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02 SES 11 B: Stories & Narratives on VET and VET Actors
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02. Vocational Education and Training (VETNET)
Paper Metaphors of Vocational School Principals: Navigating the Emergency-Burdened Routine University of Haifa, Israel Presenting Author:The rich array of metaphors offered in the course of interviews with vocational school principals in Israel prompted us to reflect deeply on their implications. As the interviews progressed, we increasingly came to believe that these metaphors were neither poetic embellishments nor incidental expressions. As one principal stated, ‘something different, something unusual is happening here [in the vocational school], compared with regular [academic] schools'. As Sharp (1995) suggested, experiencing reality in terms of otherness or as extraordinary often leads individuals to draw on semantic tropes, such as metaphors, to ease phenomenological and ontological disorientation. This article is guided by two central research questions: (1) What metaphors do vocational school principals use to describe their role? Exploring these questions empirically carries significance due to the scholarly and phenomenological value of studying metaphors in educational leadership (Schechter et al. 2018). This exploration addresses the notable dearth of research focused specifically on the role of vocational school principals (Çolak, Çakir, and Cansoy 2025). Moreover, this examination is crucial in light of the contested distinction between academic and vocational schools, a distinction deeply tied to broader social hierarchies, for example, the opposition between 'theory' and 'practice,' or between 'working with one’s hands' and 'working with one’s head' (Lahelma 2009). Vocational schools also face distinct challenges in today’s high-tech and digital era, including the disappearance of traditional jobs and the ongoing need to adapt to labour market demands (Wuttke et al. 2020). In addition, in various countries, vocational schools are mainly populated by students who experience social exclusion and marginalisation based on class, race, and ethnicity (Avis et al. 2017; Atkins 2009; Ling 2015; Nylund et al. 2017; Woronov 2011). In other words, as in many countries, vocational schools in Israel are closely intertwined with class, inequality, and educational stratification, or as Ling (2015:108) formulates it: 'Vocational schools have thus become a unique site for studying education and class reproduction'. Vocational school students across many contexts are frequently described through the deficit discourse, such as 'youth at risk' (Author 2, 2025), 'left-over students' (Hao et al. 2024), 'difficult' or 'lazy' students (van de Weers 2023). These descriptions indicate that vocational education in Israel can be viewed as 'weak'. These descriptions place Israel alongside other countries, including the United States, France, England, as well as several Asian and African countries (Cedefop 2020), rather than those promoting a 'strong' model of vocational education (the dual system), such as Germany, Switzerland, and Denmark (Stalder and Luthi 2020). To address our research questions empirically, we conducted 26 semi-structured interviews with vocational school principals in Israel. Of the 26 interviews, 40 metaphors were extracted, as some participants provided more than one. Thematic analysis of these metaphors revealed three overarching metaphorical categories, ranked by frequency: These metaphors articulate various understandings of the vocational school principal’s role, portraying the principals’ educational spaces as othered, different, unusual, or abnormal. It is also important to emphasise that these metaphors are mainly negative. The principals in our study did not offer positive metaphors for their role or for vocational schools more broadly. The Discussion section offers several explanations for this striking and consistent finding. Against this backdrop, this article offers unique contributions to three interrelated domains of educational research: the role of the vocational school principal, educational leadership metaphors, and the broader study of vocational schools. Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources Used This qualitative study is based on 26 semi-structured interviews with principals of vocational schools in Israel. Both volunteer sampling and snowball sampling were employed. Four participants were recruited through the authors’ personal networks, another four through professional colleagues, and twelve through a public call distributed via social media. The remaining six participants were identified through referrals from interviewees. The study sample includes 14 male and 12 female principals. Their management experience ranges from 3 to 18 years. Six principals held a teaching certificate, six had prior experience as principals in academic schools, and 14 entered their positions without formal educational experience but had prior managerial experience in various non-educational organisations. The primary research tool was a semi-structured in-depth interview designed to explore principals’ perceptions of their role. With the participants’ consent, all interviews were recorded using a mobile audio device and later transcribed. Transcriptions included notations of pauses, crying, laughter, and other significant nonverbal cues. Each interview lasted approximately one hour and comprised several sections: professional life trajectory (e.g., ‘What is your professional background?’); role perceptions (e.g., ‘How would you characterise the role of a vocational school principal?’); metaphorical representation of the role; description of the principal’s daily routine; students’ characterisation (e.g., ‘What are the main characteristics of your students?’); parental involvement (e.g., ‘To what extent are parents involved in the school?’); public critique of vocational education (e.g., ‘Are you aware of the social critique regarding vocational schools in Israel? What is your position on this issue?’). Data were analysed using thematic analysis, following the approach outlined by Braun and Clarke (2006). The process included the following steps: an initial reading of the transcripts and notation of descriptive and linguistic features, preliminary conceptualisation of central themes identified by each author, a rereading of the interviews in relation to the emerging themes, an open reading aimed at identifying additional themes not previously recognised, a focused reading based on themes proposed by the authors, and a final reading to identify themes potentially missed in earlier rounds. At each stage, the authors engaged in collaborative discussions to refine and organise the themes. The study received approval from the Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Education at the authors' university. Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or Findings 'In many ways,' wrote Woronov (2011, 91), based on her ethnographic research in vocational schools in China, 'the culture of vocational students is a kind of culture of failure.' Among these factors are the stigmatised public image of vocational schools in China, the educational and social construction of vocational students as a morally inferior 'moral group' (82), and the deficit-oriented descriptions of public vocational schools and their students by teachers and administrators (e.g., 'students as hopeless,' and 'undisciplined and unruly'). We propose that the notion of a 'culture of failure' may help explain the dramatic prevalence of negative metaphors among the interviewed principals. The principals in the current study characterised their experience as reflecting a 'weak' model of vocational education. They described a school culture characterised by wasted time. Moreover, adopting deficit-oriented language to describe the students and their families, the principals portrayed their schools as spaces of social exclusion for at-risk youth. These metaphors and descriptions of the principal’s role encourage critical readings of vocational schools in the age of digitalism. These critical readings were explicitly presented by about half of the principals in our study. They prompt reflection on a myriad of social aspects: the compatibility of vocational schools with contemporary technological culture, the implications of their institutional features as socially exclusionary spaces (van de Weerd 2023), their influence on students’ future trajectories, and their role in the intergenerational reproduction of educational inequality across social classes and specific ethnic communities. The interviewed principals’ accounts clearly indicated that vocational schools in Israel do not foster academic and cultural capital (Bourdieu 1984), both of which are essential for upward mobility (Crul et al. 2017). These observations are not exclusive to the Israeli context (Atkins 2009; Cerdà-Navarro et al. 2024; Giesinger 2017; Woronov 2011). References Atkins, L. 2009. Invisible Students, Impossible Dreams: Experiencing Vocational Education 14–19. England: Trentham Books. Avis, J., K. Orr and P. Warmington, P. 2017. “Race and Vocational Education and Training in England.” Journal of Vocational Education & Training 69 (3): 292–310. Braun, V., and V. Clarke, V. 2006. “Using Thematic Analysis in Psychology.” Qualitative Research in Psychology 3 (2): 77–101. Cedefop 2020. Vocational Education and Training in Europe 1995–2035. Scenarios for European Vocational Education and Training in the 21st Century. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. Cerdà-Navarro, A., E. Quintana-Murci, and F. Salvà-Mut F. 2024. “Reasons for Dropping Out of Intermediate Vocational Education and Training in Spain: The Influence of Sociodemographic Characteristics and Academic Background.” Journal of Vocational Education & Training 76 (3): 619–643. Çolak Çakir, T., and R. Cansoy. 