Promoting Effective Vocational Education and Training Teacher’s Professional Development and Its Transfer to Practice: A Systematic Review
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for Authors
This paper addresses a lack of systematic analyses of effective teachers’ professional
development and its practical application in VET this gap by conducting
a systematic literature review of effective VET teacher professional development and its
transfer to practice for the purposes of exploring the following research questions:
RQ1: What characterises and promotes effective professional development of VET
teachers?
RQ2: What characterises and promotes the effective transfer of VET teachers’
professional development into practice?
A systematic review was performed of papers meeting the inclusion requirements and its results show the importance in professional development in VET of maintaining connections with industry, learning through active participation, engagement in creative communities of practice and cooperation with social partners. It is also underlined that is it necessary to adjust the professional development of teachers in VET to local, institutional aspects and to respect the dual role of teachers in VET as both teachers and professionals in an expert field and the multidimensional features of professional development in this context.
The paper is well-written and well-referred and it's model are suitable for understanding and improving or developing professionel development models in VET. The overview in the beginning of the papers covering theories related to motivation, learning and technology transfer is however a bit superficial and it would be informative if the authors could reflect more critically on the references in this part of the paper. For example, some of the acronyms like TPACK and TAM are not know to a wider audience, at least not to this reviewer, and it would be great if the first part of the paper could reflect more on the basic understanding of professional development among teachers and as teachers in VET. Is it transformative learning, or problem-based learning or situated learning (and theories on motivation and self-efficacy) that will and can inform this, in an equal manner, side-lined? Or do some of these theories have a higher stance in relation to understanding professional development in particular among teachers and professionals? And can one draw inspiration from other fields as regards transfer of professional development and its influence on teaching or just professional practice. There must be studies addressing this from outside VET, also other theories than those on technology transfer or role-model learning from Bandura in the mid 19ties. Accordingly, the first part of the paper could be slightly revised with these comments in mind.
Author Response
Dear Reviewer,
Thank you for your insightful and constructive comments regarding our manuscript. We appreciate the time you have taken to review our paper and provide detailed feedback, particularly regarding the theoretical overview in the introduction. Below, we detail our responses and the revisions we have made:
Comment 1:
The overview in the beginning covering theories related to motivation, learning and technology transfer is a bit superficial. It would be informative if the authors could reflect more critically on the references in this part of the paper.
Response 1:
To improve clarity and cohesiveness, we have reorganised the “Introduction” into clearly delineated sections. We now start with a discussion on overarching theories of professional development, followed by sections on technology integration models and organisational learning. This rearrangement allows us to critically compare and contrast how each framework contributes to our understanding of professional development among VET teachers, providing a more structured narrative.
Comment 2:
For example, some of the acronyms like TPACK and TAM are not know to a wider audience, at least not to this reviewer, and it would be great if the first part of the paper could reflect more on the basic understanding of professional development among teachers and as teachers in VET. Is it transformative learning, or problem-based learning or situated learning (and theories on motivation and self-efficacy) that will and can inform this, in an equal manner, side-lined? Or do some of these theories have a higher stance in relation to understanding professional development in particular among teachers and professionals?
Response 2:
We have now provided clear definitions and context for the acronyms TPACK (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge) and TAM (Technology Acceptance Model). The revised introduction explains that while these models offer valuable insights into the integration of technology into teaching, they serve primarily as supportive frameworks in understanding specific aspects—such as technology adoption—rather than offering a comprehensive explanation of professional development. We have also discussed other models (e.g., UTAUT, CBAM) to offer a balanced overview while highlighting that transformative and situated learning theories hold a more central position for explaining the broader processes of professional growth among VET teachers. We clarify that while several theories contribute to our understanding of professional development—including models of motivation and self-efficacy—the literature suggests that transformative and situated learning theories offer particularly robust frameworks for understanding the deep and complex changes that occur in VET teachers’ professional identities. These theories are explored in greater detail in the revised introduction, where we discuss their relevance compared to more domain-specific models such as TAM and TPACK.
Comment 3:
And can one draw inspiration from other fields as regards transfer of professional development and its influence on teaching or just professional practice? There must be studies addressing this from outside VET, also other theories than those on technology transfer or role-model learning from Bandura in the mid 19th century.
