Abstract
Keywords
Introduction
Many educational systems are facing a dilemma: on one hand, they wish to equalize the life chances of their students, on the other hand, they are expected to prepare them for positions in a differentiated labor market (Shavit & Müller, 2000). Based on a case study of the best vocational high schools for the competency of Audio-Video Techniques, it is doubtful that these vocational high schools will be able to face the 2015 ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). The competence qualifications of vocational high school graduates are still low or categorized into operator-level. Meanwhile, the competence of vocational high school graduates as a product of the implementation of the 2006-2012 curriculum was very good. In the free trade era of 2015 AEC, the competence is not adequate to face the changes from analog to digital technology. The Curriculum 2013 as an effort of changing basic competency is until recently still under revision. This will certainly affect the changes in the orientation of instruction. More particularly, there will be changes from workshop-oriented instruction such as in 2006 to laboratory instruction. Good teachers are effective communicators who are ready for the presentation they give. The main teaching fundamentals include Communication, preparation, demonstration, and presentation (Petrina, 2007).
There were three approaches to the curriculum used in the learning development of vocational education in Indonesia that were conducted until 2012: the curriculum as materials, curriculum as a product, and the curriculum as a process. The curriculum is showing competency standards that have been achieved and demonstrated performance of vocational graduates in Indonesia in the era of free trade in 2015 AEC. Further development of learning was developed based on the curriculum as a contextual praxis. Praxis is the process by which a theory, lesson, or skill is enacted, practiced, or realized. A new understanding in the curriculum is sought for the expansion of the concept of the curriculum as a process with the addition of the need for a common commitment to agree (among the authors of education) on activities that are necessary (as part of the learning process) to achieve specific targets that have been set (Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan, 2013).
These changes in the orientation of classroom instruction become important. Vocational education is the key to human resource development and energy technology development for the environment. Social awareness of the related technology in the context of vocational high school becomes even more important in this AEC era. AEC requires the awareness and concern of the society, students, and parents, which is still lacking (Kacan, 2014). Meanwhile, future education demands to implement holistic instruction. Skilled human beings who will be able to adapt with different environments are measured not only based on learning achievements in the class but also by their concern on energy resources. Vocational education instruction is characterized by teaching and learning and training that emphasize practical instruction to obtain technical skills and theoretical understanding in the field of technology and engineering related to energy exploitation. Therefore, practical and theoretical instruction should be able to provide expert competency that can support students in their employment and can be easily understood by the students.
Application of learning in vocational education in Indonesia role of effective teachers is a key element in a variety of dispositions, knowledge, and skills. The focus of lesson planning and instructional purposes is a fundamental tool to demonstrate the application, explanation, and the implications of technology for students. Demonstration is the single most effective method for technology teachers. Therefore, the practical and theoretical instruction should be able to provide expert competencies that can support the students in their work and can be easily understood by students. The successful implementation of Kolb’s (1984) theory that involves studying in four phases including reflection activities, abstract conceptualization, concrete experience and experience activities which is connected with the conduct, sensing, observing, reflecting, thinking, and planning.
The Indonesian vocational education focuses on teaching something appropriate and efficient for the society; the teaching and learning is instructional and based on technology development in the society, learning material selection has wide perspectives, and students can be convinced with the reality in the job. One of the important components in the regulations of vocational education is teacher. Teacher’s roles in development instruction in vocational education based on the findings of J.A. van Beek, de Jonga, Minnaert, and Wubbelsc (2013) are not distinguished based on whether they teach theory or practicum and their pedagogical abilities. This should be noted for the development of vocational education in Indonesia. Teachers should be able to identify learning priority, but they have to do it for each student and defend the decision made. The knowledge base that is taken is to develop students’ skills (Sinnema, Meyer, & Aitken, 2017). Achievement of competency standards that include attitudes, knowledge, and skills of the direction of development of vocational education–oriented education and training, the justification for the existence and legitimacy, the focus on the content of the curriculum, and learning success, are sensitive to the development of society; and cooperation with the community (Finch & Crunkilton, 1984).
