What Makes a Good Teacher in Vocational Education? Students Talk Back

Abstract

Vocational education plays an important role in promoting socio-economic development. Yet, it is under-researched, especially in terms of what constitutes quality teaching and what is attributed to good vocational teachers through the lens of the student. The present study aims to explore concepts of exemplary teachers and the effective teaching of vocationally-oriented higher diploma (HD) students in Hong Kong. Adopting a thematic analysis, four themes and fourteen subthemes have been identified: i) teacher’s knowledge and skills (subject knowledge and specific vocational knowledge, technical skills, and pedagogical content knowledge); ii) teaching approaches and content (teaching in an interesting way, teaching in a clear way, teaching in an adaptive way, exam-oriented teaching, practical skills and knowledge of professional work, and integration of theory and practice); iii) teacher-student relationships (caring for students and friendliness); and iv) the teacher’s personal characteristics and roles (enthusiasm, dual identity, and role modelling). The findings reveal that good vocational teachers play a distinct dual role: not only do they need to be professionals in their subject and industry and competent in its pedagogy, they also have to possess practical skills and up-to-date vocational expertise relevant to the broader workplace. This research not only sheds light on the interrelationship between various attributes but also yields implications for various stakeholders.