What is it like to be a vocational student today? A phenomenological study of the vocational student experience in school sixth form education

<p dir="ltr">Vocational education has a long history within the UK education system. Despite the various descriptions and guises, it remains an important part of the education to work transition. Within the traditionally academic setting of school sixth form education, vocational education is a relatively new phenomenon and therefore understandings of it are underdeveloped. A gap in knowledge identified through the study of relevant literature inspires this research to gain insights into the lived experience of the school sixth form vocational student.</p><p dir="ltr">An Interpretive Phenomenological Interpretation (IPA) approach was adopted to develop understandings of the meanings participants gave to their lived experiences of school sixth form vocational education. A reflexive researcher stance enabled close consideration of how data was gathered, enabling participants to contribute on their own terms in a natural environment. A novel data collection method was developed which utilised a self-governing focus group whereby participants contributed in a data collection space distanced from the interviewer. A methodologically congruent process of analysing focus group data was also developed and refined which attended to the individual account while acknowledging group social interactions.</p><p dir="ltr">The participants of this research experienced a greater degree of uncertainty in their vocational studies than in their academic studies. The uncertainty led to heightened experiences of flux, risk and compromise within their school lives. Vocational education within their sixth form setting provided nuanced opportunities to explore career options, ambitions and interests but required increased skills in tenacity for participants to navigate successfully to their career goals. Experiences of flux, risk and compromise drove participants to advance their wider skills beyond that those that are taught in the classroom. While participants negotiated the complex world of vocational education, they formed a new, tenacious identity as the school sixth form vocational student.</p><p dir="ltr">New understandings of vocational education in sixth form settings show there is a conflict in rhetoric between academically experienced teachers as guides and other influences such as peers, media and university which must be resolved by the participants themselves. Opportunities now arise in sixth forms to challenge current understandings and practice thereby facilitating improvements with positive outcomes for all stakeholders.</p>