scholarly journals The politics of educational transitions: Evidence from Catalonia

2020 ◽  
pp. 147490412097604
Author(s):  
Aina Tarabini ◽  
Judith Jacovkis
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Education ◽  
Vocational Education ◽  
Education And Training ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
Educational Transitions ◽  
Early School Leaving ◽  
Upper Secondary Education ◽  
Early School ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
And Training

Transitions to upper secondary education are of crucial importance to understanding educational inequalities. They are also vital in explaining the contemporary dynamics of Early School Leaving. Global hegemonic discourses around educational transitions and Early School Leaving shape student pathways in terms of rational and linear choices, assuming equal opportunities for lifelong learning. Simultaneously, the European Strategy attributes key roles to Vocational Education and Training and to guidance in order to smooth educational transitions, reduce Early School Leaving and meet the needs of the knowledge-based economy. The aim of the article is to problematise the linear relationship between Early School Leaving, Vocational Education and Training, and guidance policies representing the dominant contemporary rhetoric concerned with ensuring smooth transitions and opening up long-term educational pathways for young people. The article provides an in-depth analysis of the political construction of the transition from lower to upper secondary education in Catalonia, identifying how it is conceptualised at a discursive level by policy actors and also how it is implemented at the institutional level. The results aim to be regarded as a useful analytical resource to inform critical policy analyses of educational transitions and their implications in terms of social inequalities.

scholarly journals When Work Comes First: Young Adults in Vocational Education and Training in Norway

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 270-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Hagen Tønder ◽  
Tove Mogstad Aspøy
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Secondary Education ◽  
Vocational Education ◽  
Education And Training ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Upper Secondary Education ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
And Training ◽  
Vocational Programme

Since reforms implemented in 1994, vocational education and training (VET) in Norway has been integrated and standardized as part of upper-secondary education. When young people enter upper-secondary education at the age of 15 or 16, they can choose either a vocational programme or a general academic programme. The standard model in vocational programmes is 2 years of school-based education, followed by 2 years of apprenticeship training. However, in practice, only a minority follow the standard route and acquire a trade certificate within 4 years. The average age upon completion of a vocational programme in Norway is 28 years, which is among the highest in the OECD. The purpose of this study was to explore personal trajectories within the Norwegian context to gain a better understanding of why people choose to obtain a trade certificate as young adults, instead of following the standardized route, drawn up by policy makers. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 34 people who obtained a trade certificate when they were aged between 25 and 35 years. The study showed that the opportunity to acquire formal VET qualifications through workplace learning provides an important second chance for many young adults in Norway. Based on the findings, we argue that policy makers need to see educational achievement in a long-term perspective and to design institutional structures that support learning opportunities at work, as well as in formal educational settings.

scholarly journals VET Teachers’ Interpretations of Individualisation and Teaching of Skills and Social Order in two Nordic Countries

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 355-375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elsa Eiríksdóttir ◽  
Per-Åke Rosvall
Keyword(s):  
Vocational Education ◽  
Social Order ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Education And Training ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
Educational Goals ◽  
Upper Secondary Education ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
Upper Secondary Schools ◽  
And Training

The age at which young people leave education for the labour market has increased in recent decades, and entering upper secondary education has become the norm. As a result, the diversity of the student population has increased, for instance in terms of students’ academic merits and achievements at school. Increased diversity seems to affect vocational education and training more than tracks preparing students for higher education, because entry into vocational education and training (VET) programmes is rarely selective. In this article we analyse a series of interviews with VET teachers regarding VET practices in upper secondary schools in Sweden and Iceland. We examine how policy plays out in practice in VET by looking at how VET teachers navigate the sometimes-conflicting educational goals of employability and civic engagement, while simultaneously teaching a highly diverse group of students. In both countries, pedagogic practices are dominated by individualisation with a focus on task-related skills. Those practices are important in VET, but can exclude broader understandings of civil and workplace life, because general knowledge about areas such as ethics, democracy, equality, and environmental issues is difficult to obtain if education gives students few opportunities to interact with others, such as through group work or classroom discussions.

scholarly journals Vietnamese Students’ Perception and Loyalty towards an Image of Vocational Education and Training

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 228-238
Author(s):  
Vi Hoang Dang
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Vocational Education ◽  
Industrial Development ◽  
Education And Training ◽  
Vocational Education And Training ◽  
Vocational Students ◽  
Upper Secondary School ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
And Training

