New and Emerging issues in vocational education and training research beyond 2010

This paper is a cooperation between researchers from three areas of vocational education and training (VET) and lifelong learning research. It aims to identify several new and emerging issues that will be crucially relevant to VET research in the post-Lisbon decade. The paper begins by exploring the main drivers currently influencing European VET systems and draws up four scenarios for 2010-20, each of which may be a plausible outcome for future European governance, and by extension, VET governance. The contributors then explore the nature of uncertainty in the demand and supply sides of European and local labour markets, suggesting that research into the impact of these uncertainties will need to examine how individuals adapt to new situations, as well as the impact on the nature and structure of VET supply. The paper also attempts a forward looking analysis of innovative teaching and learning in VET - developing twin themes of supporting expert learners and a scholarship of teaching and learning in VET. There will clearly remain important and urgent items of unfinished business in European and national VET policy and implementation in 2010. This paper argues strongly that these are still important for Europe's future economic, social and environmental ambitions, that the achievement of currently agreed priorities will remain a vital political issue, and that research should have an important role in overcoming identified barriers and achieving success in these respects. The paper identifies several issues that remain underresearched. These include meeting the learning needs of older workers and diverse migrant communities. Finally, the paper identifies five new issues that VET research should concentrate on. Since so much policy and research attention at European level focused on the period from 2000 to 2010, this paper intends to make a contribution to opening the debate on European VET research priorities in the decade that will follow

Curriculum architecture - a literature review

The analysis of almost 400 abstracts, articles, books from academic sources, policy documents and the educational press has been undertaken to attempt to illuminate the concept of Curriculum Architecture. The phrase itself is not current in the Scottish educational discourse. This review has attempted to look at the international research literature, available over the past ten years or so, on the sub-themes identified in the SEED specification

Wine and metaphor: cross-cultural [dis]harmony

When influential Australian wine judge and critic James Halliday describes an Australian 2008 Shiraz as 'an undoubtedly full-bodied wine, with a peacock's tail display of blackberry fruit, dark chocolate and vanillin oak, and with impeccable balance and line, the finish subtle' (Dan Murphy's, 2011, October, p. 7) he endeavours to capture its essence in prose. The use of such expressive and evocative language is intended to conjure visual, emotive and synaesthetic perceptions from his audience. This chapter explores the bond between metaphorical language and wine discourse in the specialised genre of wine tasting notes

Meaning-filled metaphors enabling schools to create enhanced learning cultures

It is interesting to speculate on metaphor as an instrument capable of facilitating actions leading to powerful consequences. Metaphors remain in the consciousness longer than facts and therefore actions based on specific facts in one context become transferrable to another context through the use of metaphoric symbolism. Current research in schools that have undertaken the Innovative Designs for Enhancing Achievements in Schools (IDEAS) improvement process indicate that collectively developed metaphor use has the dynamic power to facilitate cognitive connections across whole school communities. In so doing, schools engaged in the IDEAS process are developing and utilising significant new knowledge for whole school achievement through cultures of collaboration and commitment. This chapter recognises that when schools are constantly bombarded with the need to undertake substantial changes in practice, the utilisation of a contextual unifying metaphor is capable of assisting wide spread and aligned change processes to unfold

The tree of life as a methodological metaphor

The Tree of Life is an ancient motif that appears in many cultures and religions. The Tree is symbolic of the interconnected nature of our world(s) and is often used as a reminder of the sacredness of life and its connection to the earth. This chapter uses the Tree of Life from a Native American worldview as a metaphor for a critical participatory action research methodology. I explore the multifaceted nature of being a practitioner of this methodology from the perspective of a university researcher working with a group of school teachers. Critical participatory action research as a method often is reliant on an emergent design and a practitioner is never quite sure what is around the corner in a project. The Tree of Life metaphor can provide guidance and help the practitioner stay faithful to their original intent and the project's aims

Metaphors in yoga education research

This chapter draws together three seemingly distinct and disparate traditions namely metaphor, educational research and Yoga philosophy and examples how such a synthesis can provide new understanding or appreciation of these fields. As this chapter will demonstrate, however, these traditions have been and remain closely linked. This chapter refers to a qualitative study on how Yoga teachers incorporate the notions of spirituality within their Yoga teacher trainings. Yoga philosophy and its education have utilised metaphor to explain its spiritual underpinnings for a long time. This chapter initially discusses the concept of metaphor and then provides examples of its use within the literature of Yoga. Then, the research project is described. Finally an ancient Hindu model which views the individual as a series of interconnected and interdependent characteristics will be utilised as a metaphor to help provide both a pathway to educate novice Yoga teachers as well as a way to inform the analysis interview data

INVESTIGATING CRITICAL CHALLENGES FACED BY POLYTECHNICS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

Mustapha (2001) advocated that Malaysia is short of skilled workers to meet the demands of economic growth (as cited in Jailani, Rashid, Wahid & Noraini; 2009). Thus, there is a need for vocational and technical education, particularly at post-secondary technician levels (Jailani et. al.; 2009) to meet the shortage. Despite the need, there are many challenges faced by polytechnics. This study intends to investigate the critical challenges faced by polytechnics in the Northern and Central Region of Malaysia on case study basis and to put forth recommendations for practical implementations. Based on the literature review, the tentative key critical challenges has been identified which are the employability of polytechnic graduates, collaboration of industry with practical knowledge, competent academic staff, adequate infrastructure/funding and resources, reputation and perception of institution, design and development of curriculum. Researchers used the concurrent embedded strategy in mixed research approach, where directors and/or deputy directors and/or head or department have been interviewed while academic staffs are surveyed using convenience sampling method. Questionnaires are distributed to triangulate the data from qualitative method. After that, researchers analyses the qualitative data using Nvivo as a tool based on thematic coding and quantitative data using Excel and SPSS software as analysis tools to perform descriptive analysisCritical Challenges, Polytechnic, Northern and Central

Learning through work experience

How students learn and develop through work experience is here analysed. We draw upon contemporary learning theory, recent developments in the adult education and curriculum theory in developing a critique of current thinking and explore how far this provides the basis for a new pedagogic model for supporting learning through work experience. We discuss the concept of 'context' and the learning which occurs within and between the different contexts of education and work and argue that most models of work experience have either ignored the influence of context upon learning or have approached this issue mechanistically. New curriculum frameworks are needed to and to allow work in all of its forms to be used as a basis for the development of knowledge, skills and identity. We present a typology of work experience which identifies models of work experience, including a model which embodies the concept of 'connectivity'. We suggest that this may provide the basis for a productive and useful relationship between formal and informal learning