Occupational Commitment and Vocational Identity

Author(s):

Lars HeinemannFelix Rauner

Conference:

ECER 2008

Network:

2. Vocational Education and Training (VETNET)

Format:

Research Workshop

Session Information

02 SES 09C, Occupational Commitment and Vocational Identity

Research Workshop

Time:

2008-09-12

10:30-12:00

Room:

B2 235

Chair:

Martin Mulder

Contribution

Various meta-studies on organisational and occupational commitment coincide on employees' commitment to their organisation steadily declining since the 1970ies, while at the same time other forms of commitment like commitment to one's occupation became stronger. These findings may have to do with changing in work organisation as well as a changing role of the employees in this organisation. What has been neglected in this context is the role of vocational education, i.e. the development of vocational identity. We currently analyse the relation of different forms of commitment with the process of apprentices' development from novice to expert. From the vocational pedagogy point of view, one should analyse various interrelations in this field. Regarding identification, we look at organisational and occupational commitment, their varying strength and their relation (degree of influence, mutual reinforcement or constrain etc.). Regarding identity, we analyse vocational identity and other attitudes towards work like work ethics. Furthermore, we analyse the relation between these two dimensions. Finally, our study identifies various factors that play a role for these processes – the way the profession was chosen, an apprentice's motivation to learn the chosen profession, the apprentice's relation to her instructor, the general climate in terms of mutual learning at the company, the profession's esteem, pay etc.

Method

To test the for dimensions of commitment and vocational identity, we developed a psychometric scale that was tested and refined two times using a sample of 300 apprentices each.

Expected Outcomes

The workshop will present the findings of a study on 3000 apprentices. Then, there shall be room to discuss the findings in the light of other recent research on vocational identity as well as motivation in different apprenticeship systems.

References

Blau, G.J., Paul, A. and St John, N. 1993: On developing a general index of work commitment, Journal of Vocational Behavior 42, 298-314. Cohen, A. 2007: Dynamics between occupational and organizational commitment in the context of flexible labor markets, Bremen: ITB-Forschungsbericht 26. Jäger, C. (1989): Die kulturelle Einbettung des Europäischen Marktes. In: Haller, M./Hoffmann-Novottny, H.-J./Zapf, W. (Hrsg.): Kultur und Gesellschaft. Frankfurt/Main: Campus, 556-574. Kirpal, S. 2004: Researching work identities in a Euraopean context, Career Development International 9, 199-221. Lave, J. & Wenger, E. 1991, Situated learning: legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press. Lempert, W. (2005): Entwicklung moralischer Urteilskompetenz. In: Rauner, F. (Hrsg.): Handbuch Berufsbildungsforschung. Bielefeld: Bertelsmann, 329-336. Meyer, P.J., Allen, J.N., Smith. C.A. 1993: Commitment to organization and occupations, Journal of Applied Psychology 78, 538-551. Porter, L.W., Steers, R.M., Mowday, R.T., Boulian, P.V. 1974: Organiaztional commitment, job satisfaction and turnover among psychiatric technicians, Journal of Applied Psychology 59, 603-609. Rauner, F. 2004: Vocational education and training – a European perspective. In: A. Brown, S. Kirpal, F. Rauner: Identities at Work, Dordrecht, Springer: 115-144. Rauner, F. and Heinemann, L. (forthcoming): Berufliche Identität und berufliches Engagement Auszubildender, ITB-Forschungsbericht, Bremen: ITB.

Author Information

Lars Heinemann

Institut Technik und Bildung, Bremen University

Bremen

Felix Rauner

Institut Technik und Bildung, Bremen University, Germany

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