For many academic programs, achieving authentic learning environments is difficult because existing learning activities are often structured around artificial contexts and presented in ways that fail to connect with the students in ways that they perceive have value in their lives (Luo, Murray, & Crompton, 2017). As a result, these inauthentic…

This article argues that carpentry is as much an intellectual as a physical activity. Terms are defined, the problem is outlined, examples are given, and some general conclusions are drawn for education. Some sketches are provided for graphic illustration of the examples. The interpretation in effect is pragmatic and cites Dewey on occasion to…

This article examines a critical incident during research investigating a new assessment system for on-job learning in carpentry. The system was designed to establish clear relationships between supportive learning environments and purposeful, professional assessment of learners' progress through "naturally occurring evidence" on…

A qualitative research project was conducted to test the viability of augmenting an e-learning program for workplace learners using mobile content delivered through smart phones. Ten learners taking a six week web-based e-learning course were given smart phones which enabled them to access approximately 70% of the course content, in addition to…

This paper examines a high school apprenticeship program with a focus on the opportunities for "expansive" learning within three different contexts: schools, the training centre and worksites. The authors assume that while young people differ in the degree to which they engage in learning within different sites, the institutional…

Explores the link between Internet connectivity and access to global markets, and uses the South African wood furniture producers as they are integrated into global value chains and exposed to the demands of more sophisticated markets. Articulates policy recommendations to promote greater diffusion of e-commerce technologies in the wood furniture…

This paper examines the rationale for the Woodworking Skills section of a course on Practical Craft Skills which forms part of the new technology curriculum in Scottish Schools. Introduced with the intention of making technology subjects more accessible to a wider range of pupils, the subject has potential for contributing to a more inclusive…

Rather than rehash the scholarly debate about appropriate inquiry modes, this article presents an alternative philosophical framework (based on the American Indian medicine wheel) through which to view the quantitative-qualitative issue. The article also discusses practical considerations of the debate and examines implications for research,…

Hodgson Vocational Technical High School, New Castle County (Delaware), has recently converted from being a shared-time vocational center to being a full-time academic-vocational-technical school. As part of its restructuring, the school instituted a Senior Project, a three-part authentic assessment that combines a research paper, a shop product,…

A survey of former students of the Wisconsin Vocational, Technical, and Adult Education (VTAE) wood technics programs and employers in woodworking industries was conducted during spring of 1985. General objectives were to determine job classifications, types of businesses, and relative importance of tasks or duties in various woodworking-related…

Begun in 1978 to bring manual arts experience to children in Queensland's "disadvantaged country areas," the Mobile Manual Arts Unit by the end of the 1980 school year had visited 16 separate locations, involving 25 different schools. A total of 727 students had participated (out of a target population of 992 pupils) and a total of 259…