International Vocational Education and Training Research: An Introduction to the Special Issue

The seven articles in this special issue represent a wide range of international comparative and review studies by international research teams from China, Germany, India, Russia, Switzerland and Mexico. The presented projects are part of the national program "Research on the Internationalisation of Vocational Education and Training", funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). An adapted version of Urie Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory forms the conceptual framework of the special issue. The four system levels (micro, meso, exo and macro) are addressed by one article each. The article on the microsystem level focuses on the intended and implemented curricula in a cross-country comparison of China and Russia. The article on the mesosystem level aims at the development of a quality management model for vocational education and training (VET) institutions in India. At the exolevel, the regional structures of the education and employment systems in Mexico, particularly the cooperation between schools and companies in the hotel industry, are investigated. At the macrosystem level, the social representation of non-academic labour in Mexico is examined in terms of cultural artefacts. Furthermore, three overarching review studies systematise relevant research developments and approaches. The topics of the three review studies are European VET policy, transfer of VET and VET research. The scope ranges from the development of a comparative research tool to a summary analysis of over 5,000 individual publications. Given the broad scope and heterogeneity of the findings, a summative conclusion would hardly be appropriate. Nevertheless, with regard to the model of the ‘triadic conception of purposes in comparative VET research’ that represents a heuristic for describing the purposes of international VET research, we conclude with an emphasis on a need of more criticality. In this context, one finding can be pointed out as an example: One review study found that most studies (here, with reference to VET transfer) refer to the recipient country without a comparative perspective. Thus, there is a clear demand for more comparative research following a critical-reflective approach.

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Methodological and Theoretical Approaches to the Study of Governance and Policy Transfer in Vocational Education and Training

Research in Comparative and International Education ◽

10.2304/rcie.2010.5.3.224 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 5 (3) ◽

pp. 224-236 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Antje Barabasch

Keyword(s):

Vocational Education ◽

Education And Training ◽

Policy Transfer ◽

Vocational Education And Training ◽

Theoretical Approaches ◽

And Training

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International Curriculum Comparison in Vocational Education and Training: A Collaborative Development of an Analysis Instrument

International Journal for Research in Vocational Education and Training ◽

10.13152/ijrvet.8.4.2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. 16-43

Author(s):

Pujun Chen ◽

Anastasia Goncharova ◽

Matthias Pilz ◽

Dietmar Frommberger ◽

Junmin Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Vocational Education ◽

Comparative Research ◽

Education And Training ◽

Research Process ◽

The Other ◽

Vocational Education And Training ◽

International Team ◽

Other Hand ◽

Analysis Instrument ◽

And Training

Context: International comparative research on Vocational Education and Training (VET) is gaining importance, as global cooperation and mutual learning in VET grows. However, it is characterized by a high degree of complexity, due on one hand, to the heterogeneity of the VET sector, and on the other hand to the unique challenges of international comparisons. In addition, comparative research projects are increasingly conducted in the form of cross-border collaborations, which have their own particular organizational and methodological considerations, opportunities, and challenges. This paper presents an example of a cooperative research process, aimed at investigating the complex phenomenon of the competence-based approach in Russian and Chinese VET. In providing an example of developing an instrument for curriculum analysis and comparison, we discuss and reflect on the methodological and organizational peculiarities and challenges of the research process conducted collaboratively by an international team. Method: The instrument for analysis and comparison of curricular documents, was developed in an iterative multi-stage process, combining deductive and inductive steps. The embeddedness of the elements of a competence-based approach in curricular documents is investigated, using qualitative content analysis. To develop a coding frame, we started with a comprehensive partially systematic literature review of international, Russian and Chinese discourses on competence-based curricula. The frame was built on the selected model of competence-based education, and on accumulated results of the literature analysis of national discourses. Furthermore, during the first coding process, an iterative adaptation of the developed instrument took place. Results: The result of this process was the development of an analysis instrument which, on the one hand, is well-adapted to each national context and, on the other hand, allows a comparison of results along the same dimensions of analysis, in our case, elements of the competence-based approach in curriculum. Conclusion: Developing an analysis framework for a cross-cultural comparative investigation of such a diffuse and heterogeneous construct as the competence-based approach, can pose a methodological challenge for an international team of researchers. However, an effective application of own team resources such as proficiency in different languages, insider and outsider perspectives, along with continuous intensive communication and a flexible, iterative research process, allows development of a well-adapted analysis instrument for international comparison.

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Introduction: Comparative Research on Vocational Education and Training

International Comparisons of Vocational Education and Training for Intermediate Skills ◽

10.4324/9780429318818-1 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 1-20

Keyword(s):

Vocational Education ◽

Comparative Research ◽

Education And Training ◽

Vocational Education And Training ◽

And Training

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Policy transfer in vocational education and training and adult education

Research in Comparative and International Education ◽

10.1177/17454999211063250 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 174549992110632

Author(s):

Antje Barabasch ◽

Sandra Bohlinger ◽

Stefan Wolf

Keyword(s):

Adult Education ◽

Vocational Education ◽

Education And Training ◽

Policy Transfer ◽

Vocational Education And Training ◽

And Training

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Vocational education, transitions, marginalisation and social justice in the Nordic countries: Reflections on the special issue

