ISBN 978-3-8439-5661-1

978-3-8439-5661-1, Reihe Wirtschaftspädagogik

Tobias Hackenberg
Essays on the Digital Shift in VET-Education: Curricular Requirements, Instructional Development, and Pre-Service Teachrs' Value Beliefs

182 Seiten, Dissertation Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (2025), Softcover, A5

Zusammenfassung / Abstract

This cumulative dissertation employs Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory (1979, 1989) as a theoretical framework to examine the multifaceted challenges and dynamics of digital education implementation in Germany. By adopting a multi-level systems perspective, the dissertation investigates how structural, institutional, and individual factors intersect to shape digital transformation processes in the educational landscape. The first study is situated at the exosystem level and analyzes the integration of digital aspects within the curricular guidelines of Germany’s dual vocational education and training (VET) system. These curricular frameworks serve as regulatory instruments that establish baseline competency expectations, thereby influencing the scope and quality of digital education provision. The second study, positioned within the mesosystem, explores teachers’ perceptions of their digital identity and the contextual factors that enable or constrain their ability to integrate digital technologies. The findings underscore the interdependence between individual agency and institutional context, revealing that teachers’ digital practices are shaped not only by classroom-level conditions but also by broader institutional and policy environments. The third study operates at the microsystem level and investigates pre-service teachers’ value beliefs and uncertainties concerning technology-enhanced, student-centred pedagogies. As future educators, their beliefs and perceptions are pivotal for the sustainable integration of digital technologies into everyday teaching practice, highlighting the importance of targeted teacher education that fosters both digital competencies and pedagogical confidence. The dissertation contributes to a more nuanced understanding of how educational policies, institutional structures, and educators’ beliefs converge to influence the efficacy and sustainability of digital education reforms.