A Study on the Secondary Vocational Students’ Intention of Enter to Higher Education in the Underdeveloped Areas of Western China Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior

Abstract

Secondary vocational students are the participants of the connection between secondary vocational education and higher education. Their intention of en-tering higher school determines whether China can smoothly promote the cultivation of high-quality technical talents. Because the proportion of sec-ondary vocational education going to higher school in the underdeveloped areas of western China is relatively low. Therefore, this study is based on the theory of planned behavior to explore the factors that influence the intention of secondary vocational students in underdeveloped areas in western China. Through the questionnaire survey, it is found that there are significant dif-ferences in the students’ intention of enter to higher education in terms of gender, grade, and academic performance. Students’ attitude toward entering higher education, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control can pre-dict their intention of entering higher education. But in the end, only the at-titude toward entering higher education and the perceived behavioral control are included in the regression equation. Finally, based on the results of this research, four suggestions are put forward.