the various agents involved in WL since it may improve the organization and management of VET and thereby increase its efficacy.

Competence-based vocational education and training (VET)

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph Bohne ◽  
Friedhelm Eicker ◽  
Gesine Haseloff
Keyword(s):  
Vocational Education ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Education And Training ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
Learning Networks ◽  
Innovative Teaching ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Learning Projects ◽  
And Training

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a vocational scientific constructivist concept meant for shaping competence-based and networked teaching and learning in vocational education and training (VET). Design/methodology/approach VET must enable learners to shape work within the context of conceptions based on the development of society. Refresher trainings cannot realise this. Concepts need a shaping competence-based and networked approach. Teaching and learning networks, learning projects and digital media are the keys to this approach. Findings The focus of the planned concept lies on shaping competence-based teaching and learning. This can be realised with innovative teaching and learning networks. Digital media can support this. The planned concept will be justified. The systematic planning of an exemplary learning project will be discussed. Practical implications This paper lays the ground to evaluate the relevance and range of shaping competence-based and networked teaching and learning. Originality/value The concept was (co-)developed by the University of Rostock. It was tested in first learning projects. These experiences are taken into account. The aim is to emphasise that the intended approach is a justified educational strategy in colleges, companies and other places of learning dealing with VET.

Sequential schooling or lifelong learning? International frameworks through the lens of English higher professional and vocational education

2018 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stan Lester
Keyword(s):  
Vocational Education ◽  
Lifelong Learning ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Standard Classification ◽  
And Training ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review three international frameworks, including the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED), in relation to one country’s higher professional and vocational education system. Design/methodology/approach The frameworks were examined in the context of English higher work-related education, and areas of mismatch identified. These were investigated to identify the extent to which they were due to weaknesses in the national system or to limiting assumptions contained in the frameworks. Findings Assumptions based on stages of education are problematic in the context of lifelong higher and professional education, while more open, lifelong-learning oriented assumptions can be too skeletal to aid comparisons between systems of initial vocational education and training. Particular problems are identified with assumptions contained in the ISCED that do not reflect the reality of professional education. Practical implications International frameworks need to take account of patterns of learning that take place outside of formal institutions and throughout life, but which lead to equivalent outcomes. Nevertheless, it is not adequate to substitute assumptions based only on the level of achievement. Social implications The assumptions underpinning the ISCED in particular mean that equivalent achievements in different systems can be classified differently, leading to under-reporting of individual achievements, a lack of comparability in international statistics, and potential for policy distortion. Originality/value The paper builds on the work of Hippach-Schneider et al. by providing additional evidence, from a different national context, for issues relating to the ISCED in the context of higher professional and vocational education, and extends this analysis to the two major European frameworks.

Perception gaps on employable skills between technical and vocational education and training (TVET) teachers and students: the case of the garment sector in Ethiopia

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shoko Yamada ◽  
Christian S. Otchia
Keyword(s):  
Vocational Education ◽  
Addis Ababa ◽  
Education And Training ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
Oriented Growth ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Technical And Vocational Education ◽  
And Training

PurposeThis article focuses on the perception gaps between teachers and students of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) related to garment production and the reasons behind such gaps. Garment production is the priority sector for the Ethiopian government, which plans to make it the driver of export-oriented growth. At the same time, it is among the programs that demonstrate the lowest employment rates.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire was developed by the authors. It was completed by 162 students and 53 teachers in garment-related programs of seven TVET colleges in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia.FindingsThe findings show that while teachers tend to highlight the importance of practical skills, students desire broader coverage of practical and managerial skills and entrepreneurship. The expectations differ not only based on the person's recognition of labor market conditions but also by the conviction of the efficacy of the education and training system itself. Teachers tend to be persistent on conventional approaches of teaching, while the advanced training on new approaches based on the competency-based training (CBT) significantly impacts on their attitude. Meanwhile, students' perceptions are largely based on their job aspirations and motivations for schooling.Practical implicationsThe authors’ findings may serve to improve the relevance of the Ethiopian Occupation Standards.Originality/valueThe unique feature of this study is that the authors measure skills from multiple dimensions. While the authors examine participants' perceptions of occupation-specific skills, they also analyze the relationships of these perceptions with attitudinal and cognitive skills.

Collaboration for transition between TVET and university: a proposal

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (8) ◽  
pp. 1428-1443
Author(s):  
Arjuman Naziz
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Institutional Environment ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Transition Pathways ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Income Opportunity ◽  
And Training ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Despite the growing emphasis on revitalizing the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) sector in Bangladesh, very little discussion has taken place on reforming the current inflexible transition pathways, from TVET to the universities. This paper aims to reflect critically on the existing literature on TVET, in the global and national context, and the experiences of students and TVET experts, to develop a model of collaboration between the polytechnic institutes and the universities in Bangladesh. Design/methodology/approach This paper follows a qualitative strategy of enquiry, using a mix of critical reflection on literature on TVET and higher education and unstructured interviews with two TVET experts, four TVET students and four students from a public university. It draws on the theories of collaboration and uses exemplary cases to illustrate and support the line of reasoning. Findings This paper identifies that there is resource dependency between the polytechnic institutes and universities in Bangladesh, and their institutional environment necessitates them to form collaboration to ensure flexible transition pathway, from polytechnic institutes to universities; this paper proposes a model for such collaboration. Practical implications This paper offers a guideline for forming collaboration among the relevant stakeholders. Social implications Collaboration between polytechnic institutes and universities in Bangladesh is likely to address the inequitable nature of TVET, by improving its social status and acceptance, as well as allowing higher income opportunity and greater mobility for the TVET graduates, coming especially from humble socio-economic backgrounds. Originality/value This paper contributes in the recent discussions on how collaboration among different stakeholders can contribute in achieving the sustainable development goals, with special emphasis on TVET.

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