There are two ways, broadly speaking, that one might conceive of meritocratic education. On a standard, 'narrow' conception, a meritocratic approach to education is one which distributes certain educational goods and opportunities according to merit. On a second, 'broader' conception, however, meritocratic education is an educational system suited…

This article analyses the development and implementation of policies that aim at improving the 'recognition of prior learning' (RPL) in the vocational education and training (VET) systems of Sweden and Switzerland. It argues that the evolution of RPL policies and schemes needs to be analysed in relation to educational expansion, which creates…

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) rapidly have become more common in biology laboratory courses. The effort to implement CUREs has stimulated attempts to differentiate CUREs from other types of laboratory teaching. The Laboratory Course Assessment Survey (LCAS) was developed to measure students' perceptions of how frequently…

This article considers the concept of Competence as applied to educational theory and policy, and illuminates the possibility of significant variations in meaning. Referring to Wittgenstein's distinctions between transitive and intransitive uses of notions and Holland's description of mastery, the article argues in favour of two senses in which…

This article contributes to a better theoretical understanding of the social processes underlying the development and implementation of schemes to improve the recognition of prior learning (RPL) in vocational education and training (VET). It traces the global diffusion of RPL, and then analyses the formulation of RPL policies and design and…

Purpose: This paper aims to depart from the premise that human capital investments and human capital outcomes are often tacit -- an aspect, which is often neglected in the current literature on entrepreneurial human capital. The idea of this conceptual paper is to shed light on the social process of how human capital investments and human capital…

Please join us on this learning romp, which includes anarchists, discomfort, flying projectiles, Ministries of Truth, anger, and naked emperors. This paper is an example of, and a reflection on, the praxis of Participatory Action Research as a way of life. It is the result of a reflective conversation between two researchers. We got together in…

Maintaining the quality and comparability of qualifications has become a major priority for vocational education and training (VET) systems world-wide, especially for those countries which have decentralised assessment and reporting systems. In the absence of external examinations, one policy solution to align the assessment standards of different…

This report provides a summary of the outcomes of international students who completed their vocational education and training (VET) qualification in Australia in 2022. These students were surveyed as an additional component to the 2023 National Student Outcomes Survey. Information is presented on international onshore VET qualification…

This article analyses results of reforms and revisions of the system for recognition of prior learning outcomes in France ("Validation des acquis de l'expérience," VAE), especially from a quantitative perspective. The development of the recognition of prior learning system in France is reviewed and described. The analysis presented…

This article showcases the Polish validation system through the lens of Critical Discourse Analysis and two models of lifelong learning--the economic and humanistic one, treated as competitive narratives on lifelong learning. We argue that some contradictions can be observed, generated by a clash between the two approaches, as the validation…

A major focus of sociological research is on the role of the credential as a 'currency of opportunity', mediating the relationship between education and occupational destinations. However, the labour market has largely remained a 'black box' in sociological and education policy studies. This article draws on 'big data' from over 21,000,000 job…

In this collection, different experts from a range of backgrounds consider the current plan to defund many Business and Technician Education Councils (BTECs) and other popular Level 3 Applied General qualifications. Together, the chapters argue this could close off a useful and proven route for students from a wide range of backgrounds, including…

This publication provides a summary of data relating to students, programs, subjects and training providers in Australia's government-funded vocational education and training (VET) system, defined as all Commonwealth and state or territory government-funded training delivered by technical and further education (TAFE) institutes, other government…

In the library and information science (LIS) literature, there are examples of librarians leading educational development initiatives, often centered on information literacy (IL). However, there does not appear to have been significant exploration in the educational development literature of librarians acting as educational developers. This…