11 hours ago
Liberal arts meet vocational ed
Education fulfils many objectives, including vocational training; social and language skills; knowledge of social norms and value systems; cultural fulfilment and enrichment; and the satisfaction of personal curiosity.
Within these multitudes of objectives lie two general education philosophies: the liberal arts approach and the vocational or professional approach.
Liberal arts approach
The liberal arts approach traces its lineage to the ancient Greek philosophers. Socrates' famous dictum 'the unexamined life is not worth living' exhorts us to assume nothing and question everything while Plato's 'parable of the cave' encourages everyone to step out of our comfort zones and embrace new knowledge and experiences.
The liberal arts approach gives prominence to breadth of education. The idea is 'to draw forth' the innate capabilities and talents of individuals, best facilitated by having breadth.
Pedagogically, discussions and debates are preferred over lectures and coursework assignments over exams. The strength of this approach is the strong development of critical thinking and rational thought, sharpening of intellectual capabilities, and fostering of creativity and diverse problem-solving skills.
Vocational approach
This approach was brought about by the industrial revolution. The earliest societies consisted of hunter-gatherers and horticulturalists living off the land. Subsequently, agriculture developed, towns sprang up linking disparate individuals into a distinct economy.
The industrial revolution modernised the economy into a complex, monetary-based and global construct. Specialisation, particularly in terms of job skills, became the order of the day.
The vocational approach caters to this by giving prominence to depth in a specific field or discipline to provide specific, relevant and technical information, knowledge and skills for a particular job or career. Pedagogically, instructions, practical training and competency assessments are preferred.
Knowledge philosophies: The liberal arts and vocational approaches underpin the objectives of education. —
Convergence
These two approaches are not exclusive and can be complementary. Most current education systems incorporate both. The American tertiary education system, including those devoted to specific vocations such as military academies and technical institutes strive for a holistic combination of breadth and depth.
Subscription to the liberal arts approach is evident in the breadth of education requirement where one must take subjects from different academic disciplines such as social science, humanities, fine arts and language. Depth requirement requires one to select a major (specialisation) in a specific discipline such as anthropology, biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering and psychology.
The education system of British-influenced Common-wealth nations emphasises depth over breadth.
Subscription to the vocational approach, which dovetails with the British historical-cultural emphasis of creating well-trained workers and professionals to administer former colonies, is present from high school where students are screened, with those academically inclined proceeding to pre-university studies and the rest to trade schools or the working world.
Those that complete pre-university studies then enrol into a specific university programme such as accountancy, engineering, medicine, law, literature, performing arts, and philosophy.
There are steps taken to converge these two approaches. Canada has shifted towards the liberal arts approach and her education system is closely aligned with that of America.
Australia offers graduate medical school entry that resembles that of America. Many universities in Commonwealth countries now provide students a choice of 'elective' subjects for a semblance of breadth of education.
Malaysia adopts the Commonwealth system in schools and universities but our National Education Philosophy adopts a liberal arts approach. Ideally, we can blend both philosophies to produce quality education suited to our local culture.
Dr Wong Teik Aun, a principal lecturer at the Centre of Australian Degree Programmes at INTI International College Penang, enjoys writing on subjects close to his heart and has published Penang People 2: Diaspora, Hippies and Other Shenanigans and A Backpacker's Requiem. He has also contributed numerous academic articles to internationally ranked journals. The views expressed here are the writer's own.