Response 3:
We agree that insights from other fields beyond VET can meaningfully inform understanding of the transfer of professional development into teaching practice. In response, we have expanded the discussion to include theoretical perspectives from broader professional learning and workplace learning literature. For example, we have incorporated Ley et al.'s (2020) model of knowledge appropriation, which connects scaffolded learning with knowledge maturation in complex workplace settings. This model, originating from organisational and workplace learning research rather than VET specifically, aligns well with the dynamic, iterative process of integrating professional development outcomes into everyday practice. Additionally, we have reflected on the concept of the "learning organisation" (Senge, 1994) from organisational studies, which provides a broader theoretical lens for understanding how collective and individual learning processes reinforce professional growth and practice change. Through these additions, we aim to show that VET teacher professional development can be better understood when also viewed through frameworks developed in fields such as organisational learning, adult education, and workplace learning, not only through theories traditionally linked to technology transfer or early motivational psychology (such as Bandura’s social learning theory). We believe that these revisions have significantly enhanced the clarity and depth of the manuscript’s introduction. A revised version of the manuscript has been provided with track changes so that you can observe exactly how your suggestions have been addressed.
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for Authors
This review on key characteristics of effective vocational education and training teachers' professional development and transfer into educational practices is very well written. It follows all the conventions of systematic literature review, analysing 24 journal articles published between 2014 and 2024. The review includes all the pertinent literature. The method section is clearly explained. The review identifies 10 features of effective professional development and eight attributes supporting its transfer to practice. Reflection, engagement in professional communities of practice, and targeted approaches that address VET teachers’ needs are listed as essential for effective professional development and transfer. The review suggests that providing relevant, active, and collaborative learning experiences enriches professional development. However, effective transfer to practice demands teacher’s capacity, transformative leadership, personally significant, authentic, transformative, and supportive learning experiences. The author(s) draw on the review to suggest recommendations on organising professional development for more targeted approaches to improving teaching quality in VET. Each section is very well presented, very interesting to read and follow. This review forms a very useful source for many researchers interested in studies that have been completed, the key contributions and gaps.
While there are no weaknesses as such, the author(s) may like to consider the following points:
- Acknowledge the fact that transfer of any learning assumes that the practice architectures of the workplace are appropriate for the transfer and that the site is ready for changes that teachers intend to bring about after their learning during professional development. That is, a level of ‘readiness’ of the workplace and its systems, processes and procedures are needed for appropriate transfer. Some learning will remain not transferred though may be transferable to a different site or different context and much later.
- Page 1, under Introduction, line 4, Educational reforms require teachers to continuously improve their qualifications... Do the authors mean ... improve their ‘practice’ instead of ‘qualifications’?
- Page 2, line 1 – competitive generation (– of workers), VET teachers must....
- Page 7, line 1 – in educational trips.... do you mean ‘excursions’ instead of trips?
- Page 8, paragraph starting with “Among the most crucial factors....” It would be useful to mention the concept of learning in terms of knowledge appropriation where integration involves connecting scaffolded learning and knowledge maturation in workplace learning settings. [Ley, T., Maier, R., Thalmann, S., Waizenegger, L., Pata, K., & Ruiz-Calleja, A. (2020). A knowledge appropriation model to connect scaffolded learning and knowledge maturation in workplace learning settings. Vocations and learning, 13(1), 91-112. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12186-019-09231-2]
- Page 11, 2nd paragraph – Autonomy is mentioned. This is relevant. What about agency?
Other than these points for consideration, the manuscript is of high quality and will add value to the field.
Author Response
Dear Reviewer,
Thank you for your insightful and constructive comments regarding our manuscript. We appreciate the time you have taken to review our paper and provide detailed feedback, particularly regarding the theoretical overview in the introduction. Below, we detail our responses and the revisions we have made:
Comment 1:
Page 1, under Introduction, line 4, Educational reforms require teachers to continuously improve their qualifications... Do the authors mean ... improve their ‘practice’ instead of ‘qualifications’?
Response 1:
Thank you for your insightful observation. We agree that "practice" is a more accurate and contextually appropriate term in this instance, as professional development in education primarily focuses on enhancing teaching methodologies, pedagogical strategies, and classroom engagement, rather than solely pursuing formal qualifications. Accordingly, we have revised the text, replacing “qualifications” with “practice” to better reflect the intended meaning and to improve conceptual clarity.
Comment 2:
Page 7, line 1 – in educational trips.... do you mean ‘excursions’ instead of trips?
Response 2:
Thank you for this helpful suggestion. We agree that "excursions" is a more precise and formal term than "trips" in an academic context. Therefore, we have replaced "trips" with "excursions" to enhance the clarity and academic tone of the manuscript.
