From global rhetoric to local reality : local possibilities and interests to implement global policies of sustainable development in vocational education of Finland and China
Yli-Arvela, Riikka (2018)
2018
Kasvatustieteiden tutkinto-ohjelma - Degree Programme in Educational Studies
Kasvatustieteiden tiedekunta - Faculty of Education
This publication is copyrighted. You may download, display and print it for Your own personal use. Commercial use is prohibited.
Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2018-09-20
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:uta-201809252597
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:uta-201809252597
Tiivistelmä
The aim of this research was to find out the relation between global policies of sustainable development and local strategies of vocational education in Finland (Pirkanmaa region) and in China (Guangdong province). The goal was also to understand the aims and goals of vocational education strategies at local level, to find out the position of sustainable development in these strategies and finally to examine the factors that could explain the variation between Finland and China.
The research method was comparative qualitative research. The core material was collected by interviews during spring 2017. Material also contained four examples of curricula of the schools. In Finland the research was located at Pirkanmaa region and in China at Guangdong province. The interviews and interpretations in Guangdong were operated in cooperation with researchers from South China Normal University, having great impact on this research to be completed successfully. In Finland the results could be translated to concern whole country, but in China, because of very different economic and cultural situation between different provinces, it only includes Guangdong, and cannot be interpreted to concern other provinces.
The main result of the research was that global policies of sustainable development have stronger relation with local strategies of vocational education in Finland than in China. Additionally, the aims and goals of vocational education are different. The only similar aim in both countries was the goal to educate professionally highly skilled workers according to the demands of labour markets and industry. Aims that were different, were the facts that Chinese vocational education also pays more attention to students’ social ability and place at the society, by building up their courage and competence and cheering to take care of the community they live in. In Finland, the aim was to educate acknowledging, responsible and independent students. The position of sustainable development in local strategies was clearly different. In Finland, sustainable development was taken into account by developing strategies about sustainable actions, and by monitoring and evaluating the actions. In China, sustainable development did not have a place in local strategies. Although some issues presented in the local strategies had elements of sustainable development, they could not be interpreted as sustainable actions, since it was not included in their core meaning.
Variation between countries was explained through three factors. The first one was the speed of socio-economic growth: the stability of local circumstances and situation in Finland is quite stable while in China it is labelled by rapid growth. The second factor was the form of administration and decision making at education, which in Finland is decentralized while in China, it is centralized. The third explaining factor was the position and status of vocational education in educational system. In Finland, all education paths are almost equally appreciated, whereas in China academic education is highly appreciated and vocational education is seen as the weak part of education system.
The conducted research suggests that the global policies of sustainable development should, beside their impressive and admirable goals, take the local circumstances of their implementation more into consideration. If policies and strategies of sustainable development started from the grass- root level, they could have better possibilities to come through, rather than get lost in the middle of a long journey from global rhetoric to local reality. Place-based policy making should play a stronger role in strategies of vocational education for sustainable development, which concern every
country, but in different ways. The values and principles guiding vocational education should be taken into account, since they have a vital role in defining the future of this planet.
The research method was comparative qualitative research. The core material was collected by interviews during spring 2017. Material also contained four examples of curricula of the schools. In Finland the research was located at Pirkanmaa region and in China at Guangdong province. The interviews and interpretations in Guangdong were operated in cooperation with researchers from South China Normal University, having great impact on this research to be completed successfully. In Finland the results could be translated to concern whole country, but in China, because of very different economic and cultural situation between different provinces, it only includes Guangdong, and cannot be interpreted to concern other provinces.
The main result of the research was that global policies of sustainable development have stronger relation with local strategies of vocational education in Finland than in China. Additionally, the aims and goals of vocational education are different. The only similar aim in both countries was the goal to educate professionally highly skilled workers according to the demands of labour markets and industry. Aims that were different, were the facts that Chinese vocational education also pays more attention to students’ social ability and place at the society, by building up their courage and competence and cheering to take care of the community they live in. In Finland, the aim was to educate acknowledging, responsible and independent students. The position of sustainable development in local strategies was clearly different. In Finland, sustainable development was taken into account by developing strategies about sustainable actions, and by monitoring and evaluating the actions. In China, sustainable development did not have a place in local strategies. Although some issues presented in the local strategies had elements of sustainable development, they could not be interpreted as sustainable actions, since it was not included in their core meaning.
Variation between countries was explained through three factors. The first one was the speed of socio-economic growth: the stability of local circumstances and situation in Finland is quite stable while in China it is labelled by rapid growth. The second factor was the form of administration and decision making at education, which in Finland is decentralized while in China, it is centralized. The third explaining factor was the position and status of vocational education in educational system. In Finland, all education paths are almost equally appreciated, whereas in China academic education is highly appreciated and vocational education is seen as the weak part of education system.
The conducted research suggests that the global policies of sustainable development should, beside their impressive and admirable goals, take the local circumstances of their implementation more into consideration. If policies and strategies of sustainable development started from the grass- root level, they could have better possibilities to come through, rather than get lost in the middle of a long journey from global rhetoric to local reality. Place-based policy making should play a stronger role in strategies of vocational education for sustainable development, which concern every
country, but in different ways. The values and principles guiding vocational education should be taken into account, since they have a vital role in defining the future of this planet.