This objective of this research is to reveal a model of teacher efforts in planning and implementing learning activities models in vocational education in Indonesia based on quality assurance.
It aims to explore the patterns or models of instruction as practiced by teachers by developing the instructional guidelines stated in the Minister Regulations No. 41 of 2007 that were implemented from 2006 to 2012. The description of the instruction implementation will be in the form of evolutional studies that will be converted into patterns in System Influence Diagrams (SIDs). The SID patterns obtained are assumed to be the easy and flexible instruction model that can be used by teachers in facing the various obstacles and challenges in realizing vocational education curriculum in the up and coming AEC free trade era.
Research Methodology
Method
The research is focused on instruction evaluation employing field of inquiry with qualitative-interpretive or quantitative-verification approach. This kind of research is basically aimed to find truth through empirical facts L. J. Maleong (2001). The selection of the paradigm model is based on McMillan and Schumacer (2001), where multipluralities are assumed to be socially constructed through individual and collective perceptions when looking at a similar situation. The research on instructional implementation adopted descriptive approach and the interpretation of the qualitative research is illustrated in Figure 1.
A model of evaluation and review of teaching and learning design.
The implementation of learning quality–based learning in vocational education is the value of the quality of the National Education Standards which includes the standards of graduate content, processes, and competencies that guarantee the management of ISO 9001: 2008. Vocational education that applies ISO 9001: 2008 standards guarantees the quality of service implementation in the implementation of learning in accordance with the National Education Standards.
The ISO 9001: 2008 quality management system really focuses on systems that are built on requirements; there is no other purpose, except for increasing customer satisfaction in your school (school residents). Who are your school customers? Students, Guardians of Students, Teachers, Staff, Employees, Principals, supplier institutions for your school needs, and your school partner institutions. So ISO 9001: 2008 QMS notes that customers play a very important role in setting requirements as input. Monitoring customer satisfaction in your school with the evaluation of information related to how customers perceive your school has fulfilled the requirements of your school’s customer satisfaction.
What is the quality management system methodology, namely, “Plan, Do, Check, Action” (PDCA), can it be applied in your school to all work units to carry out the planning processes?
Plan: At this planning stage your school sets school goals or targets and the planning process needed to deliver results that are in line with customer satisfaction requirements in your school and the decision policies taken by your school.
Do: Do and implement planning processes that have been agreed upon together.
Check: Check or monitor and measure the management system processes implemented in your school and measure the results (educational quality service products) and then compare them with policies, quality goals in each work unit with the results requirements in school/school products and then report the results.
Act: Take action to continually improve process performance.
Research Subjects
The phenomenon under research is the implementation of instructional concepts based on Curriculum 2006 in Vocational High School, using theoretical and practical instructions in the workshop/laboratory. Opinions or statements were collected from three vocational high school teachers, three pre-service vocational high school teachers, students from two classes, and school personnel.
The learning model in the 2006-2012 curriculum is a learning model that has received ISO 9001: 2008 quality assurance assessment. This learning model becomes important for confirmation to get an overview of the implementation of the learning model relevant to the needs of the vocational high school as needed by the business and industry to face the AEC era. The focus of the study was on one school used to model for observation.
The success of the ISO 9001: 2008 Quality Management System in improving the effectiveness and efficiency as well as the development of quality in the industrial sector is used to offer opportunities for education in Indonesia. These efforts are used for the implementation of education activities in vocational schools to produce competence of school graduates in accordance with the needs of business and industry to become a national and international workforce.
Data Collection and Analysis
Data were gathered by means of documentation, observation, and interview from 2009 to 2013. Open-ended questions are used in qualitative inquiry–based research approach from the responses of teachers and students (Patton, 2000). The data were analyzed qualitatively on the ground of Colaizzi’s theory through interviews in the forms of transcripts with keywords to identify the instructional activities. The ontological assumptions that frame Interactive Qualitative Analysis (IQA) directly address the dependence of knowledge and power positions between the researcher and the participants (Northcutt & McCoy, 2004).
