This study constructs a three-dimension-seven-factor model of Vocational Education Social Identity (VESI) of Vocational Teachers, grounded in social identity theory. Structured around the Position-Function-Construction framework, the model comprises seven factors: Cultural Identity, Professional Identity, Efficacy Identity, Supply Identity, System Identity, Institutional Identity and Pattern Identity. Following the Delphi method, responses from 3,785 teachers were analyzed via a split-sample approach. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) refined the scale to 33 items across seven factors, demonstrating exceptional explanatory power with a total variance explained of 81.26% and factor loadings ranging from 0.694 to 0.933. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) further validated the three-order model, yielding excellent fit indices. Furthermore, multi-group confirmatory factor analysis (MGCFA) established the scale’s measurement invariance, and latent mean and variance analyses revealed significant differences based on educational attainment, professional titles, and school types. The study identifies that the VESI of vocational teachers is conceptualized around three core cognitive dimensions: how vocational education is defined, how it is differentiated, and how its efficacy and social value are perceived. The developed scale provides a validated instrument for measuring this multi-faceted social identity, which can benefit further research on vocational teachers’ perceptions and the social positioning of vocational education.
Niu et al. (Thu,) studied this question.