bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Integrated Fragility Hip Fracture Program: A Model for High Quality Care
Authors: Morris Jensa C , Moore Anne , Kahan Joseph , Shapiro Marc , Li Jinlei , Spadaccino Brooke , Baumgaertner Michael
Published: March 2020

BACKGROUND: Hip fractures are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality among elderly patients. Coordinated multidisciplinary care is required to optimize medical outcomes.
OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of the implementation of standardized, evidence-based protocols on clinical outcomes and mortality in patients with fragility hip fractures.
INTERVENTIONS: A multidisciplinary group was convened to define best practices in fragility hip fracture care and implement a fragility hip fracture clinical protocol at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Clinical outcomes in 2015, prior to program initiation, were compared with 2018, after the program was well established.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Measured outcomes included 30-day mortality, blood transfusion utilization, adverse effects of drugs, venous thromboembolic complications, sepsis, myocardial infarction, mechanical surgical fixation complications during the index admission, length of stay, 30-day readmission, unexpected return to the operating room (OR) and time to the OR.
RESULTS: The implementation of the Integrated Fragility Hip Fracture Program was associated with significant reductions in 30-day mortality from 8.0% in 2015 to 2.8% in 2018 (P = .001). Significant reductions were also seen in use of blood transfusions (46.6% to 28.1%; P < .001), adverse effects of drugs (4.0% to 0%; P < .001), length of stay (5.12 to 4.47 days; P = .004), unexpected return to the OR (5.1% to 0%; P < .001), and time to the OR <24 hours (41.8% to 55.0%, P = .001). CONCLUSIONS: An Integrated Fragility Hip Fracture Program using multidisciplinary care, physician and nursing engagement, evidence-based protocols, data tracking with feedback, and accountability can reduce mortality and improve clinical outcomes in patients with hip fractures.
Things We Do for No Reason™: Routinely Prescribing Transfusion Premedication to Prevent Acute Transfusion Reactions
Authors: Lim Ming Y , Pagano Monica B , Metcalf Ryan A
Published: March 2020

Inspired by the ABIM Foundation's Choosing Wisely® campaign, the “Things We Do for No Reason™” series reviews practices that have become common parts of hospital care but which may provide little value to our patients. Practices reviewed in the TWDFNR series do not represent “black and white” conclusions or clinical practice standards, but are meant as a starting place for research and active discussions among hospitalists and patients. We invite you to be part of that discussion.
The Translator in the Spotlight
Authors: Sztorc Weronika
Published: March 2020

It is often said that the translator ought to remain in the shadow of the author and limit themselves to enabling successful and undisturbed communication between author and reader. The translator is not allowed to add their own voice to a literary work. However, it turns out they actually do. The aim of the article is to examine unconventional footnotes where the translator overtly speaks with their own voice. First, a few examples of literary works making interesting use of footnotes are presented. The similarities among the translators’ footnotes are highlighted, with a special focus on the issue of the translator’s power. Then, particular categories of translators’ footnotes are discussed, wherein translators express their opinions, show their emotional involvement or share stories from their private lives. It turns out that the footnote becomes a unique channel of direct communication between the translator and the reader, sometimes even involving competition with the author. A question is asked as to what may possibly encourage translators to assert their presence in the text in this way.
“Shy Characters” and Flesh-and-bone People
Authors: Dębska Karolina
Published: March 2020

The cultural turn in translation studies has brought about a focus on the translator and the opportunity to make him or her less invisible, as well as to understand the circumstances in which he or she had to live and work, and clarify the translatorial choices they made. The present article is a case study in the history of translators in Poland, focusing specifically on 18th- and 19th-century women translators of scientific texts and the contexts in which they operated.
The Intralingual Translation or Rewording of British and American Literary Works on the Basis of Children’s and Young Adult Literature
Authors: Balińska Agata M.
Published: March 2020

The paper reviews instances of intralingual translation between British and American English. Its main focus is the translation of literary texts aimed and children and young readers which were written in Britain and then altered before being released on the American market. Examples of cases where originally American texts were altered for British readers, a less common trend, are also provided. The text explores typical differences between British and American English, the position of children’s literature and the motivations behind the changes, examples of alteration to titles of books, changes that trigger changes of larger portions of texts, alterations to the style of the books, and areas where the authors of the translations corrected authors’ mistakes. Most of the examples are based on previously published works which analyzed intralingual translation between British and American English in children’s literature, with some taken from unpublished research by the author. The paper was written with the hope that it will help create more awareness of the existence of such translations, especially since in most cases no information that such changes were made is provided within or outside the literary texts discussed in this paper.
Level of physical activity and perceived barriers to its practice in adults with visual impairment
Authors: Matoso Gabriely Portela , Portela Bruno Sergio
Published: March 2020

