99. Emerging Researchers' Group (for presentation at Emerging Researchers' Conference)
Paper
Global Learning in the Workplace – Companies’ Response to Globalization
Julia Hufnagl
Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg, Germany
Presenting Author: Hufnagl, Julia
In order to deal with complex societal challenges such as climate change, globalization, global inequalities, and the scarcity of natural resources, the development of a holistic global understanding and a clarification of one's own role in the transformation process is central (cf. e.g. Veugelers & De Groot, 2019, p. 27; Witt, 2022). Against this background, education for sustainable development (ESD) and global citizenship education (GCE) address SDG 4.7 (UNESCO, 2019, p. 12). Although in the wake of the SDGs there is increasing pressure on companies to contribute to the development of 'global employees', the two concepts have so far remained largely unaddressed in the discourse on workplace learning. This paper therefore explores the role of corporate education and training in the context of global and sustainable developments in companies.
Tried and tested scales and models for capturing the necessary competencies for sustainable and global development are already available (e.g. Morais & Odgen, 2011; Seeber et al., 2019, Wiek et al., 2011). This paper transfers these competency models to in-company education and training and answers the following questions: to what extent do the existing competency profiles of training personnel meet the demands of companies in the fields of ESD and GCE? What potentials do current qualification offers in these two areas offer from the company's point of view and where is there a need for action?
The empirical basis for the article is provided by 10 expert interviews with company HR managers from 10 globally operating large companies from different industries (Meuser & Nagel, 2009). Using qualitative content analysis according to Mayring (2023), the interviews are evaluated deductively with reference to the above competency models.
The results systematically show the existing competence profiles as well as development needs of company education and training personnel in the field of sustainable thinking and acting. In addition, current requirements for corporate training and development personnel on the part of HR managers are identified and prioritized. The article provides concrete practical recommendations on the extent to which corporate framework conditions must change so that training personnel can meet the new tasks in the context of ESD and GCE, and it identifies necessary qualification offers.
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedThe empirical basis for the article is provided by 10 expert interviews with company HR managers from 10 globally operating large companies from different industries (Meuser & Nagel, 2009). Using qualitative content analysis according to Mayring (2023), the interviews are evaluated deductively with reference to the above competency models.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsThe empirical basis for the article is provided by 10 expert interviews with company HR managers from 10 globally operating large companies from different industries (Meuser & Nagel, 2009). Using qualitative content analysis according to Mayring (2023), the interviews are evaluated deductively with reference to the above competency models.
The results systematically show the existing competence profiles as well as development needs of company education and training personnel in the field of sustainable thinking and acting. In addition, current requirements for corporate training and development personnel on the part of HR managers are identified and prioritized. The article provides concrete practical recommendations on the extent to which corporate framework conditions must change so that training personnel can meet the new tasks in the context of ESD and GCE, and it identifies necessary qualification offers.
ReferencesMayring, P. A. E. (2023). Qualitative content analysis. In International Encyclopedia of Education (Fourth Edition) (p. 314–322). Elsevier.
Meuser, M., & Nagel, U. (2009). Das Experteninterview — konzeptionelle Grundlagen und methodische Anlage. In: Pickel, S., Pickel, G., Lauth, HJ., & Jahn, D. (Hg.): Methoden der vergleichenden Politik- und Sozialwissenschaft. VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften.
Morais, D. B., & Ogden, A. C. (2011). Initial Development and Validation of the Global Citizenship Scale. Journal of Studies in International Education, 15(5), 445–466.
Seeber, S., Michaelis, C., Repp, A., Hartig, J., Aichele, C., Schumann, M., Anke, J.-M., Dierkes, S., & Siepelmeyer, D. (2019). Assessment of Competences in Sustainability Management: Analyses to the Construct Dimensionality. Zeitschrift für Pädagogische Psychologie, 33(2), 148-158.
UNESCO (2019). Addressing global citizenship education in adult learning and education. Summary Report. UNESCO Institute for Lifeflong Learning, Hamburg.
Veugelers, W., & De Groot, I. (2019). Theory and Practice of Citizenship Education. In: Wiel, V. (Hg.): Education for Democratic Intercultural Citizenship. Leiden.
Wiek, A., Withycombe, L., & Redman, C. L. (2011). Key competencies in sustainability: a reference framework for academic program development. Sustainability Science, 6(2), 203-218.
Witt, A. (2022). Postpandemic futures of Global Citizenship Education for preservice teachers: Challenges and possibilities. PROSPECTS.
