Session Information
02 SES 09 B, Policy & Governance II: Innovation & Change
Paper Session
Contribution
The aim of the project ‘Culture for change’ (2019-2021) is to contribute to developing a culture for change at the educational institutions that participate in the program European VET Development Initiative under THE VELUX FOUNDATIONS. More specifically the aim is to support the changes that will be launched in order to enhance the quality of VET in Europe, particularly in the four countries Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Check Republic. The aim of the European VET Development Initiative is to improve the quality by 20 percent in relation to the recruiting, encouraging more young people to enrol in VET, and encouraging the industry and commerce to recruit more employees with a VET qualification. Furthermore, the aim is that municipalities, regions, and ministries prospectively promote the improvement of quality in VET.
By the concept ‘culture for change’ is meant the existence of the capability and will to currently developing activities that promote quality development. The culture for change requires that the teachers and managers at the educational institutions are able to evaluate and to apply the results of the evaluations in developments. ‘Evaluation’ means an application-oriented, systematic, and databased assessment of processes. ‘Evaluation’ means an application-oriented, systematic, and databased assessment of processes.
The project is based on existing knowledge about transfer. Research points to a number of factors that influence transfer (authors, 2012 and 2010). Research shows that transfer is a process that includes a ‘before-phase’ that prepares the change, an ‘under-phase’ in which the relevant competences for implementing the change are developed, and an ‘after-phase’ in which the obtained competences are implemented and the change achieved (Brinkerhoff & Montesino, 1995; Massenberg, Schulte, & Kauffeld, 2017). In addition, research into transfer (Blume, Ford, & Baldwin, 2010; Tonhäuser & Büker, 2016; author, 2009) has identified factors that have an impact on transfer.
As a fundament for the quality development, the project makes use of a theory-driven evaluation (Chen, 2013) that focuses on the mechanisms that relate initiative and results aiming at clarifying the extent of the impact and the contents of the impact of the initiatives (Stufflebeam & Coryn, 2014).
A central element in the project is competence development of the teachers as well as of the students at the VET institutions. To ensure that the evaluation is valid and that the experiences are embedded at the institutions the competences developed in the various projects should be objectively assessed. The project is based on knowledge about the assessment of competences (Halttunen, Koivisto, & Billett, 2014; Sandberg & Kubiak, 2013; Walklin, 1991; authors, 2015 and 2017).
The aim of the project is, at the involved institutions, to develop a culture for change that contributes to an ongoing quality development during and after the implementation of the initiatives. This requires:
1. Developing methods for experience gathering and evaluation at the involved institutions.
2. Qualifying teachers and managers for applying the results of the evaluations in developments and improvements of quality.
3. Establishing organisationally embedded strategies at the institutions in consideration of the particular national and educational conditions.
In the spring 2019, two pilot projects are conducted at a VET institution in Poland and a VET institution in Hungary. At the ECER 2019 the results of the pilot projects will be presented.
Method
The first part of the data is a survey that concerns how the countries work with quality, quality development, and evaluation in VET, including competence development of the teachers and managers. The survey includes the interaction between educational institutions, the public authorities, e.g. labour market stakeholders and other institutions, e.g. universities that participate in the quality work. Data is collected about initiatives and activities related to quality development and assessment of this development that have been carried out in the countries The focal point of theory-driven evaluation (please see above) is a program theory, the development of which is based on established knowledge about relevant factors that influence the degree of implementation. The program theory includes the processes (variables) that are part of the change, which should be realised. The data collection focuses on these variables and runs parallel to the project enabling feedback and ongoing adjustments of the project. The activities of the project includes: 1. A meeting with the managers and representatives of the employees at the institutions. At this meeting, the strategy will be established, including clarifying and agreeing upon the plan for quality development. Criteria for quality and methods for assessment of the improvement of quality will be established. The plan will be drafted by the institutions and should include: a) how the institution will assess the improvement of quality b) what data the institution will collect for this purpose c) who will be responsible for the data collection d) how the data collection will take place e) considerations about how to implement the experiences f) considerations about competence development of teachers and managers. 2. Competence development of the employees who participate in the evaluation and the data collection. 3. Accomplishing activities that improve quality. 4. Collection of data for elucidating the improvement of quality as well as factors that foster or impede the development of quality, cf. the program theory above. Thus the research approach shares similarities with action-based research, including interaction between the practitioners and the researchers throughout the research process (Cohen, Manion, & Morrisson, 2011). In each project, across the projects and based on the collected data, the experiences will be analysed and synthesised in order to generate generalizable knowledge about strategies of change that can be transferred to projects at other educational institutions. Thus, the aim of the project is both to develop practice and establish research-based knowledge.
Expected Outcomes
The overall and long-term aim of the project is to both develop practice and establish research-based knowledge. Based on the projects in participating countries factors will be identified and described that will ensure the long-lasting quality development embedded in a culture for change. It will be clarified to what extent the results of the individual projects have been implemented and whether sustainable change have been embedded at the individual institution. The pilot projects are expected to provide preliminary data in relation to the overall aim of the project
References
Author a, 2009 Author b, 2010 Authors, 2012, 2015 and 2017 Blume, B. D., Ford, J. K., & Baldwin, T. T. (2010). Transfer of Training: A Meta-Analytic Review. Journal of Management, 36(4), 1065-1105. Brinkerhoff, R. O., & Montesino, M. U. (1995). Partnerships for training transfer: Lessons from a corporate study. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 6(3), 263-294. Chen, H.-T. (2013). The Roots and Growth of Theory-Driven Evaluation: An Integrated Persepctive for Assessing Viability, Effectuality, and Transferability. In M. Alkin (Ed.), Evaluation Roots. A Wider Perspective of Theorists' Views and Influence. New York: Sage Publications. Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrisson, K. (2011). Research Methods in Education. London and New York: Routledge. Halttunen, T., Koivisto, M., & Billett, S. (Eds.). (2014). Promoting, Assessing, Recognizing and Certifying Lifelong Learning - International Perspectives and Practices. Dordrecht Heidelberg New York London: Springer. Massenberg, A. C., Schulte, E. M., & Kauffeld, S. (2017). Never Too Early: Learning Transfer System Factors Affecting Motivation to Transfer Before and After Training Programs. Human Resource Develeoment International(28), 55-85. Sandberg, F., & Kubiak, C. (2013). Recognition of prior learning, self-realisation and identity within Axel Honneth's theory on recognition. Studies in Continuing Education, 35(3), 351-365. Stufflebeam, D. L., & Coryn, C. L. S. (2014). Evaluation Theory, Models and Applications. New York: Jossey-Bass. Tonhäuser, C., & Büker, L. (2016). Determinants of Transfer Training. A Comparative Literature Review International Journal for Research in Vocational Education and Training, 3(2), 127-165. Walklin, L. (1991). The Assessment of Performance and Competence. Cheltenham England: Stanley Thornes.
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