O objetivo do estudo foi avaliar o nível de atividade física, a percepção de barreiras para a prática e os estágios de mudança de comportamento em deficientes visuais de um município do interior do Paraná. Participaram deste estudo 40 indivíduos com deficiência visual (37,5% cegos e 62,5% com baixa visão), de ambos os sexos (57, 5% homens) com idade entre 21 e 69 anos (média de 39,52 anos; ± 17,58 para os homens e 39,88; ± 14,96 para as mulheres). Os participantes foram avaliados em apenas um momento, por meio de três questionários (percepção de barreiras para atividade física, Questionário Internacional de Atividade Física (IPAQ) versão curta e estágios de mudança de comportamento). Conforme os resultados do IPAQ, mostra-se uma prevalência de 70% de inatividade física. As barreiras que mais se destacaram nos entrevistados foram “falta de incentivo da família e/ou amigos”, “limitações físicas” e “mau humor”. Em relação ao questionário de estágios de mudança de comportamento, 50% dos avaliados estão no estágio de preparação. O estudo conclui que o nível de atividade física em deficientes visuais é baixo e as principais causas podem ser motivacionais, falta de aptidão e psicológicas.
Newly qualified health visitor: Parents' and professionals' views of health visiting practice
Authors: Boddy Bethany
Published: March 2020

Bethany Boddy discusses the importance of user feedback to health visiting practice, encouraging clients to let us know what they think about the service, including the positive aspects and areas for improvement
A public health concern: Sugar reduction advice
Authors: Noakes Amy
Published: March 2020

Health visitors have a key role to play in helping families to reduce sugar in their diets, leading to long-term health benefits
Has health visitor prescribing had its day?
Authors: Brook Judy
Published: March 2020

Given that all around us are moving in the direction of enhanced clinical practice around prescribing, do we really want to be left behind?
The treatment of neonatal hip dysplasia with splints in the United Kingdom: Time for consensus?
Authors: Westacott Daniel J. , Perry Daniel C.
Published: March 2020

Purpose

To understand the variation in the management of hip dysplasia identified from the United Kingdom neonatal selective screening programme.

Methods

Having been designed and tested by the research committee of the British Society for Children's Orthopaedic Surgery (BSCOS), a nationwide online survey was conducted of BSCOS members to ascertain their treatment strategies for neonatal hip dysplasia.

Results

There were 111 responses (60% of members), which illustrated wide variation in care. In all, 91 (over 80%) of respondents treat more than ten cases per year, yet only 61 (55%) work to an agreed protocol. A total of 90 (81%) use the Graf classification and 103 (93%) use the Pavlik harness initially. Consensus is lacking in key areas including duration of harness use, hours per day, clothing and weaning. Importantly, notable differences of opinion even exist regarding which hip pathologies need treatment.

Conclusion

This study quantifies the wide variation in many key elements of the initial treatment of neonatal hip dysplasia in the United Kingdom. This variation appears unnecessary and unacceptable as the Getting It Right First Time programme seeks to standardize care pathways. The charitable sector has called for consensus to mitigate parental anxiety, and it has been suggested that this could allow better integration of hip dysplasia into national screening pathways. Standardized care benefits patients and represents the platform from which we can begin understanding effectiveness and optimizing outcomes.

Level of Evidence

Level V
Predicting subsequent contralateral slipped capital femoral epiphysis: An evidence-based approach
Authors: Swarup Ishaan , Shah Ronit , Gohel Shivani , Baldwin Keith , Sankar Wudbhav N.
Published: March 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors for developing a subsequent contralateral slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) and provide a prediction score to quantify risk of subsequent slip at the time of initial presentation.

Methods

This retrospective study included patients that presented with a unilateral SCFE between 2006 and 2017. Chart and radiographic review were performed to collect demographic, clinical and radiographic risk factors. Descriptive statistics, univariate analyses and multivariate regression analysis were used to compare risk factors between patients that did or did not develop a subsequent contralateral SCFE.

Results

This study included 183 patients and 33 patients (18%) developed a subsequent contralateral SCFE. Younger age at time of initial presentation, lower modified Oxford Score and smaller difference in epiphyseal-diaphyseal angle between both sides during index presentation were significant predictors of subsequent contralateral SCFE. Specifically, age ≤ 11 years, modified Oxford Score ≤ 20 and difference in epiphyseal-diaphyseal angle of ≤ 21° between both hips were predictive of a contralateral slip (Area Under the Curve = 0.78; p < 0.05). The presence of each risk factor increased the risk of subsequent contralateral SCFE and having all three risk factors increased the risk to 73%.

