Search Results for
"Vocational education"

Guided by the capability approach, this study uses primarily quantitative methods to investigate at scale the capabilities that are valued by students of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in China. It identifies the capabilities valued by 892 vocational students in a mix of rural and urban settings. Fourteen capabilities were identified under three thematic domains: capital, health and agency. Compared with other countries, Chinese TVET students do not place as high a value on agency as is found in other countries. Those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds were more likely to value mental health outcomes and, in general, students’ capability choices were greatly influenced by gender, socioeconomic background and personal experiences. Young males, more than young females, value the capability for economic wellbeing. However, unlike in other countries, males and those from higher socio-economic backgrounds are no more likely than others to attach importance to agentic values. These findings can be interpreted within China’s socioeconomic context and Confucianism-rooted value system. The study contributes to the methodology literature on youth empowerment and ascertaining their voice, further demonstrates the potential of the capability approach in educational contexts and provides a first step towards analysing the broad role of TVET in China. © 2025 The vocational Aspect of education Ltd.

The selection of a suitable career is increasingly crucial, especially with the rapid advancements in science and technology, which significantly shape the job market worldwide, including in Indonesia. However, many vocational education (VE) graduates face significant challenges in making informed career choices. Despite growing interest in Digital Competence (DC) and Psychological Well-Being (PWB) as key factors influencing Self-Efficacy (SE) and Career Choice (CC), gaps remain in understanding their interconnected effects. This study aims to examine the roles of DC, PWB, and SE in determining CC among VE students and to explore the mediating effect of SE. Employing an ex-post facto research design, data were collected from 647 VE students selected through cluster random sampling using a structured questionnaire. SEM-PLS was applied for data analysis, incorporating path analysis and bootstrapping methods. The findings reveal that SE significantly influences CC, with DC and PWB playing critical roles in enhancing SE. Furthermore, SE mediates the effects of DC and PWB on CC, although its mediating effect is relatively low, indicating the need for intensive programs to strengthen SE. Overall, SE is a key factor in improving career opportunities, aligning with industry-relevant digital competencies and students' psychological well-being. This study contributes to the theoretical understanding of career development in the VE context and offers practical insights into enhancing students' competence. Future research should expand on these findings by exploring additional factors and employing longitudinal designs to further support VE students' career development. © 2025 The Authors

vocational education and training (VET) seeks to prepare students to face the labor market with well-developed professional skills. Its challenge is to promote autonomous lifelong learning, flexibility, and the development of skills that will enable future workers to adapt to new situations and progress throughout their lives. We believe that studying the process of students’ competence development will help researchers to understand how the different components of competence develop in relation to each other and how they are integrated toward a more holistic professional competence. Our research was carried out with a group of more than 500 VET students in Madrid, Spain. The data was obtained through a questionnaire that sought to analyze the perception of transversal competences or soft skills to understand how they are acquired and developed and what personal, academic, and linguistic factors influence them. The results confirmed the influence of academic factors, while the results for personal and linguistic factors were mixed. One of the most relevant aspects that our study has shown is the need to develop more empirical research on the relevance of these factors in relation to professional competences. © 2025 Common Ground Research Networks. All rights reserved.

Introduction: the pedagogical practice of the pandemic and post-pandemic periods shows a significant impact of hybrid forms of education on the quality of education. The study aims to determine their effectiveness and identify the most effective pedagogical transformations for further implementation in pedagogical practice. Method: the study used questionnaires, a comparison of learning outcomes, a pedagogical experiment, and a statistical evaluation of the results of the pedagogical experiment. Three levels of effectiveness of post-pandemic transformations in pedagogy are outlined: low, medium and high. The questionnaire revealed that an increase in the share of independent work, work with digital learning tools, mixed forms of learning outcomes assessment have an average impact on the quality of learning, while the restriction of social contacts due to the prevalence of distance learning formats, a sharp transition to online learning, an increase in the workload of teachers and a reduction in practice for natural science have a negative impact and should be excluded from the educational process. Results: the article compares the impact of hybrid forms and post-pandemic transformations on the quality of education for the control and experimental groups before and after the experiment. It is determined that the mixed form of learning, open educational resources, and adaptive technologies for personalisation of learning are the most effective hybrid forms that can be enforced in the post-pandemic period. Conclusions: the analysis of the learning outcomes of higher education students in the testing group after the experiment showed that implementing the outlined hybrid forms of education increases the number of students with excellent, already good and good learning outcomes and decreases the number of students with low levels of learning. © 2025; Los autores.

