The workshop Research in VET and the methodological devides - Towards multimethodological strategies and theory diverse approaches intends to be a forum for discussion of current methodological and theorethical trends in research within VET.

The contributors are senior researchers with long experience of research in the field in their national contexts, namely: Finland, Germany, Norway and Sweden. Likewise they have in common a background of experiences in cross-national comparative research. From engamenent in various projects they share an understanding of the complexity of doing research in the intrincate field of VET. As acknowledge in earlier research the complexity of research in VET increases given by the fact that we are dealing with problems in different levels and with different character.

At macro level research in VET is concerned, for example, with policy issues, international comparison as well as cross-national challanges of qualifications frame works and mobility of work forces. At what has been defined as meso-level, there are significant challanges from the need to deal with employability, structure of VET systems and dealing with drop-outs. Equally challanging are the problems at micro-levelsuch as the complexity of organising learning process in different contexts (classroom and workshop), the development of vocational knowing and technological literacy.

Core issues for discussion are for example:

-how to approach research problems avoiding the devides that traditionally influence the selection of methodologies and theories?

-Which onthologies and epistemologies  lays behind the ongoing research in VET in the different contexts?

-Are there practices in terms of multimethodologies and multi-theoretical approaches worth studying closely and diseminating?

Based on own experience the various contributors will attemp to provide answer to this questions and engage in discussion. There is also an intention to open the discussion, as much as time would allow, to inputs from the audience.

- Bryman, A. (2014). Social Research Methods. New York: Oxford University Press - Rauner, F. & Maclean, R. (2008). Handbook of Technical and Vocational Education and Training Research. London: Springer. * Contributors to the workshop will draw from a variety of research references from the national context and from international comparative research. The two references above listed will serve as contextualizing frame in relation to major research paradigms and research trends internationally within the field.