Vocational Education Commons^™

Project-Based Conversion Versus Prototype-Based Instruction In Automotive Teacher Education, Ramdhani Ramdhani, Sriyono Sriyono, Wahid Munawar, Raafi Rizki Maulana, Apriyansah Bahrudin

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

The transition to electric and hydrogen mobility is reshaping the competencies that automotive vocational teaching requires, yet institutions with limited equipment must choose between authentic learning designs without evidence of what each produces. Indonesian research to date has built substitute learning media and reported feasibility ratings rather than measured learning. This study asks what cognitive and psychomotor gains two contrasting designs produce and how those gains compare. Two pre-experimental studies were conducted in one automotive teacher education programme in Indonesia. Study A used a time-series design across three project cycles of 200 minutes in which 15 undergraduates converted a combustion …

People Orientation And Thing Orientation In Business Majors: Implications For Assessing The Impacts Of Cross-Functional Business Program Curricula, Todd J. Hostager, David A. Christopher, Kristy J. Lauver, Christopher Knowles

International Journal for Business Education

Background/Introduction/Purpose:  Prior research documented significant differences in people orientation and thing orientation (PTO) based on type of major and sex.  This study examines a set of measures for helping business programs to assess whether they are producing graduates equipped to consider both people and things when making decisions, regardless of their major or sex.

Methods/Design:  Students in a strategic management capstone course spent a single 75-minute session responding to a brief new venture pitch by identifying what types of additional information they would need to decide whether to invest in the business.  Three Likert-scaled options gauged the extent to participant …

Illinois Model Programs Of Study: Overview Guide (Draft For Public Comment), Education Systems Center

Practitioner Toolkits and Resources

This draft is available for public comment through September 30, 2026. Share your public comment at:

https://forms.gle/VDKeCdf5HycEerMr7

Illinois Model Programs Of Study Guide: Digital Technology (Draft For Public Comment), Education Systems Center

Practitioner Toolkits and Resources

This draft is available for public comment through September 30, 2026. Share your public comment at:

https://forms.gle/VDKeCdf5HycEerMr7

Illinois Model Programs Of Study Guide: Education (Draft For Public Comment), Education Systems Center

Practitioner Toolkits and Resources

This draft is available for public comment through September 30, 2026. Share your public comment at:

https://forms.gle/VDKeCdf5HycEerMr7

Illinois Model Programs Of Study Guide: Physical Health (Draft For Public Comment), Education Systems Center

Practitioner Toolkits and Resources

This draft is available for public comment through September 30, 2026. Share your public comment at:

https://forms.gle/VDKeCdf5HycEerMr7

Paragliding The Cliff Edge: Introducing Open Mic Studies. A Creative Response To Navigating The Post-18 Landscape For Young Adults With Send., James Tarling, Charlie Robinson, Nick Hall, Sammy Shepherd

Plymouth Interdisciplinary Education Open Journal

This conceptual article investigates novel ways of thinking about Open Mic Nights (OMN) – performance spaces understood as free, community arts and performance opportunities where the members of the public are welcome to perform music, poetry and comedy in front of an audience. For the purposes of this article, music-related OMN that take place in pubs or community centres are discussed.

The article is intended to be a primer for OMN studies that offers new and emerging trailheads for future research and discussion. Its central focus is how OMN may benefit the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) community with …

A Phenomenological Study Exploring Administrators’ Experiences Supporting Career And Technical Education Teacher Self-Efficacy, Korbin T. Shoemaker

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand the support of career and technical education teacher self-efficacy development for secondary public-school administrative leaders at West Central Maryland school districts. The theory guiding this study was behavioral leadership theory, as it provided a lens for understanding how leaders’ observable actions and interactions intentionally influence teachers’ confidence and professional growth. The central research question guiding this study was: What are the lived experiences of secondary public school administrative leaders as they support the development of self-efficacy in CTE teachers? This qualitative study utilized a hermeneutic phenomenological design informed by van …

Excelling In An Entry-Level Job, Paul Hill, Osei Vega-Sandoval

All Current Publications

Experience in an entry-level job becomes more valuable over time, especially when performance is exceptional. Managers conduct periodic performance reviews to provide feedback that entry-level employees can use to improve. Performance reviews are an opportunity for employees to learn, share career goals, and seek tailored guidance for their career development. This fact sheet provides insights into the character and qualities an employee should demonstrate to become a high performer, and what organizations can do to retain such employees.