2025. “Challenges of Being a Principal in Vocational High Schools Perceived as ‘A Last Chance’: An Examination in a Centralized Education System.” Leadership and Policy in Schools: 1–28. Giesinger, J. 2017. “Educational Justice, Segregated Schooling and Vocational Education.” Theory and Research in Education 15 (1): 88–102. Lahelma, E. 2009. “Dichotomized Metaphors and Young People’s Educational Routes.” European Educational Research Journal 8 (4): 497–507. Ling, M. 2015. “’Bad Students Go to Vocational Schools!’: Education, Social Reproduction and Migrant Youth in Urban China.” The China Journal, 73: 108–131. Nylund, M., P. Rosvall, and K. Ledman. 2017. “The Vocational–Academic Divide in Neoliberal Upper Secondary Curricula: The Swedish Case.” Journal of Education Policy 32 (6): 788–808. Schechter, C., H. Shaked, S. Ganon-Shilon, and M. Goldratt. 2018. “Leadership Metaphors: School Principals’ Sense-Making of a National Reform.” Leadership and Policy in Schools 17 (1): 1–26. Stalder, B. E., and F. Lüthi. 2020. “Job Resources and Career Success of IVET Graduates in Switzerland: A Different Approach to Exploring the Standing of VET.” Journal of Vocational Education & Training 72(2): 189-208. van de Weerd, P. 2023. “Being ‘the Lowest’: Models of Identity and Deficit Discourse in Vocational Education.” Ethnography and Education 18 (2): 144–158. Woronov, T. E. 2011. “Learning to Serve: Urban Youth, Vocational Schools and New Class Formations in China.” The China Journal 66: 77-99. Wuttke, E., J. Seifried, and H. Niegemann. 2020. Vocational Education and Training in the Age of Digitization: Challenges and Opportunities. Leverkusen-Opladen: Verlag Barbara Budrich. 02. Vocational Education and Training (VETNET)
Paper In and beyond Structures: How Narratives Shape Belonging in VET University of Southern Denmark, Denmark Presenting Author:Across Europe, VET systems face persistent challenges in recruitment and retention, often tied to the perceived 'low status' of vocational pathways and to frictions across institutional transitions. In Denmark, application rates have stagnated or declined while attrition remains high—despite repeated structural reforms (Clarke et.al., 2021). We contend that two blind spots sustain this problem: (1) contextual (institutional) and individual (biographical) factors are treated separately, and (2) the policy focus on structures underplays how master narratives that frame VET as a 'lesser' pathway shape belonging and participation. Moreover, students’ voices remain under-represented in how knowledge about VET is produced and used. In the three-year research project NarratiVET supported by the Independent Research Fund Denmark (DFF), we investigate following research questions: 1.How do VET students narratively construct themselves at the intersection of personhood and studenthood? 2. How are master narratives about VET internalised, reworked or resisted through counter-narratives, and how do such storylines develop over time? 3. Under which relational and institutional conditions do these narratives enable or constrain voice, belonging and persistence? We mobilise narrative inquiry and narrative ethnography, treating narratives as performative acts situated in social and institutional ecologies (Cain et al., 2013; Clandinin et al., 2016; Schmid et al., 2021; Piekut, 2025). This perspective positions interviews and field encounters as sites where identities are negotiated rather than merely reported, foregrounding the relational and discursive conditions that shape what can be told. Narratives are not neutral representations but identity work embedded in power relations and cultural scripts (De Fina & Georgakopoulou, 2008; Ljunggren et.al., 2020). We integrate three strands: (a) The master/counter-narrative tradition (Bamberg & Andrews, 2004) to analyse dominant storylines, such as VET as a “lesser” pathway, and the emergence of counter-positions that reclaim agency and voice (b) McLean & Syed’s (2016) bidirectional model to trace processes of internalisation and construction of hegemonic and alternative trajectories, highlighting how students both absorb and resist cultural narratives.