Comment 3:
Page 8, paragraph starting with “Among the most crucial factors....” It would be useful to mention the concept of learning in terms of knowledge appropriation where integration involves connecting scaffolded learning and knowledge maturation in workplace learning settings. [Ley, T., Maier, R., Thalmann, S., Waizenegger, L., Pata, K., & Ruiz-Calleja, A. (2020). A knowledge appropriation model to connect scaffolded learning and knowledge maturation in workplace learning settings. Vocations and learning, 13(1), 91-112. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12186-019-09231-2]
Response 3:
Thank you for this suggestion. We fully agree that the concept of knowledge appropriation offers a valuable lens to understand the transfer of professional development outcomes into practice. In response to your comment, we have incorporated a discussion of Ley et al.'s (2020) knowledge appropriation model into the revised Introduction section. This placement allows us to enrich the theoretical foundation of our study without conflicting with the PRISMA guidelines, which require that the Results section is strictly based on the findings of the systematic literature search. We now highlight that professional development transfer can be seen as an active process of integrating scaffolded learning and knowledge maturation in authentic workplace environments, which aligns well with the situated and transformative learning theories discussed earlier.
Comment 4:
Page 11, 2nd paragraph – Autonomy is mentioned. This is relevant. What about agency?
Response 4:
Thank you for your valuable suggestion regarding the concept of agency. We fully agree that agency is a critical dimension in understanding teachers' professional development, alongside autonomy. In the revised manuscript, we have expanded the discussion in this section to address teacher agency explicitly. We highlight that beyond having autonomy (i.e., freedom to make decisions), teachers must also exercise agency — the capacity to act intentionally and strategically to shape their learning processes, implement innovations, and influence their educational environments. We believe this addition strengthens our conceptualisation of effective professional development and transfer into practice, especially in the VET context where external demands from both the education system and the labour market are high. A revised version of the manuscript has been provided with track changes so that you can observe exactly how your suggestions have been addressed.
Reviewer 3 Report
Comments and Suggestions for Authors
Although the title overemphasizes the professional development of VET teachers and their implementation in practice, the systematic review presented in the manuscript is professionally valuable, methodologically original, and innovative. The four keywords are complex expressions, reflecting the complexity of the content, and some tautology can be assumed in the case of the expression "effective professional development." The Introduction reflects global trends based on OECD and Cedefop global analyses regarding the dual-school-based vocational education and work-based practical training of vocational teachers. It is a positive fact that the publication interprets the interpretative framework of the concept of professional development on the best literature basis. The brief overview of the 56-item literature review provides a valuable systematization of the development models of the progressive professional endeavors of the past decade. The two research questions with almost identical content illustrate this problem, as no significant difference between the two questions is formulated after the theoretical Introduction. The study's content and analysis data are related to the analysis of articles conducted explicitly in the Scopus and Web of Science literature databases for 2014-2024. The research, which undertakes the analysis of journal articles exclusively in English, explicitly states the language (English) among the Inclusion Criteria, which naturally excludes language cultures (e.g., Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Russian) reflecting the actual proportions of vocational training based on different cultures serving to prepare the world's significant labor market population based on the given literature base. By carrying out a publication selection by two researchers (presumably by the authors), significant limitations, which are presented correctly, were also identified. Despite all this, the topic and the study contain original, gap-filling, innovative methodological elements. Based on the procedure explaining the process of narrowing the database, in the case of traditional literature analyses, significant primary sources (190 articles) are substantial in themselves. The selection of 24 sources to be analyzed in detail, resulting from the narrowing process presented visually in Figure 1, created an appropriate basis for the qualitative analysis. Going beyond the given article, it is not relevant to the present critique to what extent the automated components of the research procedures in the process of AI applications, which raise numerous ethical issues, are suitable for much more differentiated research and control on a much larger database. However, the author's control procedure is commendable within the framework in which Cohen's Kappa coefficient was applied. The distribution did not influence the presentation of the international contexts of the given topic so much according to the national characteristics of the vocational training systems, but rather by the nationality of the authors. The content analysis using qualitative methods was implemented in six steps. Unfortunately, the relatively more extensive Conclusion does not contain any more specific new insights, results, or even ideas for new studies beyond these; they are rather general in terms of the specificity of the previous sections. Despite the above theoretical criticisms, the study is a valuable methodological initiative. Despite the special nature of the topic, the authors summarized their valuable, essentially synthesizing quantitative results with their new methodological initiative.
