Search Results for
"Vocational education"

Understanding one's family of origin is essential for students in the helping professions, as it fosters self-awareness and illuminates personal strengths and vulnerabilities. This qualitative study examines the family experiences of Taiwanese undergraduate social work students, focusing on cultural influences on self-development and the effectiveness of reading and reflective writing in deepening family exploration. Content analysis of 34 student assignments identified two main themes: (1) key issues emerging during family exploration, and (2) the role of reading and reflective writing in facilitating this process. Subthemes of the first theme included individuation and differentiation, the need for parental affirmation, parent–child conflict, and the influence of parents' marital relationships. Findings highlight the enduring impact of Chinese cultural values on students’ development and family dynamics. Engaging with culturally relevant case literature and reflective writing promoted deeper insights and self-awareness, underscoring the importance of integrating family exploration into culturally responsive professional education. © 2025 American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.

An extreme shortage of initial teacher education (ITE) qualified VET schoolteachers impacts the equitable opportunity for young people to become well-educated, vocationally prepared school graduates. This article reports on an international applied research Fellowship designed to discover how Norway and Finland upskill mid-career industry experts to become VET schoolteachers. These countries produce a sustainable VET schoolteacher workforce with approximately half of all upper-secondary students studying VET. In contrast, approximately one-quarter of Australian school students choose VET pathways, at a time when the nation is experiencing a significant skills shortage. We present research findings that illustrate how Norway and Finland produce a sustainable supply of VET secondary schoolteachers. As Australia has yet to develop suitable ITE programs to prepare qualified VET teachers for schools, we argue that Australia would do well to heed Finnish and Norwegian practices that improve the quality of VET in schools, support mid-career industry experts to become VET schoolteachers, and enhance the status of VET in education and society. © 2025, Western Australian Institute for Educational Research Inc.. All rights reserved.

In this article, we analyse changes in the language use to describe the content of higher education in Denmark between 2014 and 2021. Based on text analysis of course descriptions of every university course in Denmark, we show steady growth in the use of applied, practical and vocationally oriented terminology. This trend is not only driven by a transformation towards more applied fields within higher education, but also directly affects courses offered within the arts and humanities, for example, which have been under strong political pressure to adapt to market needs during the period in question. Within the humanities, languages have largely followed this path, while fields such as philosophy and theology have resisted the trend and only implemented minor changes. Overall, our findings demonstrate a shift towards highlighting the application of knowledge and competences within Danish higher education. This is in line with the broader international discourse in recent years, including conclusions of several qualitative studies and theoretical contributions. © 2025 The Author(s). Higher education Quarterly published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

This article reflects on a capacity-building project co-designed with two universities in northern Mozambique to strengthen partnerships in the educational sector in addressing local issues of youth unemployment and food insecurity. The project focused on building communities of practice (CoPs) around the three secondary-level schools delivering agricultural education and training with the participation of universities’ lecturers from agricultural universities as well as students and rural communities. These three CoPs became collaborative networks foregrounded in participatory action research that allowed for a joint production of knowledge. Because of this, we propose to frame these CoPs as microcosms of an expanded skills ecosystem that exists on a territorial level and encompasses diverse forms of knowledge. Despite the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, CoPs created opportunities for students to do practical work that is often lacking in training and, especially, to encounter entrepreneurship possibilities that can facilitate education–work transitions. With this experience in mind, we ask ourselves, how can CoPs harness skills development towards the education–work transition for youth in agriculture? Our insights into this question are based on three years of project implementation (2021–2023) and, hopefully, will contribute to better understand the role of vocationally trained youth for Mozambique’s agricultural development. © 2025 by the authors.