99. Emerging Researchers' Group (for presentation at Emerging Researchers' Conference)
Paper
The Sense of Self-Efficacy in VET Teachers
Arturo Garcia de Olalla, Maria Tugores-Ques, Carme Pinya-Medina, Elena Quintana-Murci, Francesca Salvà-Mut
University of the Balearic Islands, Spain
Presenting Author: Garcia de Olalla, Arturo
In recent years, Spain has experienced an increase in the number of students enrolled in Basic Vocational Education and Training (BVET) and Intermediate Vocational Education and Training (IVET). However, 4 years after enrolling, 41.7% of BVET students and 30.7% of IVET students would have dropped out of the degree and educational system (Ministry of education and vocational training, 2022). For these reasons, it is important to explore those variables that would help prevent dropout in Vocational Education and Training (VET).
Numerous studies have indicated that school engagement is one of the central elements in preventing dropout (Cerdà-Navarro et al., 2020). In addition, various investigations have pointed out the decisive role that teachers play in promoting school involvement (Roorda et al., 2011).
The Self-determination Theory (SDT) (Ryan & Deci, 2017), considers the influence of teaching practices on teaching-learning processes, focusing on the types and sources of motivation and their impact on student behaviour. According to SDT, it is essential to consider teachers' perceptions of their professional autonomy, teaching competence, and interpersonal skills as determinants not only of beliefs and intentions, but also of teaching practice and the connection established with students (Deci & Ryan, 2000; Niemiec & Ryan, 2009).
Bandura (1997) defined self-efficacy as the set of individual attitudes and beliefs that teachers have about their ability to accomplish particular activities successfully. Subsequent research has shown that self-efficacy beliefs is related to the ability to teach and facilitate learning process (Tschannen-Moran & Johnson, 2011). Furthermore, high levels of teacher self-efficacy predict better instructional practices (Zee & Koomen, 2016) and closer relationships with students (Hajovsky et al., 2020).
In order to determine which factors influence the feeling of teacher self-efficacy, Klassen and Chiu (2010) argued the influence of years of teaching experience on teachers' self-efficacy is a nonlinear relationship, increasing as more years of teaching experience are attained but decreasing in the last professional stage. However, Fackler & Malmberg (2016) found that years of professional experience do not predict teachers’ sense of self-efficacy. Siciliano (2016) noted that an optimal climate in the school and a good relationship and communication between teachers are factors that positively influence the teachers’ sense of self-efficacy. Finally, Fackler & Malmberg (2016) observed that having opportunities for professional development positively influences the teachers’ sense of self-efficacy.
Taking into account the little existing research on this construct in VET and understanding self-efficacy as an element of vital importance for teaching practice, which helps to improve the relationship with students and strengthens their school engagement, the objective of this research is to delve deeper into this concept, analyzing which factors influence the teaching self-efficacy of VET teachers.
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedThe sample is made up of 287 teachers from different VET centers in the Balearic Islands, Spain. Of the total sample, 153 are women and 133 are men, who have professional teaching experience that fluctuates between 1 and 40 years of experience. It should be noted that 106 teachers belong to BVET and 179 to IVET. In addition, 140 teachers have a technical specialty, and 139 a secondary specialty (general education). Finally, the hours of teacher training in the last 12 months range from 0 to 1800 hours.
Teachers’ feelings of self-efficacy were collected using the Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale (TSES) (Tschannen-Moran and Woolfolk, 2001), which consists of 24 items distributed in 3 subscales: Effectiveness in fostering student engagement, Effectiveness of applied teaching strategies, and Effectiveness in classroom management. The response scale is Likert-type and goes from 1 (not at all) to 9 (very much).
The hours of training, the employment situation of the teaching staff (temporary contract or permanent contract), the qualifications of the teaching staff (university degree or vocational training degree), and the years of professional teaching experience were collected from the data provided by the participating teachers. The variable impact of the training was collected through an item in which teachers were asked if they considered that the training carried out in the last 12 months had had a positive impact.
The sample was collected through an online questionnaire during the first semester of 2021 in vocational training centers, resulting in a total of 287 surveys.
In order to analyze which factors influence teachers' sense of self-efficacy, a linear regression analysis was carried out using teachers' sense of self-efficacy as the dependent variable, and the following variables as independent variables: the sex of the participants, the specialty to which they belong (technical or secondary), the type of VET (BVET or IVET), the impact of the training carried out (positive or negative), the hours of training carried out, the professional teaching experience, the employment situation (temporary contract or permanent contract), and the academic qualifications of the teaching staff (university degree or vocational training degree).