Advancing Beyond An Entry-Level Job, Paul Hill, Osei Vega-Sandoval

All Current Publications

Entry-level positions are a gateway into the workforce, yet advancing beyond an early-career role is necessary to broaden one’s professional experience and earn a higher salary. Whether following the traditional path of moving up within an organization or developing extensive expertise, there are a variety of career paths and concepts to consider. This fact sheet provides strategies and insights for advancing to higher-level positions within organizations.

Obtaining An Entry-Level Job, Paul Hill, Osei Vega-Sandoval

All Current Publications

Entry-level jobs are designed for people with little to no work experience. These jobs do not require previous education or training. Entry-level roles range from labor-intensive jobs (e.g., stocking shelves, preparing food, cleaning equipment) to customer service jobs (e.g., cashier, bank teller, retail associate). Entry-level jobs are the most common gateway into an organization. This fact sheet explains how to find entry-level jobs and outlines the fundamentals to improve one’s prospects of gaining employment.

Repairing Workplace Trust: A Process-Based Classroom Exercise For Management Education, Luke A. Langlinais Ph.D.

Posters

Trust is essential in every workplace, but conflicts, mistakes, and broken promises are inevitable. This project develops an experiential classroom exercise in which students diagnose workplace trust violations, examine the perspectives and emotions of both parties, and practice selecting and communicating evidence-based reparative actions. The exercise translates organizational behavior research into a practical learning experience that develops not only managerial competence but also the character, empathy, and relational wisdom needed to build healthy organizations and promote human flourishing.

I gratefully acknowledge peer review feedback on this project, and I am accountable for writing of this product without generative AI and …

Improving Bench Work Competence Through Qr Code Based E-Lkpd Featuring Sop Video And K3 Safety Checklist, Firman Muhadi Saputra, Marsono Marsono, Imam Muhtarom, Mingchang Wu

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

This study examines the use of a QR Code-based E-LKPD integrated with SOP videos and a K3 safety checklist in improving vocational students’ bench work competence. A pretest–posttest control group design was applied to 63 tenth-grade machining students at SMKN 1 Jenangan Ponorogo in the 2025/2026 academic year selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected using performance assessment observation sheets and written tests. The results show that both groups achieved the competent category, with the experimental class obtaining a slightly higher mean score (80.22) than the control class (77.07), However the independent t-test results indicate that the difference is not …

Training Needs And Preferences Of Small-Scale Farmers In Maryland, Lila B. Karki, Prem Bhandari, Enrique N Escobar

Journal of Extension

This study examined small-scale farmers' (N = 124) current needs, emerging priorities, and training preferences from a Farmers' Needs Assessment in Agriculture. They reported marketing agricultural products as the most important activity for building capacity, followed by certification for good agricultural practices; low-volume, high-value crops; agribusiness and enterprise development; specialty and ethnic vegetable production; and developing value-added products. The most preferred educational materials were hands-on exercises and digital learning videos. They preferred weekend programs over weekdays (afternoon, evening, and virtual) and shorter sessions over daylong sessions to benefit most from the educational events.

Training In The 21st Century: A Transcendental Phenomenological Exploration Of The Experiences Of Virtual Reality Integration For Training Industrial Vocations, Christina M. Bardine

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the experience of the application of virtual reality (VR) for trainees at a VR training lab for vocational training. The theory guiding this study is the technology acceptance model (TAM), as it encompasses the experiences and perceptions that influence overall acceptance of VR technology in training. The central research question of this study asked, What is the lived experience of the trainees that framed their acceptance of the use of virtual reality and gaming technologies for vocational job training. This transcendental phenomenological study explored the experiences of 19 adult vocational …

How Does An Advanced Educator Utilize Digital Language Teaching And Learning By Integrating Linguistic, Cultural, And Business Life Perspectives?, Hely Westerholm, Pirjo Takanen-Körperich, Ph.D.

International Journal for Business Education

This paper explores advanced educators’ digital working capabilities in online language teaching, with a particular focus on sharing Finnish language and culture in a foreign context. Cultural and linguistic knowledge play a significant role in enhancing students’ motivation to study foreign languages. In today’s educational environment, digitalisation and globalisation exert an increasing influence on foreign language teaching and learning.

The digital learning environment has brought about a paradigm shift in foreign language didactics. Digital language learning is both challenging and holistic in nature. Continued foreign language learning is simultaneously an individual and a social process, as digital learning cultures impose …

How Grades Changed Before, During And After Covid-19 In A Business College, Douglas R. Moodie, Alison Keefe, Robin Cheramie

International Journal for Business Education

Purpose: This study examines how undergraduate business student grades changed before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic using a large institutional dataset from a business college in a US university between 2015 and 2024.