Conclusion

There is a significant risk of subsequent contralateral SCFE in patients with unilateral SCFE, and predictive risk factors include younger age, lower modified Oxford Score and smaller difference in epiphyseal-diaphyseal angle between the affected and unaffected hips.

Level of Evidence

Level III
Predictors of Collateral Learning Transfer in Continuing Vocational Training
Authors: Hinrichs Anja-Christina
Published: March 2020

Against the background of demographic change and skill shortages continuing vocational training is of great significance in Germany. However, the training effectiveness is mostly assessed only at the end of a training program or several months after the training. Since in continuing vocational training the two contexts learning field (training) and performance field (work context) act simultaneously, the presented study investigated whether there are already situations in the work context which allow the application of newly acquired knowledge in parallel with the training. The main focus lies in the identification of predictors of learning transfer that takes place alongside the training participation and in the investigation of their causal relationships. Using structural equation modelling five latent variables were identified which have a significant effect on learning transfer parallel to the training the so called collateral learning transfer. These five predictors explain together 62% of the variance of collateral learning transfer (gathered as performance improvement at work).
Finnish vocational education and training in comparison: Strengths and weaknesses
Authors: Virolainen Maarit , Stenström Marja-Leena
Published: March 2020

The study investigates how the Finnish model of providing initial vocational education and training (IVET) has succeeded in terms of enhancing educational progress and employability. A relatively high level of participation in IVET makes the Finnish model distinctive from those of three other Nordic countries: Denmark, Norway and Sweden. All four Nordic countries have well-organised labour markets and universal types of welfare states. Priority is given to goals related to equal opportunities and social inclusion. At the same time, these countries have different models of IVET. While the study compares the Finnish model of organising IVET to those of other Nordic countries, it also examines the German and UK models, which represent differing societal approaches to IVET. The differences in the outcomes of the IVET systems are described and analysed through reviewing secondary data provided by Eurydice and Eurostat, along with country reports produced in a Nordic comparative project, Nord-VET.
Assessment of Prior Learning in Adult Vocational Education and Training
Authors: Aarkrog Vibe , Wahlgren Bjarne
Published: March 2020

The article deals about the results of a study of school-based Assessment of Prior Learning of adults who have enrolled as students in a VET college in order to qualify for occupations as skilled workers. Based on examples of VET teachers’ methods for assessing the students’ prior learning in the programs for gastronomes, respectively child care assistants the article discusses two issues in relation to Assessment of Prior Learning: the encounter of practical experience and school-based knowledge and the validity and reliability of the assessment procedures.  Through focusing on the students’ knowing that and knowing why the assessment is based on a scholastic perception of the students’ needs for training, reflecting one of the most important challenges in Assessment of Prior Learning: how can practical experience be transformed into credits for the knowledge parts of the programs? The study shows that by combining several Assessment of Prior Learning methods and comparing the teachers’ assessments the teachers respond to the issues of validity and reliability. However, validity and reliability might be even further strengthened, if the competencies are well defined, if the education system is aware of securing a reasonable balance between knowing how, knowing that, and knowing why, and if the teachers are adequately trained for the assessment procedures.
WorldSkills UK Training Managers: Midas Touch or Fool's Gold?
Authors: Wilde Stephanie , Relly Susan James
Published: March 2020

This article focuses on the role of training managers (TMs) in UK participation in WorldSkills Competitions (WSC). The TM role is outlined, according to the perceptions of the TMs, and there is analysis of the benefits to them of participation, as well as the barriers they face, and the benefits and barriers available to participating further education colleges and employers. The article is based on analysis of semi-structured interviews with almost the full cohort of UK TMs preparing competitors for WorldSkills Brazil 2015, and concludes with reflections on the vision and purposes of UK WorldSkills participation.
Vocational Didactics: Core Assumptions and Approaches from Denmark, Germany, Norway, Spain and Sweden
Authors: Gessler Michael , Moreno Herrera Lázaro
Published: March 2020

The design of vocational didactics has to meet special requirements. Six core assumptions are identified: outcome orientation, cultural-historical embedding, horizontal structure, vertical structure, temporal structure, and the changing nature of work. Different approaches and discussions from school-based systems (Spain and Sweden) and dual systems (Denmark, Germany and Norway) are presented in this special issue. From an inside or national perspective, the solutions show a high cultural-historical dependency. From an outside or cross-national perspective, contingency and alternative possibilities become visible. The combination of both perspectives could enable continuity as well as innovation. This is the basic assumption of the presented collection about vocational didactics.
From the Reality of Work to Grounded Work-Based Learning in German Vocational Education and Training: Background, Concept and Tools
Authors: Gessler Michael , Howe Falk
Published: March 2020

