General vs. vocation-related mathematical competence—a longitudinal study with trainees as industrial clerks

The acquisition of mathematical competence is considered a central goal of mathematics education. Among other goals, mathematical competence is intended to prepare students for vocational education and training. In particular, a continued and cumulative acquisition of mathematical competence at the transition from general to vocational education may support trainees in acquiring vocational competence. Previous research has shown that mathematical knowledge used by experienced employees at the workplace is contextualized, deeply interwoven with vocational knowledge, and partly different from general mathematical knowledge as taught in schools. Hence, for vocational training, the question arises about which role general mathematical competence acquired at school plays in mastering mathematical problems in vocational situations. How is general mathematical competence related to vocation-related mathematical competence? How do both competences develop during vocational training (and depending on entry levels)? Using data from a longitudinal study of 634 industrial clerk trainees over the entire course of their three-year vocational training, we investigate the structure and the development of mathematical competence at the transition to vocational education. We present empirical evidence that general mathematical competence and vocation-related mathematical competence represent two separable competence dimensions. While general mathematical competence increases slightly in the first half of the vocational training, the increase in vocation-related mathematical competence is substantial. The increases are significantly stronger among trainees with a low level of general mathematical competence at the start of vocational training. The discussion of the results focuses on the implications for research on the transition from general education to vocational training. Finally, we present suggestions for improving general mathematical education to better prepare students for vocational training.