Boundary objects as a starting point for reflective learning in vocational education and training classrooms

Monika Øgård

doi:10.3384/njvet.2242-458X.2414424

Authors

Monika Øgård University of Agder, Norway https://orcid.org/0009-0007-3477-0926

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3384/njvet.2242-458X.2414424

Keywords:

boundary crossing, boundary object, reflection on/for action, elaboration of vocational concepts, workplace learning, perspective taking/making

Abstract

This article examines the use of thematic assignments developed by vocational education and training (VET) teachers in Norway that focus on students’ work practices. In the Norwegian VET system, students attend two years of upper secondary school, followed by two years of apprenticeship at the workplace. The aim of the article is to point out how their work practice experiences can be brought back into the classroom by using specific boundary objects called ‘thematic assignments’. The article examines the following research question: How does working with boundary objects in the classroom contribute to students’ understanding and elaboration of vocational concepts? The data sources consist of semi-structured observations in the classroom and diaries written by the students during their work placements. This study is based on the idea of boundary crossing, using reflection and writing tasks to support students’ elaboration of vocational concepts. The discussion argues that the classroom is an appropriate environment for the elaboration of technical terms, that is, the development of vocational concepts via a specific boundary object. This article also discusses writing diaries as a starting point for students’ reflections to support the development of naive vocational concepts into more elaborate ones through experiencing their use in the workplace.

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