Purpose This research aims to gain insight into the stereotypes surrounding vocational education and its groups from the students’ perspective. Building upon this basis, it seeks to explore the content, characteristics and solution strategies for stereotypes associated with vocational education and its groups. Design/methodology/approach It utilized interviews and the stereotypic explanatory bias (SEB) questionnaire to gain insight into and analyze the stereotypes associated with vocational education and its groups. A total of 40 vocational students participated in the interviews; 87 vocational students completed the SEB questionnaires about stereotypes about employment opportunities and professional development in vocational education, whereas 215 vocational students finished the SEB questionnaires regarding stereotypes about their academic learning ability. Findings The results of the SEB questionnaires show that vocational students commonly have negative preconceptions about their employment opportunities and professional development, which align with society’s negative stereotypes about vocational education. However, they do not hold significant stereotypes about their academic learning abilities, which shows that vocational students do not engage in self-deprecation or internalize the belief that their academic learning abilities are inferior to others. Research limitations/implications This research is beneficial for broadening and enriching the understanding of stereotypes about vocational education and its groups. Due to the limitations of the data, future research could provide a deeper understanding of stereotypes about vocational education by collecting more data, integrating self-reported methods and analyzing from more diverse perspectives. Practical implications The research findings provide valuable insights into the content and characteristics of stereotypes related to vocational education and its groups. These findings offer strategic guidance and ideas for reducing negative stereotypes, challenging the prevailing “degree supremacy” mindset and enhancing the societal recognition of vocational education. Originality/value This study distinguishes itself from prior research on gender, race and occupation stereotypes by investigating stereotypes about education. It expands and enhances the existing body of research on stereotypes and vocational education. © 2025 Emerald Publishing Limited
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