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Education is increasingly influenced by digitalization and intergenerational differences. With the coming of the Alpha generation and its future entry into secondary education, there is a need to continuously improve and adapt educational strategies, teaching methods, and pedagogical and digital competences of teachers to these changes. The aim of the study is to find out which digital and mobile tools are used in teaching by Czech teachers in secondary vocational education and which factors influence teachers' attitude towards the reasons for not including these tools in teaching. Data were collected using a questionnaire survey method. The data were analyzed at 95% confidence level using Chi-square test in SPSS software. Phicoefficient, Odds ratio, and Cramer's V method were used to find out the degree of relation between the variables. The research showed a significant effect of gender, age, and subject area taught on teachers' use of digital tools. The use of mobile tools in teaching decreases as teachers, age. Women are more likely to not use LMS Moodle compared to men. Women perceive teachers' digital competences as more deficient and believe that they may be the reason for not using digital tools in teaching. The study extends theoretical knowledge and provides recommendations on how to prepare secondary education actors in the context of digital pedagogy for the arrival of the Alpha generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has validated teachers' positive attitudes toward incorporating digital technology into general English classes, but little research has been undertaken in vocational universities, where English is classified as English for Specific Purposes. As a response, this study explored vocational university teachers’ perceptions of integrating digital technology in teaching English by considering years of teaching experience. Framed by a mixed-method research design with surveys and interviews, it engaged 120 vocational university teachers in Indonesia. Quantitative data were examined using descriptive statistics, paired-sample t-tests, and one-way ANOVA, while thematic analysis was applied to qualitative data. The analysis showed that 66.5% teachers perceived advantageously toward digital technology integration in the teaching of English to vocational university students. The findings disclosed that most participants perceived digital technology integration positively in terms of helping teachers teach English, increasing teachers’ creativity, assisting students in learning English, and supporting teachers’ professional development. Yet, 25% of the participants stated they were neutral, while 8.5% disagreed with the majority. It might be caused by challenges that still arose during technology integration in EFL classes. Further, there were no significant differences in statistical analysis comparing the teachers’ perception based on teaching experience. Several suggestions for teachers, vocational institutions, and educational policymakers were presented to shed light on vocational teachers’ professional development, which could improve the vocational education system.

Research on teachers’ relational practices and how they develop relationships with their students is a growing field, internationally and in Scandinavia. However, research on teachers’ relational work in disadvantaged areas is rare. This study examines how vocational teachers in schools in disadvantaged areas describe their relational work with students. Taking the narratives of 25 vocational students about their teachers as a starting point, the study is based on individual in-depth interviews with the students’ contact teachers (N = 8). Reflexive thematic analysis revealed several key aspects integral to teachers’ relational work. The findings suggest that building positive relationships with students entails a balancing act between providing close support and fostering students’ autonomy. Furthermore, building relationships also requires a balance between recognising individual needs and developing strong classroom communities. Finally, teachers’ relational work with students can be described as an act of caring and subtle communication. Implications for practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vocational teachers participate in Continuing Professional Development (CPD) to develop their professional competencies. In developing country contexts however, it is not always clear what challenges vocational teachers face in their CPD or how they attempt to resolve those challenges. This study therefore investigated the challenges vocational teachers in Kenya face in their CPD and the coping strategies they adopt. Viewing teachers as adult learners, the study adopted a concurrent mixed methods approach whereby interview and questionnaire survey data were collected from vocational teachers in six vocational institutions in Kenya's Nairobi Metropolitan Area and analysed using thematic and statistical analysis. Vocational teachers in Kenya were found to face multiple challenges concurrently, which were categorized as lack of opportunity and access (e.g. failing to find relevant CPD), systemic restrictions (e.g. hindrances due to costs and lack of time), and personal difficulties (e.g. negative self-evaluation of ability). The strength of these challenges was found to vary with the characteristics of teachers. Coping strategies included cutting down on spending, taking loans, moonlighting, and 'juggling time'. Findings show the need for a clear policy on vocational teacher CPD, provision of financial and non-financial support, and reworking the school calendar to create time for CPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Vocational educators in many countries enter teaching as a second career and authentic occupational expertise is seen as essential to good quality VET. The changing contexts of VET and the growing diversity of its learning populations also demand the development of teaching expertise. This dual professionalism is related to a unique combination of an occupational and a teacher identity, however, prior, and mainly qualitative research from a limited number of VET contexts suggests that often one side of this duality prevails. Our study aimed to explore the professional identity of vocational educators in Hungary and to identify some of the factors that might influence its formation. Methods: We applied a mixed method design, conducting a teacher survey (N=138) and semi-structured interviews (N=12). The quantitative and qualitative strands followed a parallel design, exploring the same topics but identity views and the organisational context were studied more deeply in the interviews. In the survey, we measured professional identity through a direct question about its type as well as questions about the importance of specific goals and teacher competence areas in vocational teaching. We used statistical and thematic analyses to study our quantitative and qualitative data. Results: Most vocational educators in our study identified as both a teacher and a professional, though the type of identity varied by gender and length of occupational work experience. Perceptions about the main goals in teaching revealed vocation/outcome-focused and student/education-focused goal orientations influenced by gender, qualifications and work experience, while our qualitative data also showed the impact of school culture and the wider socio-economic context. The goal orientations identified in the survey were more balanced for those with a dual identity, and they correlated with perceptions about the importance of different teacher competence areas, which were most influenced by whether or not the educator had obtained a pedagogical qualification. Conclusion: Our findings showed that although most vocational educators also in Hungary claim to have a dual identity, they often prioritise the development of occupational expertise as they believe it is what gives them credibility that is seen as essential to "good VET". Considering the significant impact we have found of teacher education and continued work in the occupation on identity views, it seems of utmost importance that policy and schools recognise and