A necessary corollary of any progressive movement is research. In the United States business has become the chief corner-stone of our social and economic systems, and it is a recognized fact that every phase of the welfare of this nation has business implications. Since these effects are inescapable by society, and since business is so vital to the progress of our civilization, it is in the field of business education that we find one of the greatest needs for research.

Education and training, in Australia, has experienced unprecedented levels of change in recent times. Government educational policies are now dominated by economic discourses that point to the need for all educational systems to contribute to economic development, by increasing the knowledge and skill levels of the present and future workforce. The twin discourses of new vocationalism and economic rationalism have now transformed Australian educational systems. But the effects of this transformation on the identities of teachers working in this changed environment have not been adequately examined. This study examines the impact of government policies on teachers' identities by investigating a particular group of teachers working in Technical and Further Education (TAFE) in Australia. The study has chosen teacher identity as its focus, because much of recent research has involved investigating the new knowledge and skills required of teachers working in this changed environment. However, this can be seen as making an overly instrumental means-ends connection between teachers' knowledge and skills and the professional practice of teaching. It fails to appreciate that when teachers are asked to 'do things differently' in their everyday teaching practices they are also being called on to become different teachers. That is, to have different understandings of their role in education, to have different relationships with students, to conceptualise their professional and vocational knowledge differently. In short, to change their identity. In order to investigate the impact of the policies and discourses of VET on TAFE teachers' identities the study locates itself, in part, within the interpretivist tradition of social research and uses the methods and methodologies of critical policy analysis, phenomenology and ethnography to investigate the research questions. It then uses a number of diverse theoretical perspectives to challenge and interrogate the interpretation made of the data gathered. The study undertakes a critical analysis of contemporary VET policies utilising a 'policy -as-discourse' approach to the analysis and draws on the methods of phenomenology and ethnography in order to generate situated discourses that are often overlooked in critical policy analysis. The study also uses the perspective offered by poststructuralism, which foregrounds the power of discourse in the formation of both the social world and individual identity. The conclusions reached suggest that TAFE teacher identity is an ambiguous discursive achievement constructed out of the multiple, historical organisational and individual discourses that all circulate in teachers' life worlds. These discourses now interact in complex and contradictory ways with the contemporary policies and discourses of vocational education and training resulting in teachers experiencing a degree of doubt and uncertainty concerning their identification with the new institution of TAFE.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1987. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 206-219). Also available in print.

The purpose of this study was to construct an instrument which would enable administrators and teachers to evaluate selected parts of vocational education programs in post-primary schools in Israel. The study also involved ascertaining the extent to which administrators perceived the proposed instrument as differentiating between effective and ineffective vocational education programs.The evaluation instrument was constructed by using several checklists employed at the time of the study by accrediting agencies in the United States for evaluating vocational education. In order to ascertain how administrators in Israel perceived the proposed instrument, a questionnaire based on the proposed instrument was prepared and administered.The total population was defined as administrators in post-primary vocational schools in Israel employed during the school year 1981-82.From among the administrators who responded, a sample of sixty administrators was randomly selected. This sample included twenty supervisors, twenty principals and twenty heads of vocational departments.Major findings of the study were as follows:1. Seventeen out of the twenty-three statements in parts I to V of the questionnaire were identified by more than 70 percent of the respondents as differentiating between effective and ineffective vocational education programs.Review of the data led to the following conclusions:1. At least those items that have been identified as differentiating by over seventy percent of the respondents may be included in an evaluation instrument for use in Israel.2. The statements that were identified as differentiating by no fewer than eighty percent of the respondents seem to show the most important indicators of effective vocational education programs.3. Humanities are not perceived by many administrators in vocational education as an integral part of a comprehensive vocational education program.Depending on the ranking of the statements and on comments and suggestions by respondents a modified instrument has been prepared.

Thesis--University of Toronto. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Bibliography: p. 122-123.

Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D)--Ohio State University, 2003. / Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xi, 127 p.: ill. Includes abstract and vita. Advisor: David S. Stein, School of Physical Activity and Educational Services. Includes bibliographical references (p. 120-127).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 1971. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 199-204). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center.

This study utilized four research questions to address the problem of isolating programmatic factors associated with occupational education programs selected and identified as effective in community colleges. Available literature was perused to identify a list of factors generally employed in evaluation of occupational education programs which served as independent variables. Thrity-five occupational education programs in Arizona, Washington and Oregon were identified by a local administrator for participation. Two programs at each institution were utilized in the study. One program was identified as effective; the other was identified as ineffective by each administrator. The faculty member who directed each program in question was interviewed. The program directors responded to each independent variable. The responses were summarized and analyzed. The predictive measure of association was the statistical test used to measure the association between each programmatic factor and the category of "effective." A minimum level of acceptance of a statistical value of .60000 was predetermined for isolation of any programmatic factor. Those programmatic factors with a predictive association value greater than .60000 were isolated and used to develop a checklist of programmatic factors associated with effective community college occupational education programs. This study resulted in the isolation of fifteen programmatic factors associated with effective occupational education programs in community colleges. The isolated programmatic factors by characteristics were: Curriculum -- a specific sequence of coursework is required; coursework in the occupational area is scheduled as blocks; the instructional program is competency-based; and student internships, cooperative education, or experience programs are a part of the instructional program. Program Support -- equipment used in the instructional program is equivalent to that used in the associated industry; and the budget is planned on a long-range basis to reflect program goals and replacement of equipment. Student Follow-up and Placement -- completers are given specific assistance by the institution in locating employment; faculty members visit prospective employers periodically to secure placement opportunities; there is a regularly scheduled, systematic follow-up of graduates of the program; and more than 50% of the program completers are placed in the occupation or a closely related area. Program Image -- requirements for admission to the program include a stated occupational objective in the area; completion of course prerequisites, application and/or interviews. Staffing -- full-time faculty are members of occupational education professional organizations; and more full-time than part-time faculty are employed in the program. Program Planning -- there is a written, long-range program plan in use for the program; and the program was evaluated within the last five years by an outside agency. A checklist was developed, including an assessment scale, utilizing the programmatic factors associated with effective occupational education programs in community colleges. Further study of the checklist is needed to refine the scale incorporated into the checklist. Field testing of the checklist should be done to test the reliability. The findings of this study indicate that, after further refinement, the developed checklist could be of value to instructors, administrators and state staff connected with community college occupational education.

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