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An education policy paradigm that fails upper secondary school pupils

Olofsson, Jonas LU and Panican, Alexandru LU orcid (2017) In Journal of Vocational Education and Training 69(4). p.495-516
Abstract

In this article, we illustrate the creation of the education policy paradigm that constitutes the framework of vocational education and training (VET) programmes, and analyse local school representatives’ perception of VET in upper secondary schools in Sweden. The education policy paradigm, established through three periods of reform during the twentieth century, undervalues VET as being less worthy than general/academic education. This paradigm generates the rhetoric used by interviewed school representatives that encourages school pupils to choose the ‘right’ (academic) programmes in order to foster a specific citizenship competence, even if this competence is not fully compatible with labour market demands. Young people who cannot,... (More)

In this article, we illustrate the creation of the education policy paradigm that constitutes the framework of vocational education and training (VET) programmes, and analyse local school representatives’ perception of VET in upper secondary schools in Sweden. The education policy paradigm, established through three periods of reform during the twentieth century, undervalues VET as being less worthy than general/academic education. This paradigm generates the rhetoric used by interviewed school representatives that encourages school pupils to choose the ‘right’ (academic) programmes in order to foster a specific citizenship competence, even if this competence is not fully compatible with labour market demands. Young people who cannot, or will not, attain the ‘right’ education, and thus the advocated citizenship competence, lose out in a school system where general/academic education and higher education preparatory programmes are consistently prioritised over VET. An educational system that advocates discrimination and suspicion of VET limits career options and restricts entry into the labour market, as well as risk stigmatising pupils undertaking VET; this paradigm is neither justified nor democratic.

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author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
education policy, paradigm, Sweden, Upper secondary school, vocational education and training
in
Journal of Vocational Education and Training
volume
69
issue
4
pages
21 pages
publisher
Routledge
external identifiers
  • wos:000415711000003
  • scopus:85021788933
ISSN
1363-6820
DOI
10.1080/13636820.2017.1344869
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
93a40bcc-4e28-47ac-901b-b3a47eff83ae
date added to LUP
2017-07-18 14:37:42
date last changed
2024-05-26 19:21:03
@article{93a40bcc-4e28-47ac-901b-b3a47eff83ae,
  abstract     = {{<p>In this article, we illustrate the creation of the education policy paradigm that constitutes the framework of vocational education and training (VET) programmes, and analyse local school representatives’ perception of VET in upper secondary schools in Sweden. The education policy paradigm, established through three periods of reform during the twentieth century, undervalues VET as being less worthy than general/academic education. This paradigm generates the rhetoric used by interviewed school representatives that encourages school pupils to choose the ‘right’ (academic) programmes in order to foster a specific citizenship competence, even if this competence is not fully compatible with labour market demands. Young people who cannot, or will not, attain the ‘right’ education, and thus the advocated citizenship competence, lose out in a school system where general/academic education and higher education preparatory programmes are consistently prioritised over VET. An educational system that advocates discrimination and suspicion of VET limits career options and restricts entry into the labour market, as well as risk stigmatising pupils undertaking VET; this paradigm is neither justified nor democratic.</p>}},
  author       = {{Olofsson, Jonas and Panican, Alexandru}},
  issn         = {{1363-6820}},
  keywords     = {{education policy; paradigm; Sweden; Upper secondary school; vocational education and training}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{11}},
  number       = {{4}},
  pages        = {{495--516}},
  publisher    = {{Routledge}},
  series       = {{Journal of Vocational Education and Training}},
  title        = {{An education policy paradigm that fails upper secondary school pupils}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13636820.2017.1344869}},
  doi          = {{10.1080/13636820.2017.1344869}},
  volume       = {{69}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}