<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><xml><records><record><source-app name="Biblio" version="7.x">Drupal-Biblio</source-app><ref-type>17</ref-type><contributors><authors><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Bo Zhou</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Seong Pek Lim</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Nahdia Kabir</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Jin Tao</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Jiaying Yang</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Cong Wang</style></author></authors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES IN VOCATIONAL EDUCATION: FROM TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION TO SOCIO-TECHNICAL TRANSFORMATION</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Problems of Education in the 21st Century</style></secondary-title></titles><keywords><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">bibliometric analysis</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">digital competence</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">digital transformation</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">industry 4.0</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">vocational education</style></keyword></keywords><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2026</style></year><pub-dates><date><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">June 2026</style></date></pub-dates></dates><volume><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">84</style></volume><pages><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Continuous</style></pages><language><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">eng</style></language><abstract><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">In response to rapid digitalisation, vocational education has increasingly integrated digital technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and information and communication technologies (ICT), changing how skills are taught and developed. Although research in this area has grown rapidly, the field still lacks a clear overview of its knowledge structure, major themes, and emerging directions. To address this gap, this study aims to map the knowledge structure, thematic patterns, and emerging directions of research on digital technologies in vocational education. It analyses 203 articles retrieved from the Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection for the period 2021–2025, following a PRISMA-guided screening procedure. Using VOSviewer and CiteSpace, the study conducted performance analysis, bibliographic coupling, keyword co-occurrence analysis, and burst detection to identify publication patterns, thematic clusters, and research frontiers. The findings reveal four major directions of inquiry: learner empowerment and sustainability, teacher digital competence, institutional innovation, and policy-oriented skill development in the context of Industry 4.0. Burst detection further suggests an emerging movement in research attention from technology-focused adoption toward more human-centred, pedagogical, and governance-related perspectives. Overall, the study contributes to the field by clarifying both the intellectual structure and the changing priorities of research on digital transformation in vocational education. It also advances current understanding by showing that digital transformation is increasingly framed not simply as technology adoption, but as a socio-technical process shaped by pedagogy, governance, inclusion, and ethical responsibility.</style></abstract><issue><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">3</style></issue><work-type><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Original article</style></work-type><section><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">525-541</style></section></record><record><source-app name="Biblio" version="7.x">Drupal-Biblio</source-app><ref-type>17</ref-type><contributors><authors><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Ermenc, K. S.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Damijan Štefanc</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Jasna Mažgon</style></author></authors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">CHALLENGES OF DIFFERENTIATED AND INDIVIDUALIZED TEACHING IN VOCATIONAL EDUCATION: THE CASE OF SLOVENIA</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Problems of Education in the 21st Century</style></secondary-title></titles><keywords><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">differentiated teaching</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">individualized teaching</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">school management</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Slovenia</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">vocational education</style></keyword></keywords><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2020</style></year><pub-dates><date><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">October/2020</style></date></pub-dates></dates><urls><web-urls><url><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">http://oaji.net/articles/2020/457-1600952028.pdf</style></url></web-urls></urls><volume><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">78</style></volume><pages><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Continuous</style></pages><language><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">eng</style></language><abstract><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">One of the main factors contributing to students’ optimal development in school settings is the implementation of appropriate differentiating and individualizing measures. While this topic is well researched and addressed in the context of primary and lower secondary education, the theoretical and empirical research on differentiated and individualized teaching in vocational education and training (VET) programs is relatively scarce. However, well-applied individualization measures seem equally important in the context of VET programs, as they are frequently attended by students with lower educational aspirations, diverse socio-cultural backgrounds, and complex educational and personal needs. Our research explores what kind of individualization practices exist in Slovenian VET programs and what roles teachers and school management play in implementing individualized teaching. A single case study with one class of 16-year-old students (N = 22) attending the confectioner VET program was conducted. The data were collected by means of interviews, observations, and questionnaires, and were analyzed and interpreted by combining qualitative and quantitative methodological approaches. The results indicate that the school strove to address the diversity of the student population and used a number of different activities at institutional (school) as well as individual (teacher) levels. However, the potential of a more individualized approach seems to be largely unexploited. It is necessary to understand individualization as a principle implemented at the level of direct teaching and at the school level. Students should receive guidance that adapts the education process to their individual characteristics and aspirations as much as possible. </style></abstract><issue><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">5</style></issue><work-type><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Original article</style></work-type><section><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">815-831</style></section></record><record><source-app name="Biblio" version="7.x">Drupal-Biblio</source-app><ref-type>17</ref-type><contributors><authors><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Anita   Zaļaiskalne</style></author></authors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">CONTEMPORARY LEARNING ENVIRONMENT IN THE VOCATIONAL EDUCATION: THE NEW CHALLENGES</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Problems of Education in the 21st Century</style></secondary-title></titles><keywords><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">external environment</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">learning environment</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">vocational