Stakeholders’ perceptions towards a career in vocational education and training (VET) in Vietnam negate the country’s industrial development plan. During the last 15 years, the Vietnamese Governments investment in to the sector increased annually. However, parents and their children still pursue the goal of higher education via the mainstream rather than a career path way using the vocational education and training system. Although stereotypical views of vocational students are being challenged, Confucian ideology maintains some influence over stakeholders’ educational decisions leading to the sustained popularity of higher education. This study explores the perceptions of students on the image of and their loyalty towards vocational education and training. A sample of 300 lower secondary school, 300 upper secondary school, and 300 vocational students was drawn from across the Northern and Southern regions of Vietnam. A survey questionnaire was used to collect data and mean analysis conducted to explore the data. The findings indicate that agreement with statements about facilities and equipment, teacher’s ability, curriculum, and soft skills are the clearest indicators of enhanced perceptions about the image of vocational education and training. Encouragement from parents appears most influential to positively affecting lower secondary students’ loyalty. Unexpected was that vocational students had less interesting continuing in vocational education and training compared to lower and upper secondary school students inclination towards a career in VET. First-hand experience seemingly leads to diminished perceptions and loyalty towards vocational education.

scholarly journals La percepción del profesorado de Educación Primaria y Educación Secundaria sobre las variables que influyen en el Abandono Escolar Temprano

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 181-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
DIEGO GONZALEZ RODRIGUEZ ◽  
MARIA JOSE VIEIRA ALLER ◽  
JAVIER VIDAL GARCIA
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Education ◽  
Survey Methodology ◽  
Family Characteristics ◽  
Early School Leaving ◽  
Upper Secondary Education ◽  
Early School ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Educación Primaria ◽  
School Activity

El Abandono Escolar Temprano es un problema que preocupa a los países de todo el mundo. Esto se debe a que afecta directamente tanto a la vida de los estudiantes que abandonan como a la sociedad en general. El objetivo del presente estudio es conocer la percepción que tienen los docentes de las etapas de Educación Primaria, Educación Secundaria Obligatoria y Bachillerato sobre las variables más influyentes en el Abandono Escolar Temprano. La investigación llevada a cabo sigue una metodología de encuesta, mediante la administración de un cuestionario con 85 variables identificadas en la literatura científica. Se obtuvieron 134 respuestas de docentes de toda España. Los resultados indican que las variables consideradas más relacionadas con el Abandono Escolar Temprano son las vinculadas a características individuales y familiares. En menor medida, se consideran relacionadas la actividad escolar del individuo como estudiante, la actitud del profesorado, el comportamiento de los compañeros de clase y las características del centro. Se concluye que estamos ante un fenómeno de causas complejas que no debe ser abordado exclusivamente desde una perspectiva académica sino multidisciplinar. Early School Leaving is a problem that worries countries around the world. This is because it directly affects both the lives of students who abandon and society in general. The objective of the present study is to know the perception that Primary Education, Compulsory Secondary Education and Upper Secondary Education teachers have on the most influential variables that affect Early School Leaving. The research carried out follows a survey methodology, by administering a questionnaire with 85 variables identified in the scientific literature. 134 responses were obtained from teachers throughout Spain. The results indicate that the variables considered more related to Early School Leaving are those related to individual and family characteristics. To a lesser extent, the school activity of the individual as a student, the attitude of the faculty, the behaviour of the classmates and the characteristics of the school are considered related. We conclude that we are facing a phenomenon of complex causes that should not be approached exclusively from an academic perspective but multidisciplinary.

scholarly journals Upper secondary education for youth at risk: A comparative analysis of education and training programmes in Austria, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-44
Author(s):  
Evi Schmid
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Secondary Education ◽  
Education And Training ◽  
Training Models ◽  
Upper Secondary Education ◽  
Upper Secondary ◽  
Youth At Risk ◽  
Training Programmes ◽  
And Training

Context: Vocational education and training (VET) plays a key role in reducing early leaving from education and training, and integrating youth at risk in upper secondary education. To ensure that more young people complete upper secondary education, the OECD suggests designing interventions that address the specific needs of youth at risk like changes in the standard duration, preparatory or personalised support measures. Based on a comparative analysis of such programmes tailored to the needs of youth at risk in Austria, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland, the objective of this article is to identify different education and training models that these countries employ to include youth at risk in upper secondary education.Approach: The study is based on document analysis; the documents studied are public documents like law texts and white papers from the education authorities as well as research publications. The interventions proposed by the OECD to adapt training programmes to the specific needs of youth at risk were chosen as a basis for the comparative analysis. Further structural characteristics of the programmes complemented the analysis.Findings: The study found four different types of education and training models for youth at risk in Austria, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland: Shortened (Norway, Switzerland), prolonged (Austria), individualised (Austria, Norway and Sweden) and preparatory programmes (Sweden). Preparatory and prolonged programmes aim to help young people to achieve ordinary upper secondary qualifications through preparatory measures, more time or more support. Individualised or shortened programmes aim to adapt education and training programmes to young people's needs by reducing the programmes’ demands. In all four countries, youths have the opportunity to conclude their education with a certificate at a level lower than 'regular' upper secondary education.Conclusion: The four countries surveyed differ widely in terms of educational traditions and the position of VET at upper secondary level. Regarding the integration of disadvantaged youth into education and work, the differences concerning access to upper secondary education, the importance of VET at upper secondary level and the recognition of training programmes for youth at risk may be of particular relevance. Further research is needed to empirically investigate the effectiveness of the identified education and training models as a means of integrating youth at risk into upper secondary education.

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