Status
Ended
Project Manager
Barbara Pfister Giauque
Team
Elettra Flamigni
Partner Institutions
Leading House “Quality of vocational education and training"
University of Fribourg, Department for Educational Sciences
Project Description
This exploratory research reviews how diversity is taken into account in vocational schools. More specifically, the task is to study the forms of integration of two population types: migrants and persons in “pioneering” situations.
The share of students of foreign origin in VET is 23-25% and can rise to 40% depending on the curriculum (e.g. house painters), against 13% in Matura schools (Federal Statistical Office - FSO, 2008). As for the issue of non coeducation, it is linked to the strong gender specificity of some occupational activities, and consequently, to the specific issue of so-called “pioneers”, i.e. girls and boys who opt for a VET program in which they will represent a minority. Indeed, it has been demonstrated that half of all VET programs are “gendered”, i.e. with a proportion of 10% or less of students of the minority gender (Borkowski, 2001). A successful integration of qualitative and quantitative minorities in the VET process therefore represents a vital factor in the quality of teaching, and more generally, in social cohesion – all the more so since VET concerns two thirds of youngsters in Switzerland (FSO, 2008). Thus this project targets a better understanding of the situation in classes (needs, difficulties or assets specific to pioneers or migrants), as well as an in-depth knowledge of the skills and tools which are – or should be – available to teachers in order to ensure that each student is integrated in the training process. This research should contribute to the training of teachers in managing diversity in their classes.
Method
This is a qualitative research of an exploratory character conducted in cantons Vaud, Valais and Neuchâtel. The selected VET programs are those for house painters and hairdressers, which combine the two factors to be addressed, i.e. the cultural diversity of the students and a strong gender-specific nature. 9 experts, 16 teachers and two nurses were interviewed. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, coded and finally analyzed. Observations were then conducted in three different classes: a class of house painter apprentices, a class of hairdresser apprentices and a class of basic training for house painters. In all three cases we attended 8 lecture periods, including general education courses and technical training. These observations were based on observations grids filled in before (with information provided by the teacher), during and after (analysis of teaching materials) the courses which we attended.
Publications
Flamigni, E., & Pfister Giauque, B. (2011). Entre normes d'égalité et représentations stéréotypées, quelle place pour les pionniers et pionnières dans la formation professionnelle initiale. Work in Progress en Etudes Genre, Université de Lausanne, Lausanne. Retrieved 7 July, 2011 from http://www.unil.ch/webdav/site/liege/shared/WIPFlamigni.pdf
Pfister Giauque, B., Flamigni, E. (à paraître, 2011). Umgang mit Diversität in der Klasse: Pädagogisch-didaktische Praktiken und Instrumente. In F. Oser, T. Bauder, P. Salzmann & S. Heinzer (Hrsg.),
Techniken des Könnens - Souveränität im Handeln. Kompetenzmessung in der situativen Komplexität von Ausbildenden und Lehrpersonen der Berufsbildung. Bad Heilbrunn: Verlag Julius Klinkhardt.
Pfister Giauque B., Flamigni E. (2010). Malerin und Coiffeur: Jugendliche als Pionierinnen und Pioniere in geschlechtsspzifisch geprägten Berufen.
Bildungspolitik, 166, 11-13.
Pfister Giauque, B.,& Flamigni, E. (2009). Cultural diversity and gender in Swiss vocational and educational training (VET): Identification and analysis of organisational and pedagogical arrangements to integrate diversity. European Conference on Educational Research, Proceedings of the ECER VETNET Conference 2009
, Vienna.Retrieved July 7, 2011 from
www.ecer-vetnet.wifo-gate.org
Contact Persons
Barbara Pfister Giauque
Elettra Flamigni