Method: The analysis includes over 390,000 student-course observations and incorporates instructional modality, student demographics, course characteristics, and prior academic performance.

Results: Results show a substantial increase in mean course grades during the COVID-19 period, followed by a partial reversion post-pandemic to levels that remain above pre-pandemic trends. These patterns are consistent across modalities, demographics, and departments.

Implications: The findings raise important questions regarding the interpretation of …

The Ppp Model In Action: Empowering Tertiary Vocational Students Through Digital And English Training, Hüsem Korkmaz, Ali Geris, Cenk Yoldaş

Higher Learning Research Communications

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the stakeholder perspectives in a public–private partnership project as a remarkable initiative to enhance quality education at the tertiary level in Turkey. In this regard, the motivations behind participating in the partnership, perceived benefits and challenges, significant outcomes, and recommendations for similar prospective partnership programs were investigated empirically.

Method: The study employed a qualitative phenomenological research design, which relies on semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with the key stakeholders of a public–private partnership project to empower vocational higher education. The data were collected from the representatives of Enerjisa Üretim Company (n = …

Beyond The Classroom

DePaul Magazine

DePaul's Irwin W. Steans Center, celebrating its 25th anniversary, has evolved into a national higher-education leader in community-engaged service learning, connecting faculty, students and community organizations to foster mutually beneficial initiatives and outcomes.

Necessary Digital Competencies Of Preschool Teachers In Austria, Walter Fikisz

Journal of Global Education and Research

The aim of this paper is to identify specific digital competencies that preschool teachers require, compared with schoolteachers, to extend the Austrian digital competence model for teachers, digi.kompP. Methodologically, the study is based on interviews with Austrian experts in early childhood education, media pedagogy, computer science, and preschool teacher education. The expert interviews addressed the digital competencies required by preschool teachers, differences compared with schoolteachers, the timing and nature of competence development, and the institutions involved. As a result of this study, sixteen new can-do statements were developed for the expansion of the existing digi.kompP model, which maps the specific …

Voces Rurales: Understanding The Latina Rural College Student Experience, April Mazón

The Rural Educator

This article integrates research with lived experiences to explore the educational and career transitions of Latina rural college students and the unique challenges they encounter in navigating higher education and the workforce. Drawing on the phenomenological study “Voces Rurales: Examining Latina Rural College Student Experiences in Navigating Transitions from College to Career or Post-Baccalaureate Studies,” which coupled semi-structured interviews and photo elicitation methodology, this article highlights the critical intersection of rurality, gender, and ethnicity in higher education. The study focused on Latina undergraduate students in a rural border county with two institutions of higher education: a community college and a …

Developing Robust Human Formation For Ministerial Training, Mary L. Parks

Obsculta

The Apostolic Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis recognizes that effective ministerial formation is holistic, attending to all aspects of a minister’s being. The document therefore outlines four pillars of formation: human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral. In Co-Workers In the Vineyard of the Lord, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) extends the same four pillars of formation to the development of lay ecclesial ministers. The USCCB also applies these pillars to diaconal formation in The National Directory for the Formation, Ministry, and Life of Permanent Deacons in the United States of America.

Creating Public Value Through Public-Private Partnerships In Technical And Vocational Education And Training In Egypt, Aseel Amr Tajuddin

Theses and Dissertations

Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) has emerged in the last decade as a foundational pillar for Egypt’s workforce and economic development vision. More recently, the Egyptian Ministry of Education and Technical Education (MoETE) has scaled industry driven and Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) TVET models, industry affiliated dual education programs and Applied Technology Schools (ATS), seeking to strengthen alignment with the labor market and improving TVET graduates employability. Yet, TVET in Egypt continues to suffer from persistent social stigma, limited social legitimacy and low social ranking, despite the state led reform efforts. Existing TVET literature remains limited to examining …

The Effectiveness Of Workplace Experience Learning In Hnd Fashion Design (Tvet) Programmes: Insights From Host Organizations In Ghana, Phyllis Mensah, Harry Barton Essel, Benjamine Tawiah, Akosua Tachie-Menson, Abena Okyerewa Siaw

Journal of Art, Design and Music

Workplace Experience Learning (WEL) has emerged as a vital component of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Ghana, particularly within programmes such as the Higher National Diploma (HND) in Fashion Design. This study examines the effectiveness of WEL from the perspective of host organizations, recognizing their pivotal role in shaping student outcomes. Anchored in Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory, the research employed a mixed-method approach, gathering both quantitative and qualitative data from 120 host organizations across the Greater Accra, Ashanti, and Western Regions. Findings indicate that although most students demonstrate basic skills in garment design and construction, many struggle …

