Considerations for policy research include environment at the time the policy was developed, policy-making tactics, rules, regulations and maintenance of policy. Advances in research methodology provide new frameworks for data collection and analysis. These considerations can help set the agenda for national vocational education policy. (Contains…

This paper focuses on transition programs for youth to postsecondary education, broadly considered. It addresses the following questions: (1) What models or programs of transition exist? (2) On what basis can we say one transition program is more effective than another? In other words, how is successful transition defined? (3) How are…

The utility of the Wilms study for policy making in vocational education is critically examined. A set of criteria for examining research for policy is presented and then applied to the Wilms study with the conclusion that because of its weaknesses the report cannot be taken seriously for policymaking although it has done a service to the…

Obtaining accurate, comprehensive data for vocational education has been one of the more elusive objectives of federal policy. Given the long history of unsuccessful attempts to improve the quality and scope of data on vocational education, it is important to understand the lessons of the past before embarking on a new data collection effort…

The growing complexity of policy decisions in such areas as education and manpower necessitates increased research, which in turn requires an adequate data base and adequate methodology. Recognition that the variables affecting the vocational and educational choices of high school graduates are interrelated and require examination from several…

This two-part paper attempts to establish the facts about, and to debate the merits of, using individual earnings information collected quarterly by states from employers as a source for vocational education performance assessment. The first part of the paper explores three topics: (1) who wants to know about the earnings of vocational education…

Several methods for determining priorities for research in agricultural education can be cited. These include the following: to rely on individual initiative, as has been done in the past; to get organized as a profession and reach agreement regarding research priorities at the national, regional, or state levels; to wait for federal and state…

A literature review was conducted to derive a set of policy implications for improving the effectiveness of vocational education. Variables in the areas of employment, education and training, and ancillary effects (aspirations, attitudes and values, feelings of success, and citizenship) were used to organize data collected from 232 studies…

The report presents results of two seminars, held in Miami (Florida) and Cambridge (England), in which representatives of two groups, The European Association for International Education and the National Association for Foreign Student Affairs: Association of International Educators, met for intensive discussion of the methods for and design of…

Vocational education and training (VET) research in Australia has changed dramatically in the last 10 years. In a 1993 report titled "No Small Change," VET research was characterized as a fragmented activity that was underfunded and had little or no relevance to policy or practice in the VET sector. Since that time, increased funding through the…

The experiences of early school leavers in a New South Wales Central Coast community during the year after they left school were examined to identify ways of easing their transition into the community and the work force. Data were collected through interviews with community service providers, representatives of educational agencies, refuge…

This document contains 11 reports from a 2-day meeting on how to report on investments in vocational education and training in enterprises and whether such reporting is worthwhile. The document begins with a brief overview of the meeting and the meeting agenda. The remainder of the report is devoted to the meeting papers, which are titled as…

The educational surveys of which some account is given in this bulletin do not by any means represent all the foreign investigations that have been made; it is believed, however, that they will serve to acquaint American students of education with certain foreign types, and at the same time throw some light on the history of surveys and of…

Australian education and training and vocational education and training (VET) research are in a state of crisis. Both the higher education and VET sectors are now squeezed and subject to contradictory objectives, multiple accountabilities, heightened expectations, and diminished resources in an environment of uncertainty and frustration. The…

This document contains 17 case studies and other papers on the impact of research and development on decision making in Australia's vocational education and training (VET), technical and further education (TAFE), and adult and community education (ACE) sectors. The following papers are included: "Introduction" (Chris Selby Smith);…