Philosophiae Doctor - PhD (Post-School Studies)

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https://hdl.handle.net/10566/10533

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Browsing by Author "Papier, Joy"

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    Exploring competence development through the transfer of specialist knowledge and skills from engineering lecturers to students in South African Technical and Vocational Education and Training colleges: A COMET study
    (University of the Western Cape, 2024) Hurjunlal, Adhir; Papier, Joy
    This study investigates the potential of the COMET (Competency Measurement in Electrotechnology) occupational competence diagnostic model to assist TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) college lecturers in transferring skills, knowledge and competencies to their students by applying the dynamics of the model and through various pedagogical strategies. Achieving holistic problem-solving competence is a fundamental goal of the COMET framework and is embedded in eight competence criteria that focus on real-life, complex, work-related problems. A mixed method, explanatory sequential design comprising qualitative and quantitative research methods was adopted. Data were gathered from 275 students and 22 lecturers at five public TVET colleges. Two COMET large-scale open-ended learning tasks and a test task were conducted to measure the occupational competence of TVET students and lecturers. Lecturer data on competence scores, experiences of doing the task, and teaching and learning strategies were collected. Analysis of the data employed the SPSS version 26 and R Studio 4.0. This study demonstrated that lecturers were indeed able to transfer their skills and knowledge to students. Areas of learning in which transfer was strong and areas in which transfer could be enhanced were identified using the COMET diagnostic model. The evidence further indicated that a variety of pedagogic strategies – for instance, feedback, metacognition, cognitive apprenticeship, problem-based learning and work-integrated learning – are used to enhance transfer and are most effective when used interchangeably or integrated.
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    Exploring the design and implementation of an entrance readiness assessment and its relationship with performance outcomes among first year TVET college students
    (University of the Western Cape, 2024) De Wee, Marissa Francine; Papier, Joy
    Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college entrance/placement tests have been critiqued in the few studies done in South Africa because they offer insufficient information about vocational students and their potential for success or failure. In light of the limitations associated with current entrance-testing mechanisms in South African TVET colleges and the limited information they afford colleges about entry-level students, this study set out to investigate alternative models or instruments that might yield a more holistic and informative picture, particularly with regard to students who might not complete their studies. The aims of this study were therefore to explore the development of a more appropriate entry-level readiness assessment for first-year TVET college students and to examine the possible relationships between their profiles at entry and their success/lack of success at the end of the first year. It was anticipated that the research findings could contribute to the sparse local knowledge base on these crucial issues in the South African TVET context. Using a pragmatic approach and mixed methods of data gathering within a convergent parallel design, a model that had been tested in international education systems was applied as a framework into which local input obtained from college experts was integrated to produce an entrance assessment instrument that was administered to first year college students. Qualitative and quantitative data were juxtaposed with first year performance outcomes, and statistical analyses conducted produced noteworthy associations among the findings. The research ultimately demonstrated that existing TVET college placement tests are severely limited in acknowledging the multifaceted nature of education and the diverse strengths and challenges that students bring to the learning journey. What was further revealed were the many taken-for-granted assumptions about TVET college students and their performance that require ongoing interrogation so that interventions remain at the cutting edge rather than relying on what may be outdated norms and stereotypes.
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    Workplace learning experiences of TVET college candidates in learnership programmes : an exploration of the workplace learning environment
    (University of the Western Cape, 2016) Vollenhoven, Gerald; Papier, Joy
    Skills development policies in South Africa and further afield consider learning in and from the workplace as critical to the training of artisans at intermediate level. Since the inception of democracy, South Africa has become part of a globally competitive economic arena where highly skilled workers capable of engaging with new technology in a changing environment are increasingly required. Continuous innovation, it is held (Kraak, 1997), is dependent on the presence of two knowledge forms in society and work: an abundance of formal (scientific and technological) knowledge, and skilled worker 'know-how' or tacit knowledge. In the present system of technical and vocational education, theoretical learning and some practical skills are obtained in institutions, mostly in the recently renamed TVET colleges, while job specific training occurs through prescribed periods of work placement. In light of common assumptions about the value of workplace learning, this research was concerned with exploring whether, and how such learning is taking place. It sought to understand the methodologies, practices, and affordances available to learning in the workplace, from the perspective of candidate apprenticeship/learnership students. To this end this study employed a qualitative approach for investigating how candidates experienced and interacted with the 'real world environment' of the workplace. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposively selected sample comprising candidates engaged in programmes that necessitated a workplace learning component, namely, the apprenticeship and learnership in fitting and turning, motor/diesel and the auto electrical trades. Data analysis was undertaken using both Atlas ti software and manual methods for coding and identification of themes. Lenses used to describe and explain learning in the workplace included the conceptual frameworks of Engestrom‘s (1987) Activity theory; Vygotsky‘s (1978) notion of learning via the 'expert other' within a Zone of Proximal Development; and Lave and Wenger‘s (1991) theorising of situated learning in Communities of Practice. This triangular juxtaposition of complementary theories formed a richly informative explanatory system for my further exploration. As a qualified artisan myself I was familiar with the negative connotations of a historical 'sit by Nellie' approach, a phrase used to caricature the way apprentices learned in the past, by simply being passive observers of the experts. However, my findings were to reveal a vastly different picture of learning in this modern, visual and tactile age. Learners in this study experienced a range of learning modalities, methodologies and affordances that were reported in 'thick' descriptions, building a vivid picture of engagement and interaction. In addition to the abundance of learning opportunities candidates experienced, their responses revealed the indisputably central role played by 'expert others' in moving them towards competence – the expert artisan emerging as the quintessential didactic practitioner. This thesis proceeds to highlight the experiences of candidates on their learning journey in the workplace, and suggests recommendations in respect of these. Key learnings are distilled, which ultimately point to the need for collective effort in appreciating and retaining for the benefit of future generations of artisans, the mentoring potential that exists in our expert artisans wherever they may be found.