When Success is Not an Individual Variable - Population Results from Swiss Federal Vocational Education and Training Diploma Examination

Author(s):

Benno Rottermann(presenting / submitting)

Conference:

ECER 2011

Network:

2. Vocational Education and Training (VETNET)

Format:

Paper

Session Information

02 SES 12 A, Contextual VET-Conditions and Influences: When Success is not an Individual Variable

Paper Session

Time:

2011-09-16

08:30-10:00

Room:

K 23/21,1 FL., 36

Chair:

Marja-Leena Stenström

Contribution

Two-thirds of young people (mostly teenagers at age 16) in Switzerland chose vocational education and training VET, on secondary school level II. Vocational education and training imparts the skills and knowledge needed to work in a given occupation. A three-year or a four-year VET programme leads to the acquisition of a Federal VET Diploma. During their apprenticeship (VET programme), students work 3 to 4 days per week in a host company, where they are instructed on the work-based segment. The second learning location is provided at vocational schools, where general education and vocational subjects are taught. Every year about 70'000 young adults take Federal VET Diploma Examinations at the end of their apprenticeship. On average 9 out of 10 pass the Examination and get their Federal VET Diplomas (Neuenschwander et al., 2010). The others may return after another year of training, work or preparing the test on their own.

Interesting findings show that the failure rate differs a lot between the occupations (Amos et al., 2003a, 20003b). Some professions as for example plasterer have a highly increased failure rate (around 40 percent) while others like electronic technician have a failure rate of around one percent (data set by Swiss Federal Statistical Office FSO 2009). When the failure rate is high, the individual risk of failing increases. Even though the failure rate is high, there has hardly any systematic work been done.

How do the successful students differ from the unsuccessful ones? Is it intelligence, individual differences, effort or sheer luck in the end?

If we have to say that these variables alone cannot account for success or failure, where are the differences in the failure rate exactly? Is the failure rate dependent on gender, on male or female dominance of the occupations, on local area or on occupational fields?

Method

The frequencies and the failure rate of the population data from Federal VET Diploma Examination from the years 2008 and 2009 will be examined under special conditions as gender, canton, occupational field and occupation (data set by Swiss Federal Statistical Office FSO 2008 and 2009).

Expected Outcomes

I propose that the failure rate of the Federal VET Diploma Examination is lower in smaller cantons in the countryside. I presume that male students fail more often in the examinations so that the female may hold their advantage from school, as Zahner, Rossier & Holzer (2007) would say. Similar gender rates are known from high school examinations (general qualification for university entrance), which women also pass more often than men (Gallizzi, 2009; Buschor, Denzler & Keck, 2008). The failure rate in the Federal VET Diploma Examination depends not exceptionally on individual conditions of the students but as well on the regulations of the cantonal governments and trade associations who may fix the failure rate to a certain degree. In the last few years the coordination of the Federal VET Examination became more important. The findings will be discussed as well under the focus of gender and sex typical or atypical carrier choice.

References

Amos, J., Amsler, F. & Martin, M. (2003a). Evaluation der Resultate von Abschlussprüfungen der beruflichen Grundausbildung. Basel: Büro für Kommunikation. Amos, J., Amsler, F., Martin, M. & Metzger, C. (2003b). Evaluation von Abschlussprüfungen der beruflichen Grundausbildung gelap. Berufsübergreifender Bericht. Basel: Bundesamt für Berufsbildung und Technologie BBT. Buschor, C., Denzler, S. & Keck, A. (2008). Wohin nach der Matura? Faktoren der Studienfachwahl von Maturandinnen und Maturanden. Gymnasium Helveticum (2), 14-19. Gallizzi, K. (2009). Maturitäten und Übertritte an Hochschulen 2008. Neuenburg: Bundesamt für Statistik. Neuenschwander, M. P., Gerber, M., Frank, N. & Rottermann, B. (2010). Schule und Beruf. Wege in die Erwerbstätigkeit. Solothurn: FHNW. Zahner Rossier, C. & Holzer, T. (2007). PISA 2006: Kompetenzen fürs das Leben - Schwerpunkt Naturwissenschaften. Nationaler Bericht. Neuenburg: Bundesamt für Statistik.

Author Information

Benno Rottermann (presenting / submitting)

University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland, School for Teacher Education

Institute for Educational Research and Development

Solothurn

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