Effectiveness of In-Service Vocational Education Teachers' Training Program Through Blended Learning Approaches in Punjab

Abstract

The apex body for the advancement of career and vocational education in Pakistan is the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC). The capacity building training program for the instructional staff of vocational training institutes was launched by NAVTTC in coordination with Gesellschaft fur International Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) to improve their teaching skills under the TVET reform program. The training program was launched through the blended learning approaches which combined various learning approaches. Blended learning was operationalised in this study as a combination of face-to-face learning mode, online learning mode, and offline learning mode. The study was aimed at the evaluation of the effectiveness of the blended learning approach that was applied for conducting in service vocational education teacher's training in Punjab. It was also aim of the study to compare the effectiveness of the various modes of learning i.e., face to face, online and offline phases. The present study used the theoretical framework of Kirkpatrick model with all four levels i.e. reaction, learning, behavior and results in the vocational sector which is the novelty of this research study. A census sampling method was used to include all the vocational teachers who got in-service training in pedagogy through blended learning approaches. A mixed-methods approach and embedded research design was applied in this study. The required infrastructural facilities for the blended learning approach were measured by conducting qualitative interviews. Curriculum analysis of the training modules was performed to analyze training objectives, contents, pedagogical methods, and assessment procedure. Training evaluation questionnaire was used to collect data from the vocational teachers (n=629) of the Punjab Vocational Training Council, those got in-service training with the blended learning approaches. The questionnaire was based on the framework of the Kirkpatrick model’s four levels. The results of the survey were endorsed through semi-structured interviews of admission and placement officers (APOs) and principals those also served as vocational teachers. The results of the present research revealed that face to face mode of learning was admired the most as compared to online and offline learning. Results further revealed that respondents were satisfied from four levels of training evaluation i.e. reaction, learning, behavior and results. Hierarchal relationship among the four levels was also observed. Reaction level has a strong relationship with learning level, learning level has a strong relationship with behavior level and behavior level has a strong relationship with results. The findings suggested that 61.5% time should be allocated for face to face learning mode whereas 20.75 and 17.75% time should be allocated for online and offline learning modes respectively for the better learning by applying blended learning approaches for in-service vocational education teachers’ training. This research added knowledge by the utilization of four levels of the Kirkpatrick model to evaluate the effectiveness of in-service vocational education and teachers' training through the blended learning approaches. The present research is very helpful for policymakers to formulate their policies regarding the delivery of in-service teachers training through blended learning. Training providers like Punjab TEVTA, PVTC, PSDF, Sanatzar, etc., can plan capacity building sessions for their instructional staff in a better way through the blended learning approaches.