Practice of Ideological and Political Education Combining "Aspiration Support" and "Wisdom Support" for Financially Underprivileged Students in Vocational Undergraduate Universities

Abstract

This study investigates the integrated practice of ideological and political education that simultaneously delivers 'aspiration support'---cultivating moral conviction, self-worth, and social responsibility---and 'wisdom support'---strengthening academic competence, vocational capability, and critical thinking---among financially underprivileged students in vocational undergraduate universities. Grounded in institutional fieldwork across six such institutions over two academic years, the research employed a mixed-methods design combining longitudinal cohort tracking, participatory classroom observation, semi-structured interviews with 142 students and 37 educators, and analysis of pedagogical artifacts including curriculum plans, reflection journals, and mentorship logs. Findings reveal that aspiration support without wisdom support risks symbolic inclusion---students internalize values but lack tools to enact them; conversely, wisdom support without aspiration support produces technical proficiency detached from ethical orientation or shared commitment. The most effective initiatives emerged where pedagogical scaffolding deliberately interweaves value-laden narratives (e.g., work dignity, social mobility through integrity) with discipline-specific problem-solving tasks (e.g., sustainable manufacturing design, community-based service projects). Structural enablers included faculty development modules linking ideological framing to vocational epistemology, peer-led 'dual-support circles', and administrative reallocation of financial aid advising toward holistic mentoring. Outcomes included measurable gains in student-reported agency, persistence rates, and alignment between career choices and socially engaged values---not as abstract ideals but as lived dispositions enacted in internships, capstone work, and civic participation. The study affirms that ideological and political education for this demographic must be neither supplemental nor instrumental, but constitutive of vocational identity formation.