Stasz, C., & Brewer, D. J. (1999). Academic Skills at Work: Two Perspectives (MDS-1193). Berkeley: National Center for Research in Vocational Education, University of California.

Chapter 2:
Academic Skills at Work: A View from the Literature

• What Is Skill, and How Do We Measure It?
• The Issue of Skill Transfer
• Defining and Redefining the Disciplines
• New Pedagogy: The Value of Situated Learning
• The Perceived Value of Academic Skills
• Summary

Several different literatures speak to the nature of skill needs at work. A recent review by Berryman (1993) organized these literatures along the five methods used to identify skill requirements: (1) surveys of employers (or employees), (2) case studies of firms and industries, (3) ethnographic studies of work, (4) job analysis methods, and (5) analyses of trends in variables treated as indicators of changes in skill supply or demand (e.g., changes in wage returns to different levels of education). A comparison of these methods in terms of their reliability and validity, generalizibility, and usefulness for generating trend data that informs the direction of skill requirements suggests that, on their own, none of the methods is completely satisfactory for understanding skill requirements. The research is also limited with respect to generating specific guidance that is useful to educators. Thus, any review of the literature on the relationship between academic skills and work is unlikely to provide definitive answers.

For the purposes of this investigation, we sought empirical research about academic skills, work, and research that provides some insight for education practice. Most of the empirical research of interest is found in ethnographic studies of work, and some evidence is provided in survey data or studies of indicators of skill change. These three literatures are quite divergent in the basic assumptions held about skills and skill development. In addition, arguments for or against skill change or for how to remedy skill supply problems often rely on untested assumptions or long-held beliefs about curricula and schooling. Overall, our review of the literature reveals much tension and underlying controversy that shapes the debate about skills, including the interpretation of research on skill changes and the implications of that research for education policy and practice. In order to do justice to the topic, it is important to describe these controversies. The following review, then, is not a straightforward summary of the literature but a broader discussion of themes and issues concerning academic skills and work.

Stasz, C., & Brewer, D. J. (1999). Academic Skills at Work: Two Perspectives (MDS-1193). Berkeley: National Center for Research in Vocational Education, University of California.