A Study on School-Enterprise Collaborative Education Mechanisms from the Dual-Subject Governance Perspective

Abstract

This article aimed to (1) identify the key characteristics of successful dual-subject cooperation between vocational colleges and enterprises; (2) explore the main obstacles that hinder such cooperation; and (3) evaluate the explanatory power of the proposed mechanism model for assessing the effectiveness of this collaboration. The research employed a mixed-methods approach, with 20 key informants including administrators, enterprise managers, faculty members, and industry mentors interviewed in five vocational schools and their cooperative enterprises in the western, eastern, and southwestern regions of Sichuan Province. Additionally, 286 participants from 15 vocational schools and enterprises took part in a quantitative survey. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews (qualitative phase) and a structured questionnaire based on the Likert scale (quantitative phase). The analysis utilized descriptive statistics, content analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling. The findings revealed that 1) mutual trust, shared goals, and collaboratively developed curricula were essential for effective school-enterprise cooperation, fostering alignment between schools and enterprises; 2) governance logic differences, poor communication, and unequal benefit distribution were significant obstacles that led to uneven participation and unclear roles; and 3) the proposed dual-subject mechanism model effectively explained the collaborative efficacy, emphasizing institutional reciprocity, dynamic co-governance, and policy frameworks in sustaining successful collaboration. The results suggest that effective school-enterprise collaboration requires trust, agreement, and jointly built systems, supported by policies and active management to resolve participation discrepancies.