Many vocational education and training (VET) students in the Netherlands struggle with the transition from education to the labour market, resulting in high dropout rates. VET institutions are actively seeking effective mechanisms to support their students during this transition. This research explored valuable strategies identified by education professionals to facilitate a sustainable transition from education to the labour market. This study employed a realistic evaluation framework using CIMO-logic (which focuses on the Context, Intervention, Mechanism, Outcome) for analysis in order to gain insight into the processes of change. In total, four cases were studied at two Dutch educational institutions. The research followed an inductive approach using within-case and cross-case analyses. Five key elements were identified: skills and competencies, Self-insight, Self-efficacy, Building a professional network, and bridging education and practice. In school-to-work guidance for VET students, these elements are relevant to consider in guidance programs. © 2025 by the authors.

The rapid spread of artificial intelligence (AI) in education means that students need to master both AI literacy and personal agency. This study situates a sample of 425 Slovenian secondary technical students within a three-tier framework that maps psychological empowerment onto AI literacy outcomes within a cultural–historical activity system. The agency competence assessments yielded four profiles of student agency, ranging from fully empowered to largely disempowered. The cluster membership explained significant additional variance in AI literacy scores, supporting the additive empowerment model in an AI-rich vocational education and training context. The predictive modeling revealed that while self-efficacy, mastery-oriented motivations, and metacognitive self-regulation contributed uniquely—though small—to improving AI literacy, an unexpectedly negative relationship was identified for internal locus of control and for behavioral self-regulation focused narrowly on routines, with no significant impact observed for grit-like perseverance. These findings underscore the importance of fostering reflective, mastery-based, and self-evaluative learning dispositions over inflexible or solely routine-driven strategies in the development of AI literacy. Addressing these nuanced determinants may also be vital in narrowing AI literacy gaps observed between diverse disciplinary cohorts, as supported by recent multi-dimensional literacy frameworks and disciplinary pathway analyses. Embedding autonomy-supportive, mastery-oriented, student-centered projects and explicit metacognitive training into AI curricula could shift control inward and benefit students with low skills, helping to forge an agency-driven pathway to higher levels of AI literacy among high school students. The most striking and unexpected finding of this study is that students with a strong sense of competence—manifested as high self-efficacy—can achieve foundational AI literacy levels equivalent to those possessing broader, more holistic agentic profiles, suggesting that competence alone may be sufficient for acquiring essential AI knowledge. This challenges prevailing models that emphasize a multidimensional approach to agency and has significant implications for designing targeted interventions and curricula to rapidly build AI literacy in diverse learner populations. © 2025 by the authors.

Critical thinking and collaboration are essential skills for university students facing rapidly evolving academic and professional landscapes. This qualitative exploratory study investigates several factors that contribute significantly to critical thinking and collaboration skills through interactive teaching. Ten students and five lecturers from urban, middle-class backgrounds participated in four sessions of semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. Data were validated by triangulation and analyzed thematically. Three primary factors emerged: (1) interactive modalities Socratic questioning, peer education, structured project-based tasks, and digital simulations which enhance active engagement, cognitive exploration, and peer interaction; (2) inclusive, psychologically safe classroom climates that encourage open communication, risk-taking, and mutual respect; and (3) lecturers’ facilitative roles, including guided discourse, timely constructive feedback, and promotion of independent inquiry. Limitations involve variability from individual differences and institutional contexts. The findings underscore the importance of integrating interactive pedagogies with supportive environments and facilitator-led guidance to cultivate higher-order thinking and collaborative competencies. Practical implications for educators and policymakers include designing holistic, context-sensitive instructional strategies to prepare students for complex challenges, and the need to align course design with Bloom’s Taxonomy and social constructivist principles. Future research should assess the scalability and adaptability of these practices across diverse settings such as high schools, vocational training, and online platforms, and evaluate their long-term impact on student outcomes. © 2025, Iquz Galaxy Publisher. All rights reserved.

