Moral Education and the Formation of Labour Identity in Vocational Colleges

A Qualitative Study of Students’ Interpretations of Work Ethics

Abstract

Vocational education aims not only to develop occupational skills but also to cultivate work-related values and professional dispositions. In vocational colleges, moral education often emphasises discipline, responsibility, cooperation, and commitment to work. However, less is known about how students interpret these institutional messages and how they shape students’ understandings of themselves as future workers. This qualitative study examines how moral education contributes to the formation of labour identity among vocational college students in China. Drawing on semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and document analysis from two public vocational colleges, the study explores how institutional practices construct an image of the “ideal worker” and how students interpret this discourse. It also considers how teaching practices, including lecture-based explanation, workplace cases, and guided discussion, shape students’ engagement with moral education. The findings show that students respond in different ways, including instrumental acceptance, reflective adaptation, and critical distance. Internship experiences further mediate these interpretations. The study argues that labour identity formation is a negotiated process shaped by institutional discourse, workplace experience, and student agency.