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsThe linear regression analysis showed that the hours of training carried out (β = 0.001, t = 2.89, p = 0.004), the specialty (β = 0.196, t = 1.71, p = 0.090) and the professional teaching experience (β = 0.015, t = 2.30, p = 0.023) are significant predictors of students' academic performance. The preliminary results obtained reveal that teachers with a technical specialty report a greater sense of self-efficacy. In addition, the more training hours completed and the more years of professional teaching experience the greater the teachers' feeling of self-efficacy.
In line with previous research, the results point to professional teaching experience as a positive predictor of teachers’ sense of self-efficacy (Klassen & Chiu, 2010). In addition, teachers' sense of self-efficacy can be strengthened by attending training courses (Fackler & Malmberg, 2016).
In addition, this research shows that those teachers who belong to the technical staff and who practice teaching in VET will have a greater feeling of self-efficacy, evidencing VET as an academic path differentiated from general education, which requires teachers to have a specialty according to the contents of each degree.
The preliminary results coincide with the results obtained in previous research (Fackler & Malmberg, 2016; Klassen & Chiu, 2010) and provide new evidence exploring the sense of self-efficacy in VET.
This work is part of the R&D project PID2019-108342RB-I00, founded by MCIN/ AEI/10.13039/501100011033/
ReferencesBandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. W H Freeman/Times Books/ Henry Holt & Co.
Cerdà-Navarro, A., Salvà-Mut, F., & Sureda-García, I. (2020). Dropout intention and effective dropout during the first academic year in intermediate vocational education and training: An analysis taking the student engagement concept as a reference. Estudios Sobre Educacion, 39, 33–57. https://doi.org/10.15581/004.39.33-57
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227–268. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01
Fackler, S., & Malmberg, L. E. (2016). Teachers’ self-efficacy in 14 OECD countries: Teacher, student group, school and leadership effects. Teaching and Teacher Education, 56, 185–195. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2016.03.002
Hajovsky, D. B., Chesnut, S. R., & Jensen, K. M. (2020). The role of teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs in the development of teacher-student relationships. Journal of School Psychology, 82, 141–158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2020.09.001
Klassen, R. M., & Chiu, M. M. (2010). Effects on teachers' self-efficacy and job satisfaction: Teacher gender, years of experience, and job stress. Journal of Educational Psychology, 102(3), 741–756. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0019237
Ministry of education and vocational training (2022). Estadística del alumnado de formación profesional, https://www.educacionyfp.gob.es/dam/jcr:4cd62b54-42e8-4c40-97a5-cf9c6ac318ce/nota.pdf
Niemiec, C. P., & Ryan, R. M. (2009). Autonomy, competence, and relatedness in the classroom: Applying self-determination theory to educational practice. Theory and Research in Education, 7(2), 133–144. https://doi.org/10.1177/1477878509104318
Roorda, D. L., Koomen, H. M. Y., Spilt, J. L., & Oort, F. J. (2011). The influence of affective teacher-student relationships on students’ school engagement and achievement: A meta-analytic approach. Review of Educational Research, 81(4), 493–529. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654311421793
Ryan, R.M., & Deci, E.L. (2017). Self-Determination Theory: Basic psychologycal needs in motivation, development and wellnes (1st ed). Guilford Press.
Siciliano, M. D. (2016). It’s the Quality Not the Quantity of Ties That Matters: Social Networks and Self-Efficacy Beliefs. American Educational Research Journal, 53(2), 227–262. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831216629207
Tschannen-Moran, M., & Hoy, A. W. (2001). Teacher efficacy: capturing an elusive construct. In Teaching and Teacher Education (Vol. 17).
Tschannen-Moran, M., & Johnson, D. (2011). Exploring literacy teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs: Potential sources at play. Teaching and Teacher Education, 27(4), 751–761. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2010.12.005
Zee, M., & Koomen, H. M. Y. (2016). Teacher Self-Efficacy and Its Effects on Classroom Processes, Student Academic Adjustment, and Teacher Well-Being: A Synthesis of 40 Years of Research. Review of Educational Research, 86(4), 981–1015. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654315626801
99. Emerging Researchers' Group (for presentation at Emerging Researchers' Conference)
Paper
Life’s a Long Song – Educational History and its Impact on CVET Decision-Making
Christopher Zirnig
University of Hohenheim, Germany
Presenting Author: Zirnig, Christopher
This study is an empirical contribution to the explanation of class-specific educational inequality in continuing vocational education and training (CVET). Inequalities in CVET build up or down over the life course. It is in relation to this life course dependency that I want to examine educational behavior in CVET (O'Rand 2006). Class-differentiating educational decisions are related to class-specific differences in the cost-benefit trade-off. Those decisions then - mediated by the selection and allocation function of the educational system and the resources of the parental home - lead to social inequality of educational opportunities. An important conceptual distinction of social educational inequalities is that between primary and secondary effects (Boudon 1974). The latter is aimed in particular at social inequalities that arise outside the education system and already before entry into the (pre-)school education system - i.e., primarily within the family of origin. Inequalities during a person’s life course shape their attitudes towards CVET (Loeng 2020).
