Keywords
learning experience
career commitment
vocational education
New Energy Vehicles
structural equation modeling ractice-based research
research through design
virtual reality
prototype
traceability
evidence
reflexivity
Abstract
Rapid technological change creates a persistent alignment problem for technical and vocational education and training (TVET): curricula may be formally linked to an occupation while students still experience weak correspondence between classroom learning and contemporary work. This study examines whether perceived curriculum–job alignment is associated with career commitment among students and recent graduates of Chinese higher vocational New Energy Vehicle (NEV) programs, and whether learning experience mediates that association. A cross-sectional survey produced 354 valid responses from students and recent graduates across multiple higher vocational institutions in one Chinese province. Curriculum–job alignment, learning experience, and career commitment were assessed on five-point scales. Learning experience was modeled as a second-order construct comprising teacher support, authentic resources, practice-oriented assessment, capability activation, and goal clarity. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were conducted, with indirect effects estimated through 5,000 bootstrap samples. The final model showed good fit (χ²/df = 2.12, CFI = .962, TLI = .952, RMSEA = .058, SRMR = .038). Curriculum–job alignment was positively associated with learning experience (β = .41, p < .001) and retained a direct association with career commitment (β = .22, p < .001). Learning experience was positively associated with career commitment (β = .46, p < .001), and the indirect effect was significant (β = .19, 95% CI [.14, .25]). The model explained 61% of the variance in career commitment. The findings indicate that alignment becomes educationally consequential when students experience it through credible teaching, current equipment, authentic assessment, active competence development, and visible career pathways. For fast-changing vocational fields, curriculum reform should therefore connect dynamic task mapping with deliberately designed learning experiences and staged workplace exposure.
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