Educational learning lab supporting innovation adoption in vocational education

Abstract

This article explores the implementation and sustainability of innovative educational practices in a joint collaborative research project involving Estonia and Lithuania. Four interventions following the Educational Learning Lab approach were designed to counteract drop-out from vocational education and training for young people at risk of social exclusion. The study investigates the conditions for vocational teachers' knowledge appropriation leading to sustainable innovation in the empowerment of vulnerable students. Through applying the Knowledge Appropriation Model to the design of intervention cases, data collection and analyses, the article discusses how knowledge maturation, scaffolding, and appropriation practices emerged during the Educational Learning Labs. © © 2025 Väljataga, Ümarik, Loogma, Bentsalo, Daukilas, Kaminskiene, Vaitkute, Gedviliene and Tutlys.

Keywords

Author Keywords

VET intervention Innovation adoption educational learning lab knowledge appropriation model

Index Keywords

Author Affiliations

School of Educational Sciences, Tallinn University, Tallinn, Harjumaa, Estonia

Institute of Education, Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, Kaunas, Lithuania

Funding & Acknowledgements

European Environment Agency, EEA

The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research and/or publication of this article. This research has been supported by the project Vocational education and workplace training enhancing social inclusion of at-risk young people (EmpowerVET) using a grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants. The aim of the project is to explore how vocational education and training (VET) can enhance the social inclusion of young people at-risk, both in terms of combating school drop-out rates and promoting transitions between various (social) learning contexts, such as the school-work transition. The project contract with the Research Council of Lithuania is (LMTLT) No S-BMT-21-2 (LT08-2-LMT-K-01-010).

Lietuvos Mokslo Taryba, LMT

Grant: S-BMT-21-2, LT08-2-LMT-K-01-010

The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research and/or publication of this article. This research has been supported by the project Vocational education and workplace training enhancing social inclusion of at-risk young people (EmpowerVET) using a grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants. The aim of the project is to explore how vocational education and training (VET) can enhance the social inclusion of young people at-risk, both in terms of combating school drop-out rates and promoting transitions between various (social) learning contexts, such as the school-work transition. The project contract with the Research Council of Lithuania is (LMTLT) No S-BMT-21-2 (LT08-2-LMT-K-01-010).

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Educational learning lab supporting innovation adoption in vocational education

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