In the public and academic debate, a close and direct connection between educational systems and educational decisions is often assumed (Van de Werfhorst and Mijs 2010). Such a connection is of interest mainly because educational institutions are among the factors that are in principle open to political control and can thus be shaped. In contrast to early pre-vocational education, two characteristics become important in the case of CVET. First, educational decisions are no longer made within the framework of institutionally predetermined decision-making latitude, i.e., under specifications of the respective decision alternatives and access criteria. According to educational research, a large part of adult learning processes takes place outside of educational organizations (Livingstone 1999, Livingstone 2001, Holland 2019). The decision for or against CVET and the knowledge of relevant and necessary educational offers are thus even more dependent on the individual and his or her decision-making and subjective and objective knowledge about educational offers. Second, the dimension of standardization ceases to apply. An institutional anchoring of education with predefined (humanistic) educational ideals and determined standards is increasingly being replaced by the practice- and application-oriented perspective on education. Education becomes economically exploitable employability, which is also discussed under the term “subjectification of education” (Ryökkynen, Maunu et al. 2022). In this sense, the term "vocational education" is becoming more diffuse as it is applied to an increasingly wide range of different learning processes and as CVET becomes less and less definable by institutional or content-related criteria. In particular, the specification of forms of "organized learning" (Bildungskommission 1970: 197) can no longer be convincing today in view of the increasing importance of informal learning (Eraut* 2004, Holmgren and Sjöberg 2022).
The paper first provides a brief overview of empirical findings on social inequalities in the (German) CVET landscape in order to clarify key comparative dimensions of the observed educational differences. Then, based on a number of problems identified, the paper outlines the main features of a research program that combines the analysis of CVET with that of an individual decision-making behavior and educational history. The research question is Q: What impact do (parental) educational decisions during school time, bounded rationality/norms and framing of education and the learning environment during school time have on educational decisions on CVET?
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedI draw data from the German National Educational Panel Study Starting Cohort 4 (SC4) (Blossfeld and Roßbach 2021, NEPS-Netzwerk 2021) to study a cohort of students starting from Grade 9 into work life, when the transition from school to work life and early tracking of CVET is possible. Based on the research question derived from the theory, there are five main variables relevant for this study: The participation in different CVET programs (outcome variable); (parental) educational decisions during school time (predictor), bounded rationality/norms and framing of education (predictor), learning environment during school time (predictor), individual educational history (predictor) and, additionally, social economic status (moderating variables). I use structural equation modeling (SEM) to investigate the influence of educational background to CVET decision-making. Structural equation models are well-suited for analyzing panel data in the field of education (Voelkle, Oud et al. 2012). The ability to examine changes in relationships over time makes SEM a powerful tool for studying educational outcomes. Firstly, SEM can be used to model the impact of family background, peer effects, bounded rationality/norms and framing of education and the learning environment on student achievement. Secondly, SEM can handle both within-individual and between-individual effects, which is important in the analysis of panel data in vocational education. This allows for the examination of changes in individuals' educational behavior over time, as well as differences in behavior across individuals. This can provide valuable insights into the factors that drive vocational educational choices and the mechanisms through which they impact outcomes. Thirdly, SEM can control for unobserved heterogeneity, such as individual abilities and preferences, which may affect both educational behavior and outcomes. This helps in reducing bias and improving the accuracy of the estimates.
