Methods of competence assessment in vocational education and training (VET) in Germany – A systematic review

Summery

Conducted on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of the ASCOT+ Research and Transfer Initiative

The aim of the present review is to provide a systematic overview of the methods of competence assessment currently available in German vocational education and training (VET). This comprises a general inspection of available instruments, obtaining insights into the scientific quality of these instruments, and subjecting them to critical consideration against the background of opportunities for implementation in practice. After initially inspecting 2,298 publications published between 2001 and 2017, 58 publications were selected for incorporation into the study. These publications include journal articles, monographs, and papers in edited volumes. The results of this review show that the available instruments particularly relate to the assessment of competencies in commercial occupations, industrial and technical occupations, and occupations in healthcare. In the case of commercial occupations, instruments are mainly in place for the training of industrial clerks. Instruments in the industrial and technical sector primarily refer to the assessment of competencies in vehicle mechatronics technicians. In the healthcare sector, instruments are predominantly at hand for trainee medical assistants, although it should be noted that the prevalence of eligible publications in healthcare is comparatively low compared to the other two occupational fields. Most instruments reviewed in this study deal with the identification of professional competencies (66%). These are followed by publications addressing general competencies such as mathematical skills and literacy (24%), and social and communicative competencies (9%). Instruments relating to the assessment of social and communicative skills seem to be particularly under-represented. In respect of the various types of instruments, a trend towards IT-supported approaches can be identified. The results further demonstrate that validation of the instruments is frequently ensured by an inspection of their content validity, which is in some cases complemented by other validation procedures. However, assessments of predictive validity appear to be largely absent. The reliabilities of the instruments are acceptable or good for the most part. In overall terms, this study demonstrates that there is already a solid basis of diagnostic instruments for the assessment of competencies in vocational education and training. Yet, it would be desirable to expand the development of instruments to encompass a broader spectrum of occupations and occupational fields. Moreover, additional validation and piloting of the instruments need to take place so that they can be rendered usable for potential widespread transfer into practice.