The "Riga Conclusions" of the European Ministries of Education of 22 June 2015 for the orientation of vocational education and training in Europe are promoting work-based learning as one of five "medium-term deliverables" for the next five years. But: How should and can work-based teaching and learning be designed? Our approach was developed within the German Dual VET System. Therefore it is not surprising that the work reality is for us the major principle for designing curricula and learning settings. As a starting point for developing didactical measures in the field of vocational education and training it is crucial in this approach to identify practices, routines and experiences of skilled workers that are experts for what they are doing. What are those people doing when handling a task, how are they acting, what work objects and tools are they operating with, and what requirements do they have to be aware of? To answer these kinds of questions, the real work in practice must be explored. A useful approach for doing this is a vocational work process analysis. The next step comprises developing a workbased learning project for the classroom. These two steps, vocational work process analysis and work-based learning projects, build the core of the article and enable a grounded work-based learning. Additional the changing priorities of curriculum design in the last century are introduced to reach a better understanding of the background and the actual work-oriented focus in German Dual VET. Our key proposition is: If work-based learning in vocational schools is wanted, the gap between the reality of work and the formal learning settings has to be closed.

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Implementing the European Quality Assurance in Vocational Education and Training (EQAVET) at National Level: Some Insights from the PEN Leonardo Project
Authors: Gatt Suzanne , Faurschou Kim
Published: March 2020

EQAVET, the quality assurance tool in vocational and educational training, was developed in response to the need for a supply of a trained workforce for labour market needs. Implementation of EQAVET at national level, however, remains a challenge. The research reported here focused on the implementation of QA processes by VET providers in 4 countries: Malta, Italy, Turkey, and Sweden. Data was collected through a questionnaire with 62 VET providers. Responses showed that there is an overall commitment to quality. There is, however, little knowledge of EQAVET across the countries, with the exception of Malta. None the less, all VET providers have implemented some aspects of EQAVET, even if not always intentionally. The situation is, however, far from EQAVET being fully implemented. Reflections are made on whether the EQAVET model specifically or qualification assurance principles assurances should be promoted across Europe.
Determinants of Transfer of Training: A Comprehensive Literature Review
Authors: Tonhäuser Cornelia , Büker Laura
Published: March 2020

Investments in training measures can only be considered effective if the transfer of the learned contents to practical situations is continuously successful. In this context the scientific and professional discourse regarding the effectiveness of further education, especially regarding training transfer, has intensified considerably. This analysis provides a systematic and comprehensive overview of the current state of international empirical research regarding major influencing factors of learning transfer in the context of formalized further vocational training. Our review of literature differentiates the most important influencing factors on the micro-level of the specific individual characteristics of the participants, the meso-level of measure-specific characteristics of the field of learning, as well as institutional characteristics of the work environment at the macro-level. Decades of transfer research brings forth a wealth of information regarding factors which influence the learning transfer. The current analysis systematizes these results and clarifies that the current state of research regarding the determinants of the process of learning transfer shows clear trends. But there are also some inconsistent findings. Thus the question of which factors positively influence the success of learning transfer is well-studied for the micro-level in particular. The article shows that there is still a research deficit concerning the major determinants of learning transfer at the meso- and macro-level. Finally, in this context this article identifies promising directions for future research.
Systemic Modelling for Relating Labour Market to Vocational Education
Authors: Papakitsos Evangelos C.
Published: March 2020

The present study introduces a systemic model that demonstrates a description of the relationship between the labour-market and vocational education from the perspective of systemic theory. Based on the application of the relevant methodology, the two open social systems are identified and analyzed. Their key-features are presented and the points of contact are examined and linked, with the purpose to define more efficient manners of interrelation. This study has been conducted using information from the equivalent systems of Greece, as an example, and proposes this systemic method for further research in other countries as well.
What Would Humboldt Say: A Case of General Bildung in Vocational Education?
Authors: Tyson Ruhi
Published: March 2020

