Bridging the Gap: An Analysis of Key Factors Driving Industry-Education Integration in Application-Oriented Undergraduate Institutions

Industry-education integration (IEI) has emerged as a crucial strategy in China's higher education reform, particularly within application-oriented undergraduate institutions.Using Guangzhou as a case study, this research employed a mixed-methods approach, including questionnaires from 712 students and interviews with 10 teachers and corporate mentors, to examine multi-dimensional factors affecting IEI such as professional competence, employability, practical skills, motivation, participation modes, school satisfaction, and self-efficacy.Key findings include: (1) Professional competence and employability mutually reinforce each other, significantly enhancing student self-efficacy and challenging traditional linear views that treat self-efficacy primarily as a precursor to employment.(2) While students generally appreciate IEI initiatives, they highlight crucial shortcomings including a mismatch between educational content and industry requirements, limited variety in IEI models, and insufficient enterprise participation.These insights underscore policy implementation gaps and the need for increased incentives for enterprise involvement.