(c) A linked focus on voice and belonging to capture how recognition, power and participation shape narrative possibilities (Angus et al., 2013; Thomas et.al., 2019; Piekut, 2021). Voice is understood as the capacity to make oneself heard on one’s own terms, while belonging is conceptualised as a relational and spatial position within educational and social structures (Pfaff-Czarnecka, 2013; Lähdesmäki; Angus, 2013). In our adaptation, intersections denote the liminal crossings where personal biographies meet institutional scripts and broader cultural discourses about vocational knowledge and labour. This lens allows us to theorise VET participation not only as a structural phenomenon but as a narrative ecology, where identity, legitimacy and agency are continuously negotiated. European/international dimension: The framework is intentionally portable across European VET contexts for three reasons: (i) It addresses pan-European concerns about the social legitimacy of vocational knowledge and the permeability of pathways, which remain uneven across countries. VET systems differ markedly in structure, prestige and success rates—from dual systems with strong labour-market integration to fragmented models with high attrition. This diversity makes comparative insights crucial for understanding how narratives shape participation under varying institutional conditions. (ii) It speaks directly to ECER 2026’s emphasis on the production and uses of education research under 'poly-crisis' conditions, where labour market volatility, demographic shifts and contested expertise intersect globally, but manifest locally in different ways. Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources Used The study adopts a qualitative approach within a mixed-methods design, focusing on narrative interviews as the primary tool for exploring identity work and belonging in VET. Narrative interviewing is particularly suited for capturing how participants construct meaning over time, as it treats stories not as static accounts but as performative acts embedded in social interaction (Gubrium & Holstein, 2008, 2009; Clandinin et al., 2016). This method foregrounds participants’ voices and allows for nuanced insights into how educational trajectories intersect with personal biographies. To trace narrative development and identity negotiation, interviews are conducted in multiple waves over an extended period of two to three years. Longitudinal narrative inquiry enables researchers to observe continuity and change in narratives about VET and, positioning in and between master- and counter narratives, offering a dynamic view of agency and belonging (Pfaff-Czarnecka, 2013; McLean & Syed, 2016; Lähdesmäki et.al., 2016;). This design is critical for understanding how master narratives are internalised or resisted across transitional phases in education. Narrative interviews elicit educational scripts, critical incidents and future orientations, while observational notes provide contextual sensitivity to institutional practices. These qualitative materials are linked to survey constructs on belonging and choice patterns to situate individual stories within broader trends. Analysis combines thematic and structural coding with performative narrative analysis (De Fina & Georgakopoulou, 2008). We map master and counter-narratives (Bamberg & Andrews, 2004) and apply McLean & Syed’s bidirectional model to trace internalisation and reconstruction of dominant storylines. Reflexivity regarding interviewer position and power relations is integral, alongside member checks where feasible. Informed consent, confidentiality and transparent handling of language choices ensure integrity and preserve participants’ voices across dissemination formats. Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or Findings We expect to show how students reframe low-status narratives into conscious vocational choices, often grounded in family traditions, early occupational encounters and relational recognition in school/workplace settings. We identify narrative mechanisms that scaffold belonging and persistence, as well as conditions that constrain agency (dissonant pedagogical scripts, biographical incidents, transition frictions). We offer an intersectional narrative framework integrating master/counter-narratives with voice and belonging, operationalising McLean & Syed’s logic in VET contexts. Methodologically, we contribute a reflexive account of narrative co-production: what can be told, on whose terms, and with what legitimacy, addressing ECER’s focus on knowledge production and use under poly-crises. Through the implementation of Research–Practitioner Hub and planned hackathons/storytelling events at VET schools, we translate insights into actionable strategies with schools and stakeholders; the model is scalable across European VET systems and connects student voices with decision-makers in comparative dialogues. Findings are transferable to diverse European contexts where VET systems vary in structure, prestige and success rates, making this work relevant beyond Denmark. References Angus, L., et al., Promoting 'learner voice' in VET: developing democratic, transformative possibilities or further entrenching the status quo? Journal of vocational education & training, 2013. 65(4): p. 560-574. Caine, V., Estefan, A., & Clandinin, D. J. (2013). A return to methodological commitment: Reflections on narrative inquiry. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 57(6), 574–586. https://doi.org/10.1080/00313831.2013.798833 Clandinin, J., Caine, V., Lessard, S., & Huber, J. (2016). Engaging in narrative inquiries with children and youth. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315545370 Clarke, L., A. Westerhuis, and C. Winch, Comparative VET European research since the 1980s: accommodating changes in VET systems and labour markets. Journal of vocational education & training, 2021. 73(2): p. 295-315. De Fina, A., & Georgakopoulou, A. (2008). Analysing narratives as practices. Qualitative Research, 8(3), 379-387. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468794106093634 (Original work published 2008) Gubrium, J. F., & Holstein, J. A. (2008). Narrative ethnography. In S. Nagy Hesse-Biber, & P. Leavy (Eds.), Handbook of emergent methods (pp. 241–264). Guilford Press. Gubrium, J. F., & Holstein, J. A. (2009). Analyzing narrative reality. Sage. Ljunggren, J. and J. Orupabo, Moving beyond: narratives of higher educational aspirations among descendants of immigrants in vocational training. British journal of sociology of education, 2020. 41(5): p. 701-716. Lähdesmäki, T., Saresma, T., Hiltunen, K., Jäntti, S., Sääskilahti, N., Vallius, A., & Ahvenjärvi, K. (2016). Fluidity and flexibility of “belonging”: Uses of the concept in contemporary research: Uses of the concept in contemporary research. Acta Sociologica, 59(3), 233-247. https://doi.org/10.1177/0001699316633099 McLean, K.C. and M. Syed, Personal, master, and alternative narratives: An integrative framework for understanding identity development in context. Human Development, 2016. 58(6): p. 318 Pfaff-Czarnecka, J., Multiple belonging and the challenges to biographic navigation. isa.e-Forum, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity, 2013. Piekut, A., Othering and belonging in education: Master and counter-narratives of education and ethnicity, in Routledge Handbook of Counter-Narratives, K. Lueg and M.W. Lundholt, Editors. 2021, Routledge. p. 363-374. Piekut, A. (2025). Narratives of participation in diverse classrooms: behind the best intentions. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 69(2), 225–237. https://doi.org/10.1080/00313831.2023.2287439 Schmid, E., Jørstad, B. ., & Stokke Nordlie, G. (2021). How schools contribute to keeping students on track: Narratives from vulnerable students in vocational education and training. Nordic Journal of Vocational Education and Training, 11(3), 47–65. https://doi.org/10.3384/njvet.2242-458X.2111347 Thomas C. Pearce & Bronwyn E. Wood (2019) Education for transformation:,an evaluative framework to guide student voice work in schools, Critical Studies in Education, 60:1, 113-130, DOI: 10.1080/17508487.2016.1219959 02. Vocational Education and Training (VETNET)
Paper Master and Counter Narratives in VET: Hacking the Status Quo University of Southern Denmark, Denmark Presenting Author:In spite of long-term political and policy attention, vocational education and training (VET) continues to face major challenges, among them premature terminations of contract, as seen also in European contexts (Böhn and Deutscher 2022; Vila et al. 2025; Billett 2022), including the Danish context in focus of this paper (EVA 2023; Nielsen 2016; Aarkrog 2020). With the aim to be in conversation with the joint European Union funded research project VET-PREP, ”VET Participation, Retention, and Educational Policies in the Wake of COVID-19: A Cross-Country Exploration” (VET-PREP 2025) , the research project “NarratiVET: Bridging Structures and Voices,” funded by Independent Research Fund Denmark (DFF 2024), aims to explore why application rates are still declining and attrition rates high, despite sustained political efforts to support Danish VET education (Ministry-of-Children-and-Education 2023; Danmarks-Statistik 2022). The working hypothesis of the NarratiVET research project is, 1) that contextual and individual factors behind attrition and dropout rates are addressed separately; and 2) that efforts have addressed educational structures while paying little mind to narrative constructions, including ‘low status’ narratives pertaining to VET education (Höhns 2024; Ljunggren and Orupabo 2020; Schmid, Jørstad, and Stokke Nordlie 2021); and 3) that efforts have generally not included VET student input or voice to a very high degree. We are guided by the following research questions: 1.How do VET students narratively construct themselves at the intersection of personhood and studenthood? 2. How are master narratives about VET internalized, reworked or resisted through counter-narratives, and how do such storylines develop over time? 3. Under which relational and institutional conditions do these narratives enable or constrain agency, belonging and persistence? Theoretically we are applying a lens informed by “belonging” (Lähdesmäki et al. 2016; Yuval-Davis, Kannabiran, and Vieten 2006), and “imaginative horizons” (Crapanzano 2010), as well as “liminality” in temporal transitions (Turner 1982, 1967). Among other approaches, NarratiVET employs ethnographic fieldwork, interviews with students, and creative collaborative methods, seeking to elucidate reasons for attrition and dropout in VET educational trajectories – as seen from a student perspective. In this paper, we also focus on creative methods employed to further student voices in relation to perceptions of their educational choices and trajectories. Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources Used Drawing on insights and methodologies of the ongoing NarratiVET research project which gauges attrition in education through student narratives, we present ethnographic findings from narrative interviews with students, as well as ”hackathons” (Jordan 2017; Rosner and Fox 2016), a methodological concept that furthers co-creative critical engagement with themes rising out of educational settings, as seen from both student, teacher, and researcher perspectives. The hackathons introduce textual and visual prompts, as well as arts-based modalities (Leavy 2015) that make room for embodied responses from participants, using for example personal and collaborative storyboarding (Law 2017) to gauge key incidents in relation to educational choices. The three hackathons facilitated in the project were group events in physical spaces, in which students, teachers and researchers engaged with master and counter narratives (Bamberg et al. 2004) to both map out existing narratives that may have structural implications, and to identify counternarratives manifesting in the local educational ecology, while troubling what was found. The hackathons also served as social spaces in which teacher/student-hierarchies could be productively challenged, giving opportunity to tell one’s story of educational choice and trajectory, as both seen from students’ and teachers’ perspectives, making it possible to take inspiration from and learn from each other. In this paper we explore examples of student and teacher produced articulations of dominant master and counter narratives, while discussing the use of researcher facilitated collaborative events in ethnographic fieldwork, such as hackathons. Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or Findings In relation to educational choices, certain presumptions have been challenged in the course of our study, such as students primarily navigating their choices in relation to parents or close family. A more diverse picture emerged which includes also hybrid informational and social spaces (from word-of-mouth to social media). In relation to student experiences of having their voices heard and feeling a sense of belonging, group work and inclusive collaborative communities came up recurringly as spaces in which feelings of loneliness or isolation could be mitigated. This may indicate that a stronger focus on peer involvement, through institutional facilitation of spaces in which students can find and build community within and around core educational settings and activities, could mitigate attrition and help to preempt some terminations of contract. Generally, in the VET educations studied here, students were able to sift out negative “hear say” about VET education in general society, for example that vocational training and careers would be perceived as low status. Such opinions were generally dismissed as uninformed, and students would give counter narratives for example by pointing to the agency gained through vocational knowledge and by acquiring a useful craft, whereas students in many other educational settings would receive training with no clear outcome or trajectory. As our study is ongoing, we would look forward to discussing these and other findings with the scholarly community at ECER 2026. Hopefully, beginning to unpack also recommendations for countering negative master narratives around VET education and careers at a structural and societal level. References Bamberg, Michael G. W., Molly Andrews, Molly Andrews, and Michael Bamberg. 2004. Considering counter-narratives : narrating, resisting, making sense. 1 ed. Vol. 4.Studies in Narrative. Amsterdam: John. Benjamins. Billett, Stephen. 2022. The Standing of Vocational Education and the Occupations It Serves : Current Concerns and Strategies For Enhancing That Standing. 1st 2022. ed.Professional and Practice-based Learning, 32. Cham: Springer International Publishing. Böhn, Svenja, and Viola Deutscher. 2022. "Dropout from initial vocational training – A meta-synthesis of reasons from the apprentice's point of view." Educational Research Review 35: 100414. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2021.100414. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1747938X21000373. Crapanzano, Vincent. 2010. Imaginative Horizons : An Essay in Literary-Philosophical Anthropology. Chicago: University of Chicago Press,. DFF. 2024. "NarratiVET: Bridging Structures and Voices." https://rb.gy/v0d0w3. Höhns, Gabriela M. 2024. "The social construction of vocational education - possibilities for change towards status improvement." Journal of vocational education & training 76 (5): 1019-1039. https://doi.org/10.1080/13636820.2022.2138956. Jordan, Tim. 2017. "A genealogy of hacking." Convergence 23 (5): 528-544. