PROO symposium op AERA-congres

13 februari 2006

De Programmaraad voor het Onderwijsonderzoek (PROO) is uitgenodigd om een symposium te organiseren op de Annual Meeting 2006 van de American Educational Research Association, 7-11 april 2006 te San Fransisco.
Het symposium wordt toegespitst op een aantal onderzoeken dat de PROO heeft uitgezet in een van de programmatische zwaartepunten, te weten Didactiek voor het Beroepsonderwijs. Het symposium wordt ingeleid door professor Nieuwenhuis die de bevindingen rapporteert van een op uitnodiging van de PROO verrichte reviewstudie op dit terrein.

Innovative learning environments and students in vocational learning

Symposium organised by the Dutch Programme Council for Educational Research
Scheduled Time: Sat, Apr 8 - 4:05pm - 6:05pm Building/Room: Moscone Center West / 3rd Floor, Room 3004

Chair: Prof. dr. Geert T.M. ten Dam (Universiteit van Amsterdam, NL)

Contributions:

1. First author: Prof. dr Loek Nieuwenhuis (Twente University, NL);
   Co-author: prof. dr Regina Mulder (University of Regensburg, DE)
   Title: Review on Dutch research in vocational learning
2. First author: Annoesjka Boersma (Universiteit van Amsterdam, NL);
   Co-authors: prof. dr Geert T.M. ten Dam (Universiteit van Amsterdam, NL), prof. dr Monique L.L. Volman (Free University, NL), dr. Wim Wardekker, Free University, NL);
   Title: Towards the design of learning environments that optimize learning processes in pre-vocational secondary education: Combining the concepts ‘communities of learners’ and ‘communities of practice’.
3. First author: Audrey Seezink (Eindhoven University of Technology, NL);
   Co-authors: dr Ruurd Taconis (Eindhoven University of Technology, NL), prof. dr Rob Poell (Tilburg University), prof. dr. Paul Kirschner (Utrecht University)
   Title: The role of teachers and practical work supervisors in competence-oriented vocational learning environments aimed at the integration of knowledge, skills and attitudes
4. First author: Prof. dr Monique Boekaerts (University of Leiden, NL);
   Title: Motivational self regulation in vocational learning.

Abstract

From a scientific viewpoint vocational learning offers an interesting context in order to carry out fundamental research on processes of competence and job identity development and the factors that have an influence on this. Current themes such as transfer, authentic and situated learning and the role of the context in processes of acquiring knowledge and skills can be investigated in varied and ecologically valid situations. This ‘research potential’ of vocational learning is strengthened even more because of the many innovations that have been started on the level of secondary vocational education in the last decennium.
In this symposium the results of research programmes on vocational learning subsidized by the Dutch Programme Council for Educational Research will be presented. In conformity with its commission the Dutch Council focuses on fundamental and strategic research, application-based medium-term or long-term research, international comparative research and evaluation research. First, we will present a review on Dutch research in vocational learning. This study reviews the results of the varies research projects carried out over the years on the basis of which we can draw up our new nationwide research programme in the field of vocational learning. Then, the results of three ongoing research programmes will be presented. The first research programme aims at designing learning environments that foster communities of learners in pre-vocational secondary education. A theoretical framework is elaborated for looking at learning environments in prevocational education, combining the concepts of a community of learners and a community of practice. We present the empirical results of a case study into the design of an innovative learning environments in pre-vocational education inspired by such concepts. The second research programmes focuses on processes of competence-development in practical settings, especially concerning teachers in (pre) vocational teaching. We are performing a number of studies to gain insight into the way teachers give meaning to their roles, problems they encounter and learning processes they experience. The cognitive apprenticeship model provides a conceptual framework for these studies.