Purpose:This article explores the relationship between governmental policy and the development of higher vocational education in China.Design/Approach/Methods:The article begins with a textual analysis of dozens of po...Purpose:This article explores the relationship between governmental policy and the development of higher vocational education in China.Design/Approach/Methods:The article begins with a textual analysis of dozens of policy documents on higher vocational education issued by the Chinese government since 1999.Findings:The article argues that the development of higher vocational education in China has been largely policy-driven.This development can be divided into four stages:scale development,quality improvement,capacity building,and systemwide enhancement.The transition between each of these developmental stages was marked by new policy initiatives undertaken by the Chinese government.Originality/Value:The government’s recent efforts to expand higher vocational education enrollment by one million students have significant implications for China’s higher vocational education.Additionally,the proposed“1 + X”model—which attaches equal importance to academic education and skill training—may represent the beginning of a new stage in the development of higher vocational education in China.展开更多
文摘Purpose:This article explores the relationship between governmental policy and the development of higher vocational education in China.Design/Approach/Methods:The article begins with a textual analysis of dozens of policy documents on higher vocational education issued by the Chinese government since 1999.Findings:The article argues that the development of higher vocational education in China has been largely policy-driven.This development can be divided into four stages:scale development,quality improvement,capacity building,and systemwide enhancement.The transition between each of these developmental stages was marked by new policy initiatives undertaken by the Chinese government.Originality/Value:The government’s recent efforts to expand higher vocational education enrollment by one million students have significant implications for China’s higher vocational education.Additionally,the proposed“1 + X”model—which attaches equal importance to academic education and skill training—may represent the beginning of a new stage in the development of higher vocational education in China.