Session Information
02 SES 14 A, Teachers & Trainers V: Quality Education and Training
Paper Session
Contribution
Trends such as technological and digital change or globalisation are leading to an increasing dynamism in Swiss working environments (SBFI, 2017). The VET system needs to assess the significance of these developments for basic vocational training. Moreover, it constantly needs to integrate the recently identified requirements into the vocational training of learners in all three learning areas of the Swiss VET-System (vocational schools, workplace and branch courses). A preliminary study written by Degen (2018) and supported by the University of Teacher Education Lucerne shows the institutionalized five-year revisions of education ordinances in Switzerland to be lagging behind the high level of innovation in the economy. Therefore, the risk arises that learners will be trained with technologies and learning content that are out of date. At the same time, the great heterogeneity between sectors and companies generates different demands and expectations for basic vocational training. This diversity increases the difficulty for vocational school teachers to recognise and evaluate the relevant developments for an occupation as a whole, and to integrate them systematically into VET.
Furthermore, in order to get and stay employed in an innovation-driven economy, junior employees need to know how to operate in dynamic environments driven by sector-specific digital developments and technological innovations. Previous research has demonstrated that students experience problems in their attempts to transfer their learning and reflect on knowledge and skills developed in school when entering in complex workplace settings (Tanggaard, 2007). Therefore, cooperation between and within learning areas must come more to the fore. Aarkrog (2005), Berner (2010) as well as Jonasson (2014) show that various learning areas in VET can complete each other in student learning and offer specific opportunities for learning. In that sense teacher, trainers and learners need to recognise and reflect on the experience of learning in different learning areas and continuously provide possibilities for further student learning in VET (cf. Akkerman and Bakker, 2012; Sappa, Choy, and Aprea, 2016). However, there is a lack of institutionalised and sustainable forms of cooperation, which incorporate a linkage of content between the learning areas and a transfer of innovation into the training of learners (Euler, 2004). Literature shows that cooperation between all three learning areas is lacking and rarely practised (Aprea & Sappa, 2014). This constantly increases the discrepancy between the rapid developments in the innovation-driven economy and the rigid structures of the VET system, which is why it is necessary to elaborate and define formal and informal transfer process strategies.
In this project, we want to examine how the innovation transfer efforts and strategies within and between the learning areas are structured and set up. Following Bormann (2011), who has elaborated a model of innovation transfer based on a knowledge-sociological approach, we understand innovation transfer as a knowledge-based social practice, which is supported not only by individual but also by collective actors (cf. Resnick 1993; Billett 1998; Bransford & Schwartz 1999). The projects object is to produce initial findings on how new training content is rapidly adapted and integrated into basic vocational training in times of fast technological change. This integration needs to be of a sustainable and high-quality nature. The project contributes to the strengthening of the entire VET system by identifying efficient and sustainable information transfer strategies. To this end, we want to identify information channels that can be institutionalized and meet the requirements of all learning locations. In addition, we aim to create a manual with strategies for an effective transfer of innovation that support vocational school teachers to develop relevant and high quality information processing and preparation skills.
Method
Flick (2016) describes the actions and interactions of subjects in everyday life as an object of qualitative social research. As we are primarily interested in the subjective perspective of the interviewees and the associated contexts, we have decided to use a qualitative survey procedure in this project. The aim was to examine formal and informal innovation transfer strategies as well as cooperation schemes based on twelve qualitative semi-standardised guideline interviews with vocational school teachers from German-speaking Swiss vocational schools. We conducted guideline interviews with vocational school teachers from the technical field because we assumed that digitalisation and constant innovation affect this specific sector strongly. Therefore, it seems that vocational school teachers teaching in the technical field are particularly required to recognise and evaluate the relevant developments and to integrate them in the training. The study focuses on the technical occupations of computer scientist, electronic engineer and automation engineer. Being a full-time employee was another important selection criterion for the vocational school teachers to be interviewed. This is mainly based on the assumption that it is easier for part-time vocational school teacher still working in the industry to stay up to date with the current technological state-of-the-art. Therefore, we are particularly interested in the strategies of full-time teachers, as it seems they need to develop their own strategies to keep track with the current development. In order to evaluate our data, we followed Mayring's qualitative content analysis. Since there are only few scientifically substantiated theoretical concepts on this topic to which we can refer, the categories are derived inductively directly from the material. The goal is to narrow down the text elements without distorting the core content and essence of the material. The intent is to create a clear and structured overview of the data using this reduction but still adhering to the basic form of the material (cf. Mayring, 2010, p. 65). Lastly, we want to compile initial findings on formal and informal strategies that show how new training content is adapted and integrated in a high-quality manner into basic vocational training in times of rapid technological change.
