TVET System Research

Research on TVET systems now comes up with various theoretical approaches. Apart from methodological issues, such as ‘typologies’, comparative criteria are crucial theoretical components by which existing TVET systems can be analysed. It is against this background—and not just by looking at the institutional and/or organisational pattern typical of a given TVET system—that underlying factors, such as the evaluation given to TVET, the different cultural imprints, the meaning of TVET and the political attention states dedicate to the field of post-compulsory education in general, should be taken into account. Differences between the German-speaking countries and the Anglo-Saxon world are hereby obvious and a good example for depicting cultural and pedagogical diversity in the field of TVET. The article focusses on various methodological perspectives for the purpose of understanding, among others, these differences.