support the development of both occupational and teacher expertise, to ensure a balanced dual identity that seems best suited for vocational teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Education in automotive vocational high schools faces challenges in improving the quality of learning. This article discusses efforts to improve the quality of learning in automotive vocational schools through the implementation of electronic teaching materials. The implementation of technology in learning is an important solution in today's digital era. This article describes the advantages of using electronic teaching materials, such as flexibility, accessibility, and ease of content updates. This research involves collaboration between teachers, students, and technology experts to create relevant and interesting teaching materials. In addition, electronic teaching materials allow for more personalized learning adaptations, assist students with special needs, and facilitate distance learning. The results show that the implementation of electronic teaching materials in automotive vocational schools has a positive impact on learning, increasing students' motivation, expanding their knowledge, preparing students to enter the industrial world, and improving practical skills in the automotive field. Teachers also reported increased efficiency in the teaching process. The level of practicality of using electronic teaching materials reached 86.5%, with responses indicating that electronic teaching materials are very helpful in the learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Work placement has been regarded as one of the most effective ways of developing vocational teachers' occupational expertise. Guided by expectancy-value theory, we aim to explore how vocational teachers' motivation towards professional learning shapes to their engagement when on work placement. Two research questions were addressed: 1) What is the relationship between vocational teachers' motivational beliefs and engagement in work placement? 2) Does teaching experience have a moderating effect on this relationship? The data was collected from an online survey and analysed with a quantitative way. The participants were 426 Chinese secondary vocational teachers. Exploratory factor analysis identified four motivational beliefs: task value, self-efficacy, task effort, and emotional cost. Regression analysis revealed that vocational teachers' task value, self-efficacy, and task effort were positively related to their engagement. Teachers' emotional cost was negatively linked to their behavioural, cognitive, and emotional engagement, but positively linked to agentic engagement. Moreover, a negative moderation of teaching experience was seen. These findings facilitate the understanding of vocational teachers' professional learning in work site and provide suggestions on how to reinforce their engagement. The future research could examine the relationship between vocational teachers' motivational beliefs and engagement from a longitudinal perspective or within other learning contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post-graduate and further education can easily be overlooked as a contribution to collective knowledge and practice development in a field of practice. An overarching theme of this article is how the organisation of a post-graduate and further education initiative can influence collective knowledge in vocational education and training. This article aims to inquire about what teachers and school managers in vocational education and training experience with an examination format where the teachers conduct a university exam at their school, with their management as audience and potential participants. This case study is based on qualitative data from four focus group interviews with teachers and five focus group interviews with school managers at five vocational training schools. The teachers participated in the ‘Vocational Teacher Training Initiative programme’ (YFL) in Norway. ‘The third space’ is used as the overarching theoretical framework. Through a thematic content analysis, the findings were crystalised into three categories. 1) The examination format facilitated a proximity to practice. 2) Knowledge sharing appeared as concrete actions. 3) The examination format revealed new possibilities for co-creation with higher education. The result is that the examination format seemed to function as a bridge between conventional teaching practices in higher education and collective development in vocational education and training. Minor changes in the examination format appeared to open the door to what is termed ‘a third space’ between higher education and schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bridging vocational skills and scientific principles can pose challenges in vocational education and training (VET) teacher programmes. This study aims to enhance such programmes by exploring the potential of reflective practices among students and educators on the nature of science and research in VET contexts. Engaging VET teacher students with multidisciplinary backgrounds in a learning community, the study explores how to further develop research-based teacher training by ‘nudging’ student cooperation. A pedagogical course designed to appreciate students’ prior experiences aimed at preparing them to reflect upon their own professional development from a scientific perspective. Using five focus group interviews with 19 first-year students, the study identifies and explains four key factors for quality in VET teacher training: relevance of pedagogical theory, the value of a multidisciplinary approach, recognition of students’ VET backgrounds, and the importance of community in learning. The findings emphasise the significance of creating coherence between research, vocational skills, educational theory, and real-world applications to develop quality in VET teacher training. This study has implications for educators and policymakers, underlining the need for a comprehensive approach to research-based VET teacher competence that integrates personal, academic, and professional elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vocational teachers in building and construction in upper secondary school deal with complex situations of an organisational, vocational, and social kind. Recent research has shown that the teacher is the single most important factor for students' learning in school. Teacher-student relationships and the teacher's repertoire of teaching practices can be more important for the student's learning than class size, the classroom environment, and the student's socio-economic background. Beyond passing the journeyman's test, we know little about the craft knowledge and working life experiences vocational teachers in the building and construction trades have acquired over many years in the construction industry, and thus, what knowledge and experiences they bring into the vocational teacher role. Learning in working life often takes place as an integrated part of work, and it is difficult to observe how learning happens. Craft knowledge is often tacit and personal. In this narrative, phenomenologically inspired study, learning is investigated as a bodily, internal process that simultaneously depends on the interaction with the material and social environment. Through narrative interviews with eleven vocational teachers in plumbing and carpentry, this study explores the teachers' backgrounds as vocational students and apprentices, and their extensive experience as craftsmen on different construction sites. The analysis shows that the building site drives craft-related actions and situations that generate a strong craft identity, professional working life experiences, and personal growth. Craftsmen at the construction site work under constant pressure in a social, physically, and mentally demanding work environment and consecutively solve problems. As professional craftsmen in the complex working environment, the teachers also acquired social and organisational expertise, which they intuitively transferred to their role as vocational teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of the study is to determine the effect influence of gamification teaching strategy