Tensions in Workplace Learning of Early Career Teachers in Vocational Education

Abstract

Context: Early career teachers in vocational education and training (VET) often enter teaching with substantial occupational expertise but limited pedagogical preparation. While formal teacher education has received considerable research attention, less is known about how workplace conditions shape the learning and professional development of early career VET teachers. This paper explores how abductive hypotheses can contribute to understanding and supporting workplace learning in VET workplaces. Approach: The paper draws on an ongoing pragmatic multiple-case study conducted across four Danish VET institutions. The empirical material was generated through dialogue meetings, group and individual interviews, observations, and local and cross-institutional workshops involving early career teachers, experienced teachers, and school leaders. The research followed a nonlinear process in which empirical observations, analysis, and collaborative inquiry continuously informed one another. Emerging hypotheses were developed from recurring tensions in the empirical material and subsequently explored and refined through workshop discussions with participants. Findings: The inquiry generated three abductive hypotheses concerning early career teachers’ uncertainty about teaching quality, the challenges of student diversity, and the limitations of generic onboarding practices. The workshop process showed that the value of the hypotheses did not primarily lie in confirming or rejecting them. Rather, participants’ responses redirected attention towards the organisational and relational conditions through which workplace learning takes place. In particular, discussions highlighted the importance of opportunities for feedback, dialogue, mentoring, practical guidance, and participation in professional communities. Conclusions: The study illustrates how abductive hypotheses can function as provisional resources for inquiry rather than as propositions to be verified. Their value lies in creating opportunities to explore and challenge emerging understandings across researchers, teachers, and leaders. The study therefore contributes to understanding workplace learning as an organisational and collective process and suggests that onboarding early career VET teachers involves more than introducing them to organisational procedures: it also requires creating conditions for participation, professional dialogue, feedback, and ongoing learning in the workplace.