A classic philosopher in the Bildung tradition, Humboldt argued that general Bildung was the opposite of specialist training (vocational education). This has been a matter of contention and the aim here is to revisit the issue through an empirical case study. In the vocational education biography of craft master Wolfgang B. he speaks about aspects of his education that have much in common with Humboldt’s ideal of general Bildung but transposed into the context of vocational education and training (VET). The concept of vocationalism (Beruflichkeit) provides context to the present argument which is that the contrast Humboldt made is relevant but not in the sense of there being two categories of education (general and vocational) but rather two expressions of pedagogy: one expansive and one exclusive. Furthermore, there are two versions of general or expansive Bildung present in the case. The conclusions are that empirical studies of vocational Bildung expand on the concept of Bildung, increase our understanding of how VET contains affordances of Bildung and of the curriculum-patterns related to this.
Three Types of Tightrope Dance in the Comeback Process
Authors: Bunting Mette , Halvorsen Torill Aagot , Moshuus Geir H
Published: March 2020

Fewer than half of the young people attending vocational institutions in Norway complete their education within the allotted five years. Indeed, many of these students have non-linear paths to completion. However, it is not changes in the dropout rate that make this different from earlier generations but the expansion of formal education and the rise of the knowledge society and individualisation. The term “tightrope biographies” is used here to encapsulate why individualisation cannot be thought of in terms of choice, because today’s youth are often held accountable for their educational progression rather than this progression being viewed as dependent on institutional mechanisms. The present study characterises young people as “tightrope dancers” in their interactions with vocational schools. Selected data collected from ethnographic interviews during the ongoing longitudinal project Youth, Completion and Dropout in Telemark are used here to capture the voices of young people. These data focus on the non-linear educational careers of these youth when they re-enter schools and explore the stories they tell about dropping out and re-entering. These stories suggest that, to succeed, students need customised support throughout the process from school to the workplace and that many depend on this support. The study identifies three different ways of understanding these students as tightrope dancers trying to get back on track, characterising them as The Steady, The Shaky and The Shivering.
Going Back-to-School in Vocational Education and Training: Introduction
Authors: Cournoyer Louis , Fournier Geneviève , Masdonati Jonas
Published: March 2020

This is the introduction of the IJRVET's special edition in 2017 "Going Back-to-School in Vocational Education and Training".
Decision-Making Rationales among Quebec VET Student Aged 25 and Older
Authors: Cournoyer Louis , Deschenaux Frédéric
Published: March 2020

Each year, a large number of students aged 25 years and over take part in vocational and education training (VET) programs in the Province of Quebec, Canada. The life experiences of many of these adults are marked by complex psychosocial and professional events, which may have influenced their career decision-making processes. This paper aimed to identify key rationales guiding the decisions of adults aged 25 years and older to return to education based on a thematic analysis of 30 semi-structured interviews with students enrolled in a VET program. The analysis focused on two theoretical axes: one biographical and the other interactionist. The first involved personal life courses and professional projects undertaken by the student in the past. The second examined tensions and conflicts between context forces and adjustment strategies adopted by the student. The results revealed five decision-making rationales that characterized the vast majority of the students’ experiences: 1) get out of a socioprofessional and economic slump; 2) know yourself better, personally and socially; 3) value the concrete and the practical; 4) take advantage of supporting conditions; and 5) reconcile proximity and the known. The relevance and implications of these findings for professionals and decision makers in vocational training are discussed.
Short-Term Benefits, Long-Term Harm? Alternative Training to Apprenticeships in Norway
Authors: Aspøy Tove Mogstad , Nyen Torgeir
Published: March 2020

Many countries with apprenticeship-based systems of VET face a shortage of apprenticeships. Some countries, including Denmark and Norway, address this supply-demand mismatch by offering alternative school-based routes to vocational qualifications for students not able to secure an apprenticeship. Other countries offer no alternative routes, but focus instead on pre-vocational education and training to prepare students for apprenticeships. This paper discusses the effects on the VET system of a recent Norwegian attempt to organise alternative training primarily as workplace training. Unlike the more established Danish system of alternative training, which relies primarily on school-based training in learning centres, Norway has attempted to make alternative training as similar to apprenticeship-based learning as possible. Most training in the pilot projects takes place in the work environment of a company, rather than in vocational schools. Our paper shows that the students in the pilot projects experience many of the learning and motivational benefits offered by workplace learning in general, and apprenticeships in particular. In certain circumstances, such schemes can improve the chances of completing VET despite for young people without an apprenticeship. However, such training schemes also generate important dilemmas. In particular, there is a risk that full-scale implementation of a system of alternative workplace-based training could reduce the number of new apprenticeships, potentially undermining the apprenticeship model on which Norwegian VET is based.
Towards the Compatibility of Professional and Scientific Learning Outcomes: Insights and Options in the Context of Competence Orientation
Authors: Rein Volker
Published: March 2020