to skills acquisition of students among selected vocational schools in China towards crafting a training intervention plan. The descriptive correlational research design will be utilized for the purpose of describing and determining the relationship between gamification elements (specifically autonomy, competence, and relatedness) and the acquisition of skills. The study will also make use of probability sampling, more specifically the purposive sampling technique, in addition to the fact that the selected vocational school teachers are known to incorporate gamification strategies into their teaching. The study will involve a sample of 130 students from the selected vocational schools in China who will serve as respondents. The respondents will be pre-selected based on certain criteria: fourth year level students; more than three (3) years' experience in gamification as part of learning process; and shows satisfactory skills acquisition. The majority of students agreed that the student's vocational school program has equipped them with practical skills, technical knowledge, safety procedures, and problem-solving abilities. However, they lack proficiency in using computer tools, planning, executing, and managing projects efficiently, and lack confidence in using computer tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recruiting and retaining vocational education and training (VET) educators is an increasing challenge in countries across the world. So understanding their transition and retention is vital to the development of a sustainable workforce. This paper draws on interviews with senior administrators of Australian training providers and survey data from practising VET teachers and trainers to identify factors that most influenced these educators to remain in what was, for most of them, a second or later career. The research found that the major influences on retention of new educators in VET were partly extrinsic, including employment conditions, lifestyle balance and support for professional development, and partly intrinsic, including a supportive culture and job satisfaction through enjoyment of teaching and giving back to industry. The findings provide training providers with a clear indication of what encourages educators to make a long-term commitment to VET teaching and what motivates them to perform at their best once they have made the transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vocational teachers (VTs) have been seen as the key individuals executing changes, solving problems and achieving goals in vocational education and training (VET). Therefore, the work of VTs is fragmented between different types of tasks which influence their professionalism and professionality (individual views, experiences and professional practices of teachers). Despite this, their professionality has been studied remarkably little, and previous studies have focused on different narrow aspects of professionalism. However, it is not clear how various factors, including changes in VET, can shape VTs' perception of their professionality. Based on a meta-analysis, this study aims to create comprehensive knowledge through an empirical model of vocational teacher professionality in the context of VET changes based on the example of Estonian VET. The results show that VTs have expressed different perceptions, evaluations and experiences of change in VET, and therefore different forms of collaboration and learning activities have been used to adapt to changes, which together shape the professionality of VTs. Therefore, three profiles of VT professionality have emerged and the wider scope of the collaboration of VTs fosters more positive attitudes, satisfaction and commitment to their work and profession, while also relating to their higher self-efficacy, which supports coping in demanding pedagogical situations and when faced with new tasks and roles in a changing context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to explore vocational teachers' perceptions regarding workplace learning that align with students' training models and collaborative teaching involving specialised professionals within the context of industry-university collaboration. Design/methodology/approach: Using a qualitative approach, the study conducted nine semi-structured interviews from three subject areas to better understand how vocational teachers' work-based learning enhances their pedagogical practice in guiding students' professional training. Thematic analysis was adopted to identify patterns that emerged from concepts and theories related to coding categories. Findings: The authors identified three key components: vocational teachers' workplace learning in connection with students' training models, collaborative teaching with specialised professionals and teachers' regular interactions with enterprises. The findings demonstrate that vocational teachers' engagement in workplace learning pertaining to specific subjects provides a valuable avenue for enhancing curriculum design with collaboration with industry experts. This is key for supporting vocational students' transitions into the workplace and ensuring their knowledge and skills are tailored to the industry-standard practice. Research limitations/implications: The data are limited to the review of interviews from three vocational subject areas as the representative sector in the study. However, this research implies effective knowledge transfer between workplace settings and vocational institutions, and vocational teachers need to integrate work-based vocational knowledge and skills in a relevant and applicable way across diverse classroom settings. Practical implications: Fostering collaborative partnerships with local industries and professionals can be a primary way to facilitate authentic learning experiences that are linked to a specific vocational field and bridge the gap between diverse classroom learning and real-world work scenarios. Originality/value: This study combines contemporary workplace learning theories with the conceptual understanding of vocational teachers' involvement with industry-specific practice. Connecting teachers' knowledge to the industry extends the input and collaboration from professionals and field experts to the diverse vocational classrooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to explore the relationship between proactive behaviors, teaching performance, and organizational support among vocational college teachers. Based on the theory of organizational support, we conducted a survey of 373 teachers from four vocational colleges in Shanxi Province, using scales for proactive behaviors, organizational support, and teaching performance. The results indicate that: (a) There is a significant correlation between teachers' proactive behaviors and teaching performance; (b) There is a significant correlation between teachers' proactive behaviors and organizational support; (c) Organizational support plays a significant mediating role in the relationship between teachers' proactive behaviors and teaching performance. This study enriches the application of organizational support in vocational colleges, providing empirical evidence for improving teachers' proactive behaviors in higher education institutions, which could be useful for central or local education policy decision-makers and implementing units. Additionally, this model could be further applied beyond vocational education to other contexts or policies, demonstrating both theoretical and practical significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cultural transformations experienced by the occidental world since the decade of 1960 led to a modification of the relationship that the teachers used to have with their educational profession. They went over from a vocation to a profession without further ado. This is the idea that François Dubet puts forward in his analysis of what he calls the "decline of the institution". In this article, we started by considering this theory in order to put to the test its pertinence and to understand the relationship that the university teachers construct with their profession. By means of interviews in a private university, we demonstrate that what prevails is a conception and a relation with the teaching labor that can be assimilated with a vocational commitment based on a belief in a "missionary" dimension of university teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many countries offer different educational pathways to qualify vocational teachers for work in schools. This article reports on a comparison of teacher preparation in two different programmes that qualify vocational teachers in Norway. Given the lack of a quantitative framework for measuring professional preparation among vocational teachers, the study aimed to validate an instrument on different dimensions of teacher learning. Cross-sectional survey data were collected among vocational teacher graduates (n = 567). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis indicated a good fit for a six-factor solution, with factors including preparation to plan and teach, understand students' learning, assess learning, create a good learning environment, develop professionally and connect learning to working life. Subsequent tests of factor mean differences indicated that the bachelor sample reported being significantly better prepared for teaching than the postgraduate sample on five out of six factors. In adapting and validating an instrument for vocational teacher education, the study enriches theory on vocational teacher learning and can contribute to current discussions on what vocational teachers learn during different pathways of initial teacher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficacy of vocational teachers' utilisation of digital technology in the context of the Industrial Revolution 4.0 remains a pressing concern that necessitates pragmatic resolutions. Social support and infrastructure are the leading causes of the limited technological self-efficacy of digital technology practices. This research seeks to examine the impact of infrastructure and social support through technological self-efficacy on vocational teachers' digital technology practices during the Industrial Revolution 4.0. The research employed a quantitative approach and ex-post-facto methods, involving 207 vocational teacher respondents. The data was analysed using structural equation modelling techniques, namely path analysis and bootstrapping approaches. The inquiry results indicate that technological selfefficacy acts as a mediator of digital technology practices, with a statistically significant p-value of less than .05. The relationship between social support for digital technology practices and technology self-efficacy is mediated by an estimate of 0.089 with a p-value of .019. Similarly, the relationship between infrastructure for digital technology practices and technology self-efficacy is mediated by an estimate of 0.250 with a pvalue of .000. A comprehensive analysis of variables, including their direct, indirect, and total effects, revealed a considerable influence of the variables included in the study. After analysing the features of each respondent, a p-value < .05 was achieved, indicating a significant influence between the variables evaluated. It suggests that the relationship between the variables can be broadly applied to the characteristics of each respondent. Enhancing digital technology practices in vocational education requires increased efforts from educational institutions and the government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Accompanying learners in their increasingly self-directed learning is an important goal in the field of vocational education and training. With digitalisation, the traditional role of the teacher, characterized in terms of an arbiter and transmitter of knowledge, is in crisis. Besides teachers' task in instruction, other role aspects are coming to the fore, such as supporting learners in their self-directed learning. Words such as coach, mentor, and learning facilitator emphasize mentoring as a key component of the teacher’s role, but these are challenging to implement in practice. Method: The study used in-depth interviews with 10 vocational teachers who emphasise self-directed learning in their lessons. Based on Schütze's narrative analysis method, the narratives revealed how the teachers described typical experiences in relation to their role conception and their role action. Findings: For the conception and role implementation of coaching roles, the teachers' convictions of what constitutes good learning and teaching were decisive. Training in teacher-training colleges seems to broaden and shift the understanding of teaching and learning processes and progressive roles. Teachers often experience that learners spontaneously reject their progressive roles, with learners appearing to prefer traditional teaching and role design. Although their new roles are not yet fully manifested and normalised in their teaching practice, teachers need to repeatedly legitimize the benefits of their role implementation to different stakeholders. Furthermore, difficulties arise in the practical implementation of the roles, since how to act as a teacher in various instructional sequences that emphasise self-directed learning often seems ambiguous. Conclusion: The teacher's role is in flux, and with changing expectations come challenges in understanding and fulfilling their role. The study results show typical experiences and negotiations of vocational teachers who emphasise self-directed learning in their lessons. The themes derived from the vocational teachers’ narrations shed important insights into role negotiation, and the findings may offer direction in how to support and guide teachers in their role implementation.

Purpose: Vocational educators in many countries enter teaching as a second career and authentic occupational expertise is seen as essential to good quality VET. The changing contexts of VET and the growing diversity of its learning populations also demand the development of teaching expertise. This dual professionalism is related to a unique combination of an occupational and a teacher identity, however, prior, and mainly qualitative research from a limited number of VET contexts suggests that often one side of this duality prevails. Our study aimed to explore the professional identity of vocational educators in Hungary and to identify some of the factors that might influence its formation. Methods: We applied a mixed method design, conducting a teacher survey (N=138) and semi-structured interviews (N=12). The quantitative and qualitative strands followed a parallel design, exploring the same topics but identity views and the organisational context were studied more deeply in the interviews. In the survey, we measured professional identity through a direct question about its type as well as questions about the importance of specific goals and teacher competence areas in vocational teaching. We used statistical and thematic analyses to study our quantitative and qualitative data. Results: Most vocational educators in our study identified as both a teacher and a professional, though the type of identity varied by gender and length of occupational work experience. Perceptions about the main goals in teaching revealed vocation/outcome-focused and student/education-focused goal orientations influenced by gender, qualifications and work experience, while our qualitative data also showed the impact of school culture and the wider socio-economic context. The goal orientations identified in the survey were more balanced for those with a dual identity, and they correlated with perceptions about the importance of different teacher competence areas, which were most influenced by whether or not the educator had obtained a pedagogical qualification. Conclusion: Our findings showed that although most vocational educators also in Hungary claim to have a dual identity, they often prioritise the development of occupational expertise as they believe it is what gives them credibility that is seen as essential to "good VET". Considering the significant impact we have found of teacher education and continued work in the occupation on identity views, it seems of utmost importance that policy and schools recognise and support the development of both occupational and teacher expertise, to ensure a balanced dual identity that seems best suited for vocational teaching.

