Vocational curriculum and pedagogy : An activity theory perspective

This paper advances a scheme that proposes how curriculum goals and content might be conceptualised for vocational education. The scheme is founded in socio-historical activity theory. An account of the social sources of vocational knowledge (sociogeneses) comprising history, culture and situation is discussed to illuminate how both the canonical requirements of vocational practice and its manifestations in actual practice need to be accounted for in curriculum goals and content. Currently, curriculum frameworks for vocational programs focus on the socio-cultural level of practice (e.g. national competencies, national skills standards). Yet, these fail to account for the actual manifestations and requirements of the vocational practice and how judgements are made about performance. An emphasis on practice as a basis for considering curriculum goals and developing adaptable outcomes is proposed. Vocational knowledge and learning This paper discusses existing and alternative conceptions of curriculum goals and frameworks for vocational education. Central to the discussion is the need to account for the social genesis of vocational knowledge and the social bases of learning. A conceptual scheme that accounts for the sociogenesis of vocational knowledge is proposed. It comprises historical and socio-cultural sources of vocational knowledge and its ultimate manifestation in particular workplaces. Having described the sources of knowledge and their construction, the implications for vocational curriculum and learning a vocational practice are discussed. The generic kinds of competencies favoured in a number of countries are proposed as reflecting the phylogenetic (evolving history of the species) level of practice, whereas national core curriculum existing in many western countries are representative of practice at the socio-cultural level. However, these focuses are not helpful in understanding the requirements for practice and providing bases for robust or transferable goals for learning. Finally, issues associated with the promotion of learning for vocational practice are discussed. Vocational curriculum In many western countries, curriculum frameworks for vocational education remain premised on behavioural accounts of the goals and process of learning. Outcomes-focussed or behavioural curriculum