This qualitative case study examines how vocational teachers in Shandong Province, China, perceive student-centered learning (SCL) curriculum reform. Guided by an integrated theoretical framework combining Fullan’s Theory of Educational Change, the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM), and Rogan and Grayson’s Curriculum Implementation Framework, the study adopts a descriptive case study design. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 13 full-time engineering instructors across four higher vocational colleges and analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s six-phase thematic analysis framework. The findings reveal that institutional, pedagogical, and psychological barriers severely hinder smooth SCL implementation. Specifically, rigid institutional accountability mechanisms, intensive KPI pressures centered on graduate employment rates and skills competition outcomes, and a critical shortage of flexible physical resources for large classes create major structural obstacles. Furthermore, persistent teacher anxiety regarding role transition coexists with deeply ingrained, passive student learning habits shaped by years of exam-oriented schooling. The study highlights that classroom bottlenecks stem from systemic contradictions rather than individual technical flaws, leading to a profound policy-practice misalignment where traditional lecture-based methods continue to dominate despite progressive reform mandates. Based on these insights, this study provides actionable recommendations for policymakers and college administrators to restructure institutional evaluation frameworks, optimize resource distribution, and offer targeted discipline-specific professional training to bridge the persistent policy-practice chasm in vocational education.
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