The steady increase in science-related requirements in operational areas of skilled and managing workforce is influencing worldwide the discourse on shaping professionalization.  This article focuses on the compatibility of professional and scientific competence-oriented learning outcomes of qualification programmes within and across the education and training sectors. It is assumed that there is not, per se, a conceptual dichotomy in designing education and training programmes and credentials in a competence-oriented manner to address complex  professional  and scientific  requirements in education and training in a compatible way. The article tries to shift the discussion  from a systemic and institutional focus to a conceptual- and requirement-oriented perspective on qualification design.  Using Germany as an example, it discusses the conceptual intersections of Vocational Education and Training and academic Higher Education  on competence,  and comparatively analyzes competence-oriented instruments for the classification and the transparency of learning outcomes and their application in the education practice of  dual study programmes with vocational reference qualifications. On this basis, the article elucidates identified characteristics of comprehensive professional-scientific competences and relevant requirement areas in education and training. In addition, further  prerequisites for an integrated competence acquisition in education programmes are discussed as well. It is assumed that these characteristics can also be regarded as  important prerequisites for the connectivity of qualifications and permeable pathways  within and between education systems.
Resource Utilisation and Curriculum Implementation in Community Colleges in Kenya
Authors: Kigwilu Peter Changilwa , Akala Winston Jumba
Published: March 2020

The study investigated how Catholic-sponsored community colleges in Nairobi utilise the existing physical facilities and teaching and learning resources for effective implementation of Artisan and Craft curricula. The study adopted a mixed methods research design. Proportional stratified random sampling was used to sample 172 students and 18 teachers while four directors of community colleges were purposively selected. Questionnaires were administered to students and teachers, while directors were interviewed. Teaching and learning resources, such as workshops, equipment, lecture rooms, laboratories, raw materials for practical training and reference books, were found to be adequate, although underutilised. However, sports grounds, libraries and course texts were inadequate. Resource inadequacies were often mitigated by signing equipment co-sharing agreements with peer institutions and local firms. Teachers rated highly the influence of physical facilities on curriculum implementation. Both students and teachers rated highly the influence of teaching and learning resources on curriculum implementation. The study concludes that, while some physical facilities and teaching and learning resources are adequate, their underutilisation and the inadequacy of other core facilities and resources, such as libraries and course textbooks, hinder effective teaching and learning in these community colleges.
The State-of-the-Art of Collaborative Technologies for Initial Vocational Education: A Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Schwendimann Beat A. , De Wever Bram , Hämäläinen Raija , Cattaneo Alberto A. P.
Published: March 2020

Future workplaces require collaboration skills in which members of different work communities use technologies to solve complex problems. Vocational education and training (VET) programs need to meet the challenge to prepare students to be part of a competent workforce. Particularly initial vocational education is under pressure to develop learners’ collaboration skills and abilities. To date, however, no attempt has been made to perform a comprehensive review of the use of computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) technologies across different vocational education settings to account for contextual factors of VET. In this systematic review, 26 published studies were analyzed with respect to their demographics, research methodology, use of technology, and measured outcomes. This review illuminates that research on CSCL still leaves the vocational learning context as an under-represented field of study. At the same time, technologies offer a range of new types of learning possibilities for vocational education. As the direct result of that development, vocational education is increasingly taking place in new technology-enhanced learning settings. Education can benefit from the opportunities of CSCL technologies, but on the other hand, such technologies create new challenges for facilitating vocational learning. Therefore, this review also identifies three topic areas specific to vocational learning (collaborative writing-to-learn, simulations and game-like solutions, and tangible objects) and enumerates desirable lines for future research.
Book Review: Internationalization in Vocational Education and Training
Authors: Perini Marco , Kämäräinen Pekka
Published: March 2020

The book was published in the series Technical and Vocational Education and Training: Issues, Concerns and Prospects. Series Editor-in-Chief is Rupert MacLean. Editors of the volume are Ly Thi Tran, associate professor in the Faculty of Arts and Education of Deakin University in Australia), and Kate Dempsey, independent education consultant from Melbourne in Australia.
The `Future of Employment` on the Shop Floor: Why Production Jobs are Less Susceptible to Computerization than Assumed
Authors: Pfeiffer Sabine
Published: March 2020

