Fields and Foundations of Occupational Science Research

The large number of newly classified and newly developed occupations draws attention to two problems: (1) The question of the connection between qualification and curriculum research must be posed anew. (2) The development of occupations and vocational curricula is integrated into a legally regulated and, moreover, detailed process. This results in an urgent need for vocational qualification research to substantiate occupational development. As a result of the discussion on the subject matter of vocational science, four intertwined fields for teaching and research are highlighted: (1) the genesis and development of the contents and forms of occupation-related skilled work, the qualification requirements, as well as the occupations and occupational fields related to them; (2) the contents of vocational education and training as a dimension of the analysis, design, and evaluation of subject-specific educational processes; (3) the analysis and design of skilled work conducive to learning; (4) for the industrial-technical sciences, this is the occupational field-specific technology that needs to be handled, maintained, repaired, and designed. The criteria of modern occupationality include (1) the work context, (2) the withdrawal of horizontal specialization through the introduction of core occupations, and (3) the life cycle of an occupation.