The purpose of this article is to develop knowledge about the experiences of technical vocational education and training teachers in Norway during the covid-19 school closures in the spring and autumn of 2020. Data has been obtained through an electronic questionnaire with open, text-based answers. 18 vocational teachers participated in the survey, which shows that the closure had major consequences for vocational students in the technological education programs. The home school’s narrow framework conditions made it difficult to replace the school’s practical workshop and hands-on training. The study shows that the closure has triggered major differences in how vocational training was carried out. While some students only participated in digital home school, other students were able to have more practice in firms and enterprises than in ordinary school life. Excluded from school, training firms, and leisure activities, many students felt lonely and passive and some were eventually in danger of dropping out of school. The study shows that the vocational teachers took extensive responsibility and worked hard to find relevant and practical tasks for their students in the crisis that arose. One-to-one conversations between teacher and student as well as a close school-home collaboration became decisive for the students' experience of social and professional belonging.

The purpose of this article is to develop knowledge about the experiences of technical vocational education and training teachers in Norway during the covid-19 school closures in the spring and autumn of 2020. Data has been obtained through an electronic questionnaire with open, text-based answers. 18 vocational teachers participated in the survey, which shows that the closure had major consequences for vocational students in the technological education programs. The home school’s narrow framework conditions made it difficult to replace the school’s practical workshop and hands-on training. The study shows that the closure has triggered major differences in how vocational training was carried out. While some students only participated in digital home school, other students were able to have more practice in firms and enterprises than in ordinary school life. Excluded from school, training firms, and leisure activities, many students felt lonely and passive and some were eventually in danger of dropping out of school. The study shows that the vocational teachers took extensive responsibility and worked hard to find relevant and practical tasks for their students in the crisis that arose. One-to-one conversations between teacher and student as well as a close school-home collaboration became decisive for the students' experience of social and professional belonging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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As working life changes, it places new demands on vocational competence and the use of different digital technologies. It affects vocational teaching, yet digitalization within vocational education constitutes a scarcely researched area. In this study, we explore how vocational teachers relate to teaching in a digitalized society from a socio-material perspective and explore the possibilities as well as the discursive manifestations of contradictions it gives rise to. Data includes semi-structured interviews with ten vocational teachers, representing eight vocational programs in Sweden. Findings show how vocational teachers benefit from digital technology to realize pedagogical strategies and facilitate students' vocational competence. At the same time, digitalization entails challenges of keeping up with changes in working life and providing students with relevant vocational digital technologies. Contributions include increased knowledge about digitalization in vocational education, and how it entails navigating different contradictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the school-based vocational education and training system, so-called hybrid teachers, i.e. who both work in a vocational school and a business, can add value to the quality of VET as well as can solve ageing and the threat of shortages among VET teachers. In this research, the motivation of becoming a VET teacher as a second career and its perception by participants were examined using a mixed-method explanatory sequential study design. In the first phase, 114 VET teachers from 33 VET institutions in Lithuania were surveyed using the Factors Influencing Teaching (FIT) Choice scale. In the second phase, five vocational teachers were interviewed. The qualitative results supported and complemented the results of quantitative research by emphasizing the importance of intrinsic motivation to teach and explained in-depth the components of antecedent socialisation and perceptions of teaching. The results were discussed considering similar studies on second-career teachers conducted in other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores ways of empowering vocational educators for effective instructional delivery through information and communication technology (ICT) training in tertiary institutions in Enugu State, Nigeria. A descriptive survey research design was used with a population of 63 respondents, comprising lecturers of computer education and business education from University of Nigeria, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, and Godfrey Okoye University. There was no sampling carried out due to the manageable size of the population. The researchers employed a structured questionnaire as a means of collecting data. The collected data were analysed using the mean (...) and standard deviation. The findings of the study revealed that ICT training would help promote effective instructional delivery in universities in Enugu State. Also, various ICT skills are required by vocational educators for effective instructional delivery. Lastly, several challenges are constraining the ICT training for effective instructional delivery in universities in Enugu State. Based on the findings, the study recommends, among others, that universities should make provision for training and retraining of vocational educators on the use of new technological tools for proper integration in teaching and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article critically examines the intricate balance between instrumentalism and the pursuit of a comprehensive perspective within higher education. Specifically, the study investigates the experiences of vocational teachers enrolled in a master’s program at a Norwegian university, as they grapple with the challenge of reconciling academic requisites with their vocational expertise. Drawing on the transformative conduit of ‘communities of practice’ introduced by Lave and Wenger, the research addresses this multifaceted undertaking. Embracing an educational approach that values adult learners’ prior experiences, the article advocates for the cultivation of communities of practice. This approach facilitates the exchange of insights and collaborative learning, empowering vocational teachers to adeptly navigate the academic landscape while integrating their vocational wisdom. The analysis illustrated how the program’s curriculum, incorporation of real-world experiences, and development of diverse study techniques can enhance learning outcomes. Through Lave and Wenger’s theoretical framework and its practical application, the article contributes to the discourse on fostering inclusivity within higher education. Centring on vocational teachers, who bring invaluable practical experiences, our study emphasises the potential to nurture engagement, bridge the gap between past experiences and the acquisition of new knowledge and skills, and ultimately cultivate a more inclusive and impactful academic environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to formulate the future competencies of vocational needed by the world of work, and find the main aspects that graduates must have to support them in the world of work. This study used quantitative inquiry approaches with questionnaire or inventory, focus group discussion, interview, literature review, and documentation as the methods of data collection. The subjects of the study were 18 experienced teachers from 18 vocational school, 15 industries representatives, 6 vocational education experts, and 4 vocational education practice. Data were analysed descriptively. The results show that the future of vocational competence consist of specific competencies in the form of high-level technical skills supported by general competencies such as technology and information skill, honesty, mastering foreign languages, discipline, critical thinking, creatively and innovatively, responsible, attitude, teamwork, and communication skills. The study also found that soft skills or employability skills were the main aspects that graduates must have in a complementary integrated with hard skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The success of development in the education sector depends on the governance of educational institutions starting from primary education, canoeing to tertiary institutions and the universities themselves, especially the management of SMKN will rely heavily on the quality of its human resources, in this case, represented by the performance of the teacher. This study aims to determine and examine the influence of the principal's leadership, communication, motivation, and competence on work culture, which has implications for the performance of vocational school teachers as service centers and education supervision in Region V of the West Java Provincial Education Office. This study uses a descriptive and verification approach. The research method used is a descriptive survey and an explanatory survey. In this study, the sample was 301 permanent teachers. The method of analysis in this study uses path analysis. The results of the study conclude that there is a very significant influence of the principal's leadership, communication, motivation, and competence on work culture, and there is a very considerable influence of work culture on the performance of vocational school teachers as service and supervision centers for education in the province of West Java. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Skills training in the informal economy, known as informal apprenticeship, caters to the skills needs of millions of young people in the Global South. While it predates the development of formal Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) systems, it was not until the 'discovery' of the informal economy in the 1970s that attention was drawn to this important system of training. Despite the importance of informal apprenticeship, it is striking that there has been a paucity of academic research on education and training and the informal economy this millennium. Whilst there have continued to be papers written by staff of international development agencies, academic accounts are now rare. This paper explores the role of informal apprenticeship in the human development of informal apprentices. It presents new data on informal apprenticeship and engages with earlier academic and international policy papers on informal apprenticeship, in an attempt to open new ways of theorising and understanding informal apprenticeship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is argued that developing digital abilities is key for today's knowledge society. They facilitate engaging with pervasive information communication technologies and manipulating information. Governments have invested vastly in formal education aimed at developing digital abilities. Policies and directives driving this venture need to be examined. Otherwise, their potential risks being thwarted. Grounded in concepts derived from Laclau and Mouffe, five public policy documents central to Chile's Secondary Vocational Education and Traning (S-TVET) system underwent a synchronic heuristic discourse analysis as understood under relational-ontology. Findings indicate that all analysed documents are articulated with a myth of an information society. Additionally, two prominent discourses were identified: an instrumentalization discourse and an empowerment discourse. When referencing S-TVET, however, the most salient discourse is that of instrumentalization. Instrumentalization discourses render digital abilities under a narrow corporate fixed set of decontextualised skills, and risk thwarting their potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Germany, about half of the school-leavers – irrespective of their school-leaving certificate – start an apprenticeship instead of entering the labour market or university. Firms act as gatekeepers who influence which school-leavers start an apprenticeship. Previous studies have provided important information on the reasons firms train. By analysing tasks, I consider an additional characteristic that probably influences firms' training decisions. The aim of my study is twofold: I examine whether tasks performed in a firm first correlate with the decision to provide apprenticeship training and second with the school-leaving certificate of newly hired apprentices. I use the BIBB Establishment Panel on Training and Competence Development to estimate hybrid models with the task shares of firms as the main independent variables. The results suggest that firms' task composition affects their decisions concerning vocational education and training (VET). Firms with a high share of routine or manual tasks are more likely to be involved in VET. Moreover, high shares of manual and routine tasks are accompanied by a higher demand for apprentices with lower secondary certificates, and high shares of interactive tasks by a high demand for apprentices with the highest secondary school-leaving certificate (i.e. the Abitur). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Criteria lists of academic skills are widely used to assess the work readiness of people who are looking to enter or re-enter the apprenticeship market. These instruments represent a particular hurdle in the path to vocational training for low-skilled would-be trainees. We investigate the validity of one such list used in Germany. As different workplaces have diverse requirements, we question whether the same criteria hold for various professions. The study surveyed 538 trainees enrolled in vocational training programmes in eight different professions. Participants were asked about the requirements of their professions with respect to the minimum standards (as specified in the German Catalogue of Criteria for Apprenticeship Readiness) for work readiness. The results showed that the trainees consider the requirements during training to be lower than the minimum standards specified in the German Catalogue of Criteria for Apprenticeship Readiness and that substantial heterogeneity in requirements exists both between and within professions. We argue that criteria lists, which are also used in other countries in similar ways, should be treated with caution, as they might not be able to predict would-be trainees' readiness to successfully complete an apprenticeship programme due to enormous variability in job requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disparity in educational and career outcomes between rural, regional and remote (RRR) students and their metropolitan counterparts persists despite successive federal and state government initiatives. In this paper, we will present a study that highlights one important, yet overlooked, avenue to improve outcomes for RRR students: early-stage careers education. Informed