By Shi Xueyun, Qi Zhanyong

In recent years, the studies on vocational education policy in China is flourishing, but there also exist some puzzlements and obstacles in study on vocational education policy that is still a new research field, and one of the doubts is the lack of basic cognition on the integrity and practicality of vocational education policy in China. For example, how many vocational education policies China has issued, who have formulated these policies, which fields have these policies involved, what were the characteristics of these policies since the reform and opening-up of China? All these problems are not very clear, which will undoubtedly restrict scientific explanation and forecasting on vocational education policies in China. Because that “scientific explanation is based on general knowledge and view, in order to explain a matter, people must master particular knowledge about this phenomenon as well as master basic knowledge that make this phenomenon connecting with other phenomenon occurred previously”(Isaak A.C., 1987). The lack of basic knowledge on policy will lead to two kind of results: on one side, it’s difficult for researches to put forward important and valueful research issues; on the other side, even significant issues put forward, it is possible to appear some situations of unsuitability between definite and indicative theories and methods and research issues and objects, and eventually influence the deepening development of study on vocational education policy. Based on the above estimation, the paper want to grasp the basic characteristics of vocational education policies in China through systematic quantity analysis on national vocational education policies during the period from 1995 to 2008, which aimed at enriching basic cognition on vocational education policies in China.

Annex