Context: Germany is seen as one of the major players in developing what is known as “Industry 4.0.” Especially in the manufacturing and the automotive sector, the vocational training is seen as a precondition and consequence alike for the global success of these sectors. Current research though characterizes production work, especially machine-related tasks, as dull routine work and therefore of high probability of computerization.Approach: Based on qualitative research perspectives and sociological results that reveal the importance of experience and implicit capabilities, this study quantifies what is mostly seen as “non-routine” work. To measure these dimensions of living labouring capacity, an index is introduced that is developed from 18 items of one of the biggest German task-based, representative surveys.Findings: The contribution challenges the widespread prognosis that production workers face high susceptibility. Comparing data on non-routine share in production and of vocational trained workers with those of Frey and Osborne, the findings stress the mostly neglected importance of non-routine work, even in production and especially with vocational trained, machine-related occupations.Conclusion: The results draw on how much more employees on the shop floor are apt to handle change, complexity, and imponderabilities than often assumed. If their work will or will not be susceptible to novel approaches in robotics or algorithms, therefore, is not a question of routine.
Staying in the Loop: Formal Feedback Mechanisms Connecting Vocational Training to the World of Work in Europe
Authors: Markowitsch Jörg , Hefler Günter
Published: March 2020

Context: Vocational education and training (VET) is expected to be designed for creating learning outcomes which meet the needs for skills and competences in the labour market. Hence, identifying current and upcoming skill requirements and ensuring that these requirements are incorporated into education has long been the subject of academic and policy discussion. Governance processes keeping VET systems up-to-date have been more recently addressed as `feedback mechanisms'. The term broadly summarizes the interplay of institutions, actors and processes which allows the continuous renewal of VET provision (i.e. by creating new qualifications or updating curricula). The aim of the paper is to enhance the understanding of cross-national variations in formally institutionalised `feedback mechanisms' between VET and the labour market.Method: The research builds on a comparative analysis of case studies in 15 European countries. The paper presents examples for four different `formal feedback mechanisms' in Germany, France, England, and Austria.Results: Four main types of formal mechanism have been identified: 1) The liberal model explained by VET in England and Higher VET in Austria; 2) The statist model explained by school-based VET in Austria; 3) the participatory model explained by VET in France and 4) the coordinated model explained by apprenticeship training in Germany and Austria.Conclusions: Existing approaches in the economic sociology of labour markets, the varieties of capitalism approach as well as comparative research on welfare states are useful in predicting whether particular VET systems are likely to be predominant. However, they do not provide an alternative in describing differences in VET systems which the concept of formal feedback mechanism does. Moreover, by analysing formal feedback mechanisms, it is possible to demarcate where a VET sub-system ends and another VET sub-systems begins. In this sense research presented here also asks for new standards for comparative VET research as it suggests that entities to be compared are not countries' overall VET systems, but their potential sub-systems.
Transition to company-based vocational training in Germany by young people from a migrant background – the influence of region of origin and generation status
Authors: Beicht Ursula , Walden Günter
Published: March 2020

Purpose: For young people with a migrant background in Germany transition from school to company-based vocational training is much more difficult than for non-migrants. This remains true, when data is controlled for the lower performance of young migrants in general education. In this paper we investigate if and how far the chances of transition to company-based vocational training and the acquisition of different school leaving certificates depend from the migration generation and the region of origin of young migrants. The question is, if disadvantages of young migrants diminish with a longer stay of their family in Germany and if this is also the case for the different groups of regions of origin (Southern Europe, East Europe, Turkey, other Middle East and North Africa, Other regions).

Methods: We conduct multivariate analyses on the basis of data from the German Educational Panel Study (NEPS). Our analyses relate to young people who left a general education school after Year 9 in the summer of 2011 or Year 10 in the summer of 2012. Our database comprises information provided by a total of 5,952 school leavers.

Results: For all four origin groups worse chances in comparison to non-migrants were detected. But there are differences in the disadvantages of opportunity between the various groups. They acquire more often lower school qualifications than their counterparts not from a migrant background and also have worse chances than the latter of successfully progressing to company-based vocational education and training. This applies even if other important influencing factors such as social origin are taken into account. Young people from a Turkish or Arab background have the lowest chances in general education and vocational training. As generation status rises disadvantages diminish for all origin groups, but with different magnitudes. A clear upwards-directed integration can be observed solely for the East European origin group.

Conclusion: The results of our analyses signalise a clear need for action on the part of German policy makers and German society to reduce the educational disadvantages suffered by young migrants and to develop an effective support mechanism. Integration is rarely achieved in the short term. It is a long-term task which frequently extends over several generations.
Large scale studies of holistic professional competence in vocational education and training (VET): The case of Norway
Authors: Lahn Leif Christian , Nore Hæge
Published: March 2020