by interviews conducted with RRR principals and deputy principals from Victoria and Queensland (n = 10), we present a new approach to the delivery and content of careers education in RRR contexts. The approach advocates for a purposeful programme from Year 7, which includes the engagement of key influencers such as parents/carers, peers and local industry, as well as tailoring activities to also reflect regional job trends and pathways. The broader implications of our findings to curriculum design are also presented and challenge the prevailing approach of Year 9/10 as the optimal period to immerse careers education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pedagogic practices at workplaces are provided to support students' vocational education. To contribute to the understanding of supporting workplace learning, the focus of this literature review is to operationalise how pedagogic practices play out in practice. An overview is provided of pedagogic practices applied at workplaces to support students' vocational learning. Included studies provide descriptions of manifestations of pedagogic practices enabled by experienced colleagues, such as supervisors, in the context of students' workplace learning. Three sets of relevant search terms were defined, including synonyms and related definitions of 'pedagogic practices', 'supervisors' and 'workplace learning'. Forty-seven studies were selected, retrieved and processed qualitatively. Findings represent a comprehensive overview of fourteen categories of pedagogic practices. Three perspectives on supporting students are discussed: demonstrating vocational activities, stimulating vocational participation, and entrusting vocational activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interest in educational and professional aspirations of students transiting to post-secondary education has gained prominence in academic debates and policy agendas internationally. Political interventions for raising aspirations quite often draw on narrow instrumental and rationalistic assumptions of individual decision-making that, as we will argue, do not capture adequately the meanings students attribute to these aspirations. By means of in-depth interviews and combining a critical realist approach to social action with capabilities approach, the paper explores the educational and professional aspirations of students at the end of secondary TVET in Chile. We consider that high educational aspirations of secondary TVET students in Chile need to be understood as a reflexive response to significantly high social inequalities in the country, the precarity of working conditions in a highly liberalised labour market, and the enduring neoliberal tenet of meritocracy. We also argue that understanding aspirations is key to reimagine TVET's roles and purposes at individual, institutional and national levels, towards fairer opportunities for human development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Formative assessment, including vocational education and training (VET), has been included in the assessment regulations in Norway since 2006. This study examines how a continuing education course entitled Assessment for learning in vocational education (15 credits) might contribute to vocational teachers' professional development related to assessment for learning. Qualitative data was collected in two stages from vocational teachers participating on the course. The findings reveal that perceptions of assessment for learning and vocational formative assessment practice are developed through the lens of the general study programmes and are dominated by academic subjects in upper secondary schools. However, assessment for learning is embedded in vocational learning and teaching and needs to be voiced in the educational discourse in schools related to formative assessment. Vocational teachers' professional development in assessment for learning should be based on the characteristics and attributes of vocational learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescents' occupational expectations are relevant for occupational status attainment. In strong vocational education and training (VET) systems, such as in Germany, school leavers face the challenge of forming occupational expectations that correspond to the competitive VET market. This study investigates students' target occupations in the application process and its relation to their first training occupation. Do applicants for VET positions apply for occupations of different socioeconomic status over time? Does the status of the target occupations increasingly fit to the finally achieved training occupation? Are there differences by familial socioeconomic background? Analysis are based on longitudinal data on the application process collected from German students in lower secondary and intermediate secondary schools in one urban area. Overall, the status level of the target occupations at the beginning of the application process differs significantly according to school track, but additionally to school grades or family background. At the end of the application process, the application behaviour becomes diversified: applicants with poor school grades and of low status continue to apply for target occupations at a similar status level but at the same time apply for occupations of relative lower status. This lower level does not, however, translate into training occupations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study is to reveal the perceptions of primary, secondary, Anatolian and vocational high school teachers about values education. The study group of the research consists of primary school, secondary school, Anatolian high school and vocational high school teachers in Ankara in the 2016-2017 academic year. The analysis revealed five themes: teachers' studies on values education, teachers' views on the adequacy of values education, teachers' views on which value is prioritized in values education, teachers' views on the studies conducted within the scope of values education, and teachers' views on the success of values education. As a result of the research, teachers stated that class and school boards were generally prepared for values education, the scope of values education should be expanded and new values should be added according to technology, especially peer solidarity. In addition, it was determined that teachers approached the activities carried out within the scope of values education positively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The majority of the literature in the field of international education focuses on the experiences of international students, while much less is known about how teachers learn to teach this cohort. Research on teachers' informal professional learning and critical moments of growth in their endeavour to enhance the learning experiences of international students in the vocational education and training sector is even scarcer. This article responds to the dearth of existing literature. related to teachers' professional learning in international vocational education It is based on a study that includes semi-structured interviews with 102 staff in Australian vocational education and training. The article uses positioning theory as a conceptual frame to analyse teachers' narratives of informal professional learning relation to teaching international students. The findings show that teachers position international students as valuable resources contributing to their informal professional development. The study indicates that it is crucial for teachers' on-the-job learning experiences to be factored into the broader policy frameworks concerning teacher professional development. The article provides the evidence base to inform the development of situated and targeted professional learning