Search Results for
"Vocational education"

This chapter synthesizes Bourdieu's theoretical ideas with empirical data concerned with educational (non-)participation in forms of lifelong education to illuminate how educational inequalities are reproduced throughout the lifecourse. It emerges from two separate studies in England. Study A explores why a group of young adults, living within traditionally working-class communities, choose not to participate in higher education. Study B considers why mature students participate in higher vocational education (HIVE) and how their decision to study this form of higher education specifically is shaped by their working-class backgrounds. Findings are drawn from semi-structured interviews with 12 further education students (Study A) and eight mature students undertaking HIVE qualifications in a further education college (Study B). Both studies took place at large general further education colleges (FECs). Both sites are situated in the North of England, where a large proportion of school leavers in the towns attend the colleges, which are the main providers of post-16 education. The chapter will be of interest to researchers of educational inequality, adult learning and social justice by illuminating how classed forms of (non-)participation can be understood as both 'structured and structuring' over time and through the lifecourse. It will be of interest to adult learning practitioners by providing an example of how social theory can be put to work to help us understand real-life educational problems and practices in new ways. © Nalita James, Kevin Orr and Sharon Clancy 2025. All rights reserved.

Green Changemakers is a regional initiative in the West Midlands of England, an area that encompasses the sprawling diversity of Birmingham, former industrial towns and agricultural countryside. The original vision was to teach educators 'green skills', an outcome that the authors quickly problematized once they gathered in the welcoming surroundings of Fircroft College, an adult education college with a social purpose mission of helping adults to realize their potential, focus on themselves and help them make what once seemed impossible, possible. This beautiful former home and gardens of philanthropist George Cadbury enabled them to step away from busy lives and think together about previously unimagined futures. They began to question what these 'green skills' are. How can a generic approach honour the expertise of subject specialist educators, while enabling them to adapt to an unknown future, enabling students to make and justify sustainable choices? Rather than try to generically teach specialist green skills, they chose to focus on 'changemaking' skills. This chapter explores the rationale behind the Green Changemakers approach and how the authors are trying to put it into practice. 0000-0001-6447-9274, 0009-0009-4373-2512, 0000-0001-6279-9864,, 0009-0001-2171-2985. © Nalita James, Kevin Orr and Sharon Clancy 2025. All rights reserved.

Introduction: Although university education in Germany is without tuition fees, the parental educational background influences the decision to study as well as the choice of subjects, and is linked to challenges that students face during the course of study. However, little is known about these aspects in veterinary medicine. In this study, the differences between the first-generation students (FGS) and continuing-generation students (CGS) in veterinary medicine, as well as the challenges (study entrance, financial situation, concerns about the future), are examined in order to identify any need for supportive action. Methods: The results of this study are based on a survey that was open to all German veterinary students in Spring 2023. Results: Responses from 1,525 students were analyzed (response rate 24%). A considerable proportion of veterinary students (40%) in Germany are FGS. They are more likely to rate their financial situation as poor (20%) or very poor (7%) than CGS (poor: 10%, very poor: 3%). Even though FGS and CGS work for income alongside their studies in similar proportions (FGS: 71%; CGS: 67%), the motivation was different: CGS are more likely to work in order to earn extra money (CGS: 68%; FGS: 49%) and FGS because other sources of income are insufficient (FGS: 34%; CGS: 12%). A similar proportion of FGS and CGS frequently or consistently considers dropping out of university (FGS: 10%; CGS: 11%). However, in FSG this is more often due to financial reasons (FGS: 28%, CGS: 16%). Almost all students have a high school-based university entrance qualification (97%). Final school grades of CGS were better on average than those of FGS. More FGS than CGS had already completed vocational training prior to their studies (FGS: 47%, CGS: 30%). Discussion: In conclusion, FGS and CGS differ in their own educational background and the financial challenges in veterinary education. It is therefore important to create an awareness of challenges related to the social background of veterinary students. Moreover, support services to counteract challenges of FGS (and CGS) are needed. There is a need for further research concerning the associations between parental educational background and academic and professional success in veterinary medicine. © © 2025 Kracht, Doherr and Jensen.