Context: In this paper, we review and discuss the piloting in Norway of a German methodology for competence diagnostics in vocational education and training: the Competence Development and Assessment in TVET (COMET) project. Our overarching theme is determining to what extent such large-scale assessment systems are valid for international comparisons in this sector. Method: We present the theoretical underpinnings of the COMET model and position our discussion within the broader context of the concept of “professional competence” (berufliche Kompetenz) and methodological guidelines for its measurement. Terminology from psychometrics on “measurement equivalence” is described and serves as a template for identifying challenges in using the Norwegian data for comparative purposes. Our pilot included students and apprentices in health care, industrial mechanics and electricians and was designed as a three-year follow-up study from the second year of upper secondary school through two years of apprenticeship. Each year, a test on professional competence and a context survey were administered. Similar studies have been conducted in Germany, China and South Africa.Results: In line with the results from these countries, the Norwegian participants had low scores, particularly the electricians. However, the diagnostic instrument was sensitive to the development of professional competence, and progress on the assessment was influenced by the quality of the learning support in the companies, as reported by apprentices in the context survey.Conclusions: The COMET platform may be a viable prototype for the development of diagnostic tools, which may support the monitoring of quality factors at different levels and inspire local improvement projects in schools, companies and training offices. Such an objective would be in line with the latest summaries of the COMET project, in which its contribution to a model for international large-scale assessment is toned down and replaced by a stronger emphasis on its potential for measuring competence development, evaluating contextual factors and generating data for didactic innovations.
Skills and employment under automation: Active adaptation at the local level
Authors: Ure Odd Bjørn , Skauge Tom
Published: March 2020

Context: The article contributes to a discussion of how patterns of employment and qualifications are modified by the ongoing industrial transformation, called Industry 4.0. Although this transformation is said to be a global phenomenon, scholars increasingly discuss the national differences in the wake of Industry 4.0. Our article aims to intervene in this debate by analysing the industrial transformation of a small island situated at the West coast of Norway. We notably investigate the technological renewal by means of Computerised Numeric Control (CNC) and robotics in a network of mechanical firms. Approach: Nine small mechanical engineering firms are analysed by drawing on theories on business networks and clustering of firms. This allows for a discussion of how automation, employment, staff training and profitability are interconnected. The main research question is how the firms are locally embedded in a way that sheds light on the social dimension of vocational training, which is considered a form of Corporate Social Responsibility. Findings: It is informative to use the heuristic concept ‘pre-cluster agglomeration’ to characterise how the nine firms under scrutiny are interacting, while being assisted by a forward-looking industrial association and supported by an active local community. The municipality and the county to which this agglomeration belongs, provide training services and other infrastructures that support the firms when they recruit new employees and upskill their staff, - notably by setting up a CNC training centre attached to an upper secondary school. Conclusion: Our case does not support off-the-shelf narratives of robotisation implies job cuts. In the same way as previous technological transformations were not solely driven by their inherent technical opportunities, the ongoing robotisation is nuanced by the social shaping of technology. There is room for strategic choices when new technology is integrated in work organisations. The extent to which the workforce should be (re-)trained is subject to decisions and negotiations.
El proceso de internacionalización en la industria española de equipos y componentes de automoción: Lingotes Especiales, 1968-2018.
Authors: Alonso-Villa Pablo , Ortúñez-Goicolea Pedro Pablo
Published: March 2020

La empresa Lingotes Especiales se creó en 1968 en Valladolid, en plena etapa de despegue del sector del automóvil y de la industria de electrodomésticos, que se convirtieron en sus principales clientes. Aunque nació para atender al mercado nacional, como la mayoría de las empresas industriales de esa época, en la actualidad está parcialmente orientada al exterior, pues exporta más del 75% de su producción y cuenta con una planta productiva en la India. Su proceso de internacionalización siguió dos fases bien diferenciadas que se enmarcaría dentro del modelo evolutivo de la escuela de Upsala. Su competitividad internacional se ha basado en una serie de ventajas internas de carácter productivo, comercial y organizativo y gerencial.
El turismo de masas como sistema de producción: la revolución turística en el Mediterráneo, 1949-2014
Authors: Manera Carles , Molina Ramon , Pérez-Montiel José , Manera-Salom Maria
Published: March 2020

El trabajo se plantea diferentes aspectos relacionados con la economía turística y la historia económica del turismo. En primer término, la escasa entidad que todavía tiene el estudio de este importante sector económico en el mundo académico, mucho más escorado a análisis sobre la agricultura y la industria, y mucho menos sobre los servicios, actividades cada vez más esenciales en las estructuras económicas. En segundo término, la visión del turismo de masas como una pieza más del proceso de globalización, con un arranque determinante desde los años 1950. Y, finalmente, la focalización empírica sobre el Mediterráneo como epicentro del desarrollo turístico mundial desde fines de los años 1940 hasta prácticamente el momento actual, a partir del estudio de indicadores concretos sobre los 22 países que componen, en esencia, la ribera del Mare Nostrum.