for teachers teaching international students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to find out the effectiveness of vocational training services for the students with hearing impairment in Punjab Province. Qualitative paradigm was used to conduct this research. Vocational training teachers of students with hearing impairment who were working in Govt. vocational training centers of Special Education were considered as a population of this research. Purposive sampling technique was used to select the sample for this research. Six vocational teachers of students with hearing impairment of vocational training centers were selected as a sample of this research. Open ended in depth interviews were conducted to gather the information and get the answers to research questions. NVivo was used for thematic analysis. It was concluded that participants were satisfied with the current level of vocational training provided in the institutes. Perception of society, attitude towards vocational training, limited institutes, lack of professional career guidance cells and lack of staff were the main obstacles of vocational training. This qualitative research suggested to vocational training institutes to upgrade their training resources as per the international standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quality of learning for vocational teachers in Indonesia in the 21st century is still a very serious problem and has not yet received a practical solution. The prediction is that the self-efficacy of vocational teachers is weak and is motivated by very limited mastery of digital technology and low psychological well-being, which is strongly suspected as a contributing factor. This study examines the role of self-efficacy and mediation of digital technology intimacy and psychological well-being in improving the quality of vocational teacher learning. This research is an ex-post-facto study with 216 vocational teachers as respondents. Data was collected using a questionnaire technique consisting of digital technology intimacy (DTI), psychological well-being (PWB), self-efficacy (SE), and instructional quality (IQ) questionnaires using four Likert scales, namely strongly agree to strongly disagree. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis techniques with path analysis and bootstrap methods. The results of the study revealed that SE had a significant and positive effect on DTI and PWB in influencing the quality of learning. On the other hand, DTI and PWB have a positive effect on self-efficacy and learning quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two decades of international research on digital competence of teachers have provided a number of frameworks for empirical studies and curriculum development. However, research publications addressing the needed digital competence of vocational (VET-) teachers are scarce. In this article we ask to what extent leading conceptual frameworks on digital competence are fruitful templates for studying such competences in the case of VET-teachers’ professional development, and what could be alternative conceptual models that fit this professional category. A synthesis is made of relevant literature based on a theoretical platform in vocational didactics and digitalization that highlights the diversity of international VET-systems and the connectivity between work and school. We adopt an integrative literature research approach that combines systematic procedures and supplementary searches in an iterative way. Our descriptive analysis of the literature indicated that the international research on VET-teachers digital competence had in general a narrow focus on technical skills with a lack of perspective on key issues about their digital competences such as connectivity school / work, subject-specificity, and adaptive pedagogy. The articles tended to leave out contextual issues, for example the changing professional work of vocational teachers and background information about the national VET-systems. However, part of the literature pointed to the need for more “grounded” research starting from case-studies and qualitative data / mixed-methods research. Our synthesis of the literature in light of our theoretical framing identified four main topics for further research on VET-teachers’ digital competence that were incorporated in a working model or a “frameworking” that needs to be further developed in order to provide a rich and validated basis for constructing professional programs.

Context: In Germany, vocational education and training (VET) plays a key role in the transition from school to working life. Due to its proximity to the labour market and an increasingly digitised, connected world, the professional knowledge requirements of VET teachers are changing and an adjustment of competence frameworks for vocational teachers is needed. Approach: Since its introduction, the TPACK (Technological Pedagogical And Content Knowledge) framework of Shulman and Mishra and Koehler has been repeatedly used in the international research discourse as a framework for capturing teachers' professional knowledge. Given the infrequent reference to TPACK in the field of vocational education and training (VET), this theoretical article aims to adapt the TPACK framework for VET teachers. A literature review revealed the importance of developing an adapted TPACK framework that takes into account the peculiarities of the German vocational school system as well as the non technical personal service sector. Based on this research gap, an appropriately adapted TPACK framework was developed. The focus of this article lies on VET of nutritional science and home economics. Findings: After considering and analysing the requirements of the VET system in Germany in the context of digitalisation, it is suggested to adapt and enlarge the existing TPACK framework, thus creating an N-TPACK framework, taking into account "Networking and Collaborative Knowledge (NK)" as an aspect of essential VET teachers' professional knowledge. Conclusion: The present theoretical article considers the research desideratum of extending the TPACK framework by developing a theoretical N-TPACK framework as well as examining and discussing the various knowledge areas. Building on this theoretical article, a survey of the current status quo of these professional knowledge areas among (prospective) VET teachers in the subject area of nutrition and home economics is necessary, in order to provide orientation and to be able to derive recommended actions for an up-to-date and forward looking teacher education and training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial work culture education (IWCE) is an important component in creating vocational school graduates who are competent and able to adapt quickly in the workplace. The implementation of IWCE has not been widely studied, so this study aims to describe Indonesian vocational high school teachers' perceptions and practices concerning IWCE. This study is a phenomenological qualitative research with automotive teachers from public and private VHS that have been accredited A in the Special Region of Yogyakarta and Central Java, Indonesia. Data were collected using interview techniques, analysed using the method presented by Creswell and Poth (2019). Analysis was assisted by Atlas Ti software to code, determine themes and relationships between themes, and determine the conclusions of the study. Results show that (1) types of IWC applied in VHS vary and their application is not optimal; (2) teachers have a central role in the educational pattern of IWC in VHS; (3) each school has different strategies for implementing IWCE; and (4) obstacles have been identified in school aspects, regulations, teachers, infrastructure, industry and costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]