L-FORCE IN PRACTICE
Advancing functional literacy in vocational education
PARTICIPATING INSTITUTIONS
“L-Force in practice” (2012-2014) is a Belgian (Flemish) research project, funded by ‘School of Education’, the
expertise network for teacher training institutions of the association of the University of Louvain. The Centre
for Language and education (University of Louvain) holds the promotorship over this project. Co-promotors
are the teacher training institutions of KHLeuven, GroepT Leuven, KHLim, HIK and Limlo.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
This research focuses on ‘functional literacy’, ‘the ability to use
reading, writing and numeracy skills for effective functioning and
development of the individual and the community’ (Unesco). In
Flanders, pupils with low literacy skills participate mainly in vocational
education. Recent research findings (F1) demonstrate that hardly 38%
of the pupils in the 6th year of vocational education meet the
standards for functional reading, hardly 39% for functional listening,
hardly 39% for functional maths and 62% for information acquisition
and processing skills.
F1. http://www.ond.vlaanderen.be/curriculum/peilingen/secundaironderwijs/peilingen/files/Peiling-Project-Algemene-Vakken-derde-graad-bso.pdf
In Flanders’ current system, attention for literacy skills is nearly
exclusively situated in the general courses of vocational education. The transition process this project aims at,
is the relocation of attention for literacy skills towards the practical courses in vocational education: focusing
on reading, writing, numerating and ict-skills in and through functional tasks related to the pupils’ professional
choices. The main objective thus concerns: advancing the stimulation of literacy skills in the practical courses
of vocational education by training their future teachers in
the principles of functional literacy.
METHODOLOGY
A.
A Professional Learning Community (PLC),
constituted by a mix of literacy experts and teacher trainers of
the practical courses.
B.
“Teach As You Preach” + “Collegial Coaching”
•
Phase 1: The principles of literacy education were
embedded in the teaching practice of the teacher educators
from the PLC.
•
Phase 2: The principles were embedded in the
didactic courses offered to students i.e. future teachers of the
F2 methodology
practical courses.
•
Phase 3: The teacher educators of the PLC coached colleagues in the implementation of the principles
of literacy education.
C.
An empirical study on the impact of the innovation, on the level of beliefs as well as on the level of
practice.



A digital questionnaire (pre and post innovation) amongst the teacher trainers of the PLC + the
coachees involved in the collegial coaching + all students (future teachers of practical courses) of the
experiment group + control group of students
In-depth interviews (pre and post innovation) with a selection of students of the experiment group
Research on students’ lesson plans (pre and post innovation). A checklist developed by the PLC is used
to analyze these data.
OUTPUT
The exchange of expertise in this PLC has led to the development of a vast amount of learning materials, both
on the level of teacher trainers and on the level of students in teacher training institutions. All our materials
can be downloaded from our website: http://g-krachtigelespraktijk.associatie.kuleuven.be. Most of the
materials are, however, in Dutch.
We particularly mention the following output:

A digital ‘L-Force manual’,
developed as a learning path for
students to acquire the principles
and methodologies of functional
literacy education in and through
practice based examples and
practically oriented exercises and
assignments. The manual contains a
large amount of good practices, both
on paper and on video, developed by
the teacher trainers of the PLC and
their students.
F3 the digital ‘L-Force manual’. Visit our website: http://g-krachtigelespraktijk.associatie.kuleuven.be

A checklist on functional literacy in practice that allows teacher trainers to evaluate functional
literacy in students’ lesson plans and to give feedback.
F4 the checklist. For the complete checklist, visit our website: http://g-krachtigelespraktijk.associatie.kuleuven.be
FINDINGS OF THE EMPIRICAL STUDY
Baseline measurement
At the level of beliefs, the empirical study on the impact of the innovation, showed a significant growth. Before
the intervention, future teachers of the practical courses had a very poor understanding of functional literacy.
They associated literacy solely with language and defined it mainly in terms of formal correctness. Although the
relevancy of being functionally literate was recognized by most participants, the responsibility for literacy
education was situated exclusively in the hands of the teachers of the general courses.
F5 attention for literacy skills in students’
lesson plans
F6 Baseline measurement on the level of beliefs
Endpoint measurement
After the innovation, students did not only show a more thorough understanding of the concept of functional
literacy, but recognized the responsibility of the teachers of the practical courses as well. Not only is the growth
significant, the study also reveals significant differences between the experiment group and the control group
in 6 aspects.
1.
Are you familiar with the concept of
functional literacy?
Baseline
endpoint
P=0,027
2. I think it is important to embed reading activities
in my lesson plans
Baseline
endpoint
P= 0,003
Preliminary findings do not, however, show a significant growth on the level of practice. Probably the final
measurement of the students' teacher practice came too soon after the input on functional literacy they
received. This transfer takes time.
Baseline
endpoint
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS
This project focuses on the practical courses as the ideal place
P= for advancing pupils’ literacy skills. Therefore,
we based ourselves on theoretical frameworks that stress the embedment of the learning of skills within
functional contexts, the enhancement of transfer potential and the integration of content objectives and
language objectives. In this respect, an important framework is the Project Zero Group of Harvard Graduate
School of Education, particularly David Perkins’ Making Learning Whole (Perkins 2010). Other important
frameworks concern Content and Language Integrated Learning, particularly for mother tongue education in
Dutch. Important works of reference here are Hajer&Meestringa 2009 and Bolle 2014.
For the research methodology, we relied on Earl&Katz 2009, Kotter&Cohen 2002 and Senge 2000, particularly
with respect to Professional Learning Communities and collegial coaching as part of innovation processes.