Communities of learners for vocational orientation Optimising student learning and engagement in initial vocational education

There have been a large number of studies on communities of learners, mostly in the context of general education. They show that fostering communities of learners in the classroom can enhance student learning and engagement. Students enrolled in initial vocational education might also profit from learning environments that foster communities of learners. Up to now that topic has hardly been explored. This dissertation aims to contribute to filling this research gap. Based on a design research study it is argued how ‘communities of learners for vocational orientation’ can be fostered and lead to the enhancement of student engagement in the early years of Dutch initial vocational education. Further research is recommended to refine and consolidate the community of learners model, including the heuristics for the design of learning environments that foster such communities of learners. Further research may also provide more examples that enable educational practitioners to build on the insights of this study and foster communities of learners for vocational orientation in their particular classroom practices. Quasi-experimental studies are important to consolidate the indication that teaching and learning as communities of learners for vocational orientation lead to better learning results and well-developed vocational orientations.