Abstract:

Life skills education in secondary vocational schools is a key approach to fostering comprehensive individual development,building a modern vocational education system,and supporting the construction of a Power Country in Education. Based on the social ecosystem theory,this study investigates the challenges in implementing life skills education in secondary vocational schools by interviewing 26 stakeholders across five categories:students, graduates,parents,teachers,and enterprise leaders. The study found that the current dilemmas of life skills education in secondary vocational schools exist at four levels. At the microsystem level,the secondary vocational school education environment is weak,which is specifically manifested in the disconnection between the curriculum setting and actual needs,the need to improve the awareness of teachers’education,and the uneven quality of peer groups. At the mesosystem level,the values and goals of various subjects are difficult to coordinate, which is specifically manifested in the inconsistent goals of home-school cooperation and the poor effect of school-enterprise cooperation. At the exosystem level, the demonstration and supervision of the mass media are unfavorable. And at the macrosystem level,the guidance of positive social values is insufficient. To address these issues,vocational schools should establish an education model that integrates moral and technical training,emphasizes lifelong development,and connects learning with real-life needs. Additionally,strengthening teacher support,improving educational quality,and fostering collaborative efforts between families,schools,and industries are essential to enhancing life skills education and promoting well-rounded student development.

Key words: secondary vocational education, secondary vocational schools, life skills, life skills education