Authors: FANG HOU1, Pornsawan Vongtathum1*, Parama Kwangmuang1
In an increasingly competitive labor market, first-year students in Chinese higher vocational institutions often encounter difficulties in long-term career planning due to limited metacognitive awareness and insufficient cognitive tools for self-directed career management, despite the availability of conventional career guidance programs. Addressing this gap, the present study aims to design a constructivist learning environment (CLE) that explicitly supports the development of metacognitive skills for career planning.
Aim: Guided by Richey and Klein's model research framework, the study focuses on the design and development phases, drawing on an extensive review of the literature, analysis of authentic teaching and learning contexts, and synthesis of relevant empirical and theoretical findings. The proposed CLE model is theoretically grounded in constructivist learning theory, sociocultural perspectives, and cognitive psychology, with particular emphasis on metacognitive regulation.
Materials and Methods: The resulting model comprises seven interrelated components: a problem base and learning mission, a learning resource center, a cognitive tools center, a collaboration center, a metacognitive skills center, a scaffolding center, and a tutoring center. Collectively, these components are designed to activate learners' cognitive structures, maintain cognitive equilibrium, enhance career-related problem-solving processes, and provide sustained support for knowledge construction and metacognitive development.
Results: By offering an integrated and theoretically informed design framework, this study contributes a novel approach to fostering self-directed career planning and responds to the urgent need for explicit metacognitive skill development among students in Chinese higher vocational education.
Conclusion: The constructivist learning environment model provides a comprehensive framework for enhancing metacognitive skills in career planning, with potential applications across diverse educational contexts and student populations.
Keywords: Constructivist Learning Environment Model, Metacognitive Skills, Career Planning Learning, Chinese Vocational students.
How to cite this article: Hou F, Vongtathum P, Kwangmuang P. Towards the design and development of a constructivist learning environment model for enhancing metacognitive skills in career planning among Chinese vocational college freshmen. Int J Drug Deliv Technol. 2026;16(3s): 680-703; DOI: 10.25258/ijddt.16.3s.86
Source of support: Nil.
Conflict of interest: None