The meanings collected were then formulated into aspects of theoretical and practical learning from all categories and compared with the planning standards and observation during the instructional activities. At the final stage, the data belonging to the same categories were grouped into sub-themes and themes. The data analysis technique used was IQA (Northcutt & McCoy, 2004: 45) through individual interview compared with cross-interview.
The determination of participants is purposively based on the qualifications of teachers and students. The data component is obtained through information and informants who have the quality of the application of the learning model, namely (a) Documentation of learning planning data, (b) the organization/categorization of data on the concept of education quality–based learning models based on ISO 9001: 2008, and (3) data connection to show how to apply learning models to vocational education using system information diagram (SIDs).
Research Procedure
Data collection uses a variety of different techniques to purposively determine participants who are determined based on the qualifications of teachers and students based on the field of technological expertise and engineering in the electronics engineering program.
The research focus includes the following: instructional planning and the activities of students, teachers, personnel, and principals in optimizing outcomes of theoretical and practical instructions. IQA was used to reveal how teachers, school personnel, and students implement the instructions. The components that determine the success of the instructional activities will be used to solve problems and face the challenges posed by AEC. The data obtained from this analysis were used to sharpen and explain the affinity of the components in the instructions. The ideal instructions to be conducted in vocational high schools were determined based on a number of components and protocol interview, SIDs, and observation. The information acquired was a cycle of affinity illustrated in a diagram of model affinity or a pattern of components with affinity in instructional implementation. The focus of this research was determined in three phases. First was the orientation to gain important information to find, and overview of the quality assurance of curriculum implementation in schools. Next, Negeri (State Vocational) exploration was intended to find particular things in the instructions, and finally member check to check the conformity of the findings to certain procedures for final report.
This study used qualitative research methods. The approach to qualitative research methods, IQA, to integrate and reconcile several disjunctures of the competence of a vocational student is influenced by the main factor, namely, the quality assurance of the learning process. The vocational learning process essentially refers to the implementation of the vocational education model. Guaranteed quality of learning is demonstrated through theoretical applications obtained through practical learning in workshops or laboratories that have to do with competency standards–based learning planning.
Data Analysis
Based on the SIDs, the focus group component of learning is carried out by three teachers in integrated learning theory and practice. The teacher carries out creativity to meet the achievement of the learning objectives formulated based on competency standards and basic competencies to achieve graduate competency standards. The description of the learning conditions shows the teacher’s performance in the form of team teaching. In one productive subject, there are two to three teachers who teach. So productive learning will be very conducive because 37 students are handled by two teachers. The teacher uses creativity to meet the achievement of graduate competency standards. Teacher’s performance in direct observation is verified by learning planning documents.
Planning
Learning planning can be said to be very good according to the quality assurance ISO-based learning teacher teaching file stored in the closet in the room, so that planning learning is always there. Learning planning includes analysis of curriculum/learning material, annual/semester program, lesson plan, teaching media/tools and materials, modules, handouts and jobsheets, resource book, attendance list, and student grade list.
Learning Methods
The application of learning models in the laboratory using project-based learning activities, according to Hilgarty, has a high value (Matiru, 1995) or direct practice. These methods make learning more interesting and students more easily understand the theory being taught, because students can apply the theory given according to the tools and materials planned. So there is an active class because the teacher who has made a learning plan according to the situation and condition of the school. The national standard of education in Indonesia is a quality assurance of the implementation of learning activities according to ISO 9001: 2008 qualification standards. The enthusiasm of vocational teachers seeks to independently improve their professional qualifications to prepare their students to be able to face technological developments.
Tools and Materials
Actually the occurrence of active learning is not due to tools and materials, but what is very influential is the performance competency of teachers who are able to make learning plans. The main planning is the identification of tools and materials for learning before the implementation of learning.
