A systematic literature review on the reform of vocational education in China

Abstract

In recent years, vocational education reform has become an issue of common concern for the government, academia, and the education sector, as the difficulty in finding employment for Chinese university students and the labor shortage of senior technical personnel continue to intensify. This study conducted a systematic review of the literature on vocational education reform in the past decade, analyzing 61 pieces of literature from two major aspects, namely reform research objects and reform research directions, during the period of 2014–2023. The results of the analyses show that the current major directions of vocational education reform are the combination of teaching and practice, multi-skilling, teacher enhancement, and policy reform. The main research objects include overall vocational education, hierarchical vocational education, professional and curricular reforms, and reform studies for different provinces and regions.

Keywords:

• Vocational education reform object
• integration of teaching and practice
• policy reform
• multi-skills
• teaching and faculty

Reviewing Editor:

• May Cheng, Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Subjects:

• Adult Education and Lifelong Learning
• Education Policy & Politics
• Higher Education
• International & Comparative Education
• Secondary Education

Acknowledgement

This paper results from an academic exercise for the EPPE6154 Economics of Social Policy course and EPPE6908 Academic Paper, funded by EP-2018-001 at the Faculty of Economics and Management, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Dexia Zhao

Dexia Zhao is a postgraduate student in FEP UKM, majoring in Human Resource Economics and Public Economics.

Doris Padmini Selvaratnam

Doris Padmini Selvaratnam’s research is related to social impact assessment cost of living study, socioeconomic profiling, indigenous community education, family financial planning, consumer, and entrepreneurship studies. The topics are related to community empowerment and development.