Study On The Setting Of Elective Subject Requirements For Higher Vocational College Entrance Examination

The promotion of secondary vocational students is the current emphasis of the reform of the entrance examination for higher vocational education.Yet,the majority of students in higher vocational colleges are still ordinary high school students who receive specialized instruction throughout the secondary school stage.The alignment of the learning areas of ordinary high school students and vocational majors must be taken into consideration in order to make the examination enrollment system more suitable for presenting vocational education as a type of education.It is imperative for higher vocational colleges to fully exercise the autonomy necessary for the setting of elective subjects in accordance with the policy direction of the comprehensive reform of the national college entrance examination,the establishment and improvement of the examination and enrollment system with vocational education characteristics,and the promotion of the scientific connection between ordinary high school education and higher vocational education.The study examines the selection of elective subjects for higher vocational institutions that had been scheduled to enroll in the first three batches of the reform pilots in 2020 and 2021.It is found that the setting of requirements for elective subjects in higher vocational colleges presents the following characteristics: In provinces implementing the "3+3" model,the main topic is infinite subjects.In provinces and cities implementing the "3+1+2" model,the main topic is unlimited re selection;Undergraduate vocational colleges are more inclined to set optional subject requirements,while those shortlisted for the "Double High School Program" do not highlight their exemplary role;higher vocational colleges of science and technology and comprehensive colleges are more inclined to set optional subject requirements,while those of medicine and sports are more concentrated;The combination of physics,chemistry,and biology / the combination of history,ideology,politics,and geography is a common choice for different disciplinary attributes and professional categories;There are regional differences and model differences in the setting of elective subjects for the same major(category)in the same vocational college.It is clear that the setting of elective subjects in higher vocational colleges faces a number of challenges,including very lax subject restrictions,the formulation of subject requirements that have not yet broken through the thinking pattern of dividing liberal arts and sciences,and the ambiguity of the requirements for elective subjects within the same major(category).These are all examples of higher vocational colleges’ passivity in responding to the reform in examination subjects.The lack of normative guidance to limit higher vocational schools,the disordered competition in enrollment between higher vocational colleges and majors,and students’ utilitarian and blind subject choice are some of the causes of these issues.These issues collectively limit higher vocational colleges’ capacity for setting up elective subjects.The reasonable use of enrollment autonomy is the core of the scientific setting of elective subject requirements for higher vocational colleges.The relevant departments should establish "Guidelines on the Subject Requirements for Higher Vocational Colleges" to provide basic guidelines and prevent the abuse of enrollment autonomy with common requirements.At the same time,higher vocational colleges should be given the opportunity to show the characteristics of enrollment autonomy.On the one hand,the higher vocational colleges shortlisted for the "Double High School Program" should take the lead in adhering to the "guidelines" and promote the reform of examination subjects for higher vocational colleges in a tiered manner;on the other hand,enhancing the restrictive subject requirements of popular majors to target the most competitive students.On this basis,the education and publicity work of subject setting and selection guidance for higher vocational colleges and general high schools should be carried out to form a synergy of subject reform in higher vocational colleges and enhance the match between the subjects studied by students and higher vocational majors,so as to help the high-quality development of higher vocational education.