education</style></keyword></keywords><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2013</style></year><pub-dates><date><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">July/2013</style></date></pub-dates></dates><urls><web-urls><url><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">http://oaji.net/articles/2014/457-1420055220.pdf</style></url></web-urls></urls><volume><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">55</style></volume><language><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">eng</style></language><abstract><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">The quantitative research basis is the data of surveys which were filled in by teachers of vocational education institutions and employers. The research is based on researches and reports regarding vocational education, strategic planning documents of development of education of Republic of Latvia and EU, studies, statistics on vocational education (data basis of the Central Statistical Bureau, statistics of the Ministry of Education and Science (MES) on vocational education) also are used. The aim of the research is to analyze factors of the internal and external environment that affect vocational education in order to determine how these factors create challenges for the vocational education system and educational institutions. The article analyzes the correlation between the elements of internal environment: resources, processes and results and external environment (political, demographic social) factors. The challenges make the vocational education change the existing paradigm of vocational education. The research was performed with a purpose to analyze the environmental factors; the quantitative research combines: an analysis of normative documents and a survey of employers and teachers of vocational education. The key results of the research: demographic trends in Latvia have an essential impact upon the human resources of the vocational education institutions; in order to implement the lifelong learning strategy, it is important to involve more adults in the vocational education; the learning environment of vocational education must be developed by following the principles of lifelong learning; cooperation between the state institutions, employers and teachers is required in order to provide effective solutions to the challenges that vocational education is facing. The cooperation between the employers’ institution, educational institutions and state institutions is essential in the process of planning and implementation of the curriculum and evaluation of the results. The prestige of the vocational education in the society affects students’ choice regarding their further education; it also influences the assessment of employers.
 If there were developed and implemented such curricular, which would imply the key competences that are relevant to the vocational areas of education and on the basis of which a flexible transformation of the content of curricular would be possible, the competitiveness and quality of the vocational education would be ensured.</style></abstract><work-type><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Original article</style></work-type><section><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">100-113</style></section></record><record><source-app name="Biblio" version="7.x">Drupal-Biblio</source-app><ref-type>17</ref-type><contributors><authors><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Ilche   Acevski</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Valentina   Acevska</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Linda   Fahlberg-Stojanovska</style></author></authors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">IMPLEMENTING E-LEARNING ENVIRONMENT IN REAL VOCATIONAL SCHOOL</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Problems of Education in the 21st Century</style></secondary-title></titles><keywords><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">ICT</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Moodle</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">vocational education</style></keyword></keywords><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2012</style></year><pub-dates><date><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">February/2012</style></date></pub-dates></dates><urls><web-urls><url><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">http://oaji.net/articles/2014/457-1408437056.pdf</style></url></web-urls></urls><volume><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">39</style></volume><language><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">eng</style></language><abstract><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Students in vocational schools in Macedonia are less motivated and both enter and finish with ever decreasing knowledge. Teachers are still keeping to conventional ways of teaching. How to improve this situation? Is it possible that a Moodle eLearning environment will do this? Тhe project, by itself, will lead to easier communication between students and teachers, 24-hour support for the students learning needs, modern e-learning and improvement of the teachers Information and Communication Technology (ICT) competences. With implementation of this educational plan, both teachers and students will increase their use of ICT (e-tests and quizzes, online teaching, preparation of electronic multimedia lectures) and improvement of the group and team work among teachers and students as well. In surveys, teachers and students confirmed that they want to be trained to begin to use the eLearning environment, and underwent training. Also, video tutorials are prepared for that purpose. The results can be seen through observations and interviews in which students are asked if this project started to improve their knowledge skills and whether teachers have started to prepared electronic resources and activities for them.</style></abstract><work-type><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Original article</style></work-type><section><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">8-14</style></section></record><record><source-app name="Biblio" version="7.x">Drupal-Biblio</source-app><ref-type>17</ref-type><contributors><authors><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Juraj  Tej</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Viktória  Ali Taha</style></author></authors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">ANALYTICAL INSIGHT INTO PROBLEMS OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION IN THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Problems of Education in the 21st Century</style></secondary-title></titles><keywords><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">problems of vocational education</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">vocational education</style></keyword></keywords><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2011</style></year><pub-dates><date><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">October/2011</style></date></pub-dates></dates><urls><web-urls><url><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">https://oaji.net/articles/2014/457-1406612499.pdf</style></url></web-urls></urls><volume><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">34</style></volume><language><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">eng</style></language><abstract><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">The level and quality of vocational education is an important determinant of economic and social development of the country as well as its employment and competitiveness. The transformation of economic and political system had a significant impact on the development of vocational education in Slovakia, which currently faces many problems. One problem is long-term lack of students and inferior status of vocational education and training compared to general education, despite the growing demand for professional skills in the labour market. This article illustrates the pros and cons of the Slovak system of vocational education. The evaluation is based on opinion survey of vocational education subjects, which was conducted among external students of teaching technological disciplines from different regions of Slovakia. Collected data were analyzed by statistical methods (two-dimensional descriptive statistics).</style></abstract><work-type><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Original article</style></work-type><section><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">162-169</style></section></record></records></xml>