With the rational choice concepts of costs and benefits and status preservation I will trace educational decisions of respondents and their parents throughout respondents’ school education. Additionally, bounded rationality/norms and framing of education serves as concepts to measure attitudes and aspirations towards education, both of respondents’ and their parents/familiar background.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsCVET is becoming even more crucial for workers’ employability as the rise of AI technologies shape and change more and more jobs. It is important to better understand inequalities in vocational education, where they come from and how they function, in order to minimize them. Educational trajectories are characterized by episodes and transitions in the individual life course. The social inequality in education changes during the life course due to cumulative selection processes (Mare 1980). The educational status observed in a person at a particular point in time cannot necessarily be explained by current conditions. The decisive factor is often the individual's previous history, and this must also be taken into account when analyzing educational inequalities in CVET. Correlations result from the individual or parental decision-making behavior during the corresponding transition. This behavior is linked to the development of preferences, but also to the individual performance development of the child or adolescent. Therefore, the importance of longitudinal performance measurement becomes apparent. Only this way can it be decided at which levels social selections 'ultimately' take place and to what extent the further development of competencies, the acquisition of certificates and the genesis of educational decisions tend to be mere consequences of previous selection processes.
Along with relative risk aversion theory (Boudon 1974, Breen and Goldthorpe 1997) I assume that expectation of employability has a strong impact on CVET choices. Lower educated workers should see more benefits in directly applicable knowledge. Status maintenance considerations should cause higher educated workers to enter courses that facilitate access to higher status positions. Additionally, they should be better able to navigate through the diffusion of informal educational offers and, hence, use more diverse and informal learning programs. In sum, these decisions factors should contribute to socially selective decision behavior in the choice of CVET programs.
ReferencesBildungskommission, D. B. (1970). Strukturplan für das Bildungswesen: verabschiedet auf der 27. Sitzung der Bildungskommission am 13. Februar 1970, Bundesdruckerei.
Blossfeld, H.-P. and H.-G. Roßbach (2021). Education as a lifelong process: The german national educational panel study (NEPS). Wiesbaden, Springer.
Boudon, R. (1974). Education, opportunity, and social inequality: Changing prospects in western society. New York, Wiley.
Breen, R. and J. H. Goldthorpe (1997). "Explaining educational differentials: Towards a formal rational action theory." Rationality and society 9(3): 275-305. https://doi.org/10.1177/104346397009003002.
Eraut*, M. (2004). "Informal learning in the workplace." Studies in Continuing Education 26(2): 247-273. https://doi.org/10.1080/158037042000225245.
Holland, A. A. (2019). "Effective principles of informal online learning design: A theory-building metasynthesis of qualitative research." Computers & Education 128: 214-226. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.09.026. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360131518302719.
Holmgren, R. and D. Sjöberg (2022). "The value of informal workplace learning for police education teachers’ professional development." Journal of Workplace Learning 34(7): 593-608. 10.1108/JWL-04-2021-0040. https://doi.org/10.1108/JWL-04-2021-0040.
Livingstone, D. W. (1999). "Exploring the icebergs of adult learning: Findings of the first Canadian survey of informal learning practices." https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED436651.
Livingstone, D. W. (2001). "Adults' informal learning: Definitions, findings, gaps and future research." Centre for the Study of Education and Work. https://hdl.handle.net/1807/2735.
Loeng, S. (2020). "Self-directed learning: A core concept in adult education." Education Research International 2020(Article ID: 3816132). https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/3816132.
Mare, R. D. (1980). "Social background and school continuation decisions." Journal of the American Statistical Association 75(370): 295-305. 10.1080/01621459.1980.10477466. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01621459.1980.10477466.
NEPS-Netzwerk (2021). Nationales Bildungspanel, Scientific Use File der Startkohorte Klasse 9. Bamberg, Leibniz-Institut für Bildungsverläufe (LIfBi). https://doi.org/10.5157/NEPS:SC4:12.0.0.
O'Rand, A. M. (2006). Nine - Stratification and the Life Course: Life Course Capital, Life Course Risks, and Social Inequality. Handbook of Aging and the Social Sciences (Sixth Edition). R. H. Binstock, L. K. George, S. J. Cutler, J. Hendricks and J. H. Schulz. Burlington, Academic Press: 145-162. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-012088388-2/50012-2.
Ryökkynen, S., A. Maunu, R. Pirttimaa and E. K. Kontu (2022). "Learning about students’ receiving special educational support experiences of qualification, socialization and subjectification in finnish vocational education and training: A narrative approach." Education Sciences 12(2). 10.3390/educsci12020066.
Van de Werfhorst, H. G. and J. J. B. Mijs (2010). "Achievement Inequality and the Institutional Structure of Educational Systems: A Comparative Perspective." Annual Review of Sociology 36(1): 407-428. 10.1146/annurev.soc.012809.102538. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.012809.102538.
Voelkle, M. C., J. H. L. Oud, E. Davidov and P. Schmidt (2012). "An SEM approach to continuous time modeling of panel data: Relating authoritarianism and anomia." Psychological Methods 17: 176-192. 10.1037/a0027543.
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