Purpose: This research aims to construct an Evaluation Scale for Vocational Education Internships (ESVEI) tailored to assess the vocational educational internship experiences from the perspectives of vocational students. It also seeks to investigate the influence of certain factors – such as gender, family background, educational attainment, chosen major and the duration of the internship – on the assessment of these internships. Design/methodology/approach: In the development of ESVEI, a combination of methods was employed, including literature analysis, item refinement, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, multiple group analysis and reliability analysis. A total of 1,114 vocational students who had finished their internships completed questionnaires formulated based on ESVEI. Findings: A two-dimensional evaluation tool called the ESVEI, consisting of the “Internship Content Evaluation” (ICE) and “Internship Supervisor Evaluation” (ISE) with seven items, has been created. Based on this, the corresponding questionnaires’ results indicate that female respondents, those from urban areas and those in the medical and nursing fields generally rated their internships more favorably compared to their male, rural and engineering and manufacturing counterparts. Additionally, when the internships last less than six months, the longer the internship, the more favorable evaluations. Research limitations/implications: Because of the limited number of respondents, the research results may lack generalizability. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test the proposed evaluation scale further. Practical implications: The scale developed in this study serves as a tangible instrument for assessing the vocational education internship experiences of vocational students. Furthermore, this analysis can provide valuable insights for identifying areas that require further growth and improvement based on the dimensions of internship content and the trainers involved. Originality/value: This is one of the first studies to develop an evaluation scale for vocational education internships in China, which not only clarifies the evaluation dimensions of internships but also forms a tool for future research. © 2025, Emerald Publishing Limited.
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