Meaningful Practice Intervention: What Does It Look Like?

Abstract

This paper seeks to investigate critically the appropriateness of the use of common everyday language expressions such as ‘of course’, and consider the possible effects of our acceptance of these ‘common sense truths’ regarding the way things ought to be, without pausing to question their legitimacy. The background to this paper stems from the work the authors have undertaken in developing national education systems. We suggest that acknowledging our implicit ‘ideological’ frame of reference may significantly assist Vocational training practitioners to challenge the ‘hidden’ developmental context for the prescribed training practices and interventions, rather than simply continuing to perpetuate the ‘way things are’, our observations of this behavior in development contexts has informed the direction of this paper. In the rapidly changing educational environment, there is a need to at least confront existing practices/systems in order to ensure that training outcomes fit issues that are currently relevant to the community, and are not merely perpetuating previously ‘dominant values’ which are no longer appropriate. We are concerned that, despite the difficulty and personal challenges involved in posing interrogative questions of human development program implementation and standard designed ‘interventions’, if these questions remain unchallenged, the dominant values are likely to endure, a consideration of utmost importance. This paper explores the implementation of a balanced meaningful practice intervention model based on the assumption that a balanced cross-culturally relevant training approach requires the application of an appropriate model of planned intervention. Such an approach will require the acknowledgement that the asking of difficult and confronting questions around existing ‘institutionalized practice’ are essential if meaningful and relevant change practices are to be instituted.

Keywords: Meaningful practice, Applied learning, Vocational education and training, Vocational imperialism.

DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/11-22-01

Publication date: November 30^th 2021