Exploring a pedagogical praxis model to support teaching and learning in the practical domain: a scoping review

In an increasingly complex educational landscape, practical and vocational education and training (VET) requires pedagogical approaches that integrate theoretical knowledge with applied competencies. However, limited conceptual clarity remains regarding how pedagogical frameworks support teaching and learning within practical education contexts. This scoping review maps and synthesizes literature to identify pedagogical frameworks, theoretical foundations, and areas of convergence. Guided by the research question, ‘What pedagogical frameworks underpin teaching and learning within practical education contexts?’, the study analyses 35 peer-reviewed articles published between 2012 and 2022. Findings indicate three overarching pedagogical orientations: experiential learning, interdisciplinary approaches (including STEM, TPACK, and UDL), and creative pedagogies. These orientations demonstrate conceptual overlap through shared commitments to active engagement, integration of theory and practice, authentic learning, and learner agency. While supporting student-centred learning aligned with twenty-first-century competencies, their implementation remains context-dependent. The review highlights that the key challenge within practical pedagogy is not the absence of frameworks, but the limited synthesis of how existing approaches inform coherent pedagogical praxis. The study advocates for theoretically grounded, context-sensitive models that integrate existing perspectives to support curriculum design, teacher development, and effective practice across practical and vocational education