Abstract

Chemistry supports professional learning in Chinese higher vocational education, yet first-year students may enter these courses with uneven conceptual and quantitative preparation. They must coordinate observable phenomena, submicroscopic explanations, symbolic representations, calculations, and practical procedures. Active learning and modular course design address different aspects of these demands, but their integration requires explicit attention to disciplinary fit and classroom implementation. This conceptual paper proposes the Modular Active Learning Intervention (MALI), a framework developed in this article through a theory-guided synthesis of research on chemistry learning, active learning, modular course design, instructional development, and psychological outcomes. Cognitive load theory and constructivism inform instructional design, whereas self-determination theory, social cognitive theory, and a cognitive-affective perspective provide distinct lenses for interpreting motivation, self-efficacy, and attitude. The framework translates these roles into ten 90-minute modules, each with a principal active-learning mechanism, teacher guidance, formative evidence, and individual accountability. It also distinguishes evidence of developmental readiness, implementation fidelity, and comparative student outcomes. Four propositions specify how the package and its proposed psychological outcomes could be evaluated. MALI is presented as an operational synthesis for vocational chemistry, not as an established intervention with demonstrated effects. Its contribution is a theoretically bounded instructional structure that can be developed, implemented, and tested in context.

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