University of Cambridge
Using Sen's Capability Approach to Understand Students' Vocational Education and Training Experience in China
Abstract
dc:description.abstractThe international discourse and academic research on vocational education and training (VET) have long been dominated by a human capital perspective, and China is no exception. Addressing this critical gap, the present study adopts a bottom-up, human development approach to foreground issues of agency, identity, and well-being within the VET system. Informed by Sen’s Capability Approach, this study examines the trajectories of Chinese VET students to reveal the disconnect between policy intent and lived experience, and to show how the institutional structure shapes educational pathways and life opportunities. The first part of the research analyses VET policy design across two key periods (1980s–1990s and 2000s–present). Findings show that the earlier period prioritised the rapid production of entry- and mid-level skills to leverage the demographic dividend, focusing on quantity over quality. This legacy of stratified and supply-driven provision created structural path dependencies that constrained later reforms. From the 2000s onward, with marketisation and international competition, policies employed more monetary investment instruments and shifted to emphasise high-level skill formation, quality improvement, and inclusivity. Yet, persistent issues such as coordination problems between enterprises and VET institutions and institutional deficiencies continue to hinder the system’s full potential for skill development. Building on this institutional background, the study applies interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to explore students’ lived experiences of capability development. Based on life history interviews with 33 VET students and graduates, the analysis identifies key systemic factors shaping capability development along their life trajectories. The findings reveal that students typically entered VET through constrained transitions shaped by structural exclusion, with limited agency or informed choice. Their learning experiences were often characterised by low instructional expectations, fragmented curricula, and inconsistent internship quality, offering limited opportunities for meaningful capability expansion. Although formal progression routes were available, many students experienced prolonged and uncertain transitions into the labour market, often relying on short-term, improvised strategies to cope with the absence of clear direction. Their capability to aspire was shaped and constrained by low self-confidence, perceived academic inferiority, inadequate career information, and weak signalling effects of their qualifications. At the same time, the research shows that students were not just passive recipients. Despite systemic constraints, many sought to reclaim a sense of value and purpose by forging vocational identities through self-defining activities such as student leadership, skill competitions, and peer support. This study contributes a conceptually grounded, empirically rich, and student-centred account of how capabilities are developed or constrained within China’s VET system. At the end, this research generates insightful practical implications. The study encourages policymakers and researchers to rethink VET policies to move beyond a narrow human capital framework and adopt a capability-driven approach that prioritises agency, freedom, and well-being.
Degree
thesis:*- Name dc:type.qualificationname
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Level dc:type.qualificationlevel
- Doctoral
- Grantor dc:publisher.institution
- University of Cambridge
- Year dc:date.issued
- 2024
Author and committee
dc:creator, dc:contributor.*- Author dc:creator
-
- Zhang, Yiren
- Advisor dc:contributor.advisor
-
- Hayward, Geoff
Subjects
dc:subject × 6Rights
dc:rightsIdentifiers
dc:identifier.*- DOI dc:identifier.doi
- https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.119924
- OAI identifier oai:identifier
- oai:www.repository.cam.ac.uk:1810/386961