Integrating College Students’ Social Practice with Ideological and Political Education in the Context of Rural Revitalization: A Pathway Toward Synergistic Talent Development

Abstract

Under China’s national strategy of comprehensively promoting rural revitalization, the fundamental mission of higher education—cultivating virtue through education—has acquired new contemporary significance. This paper explores how college students’ social practice, a critical component of holistic education, can be organically integrated into the ideological and political education (IPE) system, with rural revitalization serving as both the practical arena and value orientation. The study first examines the rich educational resources and timely opportunities that rural revitalization offers for IPE, then critically reflects on prevalent issues such as the weakening of ideological orientation and the “two-skin” phenomenon (i.e., disconnection between practice and IPE). The core contribution lies in proposing a four-dimensional integration framework—encompassing goals, content, methodology, and evaluation—to realize the “ideologization” of social practice and the “practicalization” of IPE. Through strategies such as strengthening value guidance, optimizing practice content, innovating organizational models, and refining evaluation mechanisms, this approach aims to cultivate a new generation of talents who understand, love, and are committed to agriculture and rural development, thereby serving the dual objectives of talent development and rural revitalization.