Search Results for
"Vocational education"

While there is increasing emphasis on the idea that vocational education should equip students to think well, very little attention is paid in course design to messages from cognitive research that the quality of people’s subject knowledge influences their thinking about problems. The overall aim of the study was to evaluate the usefulness of ideas from cognitive research and from the ‘meta-cognitive movement’ in designing instruction intended to improve students’ ability to deal with simple accounting problems. A new ‘cognitive’ approach to teaching an existing basic accounting module was implemented by further education lecturers and evaluated using an experimental/control design. The results indicate that the ‘cognitive’ instruction significantly improved students’ scores on non-routine accounting tasks. The authors interpret the results as consistent with their view that the emphasis on understanding and thinking in this study may be more vocationally relevant than is commonly supposed. © 2001 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

This study examined effects of high school students’ (n = 4050) participation in work-based learning programmes representing School-To- Work (STW) initiatives on their activities 1 year after graduation. Work based learning offered some advantage to participants compared to nonparticipants. Specifically, students who participated in the Career and Technology education (CTE) programme had higher state-reported total and quarterly earnings, and self-reported higher hourly wage, and greater relevance of high school curriculum to their post-secondary education, training and employment than non-participants. CTE participants rated themselves better prepared in what to expect at the job and knowing technical information about the job than non-participants. Unexpectedly, interns had lower state-reported total earnings and number of quarters worked than non-interns. Interns rated themselves as equally prepared as non-interns in general work skills. Observations made during the evaluation suggested areas for improvement in the implementation and evaluation of STW activities, namely, the need for abstraction in STW programme development, implementation and evaluation, and the need for broader reach of students. © 2001 Journal of vocational education and Training All rights reserved.

The role of competencies in postgraduate dental education and training has been a major topic of interest in recent years. Concerns have been voiced from all sides of the profession about how the competence of trainees and the quality of training can be assured so that high standards of patient care can be maintained. A three year project which seeks to develop a competency-based assessment system for general professional training is underway which hopes to answer some of the concerns and provide an evidence-based system of assessment for the early postgraduate years. This paper looks at the reasoning behind the project, its aims, and the progress made to date. © British Dental Journal 2000;.

Presents the findings of the second phase of a research study carried out in the summer of 1999 and commissioned by CAPPE/ACPEP, and The Churches' Council on Theological education in Canada. Reports the results of a survey of students who completed a basic unit in Supervised Pastoral education to identity the self-perceived effects of the unit on their pastoral functioning. Notes that the results of both the first and second phase of the research affirm the use of experiential learning and the success of basic SPE in increasing self-awareness.

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An epidemiological survey was carried out by a local association network and was developed in partnership with regional and national institutions. The survey on wellbeing and health was conducted over an 18-month period in the French department of Charente. The purpose of the research was to test the hypothesis that «the change in context that is experienced by adolescents at the end of junior high school and at the beginning of high school leads to an increase in risky behaviours». To this end, the survey questioned 3,800 young people on a random basis, mixing those from different grades, those participating in vocational training and apprenticeships, and those from public and private schools. The accomplishment of this survey was made possible thanks to the motivation of a pre-existing strong local network organised and linked to education professionals, the technical contribution of the region's health observatory who conducted the statistical analysis of the data, and the assistance of Unit 472 of the French Institute of Health and Medical Research who provided scientific supervision and advice. The high participation rate and quality of the data (comparable with and even better than some existing studies) demonstrate that it is possible for local associations to carry out effective epidemiological surveys based on the needs keenly felt by the workers themselves, within the scope of a reasonable budget and in a short time span without sacrificing the precision demanded by the scientific method.

We have carried out case based comparative studies in Japan, US and Korea with special reference to the medical education programme using standardized patients (SPs). The schools in US we have visited are still in the process further reforming interactive medical education. In Daegu, Korea, five medical schools have jointly started a working group for the betterment of medical education on a regular basis from the year 1999. The emphasis is on cooperative research on standardized patient training and its application. In Japan, the substantial activities for training and implementing SPs were later followed by several citizens who are active in training and providing SPs to medical schools and hospitals in need. In comparison to the established research oriented framework and flexible application of SPs in US and new & dynamic developmental discussions of SPs in Korea, the Japanese reality is a bit behind with less opportunity for research oriented trials.

Over the past 5 years, an innovative portfolio of degrees in complementary therapies has been developed at the University of Westminster. Most of the degrees were the first of their kind in the UK, and the provision is now the widest range of complementary therapies courses in Europe.With an intake of 80 students in 1996, the provision has grown rapidly to a total of over 500 in 2000.The opening of the unique multidisciplinary Polyclinic in 1998 marked the beginning of an exciting clinical training and research dimension. The context that has lead to the growth of mainstream higher education provision of complementary therapies is explored.The current offer is reviewed, and criteria for degree provision and the role of the professional bodies discussed. The development of the University of Westminster's provision is described, including the early collaboration with established providers, design, influence of nursing and midwifery, experiences with the professional bodies, development of the unique Polyclinic and the plans for the future. © 2001 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.

Objective: The aim of this prospective follow-up study was to quantify the impact of hand dermatitis (HD) in bakers, confectioners and bakery shop assistants, and to investigate related risk factors. Method: Bakers', confectioners' and bakery-shop assistants were included in a prospective follow-up study in the region of East Thuringia starting in August 1996. At the beginning of their vocational training 91 apprentices were interviewed and examined in a standardised way. Follow-up examinations and interviews were done after 6 months (n = 79), 12 months (n = 63) and at the end of the training (n = 69) after 36 months. Results: In their case histories 3.3% (n = 3) of the apprentices reported previous HD in childhood and adolescence. The first assessment after 2 to 4 weeks of vocational training revealed HD in 17.5% (n = 16) of the individuals. At the follow-up examination after 6 months, point prevalence of HD was 29.1% (n = 23), after 12 months 27.0% (n = 17) and after 36 months 27.5% (n = 19). Mild to moderate irritant contact dermatitis was the most frequent finding. Finally, an atopic skin diathesis (> 10 points, "atopy score") (OR = 4.89; CI 95% 1.15-20.79), previous HD (OR = 41.1; CI 95% 4.99-339.13) as well as flexural dermatitis (OR = 6.8; CI 95% 1.72-27.22) proved to be predictive factors for the development of HD. No association was found to respiratory atopy (OR = 1.29; CI 95% 0.35-4.7) and mental sensitisation (OR = 1.1; CI 95% 0.29-4.35). Exogenous irritant factors did not show a strong association towards a risk increase. Wet work in general, as well as distinct occupational tasks showed only a tendency for being a risk factor for HD. However, leisure time activities, especially house building and rebuilding (OR = 5.4; CI 95% 1.05-27.81), were associated with an elevated risk. Conclusions: Endogenous and exogenous factors contribute to the development of HD in bakers' and confectioners' apprentices.