Individuals and organisations need to do much more if sustainable
development is to be achieved. Appropriate environmental vocational
education and training (EVET) is essential for current decision makers.
Crucial decisions need to be made before the present generation of school
and college students achieve significant positions of authority. An increasing
range of EVET courses and course providers are available within the UK.
However, availability is not synonymous with suitability for either the attendee
and/or his/her (future) employer. Previous research indicates that, as a
component of lifelong learning, EVET courses should and the methods used
to evaluate them should be student-centred.
This thesis describes the development and validation of a new studentcentred
evaluation framework. Preliminary literature reviews identified six
fundamental issues which needed to be addressed. Existing academically
productive evaluation models were examined and critically appraised in the
context of these problems. The output from this process was used to develop
a bespoke research methodology. Empirical research on four commercial
EVET programmes revealed distinct personal, teaching and work-based
presage factors which influenced course attendance, individual learning and
subsequent organisational learning. Modified versions of Biggs' 3P model
and Kirkpatrick's Four level Evaluation Model were shown to provide an
effective student-centred evaluation framework for EVET courses. Additional
critical elements pertaining course utility and the student's long(er) term
ii
retention of knowledge/skill were derived from previous research by Alliger et
al (1997). Work-based presage factors and the student¿s return on
expectation were added as a direct consequence of this research. The
resultant new framework, the Presage-Product Evaluation Framework, was
positively received during an independent validation. This confirmed inter alia
that the framework should also be capable of adaption for use with other VET
courses. Recommendations for additional research focus on the need to
demonstrate this through further empirical studies.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BRADFORD/oai:bradscholars.brad.ac.uk:10454/5496 |
| Date | January 2012 |
| Creators | Draper, Fiona J. |
| Contributors | Oltean-Dumbrava, Crina, Kara-Zaitri, Chakib |
| Publisher | University of Bradford, School of Engineering, Design and Technology |
| Source Sets | Bradford Scholars |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis, doctoral, PhD |
| Rights | <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/3.0/88x31.png" /></a><br />The University of Bradford theses are licenced under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/">Creative Commons Licence</a>. |
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