This survey investigated the extent to which a concept such as the German evaluation concept of peer review in TVET might be capable of transfer to other national and cultural context. This research question was embedded in the research field of comparative research into TVET and policy transfer (e.g. Steiner-Khamsi/Waldow 2012).

The study surveyed the factors both supporting and inhibiting transfer peer review in TVET into another national and cultural context using the example of China. The host country was selected according to the most-different-approach (Georg 2005), e.g. Germany and China vary in their culture, in the political system and in the TVET structure (e.g. Busemeyer/Trampusch2012). The study was designed to provide a ‘lessons learned’ approach to transfer peer review in TVET to other national and cultural context. The research design used the lesson-drawing approach (Rose 1991).

Peer review in TVET is one model for evaluating quality assurance in TVET schools and works participatively and democratically within a flat organisational hierarchy between the peer team and the TVET school teachers (Gutknecht-Gmeiner 2007). The Chinese evaluation concept follows the opposite approach: for example, the Chinese evaluation concept does not take account of the interests and needs of teachers (Yao 2008). It has a high hierarchical structure. If peer review in TVET could be transferred to Chinese TVET schools, this might overcome recent challenges faced by the Chinese evaluation concept.

The transfer of peer review to Chinese TVET schools requires an open approach, using a flexible pilot. The iterative micro-cycle of the design-based research approach enables policies to be adapted while the pilot study is still under way (Reinking/Bradley 2008). The study therefore used the iterative micro-cycle to implement transfer of the peer review concept.

This study used the environmental system model as a framework for interpretation (O’Connor 1988) and divided the interpretation framework into a macro level, an exo level, and a meso level. At the macro level, interpretation was based on the Chinese cultural model using findings from international management studies research and Chinese cultural studies. At the exo level, China’s national TVET system was used as the reference. At the meso level, the existing quality evaluation structure within Chinese TVET schools was used.

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