Author Response
Dear Reviewer,
Thank you very much for your thorough, constructive, and positive evaluation of our manuscript. We appreciate your recognition of the methodological and theoretical contributions of our study. Below, we address comment regarding the Conclusion section.
Comment 1:
The content analysis using qualitative methods was implemented in six steps. Unfortunately, the extensive Conclusion does not contain any more specific new insights, results, or even ideas for new studies beyond these; they are rather general in terms of the specificity of the previous sections.
Response 1:
In response to your comment regarding the Conclusion section, we have substantially revised this part of the manuscript. The Conclusion now highlights more specific findings emerging from the thematic analysis, particularly emphasising the importance of industry links, authentic work-based learning environments, transformative learning experiences, and the development of teachers' dual identity as educators and industry practitioners. Additionally, the Conclusion identifies concrete implications for VET policy and practice, including the need for authentic, practice-based professional development settings, stronger collaboration between educational institutions and industry, the fostering of professional learning communities, and the establishment of mentorship and peer-support structures to facilitate the transfer of learning into teaching practice. Furthermore, we have proposed explicit directions for future research, suggesting longitudinal studies to examine the sustainability of professional development outcomes, investigations into the role of professional agency in learning transfer, comparative cross-cultural studies that incorporate non-English literature, and research on the impact of organisational cultures and leadership practices on professional development effectiveness. A revised version of the manuscript has been provided with track changes to allow you to easily observe the changes made.
Reviewer 4 Report
Comments and Suggestions for Authors
This paper presents a systematic review aimed at identifying key features that characterize effective professional development (PD) for Vocational Education and Training (VET) teachers, as well as factors that promote the transfer of that development into teaching practice. The methodology adheres to PRISMA standards and includes thematic analysis of 24 studies published between 2014 and 2024. The review is well-structured, scholarly, and offers valuable insights into VET teacher PD and its practical application.
While the term “transfer to practice” could benefit from a clearer and more consistent definition throughout the paper. It sometimes overlaps conceptually with "implementation" or "application." Moreover, the inclusion of a conceptual framework or model (e.g., a diagram summarizing the relationships among identified themes) would enhance comprehension and practical usability.
This article offers significant contributions to the literature on VET teacher professional development. With minor revisions to enhance clarity and depth in some sections, it would be a strong candidate for publication in a high-quality education or vocational training journal.
Comments on the Quality of English Language
Need a thorough proofread.
Author Response
Dear Reviewer,
Thank you very much for your thorough, constructive, and positive evaluation of our manuscript.
Comment 1:
While the term “transfer to practice” could benefit from a clearer and more consistent definition throughout the paper. It sometimes overlaps conceptually with "implementation" or "application."
Thank you for your valuable suggestion regarding the need for greater clarity and consistency in the use of the term "transfer to practice."
Response 1:
In response, we have incorporated a clear and explicit definition of "transfer to practice" into the revised Introduction. This definition is grounded in established literature (Ciraso, 2012; del Arco et al., 2023; Gil et al., 2022; Isna, 2021; Schoeb et al., 2021) and highlights both the behavioural changes that occur following professional development and the long-term maintenance and application of acquired knowledge and skills within educational practice. We also acknowledge that in the scientific literature, particularly within the fields of education, psychology, organisational learning, and vocational studies, numerous related terms are used depending on the context, discipline, and conceptual focus. Our literature search revealed that terms such as transfer/transferring, translation/translating, integration/integrating, application/applying, embedment/embedding, utilisation/utilising, use/using, and implementation/implementing are often employed in overlapping or interchangeable ways. In this study, however, we have consistently prioritised the term "transfer to practice" to ensure conceptual clarity and coherence throughout the manuscript, while occasionally using terms such as "application" or "implementation" where appropriate to reflect specific contextual nuances.
Comment 2:
Moreover, the inclusion of a conceptual framework or model (e.g., a diagram summarizing the relationships among identified themes) would enhance comprehension and practical usability.
Response 2:
Thank you for your suggestion regarding the inclusion of a conceptual framework or model to summarise the relationships among the identified themes. We appreciate the value of such visual representations for enhancing comprehension and practical usability. However, in the present study, our primary aim was to conduct a systematic review and thematic synthesis of the existing literature, rather than to develop a new conceptual framework or model. Therefore, we have chosen not to elaborate a framework within the scope of this paper, in order to maintain a clear focus on the objectives and methodological boundaries originally defined for the study. We acknowledge that developing a conceptual model would be a valuable direction for future research, building on the findings of this review and further analyses of the scientific literature in this field.
