Handbook of Technical and Vocational Education and Training Research

EWR 9 (2010), Nr. 1 (Januar/Februar) Felix Rauner / Rupert Maclean (Hrsg.) Handbook of Technical and Vocational Education and Training Research Berlin: Springer 2008 (1103 S.; ISBN 978-1-4020-8346-4; 341,33 EUR) Consisting of 142 chapters, written collectively by 128 authors, as the latest and broadest international Handbook of TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) Research in English, as Rauner put it in the introduction, this handbook aspires to be not just a reference book offering lexical knowledge on TVET research, but also a tool to distinguish TVET research with other research disciplines (9), as well as a big step towards the internationalization of TVET research (10). Following the structure of the German edition that was published in 2005, the handbook consists of five sections, namely Genesis of TVET Research; VET Research in Relation to VET Policy, Planning and Practice; Areas of VET Research; Case Studies of TVET Research; and Research Methods. Among these sections, the section three Areas of VET research, occupying page 159 to 613, is no doubt the focal point of the entire book. Many well known TVET experts from different country and research backgrounds (not only education research, but also several other areas of expertise) have contributed to make the integration of this variety of topics and questions in TVET research possible. The handbook covers a wide range of and offers abundant information to topics concerning the TVET research as well as several countries and regions in the world. This broad coverage on different topics in TVET research makes it not only a good reference book for education researchers, but also a useful tool and source of information for policy-makers, practitioners, and students as well as anyone who is interested in the field. Due to its scope it is impossible to comment on every part of the book within a few pages; it is therefore attempted here to stress some chapters related tothree countries, namely Germany, China and the USA. Germany, with its long-standing strong tradition in TVET research, is still an important reference point in this handbook; China, with its growing economic influences as well as the increasing resources it invests on TVET research in recent years, is becoming a significant participant and partner in the TVET research internationally; as the biggest economy in the world, USA represents a different tradition in terms of TVET as well as its research and also covers several chapters in this handbook. In section one, researchers from the corresponding three countries (Germany, China, and USA) describe and analyze the genesis and development of TVET research in each country. When put together, an interesting picture of the international TVET research development can be seen. In their paper about the development of TVET research in China, Jiang, Yu and Yao (37-43) trace the genesis of systematic TVET research in China to the late 1970s; it was not until 1984 the first theoretical work on TVET of the new China was compiled (38). From 1980 to 2001, TVET as well as its research have gained increasing importance in China, which can be reflected in the number of TVET issues in national planning projects of educational science, namely from 6 in 1980 to 31 in 1991, further to 69 in 2001 (39). Despite the increase in the number of researches carried out in the field, the research methods remain in a rather basic level, the sign of which can is that a large proportion of research on TVE in China is description of experience (42). In the German case, the genesis of TVET research in Germany was separately discussed, namely inside universities and outside them. According to Rauner (48-56), the origin of TVET research, which is closely related to university education of TVET teachers, can be traced back to the early 19th century (49). This close connection between research and teaching at German universities led to adisti

Genesis of TVET Research.- VET Research in Relation to VET Policy, Planning and Practice.- Areas of TVET Research.- Case Studies of TVET Research.- Research Methods.