Search Results for
"learning"

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to help schools for vocational education determine teachers' continuing professional development needs associated with implementing competence-based education programs, so that these schools can develop better attuned HR policies. It investigates which elements from the cognitive apprenticeship model and from the acquisition and participation metaphors can be identified in the individual action theories of their teachers. Design/methodology/approach: A case study was conducted in one school for vocational education, where 12 teachers engaged in an innovation project around the development of a new competence-based education program for pupils. They participated in concept mapping, cued interviews (based on video recordings), semi-structured interviews, and a joint feedback session. These four sources were used for an in-depth content analysis of teachers' action theories. Findings: No distinctive, crystallized action theories about competence-based vocational education emerged at the individual teacher level; let alone individual teachers' action theories well in line with the two normative frameworks on competence-based education. The case study shows the struggle that individual teachers are going through to get their every-day teaching repertoire more in line with new ideas on competence-based education. Research limitations/implications: Only qualitative data are gathered, in one school, representing one school type, in one country only, limiting the statistical generalizability of the results. Not all respondents are able to participate in all four data sources. Practical implications: Schools should develop HR policies that offer teachers CPD activities in the crucial area of competence-based education; the frameworks presented in the study can be used to this end, by teacher educators as well as by HRD professionals interested in combining training programs with informal employee learning. Originality/value: The study draws on literature from various disciplines (especially educational psychology and HRD), which traditionally have remained mostly separate. It combines insights from four separate data sources. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

This edited volume aims to evaluate the promises of workplace learning by addressing the following related questions: What are current developments in theory that informs workplace learning research? How can learning in the workplace be measured? What is the impact of various organizational settings (e.g., team-based work and call centres) on workplace learning? Which are the promising new avenues for research? And which research-based recommendations can be made to boost learning opportunities in various work contexts? The topic is conceptualized as an interaction between the individual and the work context, as a combination of individual and collective processes, as a link between cognition and action, and as a political process. With a wide array of contributions from academics such as Stephen Billet, Tara Fenwick and Victoria Marsick, this volume will be an important research and reference tool with all those academics and practitioners who are interested in the field of human resource development. Targeted at researchers, (post) graduate students, and reflective practitioners and managers interested in the area, "Workplace learning" provides must-read material for anyone wanting to advance the theory, research, and/or practice of learning in the workplace. © 2010 Marianne Van Woerkom and Rob Poell. All rights reserved.

Within the new framework set out in the final report of the Working Group on 14-19 Reform (2004), an Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) was proposed in England to foster the development of students' independent study skills. Widespread national provision of a fully accredited EPQ, as a stand-alone Level 3 qualification, began in September 2008, preceded by a fully evaluated pilot. A survey of students taken during the pilot explored the relationship between students' approaches to learning and their achievement on the EPQ, in addition to assessing the extent to which the new qualification fulfilled its aims. On the basis of questionnaire responses from students, a set of models was fitted to describe the extent to which attainment and engagement with the pilot EPQ were influenced by learning approach. Results showed that, notwithstanding the contribution of previous academic achievement, attainment on the EPQ was positively related to intrinsic motivation; clearly a desirable attribute for lifelong learning but also an indication that the qualification may encourage students to be more innovative and creative about their learning. Furthermore, students' engagement with the project appeared independent of their prior achievement - a feature which has the potential to help lower the barriers to participation. © 2010 British Curriculum Foundation.

This paper presents research findings on practitioners working with young people on Entry to Employment (E2E) programmes in the north of England. E2E continues a long tradition of work-related learning for unemployed school leavers for whom other forms of education or training are deemed unsuitable, and is part of the UK government's strategy for reducing the numbers of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET). The paper explores the biographies of tutors and their routes into E2E teaching. It also discusses the training and development they have experienced, in the light of the expansive-restrictive continuum of workforce development introduced by Fuller and Unwin. By analysing the dispositions, interpretations and actions of practitioners and relating them to wider policy discourses, the paper also examines the learning culture of E2E. It argues that, although they demonstrate significant levels of care, enthusiasm and teaching ability, practitioners operate within a largely restrictive approach to workforce development and learning. The paper concludes that both practitioners and learners would benefit from a re-evaluation of the material and discursive relations under which E2E operates. © 2010 The Vocational Aspect of Education Ltd.

