ERIC Number: EJ1257130
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1363-6820
EISSN: N/A
Standing and Attractiveness of Vocational Education and Training in Finland: Focus on Learning Environments
Journal of Vocational Education and Training, v72 n2 p250-269 2020
This article discusses the standing and attractiveness of vocational education and training (VET) in Finland. We argue that learning environments, along with the expectations for and attitudes towards them, are related to the attractiveness of VET. The empirical part of the article describes a comprehensive view of learning environments based on our several interview data sets and previous findings. Four sets of existing interview data (N = 96) are combined to depict school--work connection from the viewpoints of VET providers and teachers (n = 23) and workplace actors, including employer representatives and learners' workplace trainers and co-workers (n = 30), as well as from the perspective of VET learners (students and apprentices; n = 43). The article discusses the design rationale behind learning environments and the challenges these environments face in Finland. The article concludes that learning environment design is focused on alignment between school and work. However, based on the interview data, there are attitudes and practices that hinder the connectivity between education and work, and the responsibility to align various experiences is largely left to the learner.
Descriptors: Vocational Education, Educational Environment, Foreign Countries, Expectation, Educational Attitudes, Education Work Relationship, Vocational Education Teachers, Teacher Attitudes, Employer Attitudes, Student Attitudes, Apprenticeships, Secondary Education, Alignment (Education), Workplace Learning, Vocational Schools
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Finland
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A