Reflective writing is considered an important metacognitive skill, especially in vocational education where students must bridge theoretical knowledge and practical experiences. However, meaningful reflection often requires supervision and guidance, as students struggle to make connections between classroom concepts and workplace experiences. While generative large language models (LLMs) have shown promise in such educational applications including personalized learning and writing support, their effectiveness is hindered by inherent issues such as hallucination and lack of personalization. To address this, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) has emerged as a solution to enable models to integrate external information in text generation. While RAG has demonstrated success in various domains, its potential for enhancing reflective writing remains untapped. In this work-in-progress, we introduce Memoire, a writing assistant designed to utilize the capabilities of RAG to support students in reflective writing. By leveraging external knowledge and memory from prior reflections of each student, Memoire helps them write reflections that are both insightful and grounded in accurate prior information. We also conduct a pre-study to evaluate and compare three modalities of providing writing support in the domain of reflective writing from prior works. Finally, we introduce our study design plan for an in-classroom evaluation of Memoire. © 2025 Copyright for this paper by its authors.

The results of the experimental verification of the implementation of the methodical system for development of the professional competence of future electrical engineering teachers are presented. The implementation of the methodical system was based on the regularities related to the internal structure of the system and its external connections. The components of the methodical system: content, methods, forms and technologies for future professionals training were. It was proved that the efficiency of the development of future teachers’ professional competence in electrical engineering depended on the methodology, educational technologies and forms for students’ learning and cognitive activities. It was substantiated that the important component in such a process was a scientifically substantiated and verified methodical system based on the model of professional competencies future electrical engineering teachers, the theoretical foundation of competence-based training and up-to-date scientific findings in pedagogy aiming for continuous improvement of their pedagogical and technological knowledge and skills, personal and professional qualities, development of general culture and value orientations. It was determined that the purposeful development of future teachers’ professional competence in electrical engineering is possible through the use of pedagogical technologies, such as personality-oriented technology, project-based and problem-based learning, use of information and communication technologies. The effectiveness of the implementation of the methodical system for the development of the professional competence of future electrical engineering teachers at Ukrainian universities has been experimentally proven. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.

The rapid development of technologies leads to changes in the requirements of modern employers for vocational training; therefore, there is a need to apply pedagogical technologies and approaches to teaching that would ensure the formation of competitive specialists. The research is devoted to the analysis and justification of the introduction of modern approaches to the professional training of future specialists in higher polytechnic colleges. The research was based on the methods of questioning, analysis of results and statistical processing of results. In the context of the investigation, the technology of professional training of future specialists in higher polytechnic colleges has been outlined, which is based on the approaches of competence-based, project-based, dual learning and soft skills development. In the course of implementing this technology, digital, interactive and STEM learning tools are used. The research presents the levels of implementing the technology of professional training of future specialists in higher polytechnic colleges: methodological, organizational and practical. The effectiveness of applying the technology of professional training of future specialists in higher polytechnic colleges before and after the experiment and the statistical verification of the results obtained by Pearson’s criterion were evaluated, the results of which confirmed the effectiveness of the technology proposed by the authors. It has been determined that the integration of theoretical and practical training and the use of modern technologies have a beneficial impact on the training of specialists in higher polytechnic colleges. Despite widespread advocacy for dual education, few studies test its integration with digital tools across divergent economic contexts. This study addresses that gap by evaluating the effectiveness of a pedagogical model that merges dual education principles with digital learning strategies. The key finding—χ²(2, N=196) = 86.69, p < .001, with effect size ω = 0.67—demonstrates a statistically significant and practically large impact of the model on student outcomes, underscoring its relevance for reforming natural science education in higher institutions. © 2025, Arabic Translators International. All rights reserved.

Project-based learning (PBL) is a student-centered and experiential approach that encourages active learning by involving students in the examination of real-world problems within a collaborative environment. This study aims to develop a PBL environment based on information and communication technologies (ICTs) and assess students’ learning experiences. The participants of the study were students taking the Digital Technologies in Tourism course in the Tourism Management Undergraduate Program. Study data were collected through focus group interviews and research diary. By using ICTs as cognitive tools in the learning process, the levels of satisfaction, interest, motivation, and participation of the students were increased and the process was made more active, instructive, and collaborative. The training program in the study made significant contributions to the development of students’ higher order thinking skills, such as collective work, research, analysis and synthesis, communication, design and creativity, critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making. © 2025 ICHRIE.

