An Educological Perspective on Higher Education's Responsibility to Vocational Education.

Overview & Synopsis

A study was conducted to improve understanding of higher education's impact on the growth, sustenance, and improvement of vocational education programs in higher and secondary education. The research focused on how higher education can improve higher and secondary vocational education during the next 10 years. Research was conducted using the Delphi technique (a series of sequential questionnaires) to gather expert opinion. The sample consisted of 30 leading higher vocational educators and 30 leading secondary vocational educators selected by nomination by the current president and 5 former presidents of the American Vocational Association. The study respondents (75 percent of the sample) identified four techniques as the most useful for improving vocational education programs: (1) improve the image of vocational education to all publics; (2) provide more opportunities for upgrading faculty and staff skills; (3) collaborate more with secondary program leaders; and (4) implement research that documents examples from work settings that illustrate the needs of literacy skills, teamwork, negotiation, problem solving, and critical thinking. The study concluded that higher education must be responsible for taking the initiative to improve vocational education programs. (KC)