Developing and evaluating a creativity-oriented labor education course for students in Guangdong higher vocational colleges

Cultivating creativity through labor education in Guangdong higher vocational colleges is essential, yet existing courses often neglect higher-order creative thinking in favor of routine task completion. This study aimed to identify creativity-oriented competency indicators and develop, implement, and evaluate a novel labor education course integrating Tyler's curriculum model and Williams’ creativity framework. Utilizing a Research and Development (R&D) design with an exploratory sequential mixed-methods approach, the study progressed through four phases. Phase I involved a contextual study surveying 400 students and interviewing 12 instructors. Phase II focused on course development and pilot testing ( n = 25). Phase III implemented an intervention comparing an experimental group ( n = 15) to a comparison group ( n = 15). Phase IV evaluated post-course perceptions ( n = 25). Phase I identified key competency indicators, including technical and problem-solving skills, work ethics, social responsibility, and vocational skills. In Phase III, a Repeated-Measures ANOVA revealed a significant Time × Group interaction effect [F(1, 28) = 66.71, p < .001]. The experimental group demonstrated observable improvements across six targeted cognitive dimensions of creativity: fluency, flexibility, originality, imagination, risk-taking, and elaboration. The findings offer preliminary evidence that integrating Tyler's structural design with Williams’ cognitive-behavioral targets provides a viable blueprint for developing creativity-oriented labor education courses. While constrained by a small sample size and single-site deployment, this research provides an actionable foundation for future large-scale, multi-site randomized controlled trials in vocational settings.