REASONS FOR TENTH GRADE STUDENTS’ ORIENTATION TOWARDS VOCATIONAL EDUCATION IN VIEW OF THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT OF VOCATIONAL UNITS
This study aimed to identify the reasons for the tenth-grade students’ vocational orientation towards vocational education considering the learning environment of the vocational units and the impact of the student’s gender and the school’s location variables in academic schools in the northern governorates. A stratified sample was selected for the study, which consisted of (361) students. It stood at (32.2%) of the 1121- student study population, which was the total number of tenth grade vocational students in government academic schools for the academic year 2021/2022. To achieve the aim of the study, a questionnaire consisting of (20) items of multiple choice type was developed in line with Likert scale, distributed on three dimensions: educational (academic), social and economic factors. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were validated. The results showed that the reasons for the vocational tenth grade students’ orientation toward vocational education regarding the learning environment of the vocational units had a high percentage, which amounted to (73.7%). It also revealed that whilst there were no statistically significant differences between the students’ orientations towards vocational education in the light of the learning environment of the vocational units attributed to the school location variable, the study showed that there were statistically significant differences between the students’ attitudes towards vocational education in the light of the learning environment of the vocational units ascribed to the student gender variable, mainly in favor of male students. These are reasonable results in line with the Palestinian Ministry of Education policy towards developing vocational education, and consistent with the culture of the Palestinian society that values the artisans.
Keywords: Vocational Education, Tenth Grade, Vocational Units, Learning Environment, Attitude Towards Vocational Education