Against All Odds (eBook)

An Empirical Study about the Situative Pedagogical Ethos of Vocational Trainers

Sarah Forster-Heinzer (Autor)

eBook Download: PDF

2015 | 2015
XVIII, 330 Seiten
Sense Publishers (Verlag)
978-94-6209-941-8 (ISBN)

Infos

It is nearly impossible to overestimate the significance of a professional ethos in pedagogical situations. Most theories of education understand ethos and ethical acting as belonging to the core of the pedagogical profession. Despite this evidence, remarkably few empirical studies exist on ethos. This book has three main aims: 1) to conceptualize the pedagogical ethos at the theoretical level, 2) to operationalize it systematically, and 3) to study it empirically from the trainers' perspective but also from that of apprentices. Part 1 offers a critical discussion on different theoretical approaches of professional morality. These include theories on moral values or professional codes, virtue ethics, professional sensitivity, moral commitment, and caring. Identified communalities are combined to form a new model of professional ethos. More intensively than other existing theories, the ethos approach presented in this book stresses the content's situational impact on decision-making and motivation. The main question guiding the instrument development, dealt with in Part 2, asks how we can distinguish professional morality from the general notion that people should be good. In order to answer this question, vocational education but also a trainer's pedagogical duties and responsibilities are discussed. Part 3 then presents the result of two empirical studies with vocational trainers and apprentices. It offers some interesting findings for further reflection - input not only relevant for researchers but also educational institutes, professional associations, and practitioners themselves. In short: this book contributes significantly to research on professional morality as well as vocational education.

Inhalt

Contents 8
Acknowledgments 12
List of Figures 14
List of Tables 16
CHAPTER 1:AGAINST ALL ODDS: AN INTRODUCTION 20
THE STUDY’S PURPOSE 22
THE BOOK’S STRUCTURE 23
THE STUDY’S LIMITATION 24
SOME SIDE NOTES 24
A side note to the meaning of professions and occupations 24
A side note to the use of ‘apprentice’ and ‘trainee’ 27
CHAPTER 2:THE SCOPE OF ETHOS: IN SEARCH OF CLARITY 28
INTUITIVE ETHOS APPROACH: FIRST CONSIDERATIONS 28
LITERATURE REVIEW: LOCATING THE CONCEPT OF PROFESSIONAL ETHOS IN THEORY AND RESEARCH 31
The ethos culture of an institution 33
Ethos and professional ethics 34
CHAPTER 3:MODELS OF PEDAGOGICAL ETHOS 37
ETHOS AS AN ATTITUDE TOWARDS MORAL VALUES 39
ETHOS AS A COMMITMENT TO PROFESSIONAL CODES 40
ETHOS AS A VIRTUE 41
ETHOS AS A COGNITIVE ABILITY TO MAKE A MORAL JUDGMENT IN PROFESSIONAL SITUATIONS 46
ETHOS AS A PROFESSIONAL SENSITIVITY 49
ETHOS AS ESTABLISHMENT OF A CARING RELATIONSHIP 51
The concept of caring 53
ETHOS AS A COMPETENCE 55
The procedural discourse ethos 57
Pedagogical reference 64
WHAT IS MISSED CONCLUSIVE DISCUSSION ABOUT THE VARIOUS ETHOS MODELS 66
CHAPTER 4:ETHOS: SUPEREROGATIVE COMMITMENT IN SITUATIONS OF ODDS 69
THE (MORAL) RESPONSIBILITY OF PROFESSIONALS 70
THE DECISION-MAKING ELEMENT OF ETHOS 73
DEALING WITH ODDS, OR - “AGAINST ALL ODDS” 76
REASONS BEHIND THE DECISION 77
ESTABLISHING A SOUND (CARING) ENVIRONMENT 78
THE NEGLECTED PERSUASION OF THE SITUATION 82
THE TRAINER’S PEDAGOGICAL ETHOS NEWLY CONSIDERED 83
SOME METHODOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS 86
CHAPTER 5:METHODOLOGY 88
EXCURSUS I: DUAL VET AND WORKPLACE LEARNING 88
Characteristics of workplace learning 90
The restraints of workplace learning 92
Learning in Dual VET 93
The Swiss Dual VET system 96
EXCURSUS II: THE VET TRAINER 111
The trainer’s responsibility 113
The trainer – the designer of workplace learning 115
The trainer’s effect on the trainee’s identity development 116
The pedagogical relationship between trainer and trainee 118
The Swiss vocational trainer 120
SELECTION OF OCCUPATIONS 125
EXPLORATORY PILOT STUDY 127
Research questions 128
Sampling procedure and sample size 128
Research design 132
Results of the pilot study 141
Summary conclusion 156
CONSTRUCTING PROCESS OF THE SURVEY 158
Developing the scenarios 159
Subsequent questions regarding the scenarios 161
Pilot testing of the scenarios 162
Pilot study feedback 174
Final selection of the scenarios 175
THE TRAINERS’ SURVEY: SCALES AND MEASURES 180
Research questions 180
Research design 180
Sampling procedure, data collection, and sample size 182
Quality criteria: objectivity, validity, and reliability 193
Scales and measures 196
Research hypotheses 205
THE TRAINER’S SURVEY A CONTENT OVERVIEW 211
CHAPTER 6:THE TRAINERS’ ETHOS: RESULTS 213
PEDAGOGICAL DECISIONS 213
THE SCENARIOS 221
Sandro scenario 222
The A decision of automotive trainers in the Sandro scenario 222
The A decision of cook trainers in the Sandro scenario 225
Beat scenario 233
The A decision of automotive trainers in the Beat scenario 233
The A decision of cook trainers in the Beat scenario 234
Mark scenario 240
The A decision of automotive trainers in the Mark scenario 241
The A decision of cook trainers in the Mark scenario 242
Daniel scenario 248
The A decision of automotive trainers in the Daniel scenario 249
The A decision of cook trainers in the Daniel scenario 250
The predictive power of the motivational reasons 255
THE ETHOS VALUE 260
THE THREE ETHOS LEVELS AND THEIR DIFFERENCES 265
GENERAL FINDINGS AND DIFFERENCES DUE TO COMPANY AND TRADE INFLUENCES 269
CHAPTER 7:DISCUSSION 274
CHAPTER 8:THE IMPACT OF A PEDAGOGICAL TRAINER’S ETHOS EXPERIENCED BY APPRENTICES 284
A TRAINER’S INDIRECT INFLUENCE ON APPRENTICE’S DEVELOPMENT 285
Sample size 285
RESEARCH DESIGN: THE APPRENTICES’ QUESTIONNAIRE 289
Reliability and validity of the apprentices’ survey 290
Scales and measures 291
RESEARCH HYPOTHESES REGARDING THE APPRENTICES’ SURVEY 295
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 296
INTERPRETATIVE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TRAINERS’ AND APPRENTICES’ PERSPECTIVES 300
CHAPTER 9: CONCLUSION 303
THE TRAINER’S ETHOS AS DEFINED 303
WHAT IF THERE IS NO ETHOS? 304
POINTS OF CRITICISM IN RETROSPECT 305
OUTLOOK: A PROSPECTIVE VISION 307
References 310

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 21.4.2015
• Reihe/Serie: Moral Development and Citizenship Education
• Reihe/Serie: Moral Development and Citizenship Education
• Zusatzinfo: XVIII, 330 p.
• Verlagsort: Rotterdam
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Technik ► Elektrotechnik / Energietechnik
• Schlagworte: Ethos • Professional morality • vocational education
• ISBN-10: 94-6209-941-3 / 9462099413
• ISBN-13: 978-94-6209-941-8 / 9789462099418