Competence-based Approach in Vocational Education and Training: Systematic Review of the Russian Literature

The article is devoted to analysis of the Russian literature related to the implementation of the competence-based approach in vocational education and training (VET). The objective of the study is to systematize existing publications on this issue and to formulate an agenda for future research. The paper presents a systematic literature review: a uniform description of a sample of publications from the most influential Russian journals for the period 2005-2019 within a pre-defined category system. Moreover, the research includes an in-depth study based on content analysis that reveals how different aspects of the competency-based approach are currently elaborated in the literature. The results include some basic conceptual features of the construct that underlies the competencebased approach in Russia. It summarizes the data on the conceptual and terminological apparatus used in the discussion on competency-based vocational education. The paper also presents the data on the dominant research methods and the target audience of the articles in the sample. The most important result of the study is an evidence of deficiencies in research that support the introduction and adaptation of competence-based approach in the Russian VET. In particular, there are practically no judgments, which indicate that researchers understand or delve into changes in assessment of educational outcomes that are reformulated in terms of competences. The practical use of the results will fill the gaps in scientific support for the implementation of the competency-based approach in the Russian VET. The article will be useful for representatives of the research community, pedagogical and managerial personnel of vocational schools as well as for decision-makers in the field of VET policy.