Development of Occupational Competence in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) College Students: Role of Assessment Feedback

Abstract

There is a general agreement that assessment feedback does not result in the automatic improvement of learning. Deliberate strategies for learning support aimed at student efficacy are therefore essential. While there are numerous studies on assessment feedback, it is not in the context of occupational competence needed for the twenty-first-century TVET student. This chapter offers a conceptual and empirical investigation of the interrelatedness of a competence assessment model and the impact thereof on the provision of meaningful assessment feedback. The competence assessment and development model (COMET) encompasses occupational competence diagnostics and equally so, the elements of teaching, learning, and training according to the COMET didactic approach for TVET (Rauner et al., Competence development and assessment in TVET (COMET), Springer, 2013; Hauschildt, COMET South Africa: final report and documentation of test results, Bremen University, 2016) and served as a theoretical framework for this study. The findings illustrate the need for a competence model capable of providing meaningful, reflective, and transformative assessment feedback to equip students with occupational competence for the world of work.