Work placement as a professional development programme for vocational teachers has been widely implemented. This dissertation provides insight into vocational teachers’ learning process in this... Show moreWork placement as a professional development programme for vocational teachers has been widely implemented. This dissertation provides insight into vocational teachers’ learning process in this programme within Chinese vocational education.Specifically, the first study generalised vocational teachers’ learning activities and outcomes in all various contexts with a systematic literature review, four categories of learning activities and eight types of learning outcomes were summarised. Then, the second study focused on vocational teachers’ motivational beliefs and engagement toward work placement. A quantitative analysis of questionnaire data displayed a significant relationship between them. Next, the third study utilised interviews to investigate vocational teachers’ learning activities, goals, and outcomes during work placement. The findings showed that vocational teachers employed seven categories of formal and informal activities in this programme and obtained many benefits about cognition, behaviour, emotion, and institution. The fourth and fifth studies both examined factors influencing vocational teachers’ transfer of learning from work placement to school practice. There were three categories of factors captured.The findings mentioned above contribute to a comprehensive understanding of vocational teachers’ professional learning in work placement. This will inspire policymakers, school leaders, and vocational teachers themselves to consider how to promote their learning in this programme. Show less
This study provides an insight into the professional development of vocational teachers within the context of work placement, a continuing professional development programme situated in the... Show moreThis study provides an insight into the professional development of vocational teachers within the context of work placement, a continuing professional development programme situated in the industry. Learning goals, activities, and outcomes have been described based on vocational teachers’ learning experiences in this programme. We conducted interviews with 27 secondary vocational teachers from China and 5 of these participants completed digital logs. Seven categories of learning activities were identified, of which learning from others with and without interaction were the most common categories, while mentoring was more frequently perceived as an important category than others. Moreover, there were 8 types of learning goals and 12 types of learning outcomes reported. The participants preferred teaching and working knowledge and skills as their learning goals more than beliefs and attitudes with respect to learning from work placement. Intentions for teachers’ practice were concentrated on the school, collegial, and classroom practice levels. Regarding the perceived relationship between learning activities and outcomes, mentoring and learning from others with interaction were connected with all or almost all learning outcomes. The occupational knowledge and skills were frequently generated from all identified activities except reflecting. Limitations and theoretical and practical implications are discussed. Show less
