The role of technology in the school to work transition of vocational students in China

Thesis

This dissertation examines the school to work transition of Chinese vocational students and how technology affects the transition. School-to-work transition is an important stage in an individual’s career development and is influenced by different factors. Technology's role in school-to-work transition, however, remains under-researched, especially among vocational students at higher educational levels. In China the employability of vocational students has been subject to various changes over the last few decades, leading to the stigmatisation of social inferiority and difficulties finding employment. Examining how technology impacts this group, therefore, may be illuminating, as technology has the potential to decrease social inequalities and facilitate social mobility and inclusion by providing a variety of access to information and promoting social networks. More particularly, technology may be able to help Chinese vocational students during their transition experiences, which offers better job opportunities and achieve social upgrade. Using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis, this study surveys 22 students and one teacher on technology and school-to-work transitions, with results suggesting that vocational students tend to have a smooth transition with the aid of technology. While technology does not play a key role when applying for jobs, it is an important source of job-related information, showing that it is possible for them to gain useful information for the job hunting from the technology but may not fundamentally alleviate the social injustice on the students. Overall, the dissertation makes a new contribution to studies on technology’s contribution to school-to-work transitions in the Chinese context and vocational school employability.

Authors: Liang, A

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-kzjkxvojd
• Type of award: MSc taught course
• Level of award: Masters
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: DSC2022; Technology; DSC; Vocational education; Interview; School to work transition
• Subjects: Education; Vocational education; School-to-work transition; Interviews; Technology