Program Coherence and Integration of School- and Work-Based Learning in the Icelandic Dual Vocational Education and Training (VET) System
School of Education, University of Iceland, 105 Reykjavík, Iceland
Educ. Sci. 2020, 10(11), 314; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci10110314
Received: 21 August 2020
/
Revised: 20 October 2020
/
Accepted: 28 October 2020
/
Published: 2 November 2020
(This article belongs to the Special Issue International Vocational Education and Training)
This study examines how recently graduated journeymen, vocational teachers, and workplace trainers view the integration between learning at school and at work in a dual vocational education and training (VET) system, and how these views might be influenced by the duration and the sequencing of school- and work-based learning periods. Research indicates that effective implementation of the dual VET system is contingent upon successful integration of learning experience at the two venues. Recent graduates, workplace trainers, and teachers in all 51 certified trades answered an electronic questionnaire (667 participants, response rate 24%). Factor analysis of responses to 22 statements resulted in the identification of five factors. Findings show that the learning venues were parallel rather than integrated. Communication and collaboration between teachers and workplace trainers were limited and recent graduates, in particular, did not experience the program as a coherent whole. The results also showed important variations in the perspectives of the three groups of participants. The duration of the workplace learning period was not found to be associated with perceptions of program integration. Some limited effects of sequencing were found, but no clear pattern emerged. This study adds to knowledge on learning and integration, and indicates possible ways of improving program coherence and integration in a dual VET system.
View Full-Text
Keywords:
vocational education and training; upper secondary schools; work-based learning; dual VET system
▼
Show Figures
Figure 1
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
MDPI and ACS Style
Eiríksdóttir, E. Program Coherence and Integration of School- and Work-Based Learning in the Icelandic Dual Vocational Education and Training (VET) System. Educ. Sci. 2020, 10, 314. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci10110314
AMA Style
Eiríksdóttir E. Program Coherence and Integration of School- and Work-Based Learning in the Icelandic Dual Vocational Education and Training (VET) System. Education Sciences. 2020; 10(11):314. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci10110314
Chicago/Turabian StyleEiríksdóttir, Elsa. 2020. "Program Coherence and Integration of School- and Work-Based Learning in the Icelandic Dual Vocational Education and Training (VET) System" Education Sciences 10, no. 11: 314. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci10110314
Find Other Styles
Note that from the first issue of 2016, MDPI journals use article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.
