The Impact Of Classroom And Work Integrated Learning Assessments In Technical And Vocational Education And Training Colleges

Abstract

The impact of classroom and Work Integrated Learning (WIL) assessments may only be positive if the qualities related to self-employment, or entrepreneurship are assessed. The current study investigates the extent to which the classroom and WIL assessments help in determining the required quality of knowledge and skills to establish self-employment or entrepreneurship. The main investigative question that was posed was: ‘What is the impact of classroom and WIL assessments in the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges? To respond to this question, the study used both the quantitative and the qualitative research methodologies in a mixed-methods approach. The purpose of the study was to ascertain whether the classroom and the WIL assessments impact self-employment or entrepreneurship opportunities. The data was statistically and narratively analysed from a purposeful and convenient sample of four TVET colleges. The findings revealed that the WIL assessments have an impact on self-employment, employability, and on the entrepreneurial abilities because they allow the students to apply what they have learned in the classroom to a real-life situation. The findings also revealed that the classroom assessments do not enable the students to apply the knowledge that is gained during the teaching and learning process to the challenging real-life situations. The study recommended that both the WIL and the classroom assessments should assess equal knowledge and skills pertaining to addressing the real-life situations. There are still unanswered questions in the literature on the correlation between the WIL and classroom assessments when evaluating self-employment, employability, and entrepreneurial skills.