Research on the transition from vocational education and training to higher education

Dunbar-Goddet, H. & Ertl, H. (2007). Research on the transition from vocational education and training to higher education. Degrees of Success Working Paper 1.

This paper discusses the method used in the previous paper I looked at. It has some useful information to consider, relating to questions. It also makes me realise that everything seems to have been done before. After all, this paper is 8 years old.

Context: The current debate on WP in HE in relation to VET needs to consider two issues:
1. The increase in participation in post-compulsory education;
2. Issues of parity of VQs and 'academic' qualifications (i.e. A levels).

Despite the expansion in the HE sector, the greatest levels of growth are seen in students from the traditional source, that is middle class backgrounds who have entered HE with traditional A level qualifications. A substantial increase in VQs in secondary education has not opened the doors to an equality of access to HE. There is tracking of VET students to less prestigious HEIs.

Government policy under New Labour was to improve the perceived academic value of VQs. The authors found a gap in the knowledge about transition from level three VQs to HE and whether increasing participation in VET has led to widened participation in HE.

Project overview: large scale data analysis and some more in depth interviews, both of students and tutors.

Research design: A variety of questions, including "To what extent are students in VQs prepared fro studies in HE?" "What mechanisms are in place to remedy any lack of preparation?"

Since the 1970s arrange of questionnaires have been used to measure how students approach study in HE (Richardson, 2000). See: Approaches to Studying Inventory, Learning and Studying Questionnaire. See also Ertl, Hayward et al., 2007: The student learning experience in higher education literature review report for the HEA

See also: Christie et al. (2006) From college to university: Looking backwards, looking forwards.

The research had not only a question on preparedness for HE but also on unpreparedness. I would also need to consider asking questions about parental education and whether or not they were first generation HE. Other questions could cover the main challenges they find in academic skills, and how they overcome them., and what their expectations were about academic study at HE and how they thought it would differ from FE. The links above can help me formulate my questions. See p. 28 of article for the questions they used.

They start off with gentle questions such as "Can you tell me a little bit about yourself, for example can you describe the qualifications you obtained before coming into higher education?", "What subject did you study?", "Before you came to university, how well did you think your qualification prepared you for further study?" "Now you've been at university for a while, how well do you now think your vocational qualification prepared you for study at university?"

I need to think around these questions, and then think about what questions I can ask that will help me to answer *my* specific research question. It will be important to make sure we both understand what we mean by academic skills as this is what I'm interested in, rather than general differences between college and HE.

Assignment 1 thoughts...

OK, so this is just a collection of my thoughts on what I need to do. I have to remember that this assignment doesn't set me up for my thesis in 2-3 years time. I think that's what putting me off - if I don't get my topic right then I mess up the entire course. However that's rubbish and is just making me procrastinate.

SO, what topics do I need to think about and focus down on in relation to the research part of the assignment? My initial thought is to research into students' perceptions of the effectiveness of their vocational qualification in supporting their academic transition to HE.

Let's analyse this question...

Students' perceptions of the effectiveness of their vocational qualification in supporting their academic transition to HE

What does this question say?

Students: I may need to make this more detailed: First year HE students? Will they have been at university long enough to make a judgement? Maybe second year?

Perceptions: Using a word like this will suggest that it is a qualitative project, using qualitative techniques of some form to get an understanding of the students' views. Now, how this relates to the SI view of the interview as trying to reach consensus. Am I going in with preconceived ideas? Maybe think more about that later.

Effectiveness: Effective in what way? How can the effectiveness be measured - by me, by the student? Do the students have an understanding of what I mean? Need to clarify.

Vocational qualification: Do I ask about a specific qualification? e.g. BTEC? Will this request lead me to very specific courses where vocational qualifications are a more 'normal' route into HE? Does my asking this question suggest to the respondent that I consider their qualification to be an issue, that they are somehow at a disadvantage that needs exploring?

