The purpose and power of vocational research

Abstract

As the second editorial in the inaugural issue of the Journal of Vocational Research and Practice (JVRP), this article explores two central commitments shaping the journal’s identity: challenging disciplinary boundaries and fostering radical inclusivity. It critiques the dominance of academic singulars and the exclusion of applied, work-based, and practitioner knowledge, positioning Work-Based Learning (WBL) and Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) as legitimate, interdisciplinary fields. Drawing on Bernstein’s concepts of classification and framing, the piece exposes the structural barriers that marginalise non-traditional voices and epistemologies. It advocates for a publishing space where pracademics, early career researchers, and professionals outside the academy can share critical, contextual insights without compromising rigour. Indigenous Knowledge and bricolage, as concepts, are highlighted as examples of alternative, valid epistemologies often excluded from dominant academic discourse. This editorial invites readers and contributors to help reframe knowledge legitimacy and embrace a more porous, practitioner-informed research landscape.