Evaluation and Learning Outcomes
The teacher’s efforts to guarantee the evaluation of students’ competencies in cognitive, affective, and psychomotor abilities for each time the teacher must be smart to choose the method that is appropriate to the student’s condition and the condition of the existing tools and materials. This is due to the fact that the number of tools does not meet the number of students. To overcome this problem, the teacher uses a project-based learning model. Learning activities are carried out in the form of assembly capabilities and component installation. The methods made in learning are more interesting and students more easily understand the theories taught, because students can apply the theories given. The national standard of education in Indonesia is a quality assurance of the implementation of learning activities according to ISO 9001: 2008 qualification standards. The enthusiasm of education teachers seeks to independently improve their professional qualifications to prepare their students to be able to face technological developments.
Vocational High School has been certified by ISO 9001:2008 for its quality management. Therefore, this vocational high school can be made the benchmark for the implementation of vocational high school instructions that are in line with the curriculum. Regulation of the Minister of Education Number 22 (2006).
The competency skills of Audio-Video Techniques in Vocational High School have been taught through theoretical and practical learning integrated into laboratory and workshop instructions. Based on the KTSP 2006 (School-Based Curriculum) amended through the Minister Regulation No. 28 of 2009, the learning materials in vocational high school are grouped into normative, adaptive, and productive categories. This competency is a field of expertise of technology and engineering developed based on the spectrum of standard competency of STANDAR KOMPETENSI DAN KOMPETENSI DASAR (SKKD) (Basic Competence and Standard Competency) based on the aforementioned regulation. The specified competency skills to be mastered by vocational high school students are required by the National Competency Skill Standards to enter job markets, namely, the industries and business.
The proportion of theory and practice is regulated in the KTSP 2006 based on the number of sessions required for one basic competence: Face-to-face session = 8 lesson hours, School Practicum = 28 lesson hours, and Industrial Practicum = 20 lesson hours. This composition is close to the ideal proportion of practice and theory, which is 30:70%. Results of the researcher’s evaluation referencing the standard content for the organization of instructional planning implementation are presented in Table 1.
The Organization of Learning Materials in the Syllabus at Vocational High School.
In the syllabus made by the teachers, there are the theoretical instructions (face-to-face session) and practical instructions (at school and the industry). The instructional activities undertaken in the laboratory or practicum room with face-to-face session are for theory, followed by practice. In addition to school practicum, there is industrial practicum for certain standard competences as listed in Table 1, namely, for the standard competence of repairing compact cassette recorder. Meanwhile, not all competency skills are trained in the industry. The practical instructions in the industry are given by giving theories for 3 months, and followed by practicum in the industry for another 3 months. The achievement of the teachers in implementing the syllabus in Table 1 is the value of the quality of learning in schools that received the ISO 9001: 2008 management certificate at the school. Vocational high schools organize skills programs in Indonesia; there are 100 schools with state status, 56 are in West Java. The syllabus shown in Table 1 is a syllabus that has been in accordance with the standard structure and content of the curriculum in SMK (Vocational High School) that has been certified ISO 9001: 2008. The SMK is a vocational high school with a guarantee of quality management that graduates of Vocational High School are ready to enter the workforce.
Instructional planning in laborartorium is designed in accordance to the available equipment and materials in the school. Rauner and Maclean (2008). Consequently, the instructional activities cannot be optimal and meet the standard competence implied in the Minister Regulation No. 28 of 2009, as revealed by results of interviews with head of the workshop and teachers of Vocational High School. Instructional development at Vocational High School is supported by four laboratories called BELMO in Indonesian, which stands for
The instructional planning designed by teachers contains the components of instructional objectives, handouts for theories and jobsheets for practice, instructional strategies or approaches with some methods, and instructional stages, media, and evaluation based on the format provided by the KTSP 2006. The instructional strategies are formulated into three main activities: introduction, main activity, and closing activity (Ministrial regulation, 2007). The obstacles faced by the teachers in formulating the instructional strategies mainly come from their inability in developing instructional standards in the laboratory because of the disproportional number of materials and equipment to the number of students. Nevertheless, out of the three teachers interviewed, two said that they always planned the instruction each time they would teach, and only one said she or he did it occasionally. Meanwhile, the quality of learning planning in accordance with Ministerial Regulation no. 41 of 2007 is determined based on the evaluation criteria based on the quality assurance management system in Table 2.