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354856516640710. Law, Bill. 2017. "Learning for living: the point of narrative." British journal of guidance & counselling 45 (4): 369-375. https://doi.org/10.1080/03069885.2017.1343459. Lähdesmäki, Tuuli, Tuija Saresma, Kaisa Hiltunen, Saara Jäntti, Nina Sääskilahti, Antti Vallius, and Kaisa Ahvenjärvi. 2016. "Fluidity and flexibility of "belonging": Uses of the concept in contemporary research." Acta sociologica 59 (3): 233-247. https://doi.org/10.1177/0001699316633099. Nielsen, Klaus. 2016. "Engagement, conduct of life and dropouts in the Danish vocational education and training (VET) system." Journal of vocational education & training 68 (2): 198-213. https://doi.org/10.1080/13636820.2015.1133694. Schmid, Evi, Beate Jørstad, and Gøril Stokke Nordlie. 2021. "How schools contribute to keeping students on track: Narratives from vulnerable students in vocational education and training." NordYrk 11 (3): 47-65. https://doi.org/10.3384/njvet.2242-458X.2111347. Turner, Victor. 1967. Betwixt and Between: The Liminal Period in Rites de Passage. In The forest of symbols. Aspects of Ndembu Ritual. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. ---. 1982. Liminal to Liminoid, in Play, Flow, and Ritual. In From Ritual to theatre - the human seriousness of play. New York, NY: PAJ Publications. Vila, Alicia, Laura Calvet, Josep Prieto, and Angel A. Juan. 2025. "Vocational Education and Training in the European Union: A Data-Driven Comparative Analysis." Information 16 (12): 1037. https://www.mdpi.com/2078-2489/16/12/1037. Yuval-Davis, Nira, Kalpana Kannabiran, and Ulrike Vieten. 2006. The situated politics of belonging. 1st ed.Sage studies in international sociology ; 55. London ;: SAGE. Aarkrog, Vibe. 2020. "The standing and status of vocational education and training in Denmark." Journal of vocational education & training 72 (2): 170-188. https://doi.org/10.1080/13636820.2020.1717586. 02. Vocational Education and Training (VETNET)
Paper Finding One’s Community in the Margins: Support Structures, Supervision and Agency of Nordic Doctoral and Early Career Researchers in Vocational Education 1: University of Helsinki, Finland; 2: University of Agder, Norway; 3: University of Jyväskylä, Finland; 4: Stockholm University, Sweden Presenting Author:This paper examines the support structures, supervision and agency of doctoral and early career researchers (DECs) in vocational education and training (VET) across the Nordic countries. Doctoral education has been widely researched as a complex process involving academic training, identity development, student-supervisor relations, and socialisation into academic communities (Gardner, 2010). Supervision and mentoring have been seen as key to doctoral success, involving timely feedback, emotional support, regular meetings, and integration into academic life (Anttila et al., 2024; Lee, 2008). However, there is limited knowledge of why individuals pursue a doctorate related to the field of VET, what kind of support and supervision they receive, and how they navigate the challenges related to the marginalisation of VET within the broader educational research field (Teräs & Virolainen, 2018; Zoellner, 2025). The study explores the following research questions:
Theoretically, we draw on two complementary perspectives of agency. The framework of relational agency (Edwards, 2011; Burkitt, 2016) conceptualises agency not as an individual, autonomous capacity, but rather as an interdependent, evolving process enacted through and within relations over time. This lens focuses on the co-constitutive nature of supervisor-supervisee relationships and the importance of collaborative networks for doctoral progress. Additionally, the second framework – the subject-centred socio-cultural approach (Eteläpelto et al., 2013) - highlights individuals’ active role in selecting a specific course of action, adopting positions, and making strategic decisions regarding their doctoral journey and the development of their academic identities. By integrating these complementary perspectives, our framework conceptualises the doctoral journeys of VET researchers as alternating between positions of dependence within academia’s relational networks and active agency, in which DECs influence others in their collaborative communities, make choices, and advocate for particular stances. The European dimension is central to this study, which calls for greater attention to VET in educational research and addresses the implications of disciplinary marginalisation on the support for early career researchers in VET. Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources Used The study employs a mixed-methods design, combining a semi-qualitative survey with follow-up qualitative interviews. In the spring of 2025, a 20-item online survey (10 closed, 10 open-ended questions) was distributed via professional and academic networks to doctoral and early career researchers in VET across the Nordic countries. The survey collected demographic data (age, gender, country, work experience, funding), motivations for doctoral study, experiences of supervision, peer and collegial support, challenges faced, and suggestions for improvement. A total of 33 respondents participated (Finland: 11; Sweden: 8; Norway: 6; Denmark: 3; Iceland: 1). Survey respondents were invited to participate in follow-up semi-structured interviews focusing on themes emerging from the survey: supervision and support, peer networks, disciplinary belonging, and career trajectories. From November 2025 to January 2026, a total of 11 interviews were conducted in English or in Norwegian/Swedish and translated into English using generative AI tools. All participants gave informed consent at the beginning of the interview. Survey data were analysed using descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis. Thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) was used for the interview data. After an initial round of manual, researcher-driven open coding, the preliminary codes were entered into university’s internal Microsoft Copilot to explore additional thematic patterns, overlaps, gaps, and possible sub-themes. Only anonymised, unsensitive data was entered into AI tools. Generative AI (Copilot) was used solely as a complementary analytical aid, with all interpretative decisions made by the research team. The final themes reflect the integration of manual analysis and AI-assisted analytical reflection. The study followed ethical regulations of each of the participating countries involved in the research team (Finland, Sweden and Norway), and when necessary, received approval from the necessary national or university bodies. Participation was voluntary and anonymised, and GDPR-compliant procedures were followed. Participants gave their informed consent to participate at the beginning of the survey form and before the start of the interview. The research team is composed of two doctoral researchers from Finland and Norway, and three senior researchers from Sweden, Norway and Finland. Doctoral researchers were mainly involved in the data collection and analysis, while the three senior researchers have focused on the theoretical background and overall design of the study. Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or Findings Both formal and informal supervision and support structures were recognised as crucial resources for wellbeing, academic socialisation and identity development as VET scholars. According to participants’ experiences, the quality and relevance of doctoral supervision in the field of VET varies across Nordic countries. While general academic supervision is often strong, especially in research methodology or educational theory, VET-specific guidance is frequently lacking, requiring doctoral researchers to manage VET-related aspects of their research independently. The scarcity of supervisory competence in the field of VET can hinder disciplinary, professional socialisation and academic belonging. Some are introduced to and encouraged to join more formal networks such as NordYrk or VETNET through their supervisors; others have proactively found these communities themselves or through their peers. Doctoral researchers frequently compensate for this weak formal support by seeking informal mentoring, building networks and their own VET communities to learn from their peers. Many respondents report that informal peer groups (e.g., WhatsApp groups, workshops, VET conferences) provide emotional and academic support and build a sense of community for the marginalised field of VET research. Supervision, mentoring, and networking are essential for doctoral and early-career researchers. However, the marginalisation of VET research in the Nordic context, with few dedicated research groups or professorships, affects DECs’ access to VET-competent supervision resources and disciplinary communities. Although this position of VET research in the educational research landscape encourages doctoral researchers to be self-reliant, proactive, and network-oriented, some participants express feelings of isolation. The study calls for more attention on developing VET-specific supervisory competence, peer support structures, mentoring and networking opportunities to better support doctoral and early career researchers, and will presumably strengthen the research base of VET now and in the future. References Anttila, H., Pyhältö, K., & Tikkanen, L. (2024). Doctoral supervisors’ and supervisees’ perceptions on supervisory support and frequency of supervision – Do they match? 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