| Summary: | The aim of this study is to investigate how teachers facilitate the training in vocational theory that can motivate students for learning in the Restaurant and Food Science (RM) education programme. By using focus group interviews of vocational teachers and a survey of students, the study seeks both teachers’ and students’ experiences of teaching and learning vocational theory respectively. Students who choose vocational education expect a lot of practice in the education and may therefore experience challenges when the training consists of theory. This can have consequences for the students’ motivation for learning and for completing the education. The results from the interviews show that the vocational teachers emphasize teaching theory in a classroom context before the theory is translated into practical work. When the teachers link theory to practical tasks, vocational guidance and differentiation are prominent, but no specific methods are presented for the preparation of vocational theory. The results from these interviews are compared with results from the survey of students and what they think motivates them for learning occupational theory. The students’ experiences mainly coincide with the teachers’ statements, but the students’ answers also refer to specific teaching methods that motivate them to learn.
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