Data for Evaluation of Lesson Plans in the Laboratory/Practicum Room at Vocational High School.
Table 2 shows the highest scores or scores obtained with lesson plans for planning and manufacturing of electronic devices. Implementation of ISO 9001: 2008 was effectively done in education. The procedure was documented for the standard practices for management system that aims to guarantee conformity of a process and product (goods or services) to a particular need or requirement, where specific needs or requirements is determined by the customer and the organization.
The components of this lesson plan are in accordance with the validation results of system information design (SIDs), focus group components of instructional implementation based on the guidelines of lesson planning implied in the Minister’s Regulation No. 41 of 2007, and validated by observation peer observation, interview, documentation, and students’ comments. The conformity of laboratory-based lesson plans becomes the primary driver for the optimization of theoretical and instructional instructions. The components of focus group affinity used in the lesson plans consist of
Standard competence
Basic competence
Instructional implementation
Instructional materials
Competence of graduates
Laboratory
Learning method
Learning sources
Materials and equipment
Evaluation
Based on the results of interview, observation, and analysis of lesson plans, the lesson plan components have a close affinity to IQA as shown in Figure 2.
The relationship between SIDs components in the laboratory instructional activities at vocational high school.
The affinity of the lesson plan components in Figure 2 results in the diagram of the instructional implementation development model as shown in Figure 3.
Diagram of instructional implementation model of a vocational high school for the competence of audio-video technique.
The diagram in Figure 3 is the pattern of instructional implementation development that can be practiced with flexibility in accordance with the technological development in the free trade era of AEC. Laboratory is the primary driver that determines the standard competence to achieve in vocational education. Standard competences can be adjusted to the available materials/equipment and learning sources that determine the basic competences. Basic competences become the reference for instructional goals related to instructional methods and evaluation. The development of instructional implementation in vocational education in the free trade era of AEC is determined by the laboratory that develops the competency skills that will become a commodity in this era. This is so because vocational education should be able to implement instructional model based on job market needs.
Results and Discussion
Laboratory is the primary outcome of the model derived from the SIDs. Hence, it is the primary driver that can create graduates of vocational education who can meet the challenges of the job market in the era of AEC. Laboratory is the place to conduct observation and skill training based on the standard competence in accordance with the curriculum and the development of technology in the era of AEC Mamlock-Naaman (2007).
The results of observing learning activities from three vocational education teachers in vocational high schools that have a quality assurance category indicate that PDCA is carried out in every planned and written activity implemented in the activity. The planned activities that were successfully observed are shown in Table 3.
The Results of Observing Learning Activities in Laboratory for Vocational Education in Vocational High Schools.
Related learning material and experimental learning instructions/practical projects integrated in the lab space that are not laboratory are a separate problem in Table 3. This will have a negative impact on the effectiveness of laboratory instructions because existing laboratories are not in line with technological developments. Because of that, learning outcomes will decrease. Decreasing unrelated learning outcomes from equipment/materials is needed for both practical and theoretical instructions on secondary drivers. His efforts are to increase understanding of concepts and theories in electrical/electronic competency skills, conformity with electricity/electronics to suit developments in the industry needed.
The implementation of the ideal ratio of practical instruction to concept instruction for basics of electricity and electronics is 2 to 1, where theoretical instruction is done once, school practicum twice, and industrial practicum 4 times. Based on the observation of the students, it is shown that the instructions of theories and concepts of electricity/electronics highly requires laboratory. This is particularly true for students who are assigned to make layout of electronic devices and assemble them. The obstacles faced by teachers in laboratory instruction always come from the inadequate amount of equipment for the students.
Another instructional activity that lacks the appropriate equipment/materials is installing or finishing troubleshooting for electronic devices, such as for the standard competence of recording CD. Thus, the media of video/film/flash are used as alternatives. However, not all teachers can use the alternative media. According to their statements, using the alternative media, students at least understand about audio-video lesson more quickly.
