This study explores a pathway from social origin at adolescence to numeracy acquisition in young adulthood. A variation associated with vocational track attendance and numeracy acquisition between two different traditions of education systems is identified; namely, between education systems of German (Austria and Germany) and English (UK and US)…

Researchers and policy makers agree that the relation between school and work is an important characteristic of vocational education and training (VET) and needs attention. The relation itself poses several challenges for research to be successful and useful for policy makers. In this article, we outline these challenges and answer the following…

While research on universities is well elaborated within the field of higher education, less effort has been made to study other institutions of tertiary education. Complementary to the need of hybrid (specific and general) human capital for German Mittelstand firms, the system of tertiary dual education in Germany has succeeded in hitting two…

In Europe, the Bologna and Copenhagen Processes in higher education (HE) and vocational education and training (VET) are on the agenda, aiming to create a European educational area. Acknowledging important differences between countries, we compare the evolving relationship between HE and VET. We ask whether and how these two distinct…

In their workaday life, teachers are faced with multiple complex tasks. How they carry out these tasks is also influenced by their epistemic beliefs and the beliefs they assume their pupils hold. In an empirical study, pre-service teachers' epistemic beliefs and those they assume of their pupils were investigated in the setting of teacher…

For many good and well-known reasons, it is now widely accepted that there is a need for more integrated concepts of learning (and studying) in the workplace. This article focuses on the notions and experiences gained from new educational programmes of work-based learning (WBL) in vocational education and training (VET) or--to be…

Both Canada's and Germany's school systems are transitioning into inclusive education systems. This transition is also happening in vocational schools. This paper addresses the new demands that vocational teachers face, due to the introduction of inclusive education in Germany and Canada, by examining Canadian and German pre-service vocational…

In Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the majority of 15-19-year olds follow vocational education programmes within a dual-track system, spending most of their time in a company and going to school only 1 day each week. With their separate aims, content and sociological organisation, the company and the school can be considered as two distinct…

This article is concerned with the transition from school to the workplace for pupils with special educational needs in Germany. First, an outline of the standard system of professional training in Germany shall be given. Then, the initial conditions that adolescents are confronted with at the end of their time in school shall be examined. This…

This article reviews the structural differences in vocational training between East and West Germany; describes a large-scale program establishing suprafirm training centers; notes the shift away from centralism; and considers personnel needs, legal aspects, industry responsibility, attitudinal differences, and European perspectives. (DB)

This article examines differentiation of the German state sector in higher education and the implementation of the vocationally oriented "Fachhochschulen." It then discusses the privately organized "third sector," consequences of German unification, and present tertiary adaptations to new needs and expectations in state and…