On Problems of the Theory of Vocational Education

Although the largest proportion of the youth at the secondary stage of education attend institutions of vocational schooling, the theory of vocational education has been only little developed up to now. It appears to be necessary to use new theoretical forms of approach also to solving problems which are not urgent outside the sphere of vocational schooling.
One of such specific problems is the theory of ascertaining and formulating social demands on school-leavers. It deals ^ith processes forming the first step toward a more objective and more exact deliniitation of educational objectives and curricula, which in vocational schooling are most strongly affected by technical progress and social development in general. This problem is linked with the theory of transferring the ascertained social demands into the educational objectives and curricula resulting in the theory of making up syllabi and other fundamental pedagogical documents.
The specific problems of vocational education also include the theory of educational fields. It deals with methods of creating the optimum system of the fields of study, relations among fields of study, laws governing the development of systems of study fields and their structures etc.