Factors Influencing for Learning Engagement of Secondary Vocational School Students in Shenzhen, China

Abstract

Vocational education provides strong talent and intellectual support for China's economic and social development. Secondary vocational education is the core content of vocational education, not only the focus of vocational education, but also the key to the high-quality development of vocational education. As an important educational process indicator, learning engagement is not only positively correlated with students' learning outcomes, but also an important indicator for measuring the quality of school education and teaching. In this context, exploring the learning engagement of vocational school students and its influencing factors has significant practical significance and policy value for controlling the process quality of vocational education, formulating policies for the development of vocational education, and promoting the high-quality development of vocational education.

This study is based on an empirical survey of 3 schools in 3 districts of Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China. Multiple linear regression techniques and other methods are used to explore the learning engagement and its influencing factors of vocational school students around three learning engagement indicators: learning cognitive engagement, learning emotional engagement, and learning behavior engagement. Draw the following conclusion:

Firstly, the identity of class cadres has a significant impact on the learning engagement of vocational school students. From the perspective of class cadre identity, students who serve as class cadres have significantly higher levels of learning cognitive engagement, emotional engagement, and behavioral engagement than students who do not serve as class cadres. From a gender perspective, there is a significant gender difference in the learning behavior engagement of vocational school students, which is likely related to the particularity of vocational schools. Vocational schools emphasize hands-on practical skills and have more practical courses, which are more suitable for boys' characteristics.

Thirdly, family social networks and family relationships have a significant impact on the learning engagement of vocational school students. The more harmonious the family relationship, the better the family social relationship, and the higher the level of students' learning cognitive engagement, emotional engagement, and behavioral engagement. In addition, families with medium family social network and economic conditions possess social and economic capital, creating an excellent growth environment for students and improving their learning abilities. So vocational school students who live in very difficult and wealthy families need to be widely concerned.

Fourthly, school factors have a significant impact on the learning engagement of vocational school students. From the perspective of all school factors, compared to school hardware facilities, factors such as school atmosphere, teacher teaching ability, teacher engagement, and teacher attention have a relatively stronger impact on students' learning engagement.

Therefore, this study proposes corresponding policy recommendations from the following aspects: firstly, establishing a scientific view on education quality, and focus on the process-based evaluation of vocational school students. Secondly, increasing attention to vulnerable groups and increase investment comprehensively. Specifically, we need to optimize the free and subsidy policies for vocational school students, increase support for their independent choice of majors, and increase attention to vulnerable vocational school students in teaching. Thirdly, we should create a good campus environment, increase the support of teachers and peers, achieve the integration of industry and education, optimize resource allocation, create a harmonious and symbiotic campus cultural environment, establish good teacher-student relationships, and form a good peer learning community. Fourthly, trying to create a harmonious family atmosphere, leverage the supportive role of the family, prioritize nurturing with care and understanding, establish good parent-child relationships, and achieve family school cooperation in education. Fifth, students should increase their personal investment in learning and 'self-enhance' continuously. Through students' own learning efforts, they can enhance their learning abilities, cultivate learning habits, set learning goals, stimulate learning interest, exercise learning perseverance, increase educational gains, and improve learning performance.