Second Sorting? Impacts of Secondary Vocational Education Schooling Process on Student Development

• In Event: Research In Progress Roundtables Session 4
  In Invited Roundtable: Examining Influences on Student Outcomes: Incentives, Sorting, Learning Strategies, and School Mobility (Table 17)

Abstract

Two primary sorting mechanisms exist in education system: the dichotomy between academic and vocational education, and the sorting based on school selectivity and schooling process. This study examines influence of vocational schooling processes on students' cognitive, non-cognitive, and skill outcomes, drawing from data collected across 10 vocational schools in four provinces. Key findings highlights that the college prep classes, instructional approach, school climate and practical skill training have varying effects on students’ development. Notably, students enrolled in selective vocational schools reap greater benefits from college prep classes and a positive school climate. The study contends that the integration of secondary vocational education and higher education, mediated by schooling process modifications, can exacerbate student development disparities, potentially reinforcing vocational education’s sorting function.

Author

• Qian Nie, East China Normal University