European Educational Research Journal ◽

10.1177/1474904119845250 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 18 (3) ◽

pp. 376-384 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

James Avis

Keyword(s):

Social Justice ◽

Vocational Education ◽

Education And Training ◽

Nordic Countries ◽

Vocational Education And Training ◽

Academic Education ◽

Special Issue ◽

Just Society ◽

The Impact ◽

And Training

This paper engages with and reflects on the arguments developed by contributors to the special issue. These papers serve to provide a corrective to English and, on occasion, European perceptions, which often view the Nordic countries as being all of a piece and beacons of progressivism. The contributors provide analyses that not only point to the impact of neo-liberalism upon vocational education and training but also the different ways in which it is delivered across the Nordic countries. They alert us to vocational education and training’s complexity and varied forms. Nevertheless, it appears there are a set of repertoires that can be mobilised to address the relationship between vocational education and training and youth transitions to work and vocational study, which seem to circulate across time and place. The circulation of these models suggests they fail to address the deeper issues facing vocational education and training, namely the relation of it in particular and ‘academic’ education in general to capitalism, and, importantly, the salience of these processes in the current conjuncture. These relations raise questions about the reproduction of class relations and the specificity of the socio-economic contexts. This leads to a consideration of notions of social justice and an interrogation of vocational education and training with this particular question in mind. An important issue that needs to be explored is the way in which the curriculum opens up or closes down access to powerful knowledge. Whilst education, in Bernstein’s words, ‘cannot compensate for society’, can it nevertheless be a resource in the transformative struggle for a just society?

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Multi-level policy transfer in Turkey and its impact on the development of the vocational education and training (VET) sector

Globalisation Societies and Education ◽

10.1080/14767724.2012.646904 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 119-143 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Antje Barabasch ◽

Stefanie Petrick

Keyword(s):

Vocational Education ◽

Education And Training ◽

Policy Transfer ◽

Vocational Education And Training ◽

Multi Level ◽

And Training

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The function and institutional embeddedness of Polytechnics in the Indian education system

International Journal for Research in Vocational Education and Training ◽

10.13152/ijrvet.6.3.5 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 6 (3) ◽

pp. 284-308

Author(s):

Sebastian Schneider ◽

Matthias Pilz

Keyword(s):

Vocational Education ◽

Education System ◽

Education And Training ◽

Training System ◽

Vocational Education And Training ◽

Indian Education ◽

Good Opportunity ◽

Stakeholder Groups ◽

Wide Range ◽

And Training

Purpose: India’s Polytechnics are a fundamental part of its (vocational) education and training system but are largely ignored in VET research. Understanding the status quo and potential of India’s (vocational) education landscape requires an understanding of the role played by the Polytechnics, particularly in view of the Indian government’s major efforts to implement a functioning VET system. Because little is known about the function and embeddedness of the Polytechnics the article therefore aims to examine how polytechnics are embedded in the Indian education and training system and what functions they perform for the actors within the system.Methods: The article begins by describing the systemic embeddedness of Polytechnics in the Indian education system and demonstrates their role and function in relation to a range of stakeholder groups (individuals, employers, society and the economy). Problem-centred face-to-face interviews Interviews were conducted with the principals of 14 Polytechnics in Bangalore, Delhi and Mumbai, among other cities. Semi-standardized interview guidelines were used to conduct the interviews. The interviews were analyzed by qualitative content analysis.Results: The results show that polytechnics perform various functions in the Indian education system. The Polytechnics teach both theoretical and practical skills, which is a special feature of the Indian system at this level. Qualification takes place at an intermediate level, which means that graduates have the opportunity to enter a company after graduation, where they can hold a kind of supervisor position. It is precisely these employees that are increasingly being sought by Indian companies. In addition, polytechnics provide a pathway to higher education, so students can use the opportunity to switch to a college once they have their diploma at the Polytechnic. Furthermore, the Polytechnics offers its graduates a good opportunity to become self-employed through the wide range of specializations and the practice-oriented skill development. In addition, the Polytechnics offer numerous opportunities to promote socially disadvantaged groups. Conclusion: The survey findings illustrate the importance of Polytechnics to the various stakeholder groups, demonstrating their “multidimensional bridging function” within the Indian education and training system.

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Reconstructing policy transfer in adult and vocational education and training

Research in Comparative and International Education ◽

10.1177/17454999211062825 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 174549992110628

Author(s):

Antje Barabasch ◽

Sandra Bohlinger ◽

Stefan Wolf

Keyword(s):

Vocational Education ◽

Workforce Development ◽

Education And Training ◽

Policy Transfer ◽

Vocational Education And Training ◽

Global Policy ◽

Global Industry ◽

Global North ◽

Policy Cycles ◽

And Training

The article contributes to the understanding of educational policy transfer with a particular focus on VET and labour-market related training. A review of VET policy transfer literature is followed by a description of travelling VET reforms in adult and vocational education and training around the globe. Historical foundations of VET policy transfer are described with an emphasis on lending and borrowing from the global North to the global South. Finally, contemporary forces that influence global policy transfer, derived from personal observation, are described. We aim to contribute to a better understanding of policy cycles by depicting the influence of different dynamics on decision-making for policy transfer in VET. We argue that there can be various reasons to policy transfer, not just attractiveness of a particular educational system or approach, but also global industry demands for workforce development or the influence of big data and social media.

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