In the context of rapid development of digital technologies and their integration into the educational process, the implementation of the STEM approach in teaching technical and natural sciences becomes particularly relevant. The combination of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics creates a powerful toolkit for developing practical skills and spatial thinking in future professional education teachers. Three-dimensional modeling of geometric figures is a prime example of an interdisciplinary approach, where mathematical concepts are implemented in a digital environment using modern technologies. For future professional education teachers, such an approach is particularly important as it allows them to develop technical skills and methodological competencies simultaneously. The article examines the theoretical foundations and practical aspects of implementing the STEM approach in the process of learning 3D modeling using the graphic editor AutoCad, as well as investigates the impact of this approach on the development of professional competencies of future specialists. © 2025 by the authors.

The article deals with the problem of modeling classes in the educational process of training bachelor in Information Technology. The article aims to analyze successful practices in the framework of competence-based learning used at leading US higher education institutions and to identify the most effective methods and forms used for high-quality professional training for a bachelor in Information Technology. The authors have analyzed examples of modulated educational situations such as virtual laboratories, real-world projects, research and development activities, and simulation games. Real-life examples of integrating simulation into a course structure at US universities have also been analyzed. The examples have been based on modern approaches to teaching in Information Technology, which allow students to develop the necessary competencies for innovative professional activities and research in this area. The article also highlights the peculiarities of each of the methods of educational situation modeling and specifies their impact on the effectiveness of the educational process. Based on the analysis, further research is planned on the possibility of successful implementation of educational situation modeling in the framework of professional training of students. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.

Context: This study uses a social space approach to investigate Virtual Reality (VR)-based workplace learning in the context of apprenticeship training in the electronics industry in Switzerland. It was one part of a project which developed a prototype VR environment that enables apprentices to practice testing an electrical installation in a virtual garage using VR headsets. The study uses a spatial theory perspective to understand how the apprentices use the VR environment to develop their vocational competence and how spaces of learning are created through this process. Approach: The study applies a socio-spatial perspective to a triangulation of the results of a qualitative content analysis of structured interviews with 16 apprentices and their 11 trainers and a quantitative analysis of a close-ended apprentice survey questionnaire (N = 16). Results: When a VR environment is used for workplace learning, spaces of learning are created from the interplay of four spatial dimensions: The regulation and practices of use of the VR environment, the locality of use, the educational potential of the VR environment, and a mental representation of the real workplace represented in the VR environment. The VR headset acts as a boundary object in the training relationship. Other important findings of the study are: Automated access to learning opportunities reduces pressure on the teaching-learning relationship; the haptic dimension of work is important for competence development; the VR environment enables personalized learning with unlimited opportunities for practice; the lack of variety in the operational scenario enables apprentices to focus on practicing and perfecting procedures but does not reflect the complexity of the real world. Conclusion: Our socio-spatial analysis shows that when VR environments are used in workplace training the interplay of physical, mental, and virtual spatial dimensions leads to the emergence of learning spaces. The access to the VR environment, the location where it is used, and the active use of its learning features interact with the mental representations of the depicted environment. Spaces of learning created using a VR environment can complement traditional workplace training by facilitating the development of specific aspects of vocational competence. © 2025 European Research Network vocational education and Training. All rights reserved.

The competency-based assessment has been a significant factor for higher vocational educational institutional performance and this aspect needs researchers’ emphasis. The objectives of the present article are to investigate the impact of staff skills and training and innovation adoption on competencies-based performance assessment (CBPA) of higher vocational educational institutions in China. The study also investigates the moderating role of institutional support among staff skills and training, innovation adoption and CBPA. The study collected the primary data from the students of the higher vocational educational institutions in China using survey questionnaires. The study also employed Smart-PLS to check the data reliability such as convergent and discriminant validity and the relationship among understudy variables. The outcomes revealed that the staff skills and training and innovation adoption have a positive linkage with CBPA. The results also exposed that institutional support significantly moderates staff skills and training, innovation adoption and CBPA. The study guides the regulators in making regulations regarding improving the CBPA using effective staff skills and training and effective innovation adoption. It also provides help to educational institutions in improving CBPA using skilled staff and innovation adoption. © 2025 Conscientia Beam. All Rights Reserved.

Purpose: Although social entrepreneurship has been extensively studied, there remains a scarcity of empirical research on social entrepreneurship literacy. Addressing this gap, the present case study investigates the perceptions of students and teachers regarding social entrepreneurship literacy in a vocational boarding school context. Design/methodology/approach: Data were gathered through focus group interviews and analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis, guided by Peredo and McLean’s (2006) dimensions: goals, opportunities, innovation, risks and human resources. Findings: The findings reveal that both students and teachers perceive the five dimensions of social entrepreneurship literacy as pivotal in fostering social awareness and instilling core values. Research limitations/implications: This study contributes to the growing body of literature by offering empirical insights into how students’ and teachers’ beliefs and attitudes towards social entrepreneurship literacy influence their entrepreneurial intentions and practices. Originality/value: By fostering a conducive educational environment for social entrepreneurship, schools can design and implement literacy programs that effectively raise awareness and cultivate entrepreneurial literacy among students and teachers. © 2025, Emerald Publishing Limited.