Emotional Intelligence And Teamwork In A Ship’S Bridge : A Proposed Training Framework For Upskilling, Sofia Kallou, Nikitas Nikitakos, Dimitrios A. Papachristos, Dimitrios Dalaklis, Momoko Kitada

Articles

The notion that computers equipped with software and artificial intelligence (AI) applications can effectively replace human intelligence is under the existing paradigm of operations. This is the leading facilitator of task automation on board a ship to fulfill various jobs and is often supported by numerous scientists/academics who contribute to gaining today’s momentum in public opinion. The discourse of Industry 4.0 in the maritime domain, however, tends to focus heavily on technological contexts and overlooks socio-economic contexts. This gap is evident in the strong emphasis on technical and digital skills for future maritime professionals. This paper, therefore, argues that the …

Tackling The Transfer Of Knowledge Problem In Intelligence Analysis Training, Pedro Sotomayor

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

Intelligence analysis training faces a persistent challenge: analysts trained in critical and creative thinking strategies often struggle to apply those strategies in their demanding work environments. This synthesis paper examines the problem of knowledge transfer in intelligence analysis training, specifically, how to facilitate the application of analytic techniques from the classroom to the analysts' workplace. Drawing on educational psychology literature, including the Theory of Identical Elements, the Theory of Analogy and Abstraction, and research on near and far transfer, the paper argues that knowledge transfer cannot be achieved through curriculum design alone. Variables such as student motivation, the open nature …

Empowering Lifelong Choice: Supporting Older Individuals With Idd To Thrive At Work, Transition To Retirement With Dignity, And Maintain Community Connections, Leslie Quarles

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

This synthesis addresses the need to support older individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in their engagement in continued work. The project traces the journey from an initial focus on supporting older individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to work as long as they wish to an eventual shift toward a phased retirement approach. It considers issues such as a reimagined visualization of the support team structure, integration of tailored job supports and Community Life Engagement (CLE). The author's familial history sparked a sense of injustice that would not stay buried, shaping a career path in disability services and access. …

Transformative Teaching And Learning - Practicing Emancipation Through Co-Construction And Dialogue In Workplace Learning, Lisa Roe

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT

TRANSFORMATIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING: PRACTICING EMANCIPATIONTHROUGH CO-CONSTRUCTION, AND DIALOGUE IN WORKPLACE TEACHING ANDLEARNING

June 2026

Lisa A. Roe, B.A., University of Maine

M.Ed., Suffolk University

Ph.D. University of Massachusetts Boston

Directed by Professor Patricia Krueger-Henney

This dissertation investigates how emancipatory and creative practices can transform vocational high school classrooms into spaces of shared power, dialogue, and mastery-based learning. Using an autoethnographic methodology, I examined my practice as a vocational educator in information technology over the course of an academic year.

Grounded in Wheatley’s fractal organization theory, Kincheloe’s critical constructivism, Lave and Wenger’s situated learning, and dialogic pedagogy, …

Making Data Usable For Schools And Colleges: The Regional Data Collaboratives Approach, Benjamin Boer

Reports, Analyses, and other Publications

This white paper outlines a strategic initiative by the Education Systems Center (EdSystems) to establish regional data collaboratives that improve how schools and colleges use information. Unlike traditional top-down accountability models, these collaboratives focus on longitudinal data sharing to help administrators understand student transitions from ninth grade through postsecondary completion and into the workforce. The framework relies on four core competencies: legal data agreements, secure management, linking analytics, and meaningful presentation of results. By examining factors like dual credit, pathway participation, and 9th-grade performance, these partnerships aim to identify and eliminate educational inequities. Ultimately, the initiative seeks to create a …

Making The Case For Career Academies In Shaping Pre-Collegiate Students For Stem Career Pathways, Felix Quayson

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

Career academies are increasingly important in preparing pre-collegiate high school students for STEM pathways by connecting academic learning, technical skill development, career identity, and postsecondary readiness. STEM-focused career academies function as structured bridges between secondary education, higher education, and the labor market. Through small learning communities, interdisciplinary curricula, employer partnerships, work-based learning, and early exposure to college and career expectations, career academies help students understand STEM not only as school subjects but as possible futures. Research suggests that career academies can improve student engagement, support school persistence, and strengthen labor market outcomes when implemented with fidelity. The article concludes that …