Further Education (FE) Perspectives: Part 1

This edited volume is the first of two parts, which are based on a call for international contributions on Further Education (FE) themes that are empirically focused with related abstracts for international audiences.The themes include artificial intelligence (AI), FE and higher education (HE), professional identities, pedagogy, reflective practice (RP), TVET, AI, and Identities. Further education (FE) in England, historically, acts as an inclusive and widening participatory role to further former compulsory learners lifelong learning aims, which include both academic and vocational studies. The diversity of its institutions complements the porosity and inclusivity of FE, and the vocational nature of the sector is further highlighted by the fact that a significant percent of its teaching staff teach in occupational/vocational programmes. These occupational/work-related courses in FE are known as vocational education and training (VET), or technical vocational education and training (TVET) internationally, and FE highlights the porosity, inclusivity, and diversity of this sector. Due to these characteristics, the FE sector is the least understood of the education sectors, and lacks a single, coherent voice. Other significant socio-cultural factors relate to the preponderance of work-related programme offers, which are viewed as second best to academic ones. FE and TVET systems also exist in various forms in other parts of the world, such as Australia, Europe, India, New Zealand, and South Africa, and the "English context" needs to be considered when investigating the FE sector in general.

This book focuses on international research by academics, researchers and experienced practitioners in the Further Education sector covering artificial intelligence (AI), professional identities (of teachers and teacher educators), teacher education and policy, out-of-home care training, reflective and embodied practices and GCSE resits.

Readers who wish to learn more about this topic can refer to "Further Education (FE) Perspectives: Part 2: Pedagogy, Technical and Vocational Education and Training, and the Further Education-Higher Education Interface".