Introduction: academic performance in vocational education is influenced by multiple psychological and institutional factors. Among these, Transformational Leadership (TL) from educators and Student Self-Resilience (SSR) are recognized as critical, yet their combined influence remains insufficiently examined within China’s vocational education context. Objective: this study aims to examine the direct effect of teacher transformational leadership on students’ academic performance (SAP) and to assess whether student self-resilience mediates this relationship. Method: a cross-sectional survey was conducted among 511 students from vocational colleges in Chongqing, China. Expectancy theory served as the theoretical framework. Data were analyzed using SmartPLS 4 to implement structural equation modeling (SEM) via partial least squares (PLS), allowing for assessment of path coefficients, mediation effects, explained variance (R²), and effect sizes (f²). Results: transformational leadership had a significant positive direct effect on both student academic performance and student self-resilience. Additionally, self-resilience was found to significantly and positively influence academic performance. Mediation analysis revealed that SSR partially mediated the relationship between TL and SAP, indicating that SSR is an essential mechanism through which TL impacts academic outcomes. Conclusions: the findings support the integration of transformational leadership and student self-resilience development in vocational education. They extend expectancy theory by highlighting SSR as a key personal resource that enhances the effectiveness of leadership on academic outcomes. Practical implications suggest vocational institutions should invest in leadership development for teachers and implement resilience-building programs for students to sustain high academic performance. © 2025; Los autores.

In response to post-pandemic challenges, vocational educators are re-evaluating curricula and instructional strategies to better prepare students for the industry. This study examines the interrelationships among achievement goal orientations, mindful learning, resilience, creative problem-solving, and adaptive capability in hospitality students. It also explores how mindful learning and resilience mediate the relationships between achievement goal orientations and both creative problem-solving and adaptive capability. A quantitative analysis of 1,076 hospitality students with internship experience from 13 universities shows that mindful learning and resilience jointly mediate these relationships. Theoretical models should consider these mediators when assessing students’ creative problem-solving skills and adaptive capability. This research extends the literature on the importance roles that achievement goal orientation, mindful learning and resilience play in the education field. By fostering mindfulness and resilience, vocational educators can help students better navigate the pressures and challenges. The study also discusses practical implications, theoretical contributions, and provides suggestions for future research. © De La Salle University 2025.

In mainland China, the mental health of vocational high school students has been increasingly recognized as a critical issue by both the government and scholars. Positive education, a branch of positive psychology, has been proven to significantly enhance adolescents’ well-being and academic performance. Exploring how to effectively integrate positive education theories or models with traditional teaching methods in vocational classrooms is a promising research direction. To address this, the present study uses the Mechanical Drawing course as a case study, combining the PERMA model with the traditional PBL teaching model to propose an innovative and practical teaching method: the PERMA-based PBL teaching model. The study involved 207 first-year vocational high school students from four parallel classes. Based on their pre-test scores, the students were divided into two parallel groups (A and B) for a crossover experimental design. Quantitative data were collected using the Inventory of Positive Mental Characters among Chinese Middle School Students and a course survey questionnaire. Each group underwent pre-test, mid-test, and post-test assessments, with quantitative analysis conducted via t-tests to evaluate the advantages of the new teaching model compared to traditional teaching methods. The results indicated that the new teaching model significantly outperformed the traditional teaching model in enhancing all dimensions of vocational high school students’ positive psychological qualities (p < 0.001). Additionally, the new teaching model was superior in improving students’ Learning Interest (p < 0.001), Learning Motivation (p < 0.001), and Learning Attitude (p < 0.05). Furthermore, vocational students expressed a stronger preference for the PERMA-based PBL teaching model compared to the traditional teaching model (p < 0.001). This study explores a practical pathway for integrating positive psychology theories into classroom settings and provides a reference for future research in this field. © © 2025 Lu, Guo and Wang.