Abstract

This mixed-methods study aimed (1) to study the current and expected situations of sustainable college Counselors’ quality and promotion in Shaanxi Province, (2) to develop strategies for enhancing sustainable college Counselors’ quality and promotion, and (3) to evaluate the feasibility and adaptability of the proposed strategies. A multi-stage sampling approach was employed: five universities were purposively selected to represent regional and institutional diversity, followed by stratified random sampling of 341 Counselors to ensure proportional representation. The primary instrument was a five-point rating-scale questionnaire with strong content validity (IOC = 0.80–1.00) and high reliability (α = 0.94). Additional tools included interview and focus-group protocols and feasibility/adaptability evaluation forms. Quantitative data were analysed using percentages, M, SD, and PNI_modified, while qualitative data were analysed using content analysis; strategy formulation applied SWOT and the TOWS Matrix with focus-group validation.

Findings indicated that the overall current situation was moderate (M = 3.18, SD = 0.22), whereas the expected situation was high (M = 4.00, SD = 0.07), demonstrating a consistent gap across dimensions. Ideological and political quality was a relative strength (current: M = 3.56, SD = 0.83; expected: M = 4.50, SD = 0.55), whereas professional evaluation and assessment (current: M = 3.15, SD = 0.58; expected: M = 4.42, SD = 0.58) and psychological and emotional quality (current: M = 2.97, SD = 0.99; expected: M = 4.44, SD = 0.57) were the weakest areas. Interviews with 10 informants corroborated excessive workload, high stress, limited mental-health support, insufficient professional development and research support, inadequate digital management tools, and unclear promotion criteria. The developed framework proposed one vision and five main strategies, supported by nine sub-strategies and 18 projects. Expert evaluation rated the strategies at the highest levels of feasibility (M = 4.63, SD = 0.21), and adaptability (M = 4.65, SD = 0.19).

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