Thematic Analysis of Educational Dimensions and Components in the Development of Vocational Technical Education

The purpose of this study was thematic analysis of educational dimensions and components in the development of vocational technical education based on the experiences of selected countries. Therefore, this research employed a qualitative methodology using the content analysis of relevant texts from selected countries to identify the dimensions and components of education in the development of vocational technical education. The unit of analysis was based on all previous articles in reputable databases and websites as well as the use of authoritative books in the field of technical and vocational educational development. Accordingly, the total area of research was 51 items, including books and articles in reputable databases and websites in the field of technical vocational training in selected countries indexed in valid databases between 1983 and 2020. The countries that were purposefully selected were China, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States because they are leaders in technical and vocational education. The proposed Atrid-Stirling (2001) method was used to analyze the data. The results showed that the dimensions and components of education that play a major role in the development of technical and vocational education are skills development, transformation of educational system, development of internship, change in student recruitment, needs assessment, change in goals, change in content, change in teaching and teaching methods and change in evaluation methods; each of these components had different sub-sections. Based on the successful experiences of leading countries, these factors could have a very positive educational impact on the development of technical and vocational education and they are recommended to facilitate and improve the quality of vocational training and technical in Iran.