Wenger's (1998) concepts "community of practice," "brokering," and "transfer" explain the challenges co-operative (co-op) education students face in relating the knowledge learned in school with what they learn while participating as members of a workplace. The research for this paper is set within the contexts of the knowledge economy and…

This paper describes cases of two adolescents with learning disabilities working in automotive repair businesses as part of a work-based education program. Neither adolescent was judged to have been successful by the workplace supervisors. The frameworks chosen for analyzing these cases draw upon recent work in self-determination, workplace…

Of 782 community college and university students in education and nursing, 38% had participated in high school cooperative education; 48% did so to test a chosen career, 15% for general experience, and 14% to explore a career. Time constraints and lack of appropriate placements were the major reasons for nonparticipation. (Contains 27 references.)…

Interviews with four co-op students as well as parents, cooperating teachers, and workplace supervisors were analyzed as multiple-perspective cases, by stakeholder groups, and across cases. Focus groups provided additional data from seven co-op students. All stakeholders believed that co-op broadened the school curriculum. Adults were more…

This paper is concerned with the challenges of qualitative research on workplace learning that occurs within co-operative (co-op) education. Co-op education is extensive in Canada, with an estimated 10% of the student population enrolled in co-op secondary education each year. The context for this study was a veterinary clinic in which four co-op…

Analysis of cooperative education policy documents from nine Ontario school districts indicated that statements about evaluation, remediation, equity, and teacher qualifications were inconsistent. Although the Ministry of Education and Training prescribes co-op for delivery of academic subjects. districts focus exclusively on career preparation…

Case studies were conducted of four female cooperative education (co-op) students who participated in two 4-month co-op placements in a veterinary clinic as part of a high school biology credit. Two graduate students gathered data onsite during two phases: an initial 2-month period that oriented the methods of the inquiry at the clinic to match…

Research on co-op education in Canadian secondary schools indicates that it was under-appreciated in ministry policy. However, participants felt that cooperative education was a career exploration opportunity, contextualized the academic curriculum, taught work ethics, and prepared students for postsecondary programs. A clearer commitment to…