Transferring knowledge and or skills from one situation to another (=transfer) depends on a number of variables that can be grouped into three categories (Aarkrog, 2004): 1. the learner (e.g. the learner’s motivation for transferring knowledge (Eagan, Yang & Barlett, 2004), (Kontoghiorghes, 2002) and the learner’s cognitive abilities, including the ability of abstract thinking, 2. the transfer situation, also known as the transfer climate (Rouiller & Goldstein, 1993) including how e.g. the company organises the implementation of new learning and 3. the training and learning situation (Billing, 2007, Aarkrog, 2011).

As European research and theoretical development within VET has had relatively little focus on the issue of teaching for transfer, the symposium focuses on the variables in the training learning situation. 

In vocational education and training the issue of transfer is particularly challenging when the training and learning situation deals with theoretical knowledge and the transfer situation deals with practical skills and performance, because the training and transfer situations share few or no identical elements  (Thorndike and Woodworth, 1901).

With the purpose of specifying VET teachers’ challenges and needs for competence development the aim of the symposium is to discuss the following overall research question: How should the VET syllabus (i.e. the contents and pedagogy of VET) be developed in order to strengthen the students’ transfer of theory into practical performance?

In particular the symposium will focus on ways of strengthening the coherence between theory and practice, including establishing near transfer in the school-based training, i.e. designing practice-related syllabus with many identical elements between the training and transfer situations. The contributions include: the significance for transfer of

Simulation

Learning fields

The interaction of school texts and vocational texts

Alternating between three different companies, cross-company training courses and vocational schools.

The context for learning, of the social relations and the identity of the learner.

References

Aarkrog, V. (2004) Transfer in interactive processes. In Illeris, K. & associates. Learning in Working Life, Roskilde University Press, pp. 163-176.

Aarkrog, (2011) Taxonomy for teaching for transfer in the Danish VET-system. In the process refereeing.

Billing, D. (2007). Teaching for transfer of core/key skills in higher education: Cognitive skills. Higher Education 53,  483-516.

Eagen, T.M., Yang, B. & Bartlett, K.R. (2004).  The effects of organizational learning culture and job satisfaction on motivation to transfer learning and turnover intention. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 15 (3), 279-301.

Kontoghiorghes, C. (2002) Predicting motivation to learning and motivation to transfer learning back to the job in a service organisation: A new systematic model for training effectiveness. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 15 (3), 114-129.

Rouiller, J. Z. & Goldstein, I. L. (1993). The relationship between organizational climate and positive transfer of training. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 4 (4), 377-390.

Thorndike, E.L. & Woodworth, R.S. (1901).  The influence of improvement in one mental function upon the efficiency of other functions. The Psychological Review, VIII (3), 247-261.