Integrating knowledge, skills and attitudes : conceptualising learning processes towards vocational competence

Current research focuses on competence development and complex professional tasks. However, learning processes towards the integration of knowledge, skills and attitudes largely remain a blackbox.This article conceptualises three integration processes,in anal- ogy to theories on transfer.Knowledge,skills and attitudes are defined, reconciling different research perspectives.Low-roadintegration is hypothesised to occur through practice towards automatisation.High-road integration requires reflection on the task besides prac- tice. Transformative integration requires critical(self)reflection and openness to change. A model of different professional tasks is presented, offering hypotheses regarding different integration processes,which provides a basis for further empirical research.