Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is an indispensable part of the educational system that sustains significant responsibilities in creating sophisticated, high-skilled, and application-oriented talents and their comprehensive moral development. TVET metal cutting and welding teachers' learning in the workplace is a practice-based, complex cross-integration process of teachers' knowledge growth, competence acquisition, and professional development that links actual work processes and on-the-job activities. Workplace learning is undergoing a shift from a focus on teacher knowledge, expertise, and teaching methods, to an increasing focus on promoting instructional improvements centred on “student learning” (Imants & Van Veen, 2010).
This research uses qualitative research methods to explore teachers' real and complex learning and development conditions, enrich the existing theoretical system of teachers' professional learning in the field of TVET metal cutting and welding based on actual work situations, and further deepen these teachers' professional development awareness.
This study, which employs reflection level theory (Hartmann, 2005), situated learning theory (Lave & Wenger, 1991), action learning theory (Revans, 1982; 1998), and constructivism (Brooks & Brooks, 1999; Vygotsky & Cole, 1978; Piaget, 1970) as theoretical underpinnings, is guided by the following research questions:
• What learning activities do TVET metal cutting and welding teachers utilize to learn in the workplace?
• What factors (e.g., personal characteristics, working conditions) positively influence or restrict the involvement of TVET metal cutting and welding teachers in workplace learning?
• What learning outcomes do TVET metal cutting and welding teachers perceive as professional development?
Fourteen Chinese TVET instructors in the field of metal cutting and welding participated in this study. Semi-structured interviews, observations, and documentary material were chosen as the main strategies for collecting data. Hartmann's (2005) “the theory and methods of reflection levels” and Creswell's (2012) “six interrelated steps” (p.261) are utilized to guide the process of organizing, transforming, modelling, and interpreting data collected from these 14 teachers. Research Findings encompass three parts:
Research Findings - Part I
Based on qualitative data, the research findings (Part I) indicate that the main workplace learning activities of TVET metal cutting and welding teachers include four dimensions: learning by doing, learning through work-related interactions with others, reflection, and learning from media.
The dimension of 'learning by doing' covers practical enterprise activities, participating in the staff group's skill competition, self-directed learning activities during lesson planning, the training and practice, using cloud-based teaching platforms, writing teaching journal/teaching logs, learning by teaching and experimentation, participation in the development and evaluation of curriculum implementation standards, involvement in school-based curriculum development. The dimension of 'learning through work-related interactions with others' encompasses lesson observation, collaborative group study, learning from experts, colleagues, trainees, etc. The dimension of 'reflection' involves teaching experience reflection and feedback reflection. The dimension of 'learning from media' encompasses viewing industrial documentaries, reading industry news, watching TV programs related to the teaching subjects, etc.
Research Findings - Part II
The research findings (Part II) show that the main factors influencing the workplace learning of TVET metal cutting and welding teachers include facilitating and constraining factors. The facilitating factors encompass career advancement, adequate learning resources, harmonious interpersonal relationships, occupational identity or professional self-identity, cooperative learning environments, and intrinsic motivation for the learning. The constraining factors cover teachers' heavy workloads, lack of time, insufficient school support, and the shortage of school facilities and equipment.
Research Findings - Part III
The research findings (part III) indicate that the outcomes of TVET metal cutting and welding teachers' workplace learning include three dimensions: accumulation of knowledge, competence enhancement, and emotional or attitudinal changes. The 'accumulation of knowledge' dimension covers educational theory, subject knowledge, teaching methods, and student psychology. The 'emotional or attitudinal change' dimension encompasses items like a greater love for the teaching profession and being more open-minded. The dimension of 'competence enhancement' involves class management, instructional design and overall teaching skills, practical operation ability, collaborative communication skills, teaching evaluation skills, reflection skills, analytical competence, lifelong learning ability, resource integration capability, etc.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:DRESDEN/oai:qucosa:de:qucosa:84149 |
| Date | 20 March 2023 |
| Creators | Liu, Huan |
| Contributors | Hartmann, Martin, Köhler, Thomas, Technische Universität Dresden |
| Source Sets | Hochschulschriftenserver (HSSS) der SLUB Dresden |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion, doc-type:doctoralThesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/doctoralThesis, doc-type:Text |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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