Full sequence education reform for junior college to undergraduate programs in mechanical engineering in China: A holistic pathway and practical implementation

The “Junior College to Undergraduate” (JCU) articulation pathway is a crucial element of China's higher education system. However, students in this pathway often encounter challenges such as feelings of inferiority, difficulties in course articulation, and competency gaps, all of which impede their academic progress. This paper, inspired by the first author's journey from junior college to postdoctoral study, is rooted in educational psychology and articulation theory. It introduces the concept of “full sequence education,” a vertically integrated talent development system encompassing higher vocational college, Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral education within a lifelong learning framework. Unlike lifelong education, which offers a broader perspective, and curriculum articulation, which focuses narrowly on content alignment, this concept extends explicitly to the doctoral level and integrates psychological empowerment, research literacy, academic mentoring, and career planning. The paper systematically examines the causes and interconnections of the challenges faced by JCU students and suggests reform pathways in five key areas: curriculum-based ideological education, curriculum system restructuring, teaching model innovation, research literacy cultivation, and tiered practical teaching. Initial implementation at a provincial key university indicated preliminary links between these reforms and increased academic confidence, improved success rates in postgraduate entrance exams, and enhanced employment quality. However, these findings should be viewed as preliminary associations rather than causal effects due to the pre-post design lacking a control group.