This article takes up the issue of the internationalisation of Vocational Education and Training (VET) reforms, expressed in the way policy instruments such as National Qualifications Frameworks (NQF) are introduced in the European Training Foundation's (ETF) partner countries. There is an international debate and different perspectives regarding NQFs. These perspectives have largely talked past each other. The article brings together these perspectives and highlights the issues at stake in this field. Through the analysis of ETF interventions in different regions, the article makes a case for new approaches of intervention, namely policy learning, that aim at enabling national stakeholders and that are conducive for home-grown VET policies. The discussion is broad in scope, not only because the article reviews developments in qualifications frameworks across-regions, but also because it highlights the complex interaction of the global and local development when introducing NQFs and the impact of such reforms on VET systems. © 2010 The Author. Journal compilation © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Background: Our residency program developed and implemented an online portfolio system. In the present communication, we describe this system and provide an early analysis of its effect on competency-based performance and acceptance of the system by the residents. Materials and Methods: To measure competency-based performance, end-of-rotation global evaluations of residents by faculty completed before (n = 1488) and after (n = 697) implementation of the portfolio were compared. To assess acceptance, residents completed a 20-question survey. Results: Practice-based learning and improvement improved following implementation of the portfolio system (P = 0.002). There was also a trend toward improvement in the remaining competencies. In the survey tool (response rate 69%), 95% of the residents agreed that the purpose and functions of the system had been explained to them, and 82% affirmed understanding of ways in which the system could help them, although fewer than half reported that their portfolio had aided in their development of the competencies. All residents appreciated the system's organizational capabilities, and 87% agreed that the portfolio was a useful educational tool. Conclusions: This web portfolio program is a valuable new instrument for both residents and administrators. Early analysis of its impact demonstrates a positive effect across all competencies, and survey analysis revealed that residents have a positive view of this new system. As the portfolio is further incorporated into the educational program, we believe that our residents will discover new tools to craft a career of genuine self-directed learning. © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Purpose: This paper aims to report on the second half of a two-part study that identified relevant content for safety audit training in small businesses. The specific aim of the paper is to determine the preferred learning styles and approaches of managers in these businesses in order to identify some principles which could be used to tailor training to meet their particular learning needs. Design/methodology/approach: Participants in the study came from three relatively high-risk industries - road transport, construction, and the motor trade - producing a sample size of 102. A self-report questionnaire was distributed via trade magazines. Findings: Very few differences were found between the three industries. Most differences were between road transport and the other two industries. Managers in the road transport industry have a lower preference for learning by listening and are less likely to be sequential learners than managers in the motor trade industry. Practical implications: Small business managers are systematic, hard-working, pragmatic and prefer less formal modes of learning. These characteristics have implications for the structure and context of training programmes and the nature of the training materials. Originality/value: The four learning profiles that emerged from the analysis in the paper provide a clear picture of the small business managers in the three industries studied. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Schools are held more responsible for evaluating, quality assuring and improving their student assessments. Teachers' lack of understanding of new, competence-based assessments as well as the lack of key stakeholders' involvement, hamper effective and efficient self-evaluations by teachers of innovative, competence-based assessments (CBAs). While evaluating two CBAs in Agricultural Vocational Education and Training institutions, two interventions in the evaluation process aimed to tackle these problems were examined: (1) starting with explicating the CBA in the teacher team using a concrete explication format and (2) qualitatively involving key stakeholders (i.e., teachers, students and employers) in the evaluation of the CBA through mixed-group interviews. Quantitative and qualitative analysis, as well as stakeholders' perceptions are used to find indications for the added value of these interventions for evaluation and further improvement of the CBAs. Results show that external facilitation is needed to make both interventions work. However, under this condition, explicating the CBA led to more complete, concrete and shared understandings of the actual CBA among teachers and mixed-groups interviews resulted in more concrete and elaborate evaluations of the CBAs' quality and more ideas for improvement. Both interventions can facilitate building up elaborate, more valid and concrete arguments for CBA quality in self-evaluations, certainly in the case of evaluating innovative assessments. Lessons learned will provide guidelines for incorporating the interventions into other evaluations of innovative programs. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Childcare workers play a significant role in the learning and development of children in their care. This has major implications for the training of workers. Under new reforms of the childcare industry, the Australian government now requires all workers to obtain qualifications from a vocational education and training provider (e.g. Technical and Further Education) or university. Effective models of employment-based training are critical to provide training to highly competent workers. This paper presents findings from a study that examined current and emerging models of employment-based training in the childcare sector, particularly at the Diploma level. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sample of 16 participants who represented childcare directors, employers and workers located in childcare services in urban, regional and remote locations in the State of Queensland. The study proposes a 'best-fit' employment-based training approach that is characterised by a compendium of five models instead of a 'one size fits all'. Issues with successful implementation of employment-based training models are also discussed.

The School of Culinary Arts and Food Technology's involvement in international mobility for culinary internships has experienced exponential growth over the past 5 years with the assistance of European Leonardo da Vinci and Erasmus funding for European placements. The main thrust behind the European Commission funding ventures for mobility (experiential learning) is to enhance students' cultural awareness, cultivate their language skills, and develop their professionalism in their fields of study. It is generally accepted that experiential learning in the workplace provides many learning opportunities for culinary students. In spite of the acceptance that experiential learning is a "good thing," students in the field of culinary arts have never been the subject of any research to establish the benefits of experiential learning through culinary international internships. This article starts to address the abyss in knowledge by reviewing the European Commission's Mobility Action Plan as a process of developing Europe's education and training strategy. It examines the Lisbon Agenda and various reports such as the Copenhagen declaration and the Nice Council report (EU Commission, 2004b) to develop an understanding of the mechanisms driving culinary internships in the School of Culinary Arts and Food Technology. © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.