This study explored culturally and historically grounded pedagogical approaches in teaching technical and livelihood subjects within the Bachelor of Technical-vocational Teacher education (BTVTEd) and Bachelor of Technology and Livelihood education (BTLEd) programs in selected Philippine Higher education Institutions (HEIs). It examined how teachers contextualize their lessons, utilize innovative strategies, and perceive the advantages and limitations of various instructional methods. Using a qualitative multiple-case study design, the research drew data from twelve teachers across four state universities: Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU), Pangasinan State University (PSU), Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU), and Cagayan State University (CSU). Data collection involved semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and document analysis. Thematic analysis revealed that teachers incorporated cultural and historical content by aligning lessons with students lived experiences, employing project-based learning anchored in heritage, and integrating community-based knowledge. Innovative strategies included culturally responsive modules, the use of local languages, and the inclusion of oral histories and traditional practices. These approaches fostered student engagement, strengthened cultural identity, and enhanced community relevance. However, challenges included student disinterest, limited institutional support, and difficulties aligning with national curriculum standards. Despite these barriers, the study highlights meaningful efforts by educators to promote inclusive education. Findings underscore the need for systemic changes in policy, curriculum development, and institutional backing to sustain culturally sensitive teaching. This research contributes to the advocacy for culturally responsive pedagogy in technical and vocational education in the Philippines. © 2025 by the authors.

This study investigated the pedagogical practices, technical competency levels, and contextualized instructional innovations in the Bachelor of Technical-vocational Teacher education (BTVTED) and Bachelor of Technology and Livelihood education (BTLED) programs across selected Philippine State Universities, namely Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU), Pangasinan State University (PSU), Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) and Isabela State University (ISU). Using a qualitative-descriptive approach, the study examined how teaching strategies align with national standards such as the Philippine Qualifications Framework (PQF) and TESDA’s Training Regulations, and how effectively they prepare pre-service teachers for real-world technical and vocational education (TVE) settings. Findings revealed a significant alignment between curricular content and industry-required competencies, with respondents citing integration of TESDA-accredited National Certificates (NC II) and task-based instruction. However, the study also identified critical gaps in access to modern equipment, real-life simulations, and updated teaching resources. In addition, the programs showed evidence of fostering soft skills such as leadership, communication, and professional behavior through internships and community engagements. The effectiveness of innovative and contextualized pedagogies was evident in bridging the gap between academic learning and workplace application, although implementation remains inconsistent across institutions. The study recommends enhancing curriculum design to incorporate more experiential and industry-based learning, investing in laboratory and training facilities, and conducting continuous teacher training to meet the evolving demands of the technical workforce. These insights contribute to strengthening the relevance and responsiveness of BTVTED and BTLED programs to the Philippine labor market and global TVET standards. © 2025 by the authors.

Malaysia, in its pursuit of strengthening nation education, is actively reforming its Technical and vocational education and Training (TVET) system to align with diverse industry demands. However, challenges persist in empowering TVET especially providing comprehensive teaching strategy that match with industrial needs. This study in other view focuses on gathering students' perceptions towards their learning experiences within Work-Based Learning (WBL) programs, offering valuable insights into TVET program effectiveness and teaching strategies. A method of survey has been used in this study as to gather perceptions from the 62 respondents of technological students from selected TVET institution who had experience with WBL. Data has been analysed using mean score analysis and Pearson Correlation analysis to test the relationship between both perceptions of WBL effectiveness and teaching and learning experiences. The findings revealed moderate level of student perceptions on the WBL effectiveness towards self-development (M=3.33) and moderate perceptions towards their teaching and learning (TnL) experiences (M=2.99). Extensively, study revealed the positive correlation between WBL effectiveness and TnL experiences indicates that teaching strategy in WBL significantly influence the overall WBL effectiveness level or vice versa. Thus, this study suggests enhancements such as incorporating better teaching and learning strategy comprise of experiential projects, mentorship programs, interdisciplinary collaborations, and blended learning environments to enrich WBL programs effectiveness. Perhaps, this could provide a comprehensive perspective on students' views and offer guidance for enhancing WBL in Malaysian TVET institutions to create an impactful teaching and learning environment. © 2025, Rajarambapu Institute Of Technology. All rights reserved.