Another problem is the insufficient number of trainer modules and the low capacity of the laboratory and practicum rooms. The limited facilities, equipment, and materials cause the instructions to have no conformity to the standards for laboratory instruction. Hence, the instructional strategy or approach adopted by the teachers is the conventional one. Conventional instruction can be said to be teacher-centered. This approach is suited to the conditions, situations, and readiness of the school.
Nevertheless, with such conditions, students still give positive comments. The teacher-centered approach adopted by most of the teachers when practiced with interesting styles can make students more interested in learning. Still, vocational education requires student-centered instruction to meet the standard competences formulated in KTSP 2006 and mandated by the Minister Regulation No. 19 of 2008. The implementation of the curriculum at Vocational High School is adjusted to the available infrastructure. As a result, teachers are only allowed to teach with demonstration, simulation, or students do practicum in turn and the implementation of the curriculum depends on the teachers’ ability or styles in implementing the instructional strategies. Table 4 lists the learning facilities at Vocational High School.
Learning Facilities for the Competency Skill Program of Audio-Video Technique at Vocational High School.
With the current conditions of the room and facilities, laboratory and workshop instructions become very hard to manage and organize. This is especially true for the instructional activities adopting experimental methods to test materials and calibrate equipment. The lack of calibrated measuring tools makes it impossible to test audio-video equipment in overcoming the changes from the analog to the digital technology. The inadequate facilities were not improved even after the curriculum of KTSP 2016 was replaced by Curriculum 2013. Hence, the only possible activity is installation. The activity of installing devices is also limited by trainer equipment as illustrated by Figure 4. In Figure 4, it is clear that the available equipment will not allow students to master the necessary skills. Similarly, teachers have difficulties in providing similar learning experiences to all students. Consequently, students cannot adapt with the increasingly complex technology in this digital era.
Practical instruction activity in the audio-video laboratory at vocational high school.
Despite these limitations, from year to year, Vocational High School has been able to create graduates who can be employed directly after graduation, with the largest percentage represented in the year 2009 for 75.51%, followed by 2010 for 62.77%, and 2011 for 79.00%. Unfortunately, the researcher could not find the data related to the types of jobs and how they suit graduates’ competency skills.
Implementation of learning model in vocational high schools with the existence of quality assurance through the existence of the guarantee of planning implementation of learning in accordance with the curriculum based on educational units can produce learners who can work. The guarantee of ISO 9001: 2008 quality management system on education applied to vocational high schools in Indonesia has succeeded in increasing the trust of vocational high schools (Dewey, 2007).
Vocational secondary schools carry out management processes, learning, curriculum, to human resources, with teacher quality that refers to predetermined standards. Educational institutions that have pocketed the ISO have the certainty and quality assurance of the implementation of national standards on education in Indonesia. The National Standards of Education in Indonesia are used as a reference to ensure the competence of graduates of vocational secondary schools in Indonesia continuously follows the improvement of international standards. Vocational High School in Indonesia has now started to improve the quality of ISO 9001: 2008 to ISO 9001: 2015.
Conclusion
The development of vocational education instruction in Indonesia in Vocational High School has potential for further optimization to face the challenges of the free trade era of AEC. Theoretical and practical instructions can be optimized with laboratory use, although there are still obstacles in terms of equipment and material readiness that do not meet the standard quality for global industries.
In developing laboratory instruction to be prepared with the standard industrial technology in the AEC era, vocational high school teachers are optimally prepared. This optimal preparedness is reflected in the teachers’ abilities to collect instructional resources and make instructional planning suitable to the facilities available in the school and then optimized to meet the objectives of vocational high school curriculum. SIDs can create a flexible model of laboratory instruction in vocational high school.
The model of laboratory instruction in this research is proven to be able to prepare vocational high school students to enter job markets. The assumption that the instruction has not met the challenges and demands of the industries and business is annulled. Vocational education in secondary level can be said to be able to answer the challenges of the free trade era of the AEC through the optimization of laboratory instruction.