Dynamic and Stability of Institutional Vocational Education in Bulgaria and Lithuania. An Empirically Verified Draft

Abstract

The main emphasis of the study lays on the transformation processes of the national vocational education systems of the post socialist, eastern European countries Bulgaria and Lithuania. The empirical findings which were won in the framework of this study, point to far reaching and for further development crucial differences regarding to structural depth or rather to the intensity (in terms of quality and quantity) of the changing processes of the countries of investigation. That is despite an at least partially similar historical background (post World War II) and despite similar conditions of the social transformation processes . The following is shown by the findings of the study : The ascertainable transformation processes of the national vocational education systems take place primarily by the means of functional adjustment on the changed conditions of other social systems such as economy and politics. Those changing processes take place rather reactively because of their functional connection between the institutional general education on the one hand and the structures and demands of the job market on the other hand. It is a retarded adaptation of changes in the neighbouring social systems. The empirical study also leads to fundamental findings with regard to the structures of decision and action in the vocational education systems and regarding to the influence of the groups of agents within the system under the aspect of the realization of educational reform initiatives.