Abstract:

Objective To explore the effect of professional social practice in higher vocational students majoring in elderly care guided by labor education policy in the New Era. Methods Seventy students majoring in the elderly care were selected and carried out 16 hours （8 times） of professional social practice in homes for the aged. Students were divided into groups（2~3 people/group） and then accompanied the elderly under the guidance of school teachers and part-time teachers，such as practicing “one stroke drawing”，Tai Chi，the Eight-brocade Exercise （Ba Duan Jin），sunbathing，etc. Students were required to write reflective diaries after each professional social practice. Meanwhile，students were investigated with the Chinese version of Kogan’s Attitudes towards Old People Scale before and after the practice. Results A total of 553 reflection diaries were collected，and five themes were extracted：the practice process of moving from restraint to freedom；feeling the loneliness of the elderly；enhancing professional identity；accumulation practical experiences；benefits from the spiritual wealth of the elderly. After professional social practice，the scores of students’ attitudes toward old people were higher than that before professional social practice（t=3.969，P<0.001）. Conclusion The professional social practice in higher vocational students guided by labor education in the New Era can achieve the dual effects of vocational education and labor education.

Key words: Vocational Education, Students, Health Occupations, Laber education, Social practice, Homes for the aged