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DEEPER THAN REASON: WHY PRACTICAL AND PRODUCTIVE FORMS OF KNOWLEDGE NEED TO BE RESTORED TO VOCATIONAL EDUCATION

Gregson, Margaret and Gregson, Daniel (2024) DEEPER THAN REASON: WHY PRACTICAL AND PRODUCTIVE FORMS OF KNOWLEDGE NEED TO BE RESTORED TO VOCATIONAL EDUCATION. International Journal of Higher Education Pedagogies (IJHEP), 5 (1). ISSN 2669-2333

Item Type: Article

Abstract

This article chronicles factors contributingto the neglect of the assessment of practical forms of knowledge in Vocational Education and Training (VET) in England. It illustrates how older, more coherent concepts of forms of knowledge, skills and competence have been pushed to the margins of educational discourse, replaced by restricted, fragmented and much less credible conceptual imposters. The consequences of these restricted conceptions and how they have subsequently become organised, taught and assessed in VET are discussed. Particular attention is given to the ways in which such restricted conceptions can lead to vocational assessment regimes which require little more than ‘one-off’ demonstrations of successful performance, expressed in behaviourist outcomes; the superficial recall of cognitive concepts; and the regurgitation of factual information in pen and paper examinations. Comparisons are drawn between the strongly centralist system of control regulating VET in England and alternative more collaborative state partnership systems of VET currently operating in Continental Europe.

This small-scale, qualitative study, conducted with 12 tutors of VET in Further Education (FE) colleges and Industry Training Providers (ITPs) brings to light the impact of these restricted concepts in VET in England today. Research methods include, iterature review, transcripts of semi-structured interviews with vocational teachers and education leaders and focus group discussions. Reflexive Thematic Anlaysis (RTA) is employed to identify subthemes and themes in the data in order to identify, refine and discuss findings. Results reveal that sector practitioners require further professional development in addressing current issues in incoherent curriculum design and inauthentic approaches to assessment.

Key words: Vocational Education and Training (VET); Forms of Knowledge; Joint Curriculum Planning; Problem and Project-based Learning; Multimodal Assessment.

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Related URLs:
Depositing User: Daniel Gregson

Identifiers

Item ID: 17455
Identification Number: https://doi.org/10.33422/ijhep.v5i1.592
ISSN: 2669-2333
URI: http://sure.sunderland.ac.uk/id/eprint/17455
Official URL: https://diamondopen.com/journals/index.php/ijhep/a...

Users with ORCIDS

ORCID for Margaret Gregson: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-2195-3738
ORCID for Daniel Gregson: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-5980-2401

Catalogue record

Date Deposited: 15 Mar 2024 11:43
Last Modified: 15 Mar 2024 11:45

Contributors

Author: Margaret Gregson ORCID iD
Author: Daniel Gregson ORCID iD

University Divisions

Faculty of Education and Society > School of Education

Subjects

Education > Educational Research
Education > Further Education
Education > Higher Education
Culture > Religion and Philosophy
Education

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