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Learning in vocational schools and workplaces are the two main components of vocational education. Students have to develop professional competences by building meaningful relations between knowledge, skills and attitudes. There are, however, some major concerns about the combination of learning in these two learning environments, since vocational schools are primarily based on the rationales of learning and theory, while workplaces are based on the rationales of working and practice. This study therefore aims to structure empirical insights into students' learning processes during the combination of school-based learning and workplace learning in vocational education. A review-study has been conducted in which ultimately 24 articles were analyzed thoroughly. The review shows that students' learning processes in vocational schools and workplaces are related to six main themes: students' expertise development, students' learning styles, students' integration of knowledge acquired in school and workplace, processes of knowledge development, students' motivations for learning and students' professional identity development. Our results show that students are novices who use specific and different learning styles and learning activities in vocational schools and workplaces. It is concluded that the enhancement of students' learning processes needs to be adaptive and differentiated in nature. Recommendations for further research are elaborated and suggestions for the enhancement of students' learning processes are discussed using insights from hybrid learning environments and boundary crossing via boundary objects.Vocations and Learning

In a previous series of studies, a model of comprehensive competencebased vocational education (CCBE model) was developed, consisting of eight principles of competence-based vocational education (CBE) that were elaborated for four implementation levels (Wesselink et al. European journal of vocational training 40:38-51 2007a). The model thus consisted of 32 cells, all defined by text. It was developed to provide study programme teams working in vocational education with an instrument to assess the actual and desired "competentiveness" of their study programmes. "Competentiveness" refers to the extent to which study programmes are based on the principles of CBE that we formulated. The model is an instrument for analysing the alignment of study programmes with the defining principles of CBE and clarifying programme teams' intentions, i.e. the extent to which they wish to achieve higher levels of implementation of the different principles. This article presents the results of two studies, the aim of which was to identify adjustments the teachers felt were necessary to make the CCBE model a valid instrument for assessing the actual and desired "competentiveness" of their study programmes. In study A, 57 teachers evaluated the model during focus group discussions, resulting in a revised CCBE model consisting of ten principles for five levels of implementation. In study B, 151 teachers completed a questionnaire to evaluate the comprehensibility of the revised model. The study showed that teachers understood and interpreted the revised model as intended, were able to position their study programmes by using the revised model and that the content validity of the revised model was good.

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