Perceived Social Support and Craftsmanship Spirit in Vocational Students: Mediating Roles of Professional Identity and Identity Recognition

In the context of a transforming manufacturing industry globally, skilled talents with a “craftsmanship spirit” are crucial for enhancing industrial competitiveness. While existing research primarily focuses on the development of “craftsmanship spirit” among frontline workers, it often overlooks the cultivation of this spirit in “skill‐oriented reserve talents” within higher vocational education. This study, grounded in social support theory, investigates how “perceived social support” among higher vocational students positively influences the development of their “craftsmanship spirit,” with “professional identity” and “identity recognition” acting as mediators. To mitigate potential “common method bias,” we employed a multi‐wave survey design, collecting data from 348 students across three higher vocational institutions at three different time points. The findings reveal that “perceived social support” significantly and positively impacts the development of “craftsmanship spirit” in higher vocational students. Furthermore, both “professional identity” and “identity recognition” are essential mediators in this relationship. This research advances the theoretical understanding of “craftsmanship spirit’s” antecedents while offering practical guidance for fostering professional ethics and identity cognition among skill‐oriented talents in vocational education.