Work-Based Learning in Migrant Education: The Case of Finnish Vocational Education

Katarzyna Kärkkäinen (), Maarit Hannele Virolainen, Anne Virtanen and Päivi Tynjälä
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Katarzyna Kärkkäinen: Finnish Institute for Educational Research, University of Jyväskylä, 40014 Jyväskylän yliopisto, Finland
Maarit Hannele Virolainen: Finnish Institute for Educational Research, University of Jyväskylä, 40014 Jyväskylän yliopisto, Finland
Anne Virtanen: Finnish Institute for Educational Research, University of Jyväskylä, 40014 Jyväskylän yliopisto, Finland
Päivi Tynjälä: Finnish Institute for Educational Research, University of Jyväskylä, 40014 Jyväskylän yliopisto, Finland

Social Sciences, 2025, vol. 14, issue 5, 1-20

Abstract: This study examines adult migrant students’ and Finnish vocational teachers’ experiences of migrant students’ learning in workplaces as part of vocational education and training qualifications. Theoretically, this study draws on previous research on students’ work-based learning, including insights from the 3P model (presage–process–product factors), as well as the literature on learning and working in a new linguistic and cultural context. The data were collected through individual interviews (n = 11) and a group interview (n = 6) with migrant students and individual interviews with vocational teachers (n = 13). The analysis provides insights into learner-specific and workplace-specific presage factors of migrant students’ learning at workplaces. We propose that these insights should be recognised when searching for new pedagogical solutions aiming at enhancing understanding of migrants’ learning at workplaces. The findings highlight the need to develop the integration of school-based and work-based learning while recognising (1) the benefits of workplace learning for migrant students’ learning and their journeys toward becoming members of work communities, and (2) stereotypical views that may hinder migrants’ efforts to access the benefits of learning in the workplace.

Keywords: adult learning; migrant education; vocational education and training; work-based learning; adult migrants (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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