Expected Outcomes
Our current results show that vocational school teachers primarily follow education plans and curricula of the vocational school when planning and implementing lessons. It appears that the teachers surveyed in our study use prepared exercises and case studies that refer to the competence requirements of the education plans. Our analysis however shows that strategies such as using the internet, reading specialist books and journals, and in some cases attending workshops and further trainings could play an important role for the innovation transfer. Some teachers also maintain personal contact with other learning locations or the professional organizations. Nevertheless, these strategies are usually unable to properly ensure that the educational content is technically up-to-date, which is why it still needs to be examined more closely. Furthermore, teaching at vocational schools is well structured and rigid. However, implementing trends and developments from industry has to happen quickly. This shows that, in addition to identifying information channels, adjustments are also required at the systemic level to improve the actual transfer of innovation into teaching via these information channels. Based on these findings, processes and new approaches can be discussed that could ensure and reinforce the integration of innovations from industry into vocational education.
References
Aarkrog, V. (2005). Learning in the Workplace and the Significance of School‐based Education: A Study of Learning in a Danish Vocational Education and Training Programme. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 24(2), 137–147. Akkerman, S., & A. Bakker. (2012). Crossing Boundaries between School and Work during Apprenticeships. Vocations and Learning, 5(2), 153–173. doi:10.1007/s12186-011-9073-6 Aprea, C., & Sappa, V. (2014). Kongruenzen und Divergenzen des Lernens in Schule und Betrieb: Die Perspektive von Auszubildenden in der schweizerischen Berufsbildung. Berufs- und Wirtschaftspädagogik, 26, 1–17. Berner, B. 2010. Crossing Boundaries and Maintaining Differences between School and Industry: Forms of Boundary-work in Swedish Vocational Education. Journal of Education and Work, 23(1), 27–42. doi:10.1080/13639080903461865 Billett, S. (1998): Transfer and Social Practice. [The Transfer Problem]. Australian & New Zealand journal of vocational education, 6(1), 1-26. Bormann, I. (2011). Innovationen als ‘Wissenspassagen’. Theoretische Grundlegung und Implikationen für die Analyse. DDS – Die Deutsche Schule, 103(1), 53-64. Bransford, J. D., & Schwartz, D. L. (1999): Rethinking Transfer: A Simple Proposal with Multiple Implications. Review of Educational Research 21, 61-99. Degen, D. (2018). Methodisch-didaktische Instrumente für den Aufbau von Handlungskompetenzen in den drei Lernorten der beruflichen Grundbildung zum/zur Informatiker/in EFZ und die Bedeutung der Lernortkooperation. Zollikofen. Euler, D. (2004). Lernortkooperation – eine unendliche Geschichte? In D. Euler (Hrsg.), Handbuch der Lernortkooperation (S. 12-24). Bielefeld: W. Bertelsmann Verlag. Flick, U. (2016). Qualitative Sozialforschung. Eine Einführung. Reinbek bei Hamburg: Rowohlt. Jonasson, C. 2014. Defining Boundaries between School and Work: Teachers and Students’ Attribution of Quality to School-Based Vocational Training. Journal of Education and Work, 27(5), 544–563. doi:10.1080/13639080.2013.787483 Mayring, P. (2010). Qualitative Inhaltsanalyse. Grundlagen und Techniken. (11. aktualisierte und überarb. Auflage). Weinheim: Beltz. Resnick, L.B. (1993): Shared Cognition: Thinking as Social Practice. In: L. B., Resnick, J. M., Levine, & S. D., Teasley (Eds.): Perspectives on Socially Shared Cognition. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 1-23. Sappa, V., S. Choy, and C. Aprea. (2016). Stakeholders’ Conceptions of Connecting Learning at Different Sites in Two National VET Systems. Journal of Vocational Education and Training, 68(3), 283–301. doi:10.1080/13636820.2016.1201845 SBFI. (2017a). Berufsbildung 2030 - Vision und strategische Leitlinien. Hintergrundbericht zum Leitbild. Abgerufen von ttps://www.sbfi.admin.ch/sbfi/de/home/bildung/berufsbildungssteuerung-und--politik/projekte-und-initiativen/berufsbildungsstrategie-2030.html Tanggaard, L. (2007). Learning at Trade Vocational School and Learning at Work: Boundary Crossing in Apprentices’ Everyday Life. Journal of Education and Work, 20(5), 453–466. doi:10.1080/13639080701814414
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