Exploring Practical Education Reform in Vocational Colleges under Industry-Education Integration: A Model of Tripartite-Chain Synergy and Four-Dimensional Advancement
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Abstract
Vocational education reform in China indicates that sustained policy efforts have reshaped the integration of industry and education, yet practical education in vocational colleges still faces a structural challenge: the industrial chain, education chain, and talent chain often operate in isolation. This study addresses this problem using interior design and environmental art design programs as the research context. A mixed-methods design is adopted to collect systematic data from faculty, students, and partner enterprises across six higher vocational institutions in South China, East China, and Southwest China. Based on the evidence, the study constructs and empirically tests a practical education reform model centered on four parallel dimensions: curriculum, practical training, faculty development, and quality evaluation. These dimensions are coordinated through a three-chain synergy perspective. The results show that the integration of three-chain synergy as an external ecosystem with a four-dimensional parallel mechanism as the internal operating structure provides a robust framework for practical education reform. The model clarifies h ow i ndustry d emand, c urriculum c ontent, t raining p rojects, t eacher c apability, and quality evaluation should be linked to improve the authenticity of practice and the workplace readiness of graduates. The findings o ffer a t heoretical b asis a nd e mpirical r eference f or s ystematic r eform in comparable vocational institutions.
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