Theories for practice: A participatory action research approach for the establishment of the regional association for vocational teacher education in Asia (RAVTE)

Abstract

The RAVTE is a civil society organization with 25 member universities and institutions from East and Southeast Asia, which are actively involved in Vocational Teacher Education (VTE) and in research on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). RAVTE was founded by delegates from 14 universities in nine countries from East and Southeast Asia. They signed a common constitution on the 28th of March 2014 on the premises of Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna in Chiang Mai/Thailand. Since then, RAVTE has established organizational structures, developed a Strategy and Action Plan 2015–2018 and started operations. To date (10th of May 2015), nine additional universities and polytechnics involved in VTE and in research on VET have joined the association. RAVTE, as an organization of the civil society, focusses on improving the VTE and consequently TVET systems in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) – region and beyond. RAVTE intends to support the political agenda with respect to the establishment of the AEC at the end of the year 2015, by contributing with research-based evidence and policy recommendations in order to enhance mobility and mutual acknowledgement of certifications in the region. The article provides an overview of the development of RAVTE, with a focus on the action research processes and the underlying theoretical approaches. Since RAVTE is a start-up, it is considered relevant to present, in the latter part of the article, RAVTE’s emergence as the result of the common development process. This article is not based on research nor does it intend to conduct a policy analysis. It is rather delivering a blueprint for development, which is based on participatory action research and underlying theories.