Supporting: how do I interpret a qualification 'supporting' academic transition? How might students interpret it? What are the qualifications supposed to provide the student with, to prepare them for HE? Is it just a vocational understanding of the subject itself, or is a vocational qualification such as the BTEC designed to provide the student with academic 'skills' which can be transferred to HE? Hmmm... a lot of questions in the use of this word.

Academic transition: May need to clarify this term both for myself and the students. Presumably (I'll need to think some more about this myself...) I mean generic skills, such as those we support students with in study skills. It would be important to stress this throughout any interviews, otherwise I'll get a lot of information which is academic subject-specific, which may lead to lack of cohesion and generalisability (however limited in qualitative research) amongst the results.

In HE: Well, at least this bit is relatively straightforward.

Right. With those thoughts in mind, how can I clarify my question?

First year students' perceptions of the effectiveness of their vocational FE qualification in developing academic study skills which support their transition from FE to HE.

I'll leave this to settle in my mind for a while and return to it at a slightly later date. In the mean time, at least, I've got something to direct my reading.

"Just" an Ed.D.

I attended a session at the annual staff conference last week, on transition from school/FE to higher education. A couple of colleagues had been awarded £10,000 to investigate students' views of transition, and had used the money to video the students talking freely in answer to three questions on transitioning to HE.

The answers were interesting, not only because of the content and its implications to our practice as study skills advisers, but also in the language they used. The researcher drew attention to one student (not in the clips we were shown) who said that he'd "just" done a BTEC before coming to university.

So much to unpack in the one word - "just".
Does he feel that his qualification, which would have taken two years, is inferior to other options? If so, why? Are his feelings mirroring the media view of 'dumbed down' vocational qualifications - a legacy of Mr Gove's desire to denigrate these qualifications and raise 'A' levels onto a dais (albeit a dais he was happy to throw coconuts at)? Does he feel his academic background lacks in something that other students may have experienced? If so, what? Why this feeling? So many questions.

This would be an interesting topic to study in itself - perception of vocational qualifications on entry to HE. Having just *very* quickly searched on the topic, I came across this quantitative study. It's really interesting - young people are more likely to denigrate vocational quals than their parents, or anyone else. I suppose the parents have a vested interest in thinking that their child is doing a "worthwhile" qualification.
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=5&ved=0CD0QFjAEahUKEwitvLbslvLHAhVCORoKHZ8BC-o&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fuploads%2Fsystem%2Fuploads%2Fattachment_data%2Ffile%2F447683%2F2015-07-22-perceptions-of-a-levels-gcses-and-other-qualifications-in-england-wave-13.pdf&usg=AFQjCNFBVR97rYGWNUkeJK-SSRgRKdnKqQ&sig2=hw70WfsB3bbjVxwoT6kQtA

Why do I bring this subject up, apart from it being a really interesting question in itself? Well, I suppose I feel a little like that young man. Not so much with my entry qualifications (though, science .......). But, how is the EdD viewed? I have to explain to lots of people (e.g. my father) what an EdD is. He knows what a PhD is. He knows (in his mind, at least) that this is a pinnacle of academic endeavour, something he could never have imagined his daughter could have aimed at. But an EdD? What's that? Is this an opinion echoed by academics? Some literature seems to suggest a lack of parity of esteem between the two. If I were writing an essay, I'd put a few references in, but I'll just stick this in for now http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=6&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CEkQFjAFahUKEwi9xsTkx_THAhXDfRoKHSCjCLo&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ukcge.ac.uk%2Fpdf%2FProfessional%2520Doctorates%2520in%2520the%2520UK%2520(2011).pdf&usg=AFQjCNEN5OfG-417jRc8y89EHx2XBFkQog&sig2=1FVcG-L1C5zZzN9DTKJD0A

What do I feel? I'm ambivalent. Academically, the two are assessed at the same level. However, one is of greater practicable use within the professional environment. But still, a little bit of me thinks like the BTEC student - "just" an EdD.