Empirical Conceptualisation of Integrative Learning. A Focus on Theory-Practice Integration in Technical Vocational Education and Training

The integrative learning of theory and practice has been widely recognised as a cornerstone of today’s technical vocational education and training (T-VET). Considerable uncertainty persists regarding how to construe such integrative learning, let alone regarding how it proceeds or what it generates. This article reports an in-depth qualitative study designed to clarify the concept of integrative learning by advancing current understanding of what constitutes the integrative learning of theory and practice (ILTP) in terms of both its process and its outcome aspects. In all, 48 key actors in dual T-VET (students, tutors and mentors) participated in serial focus groups, class observations and apprenticeship observations. The constant comparison method was used to generate a description of both the learning process and the learning outcome based on descriptive axial dimensions along which learning and knowledge were positioned. More specifically, we distinguished three process dimensions (intentionality, time of the prompt and locus of learning) and three outcome dimensions (purpose, logic and locus of integrated knowledge). All in all, the findings can be understood only in consideration of co-existing perspectives on integration according to which the separation of theory and practice is more or less marked. The article discusses expected implications for practitioners and future research.