A Review of Research on School-Based Student Development Guidance Mechanisms for Top-Tier Innovative Talents in China

Copyright © ISRG Publishers. All rights Reserved. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17505133 35 ISRG PUBLISHERS Abbreviated Key Title: ISRG J Arts Humanit Soc Sci ISSN: 2583-7672 (Online) Journal homepage: https://isrgpublishers.com/isrgjahss Volume– III Issue -VI (November - December) 2025 Frequency: Bimonthly A Review of Research on School-Based Student Development Guidance Mechanisms for Top-Tier Innovative Talents in China LIU Xiaoxin1, YEUNG Siu Kwai2* 1Taishan No. 1 Middle School, China; 2Faculty of Education, University of Macau, China | Received: 19.10.2025 | Accepted: 25.10.2025 | Published: 02.11.2025 *Corresponding author: YEUNG Siu Kwai Faculty of Education, University of Macau, China Abstract Cultivating top-tier innovative talents is a core demand for China to respond to international scientific and technological competition and realize the strategy of becoming an educational power. In China, general senior high schools serve as a crucial stage for fostering innovative literacy and early identification of talents. However, there exists a profound contradiction between their traditional homogeneous talent cultivation model and the growth laws of top-tier innovative talents. Constructing a schoolbased student development guidance mechanism for top-tier innovative talents is a core path to resolve this contradiction and deepen the reform of talent cultivation methods in senior high schools. By systematically reviewing relevant domestic and international literature, this paper first elaborates on the research origin from three dimensions: the practical predicament of education, the rigid requirements of policies, and the needs for cultivating top-tier innovative talents. Then, it clarifies and defines core concepts such as “student development guidance mechanism”, “school-based student development guidance mechanism”, and “top-tier innovative talents” theoretically. On this basis, the paper summarizes the current research status at home and abroad from three aspects: connotation analysis, value interpretation, and model construction, and introduces the collaborative theoretical basis supporting this research. Finally, the paper points out three limitations of the current research: insufficient systematic construction, lack of empirical support, and deficiency in international comparison. It also looks forward to future research focusing on practical issues and theoretical construction, aiming to provide theoretical references and practical paradigms for constructing the school-based student development guidance mechanism for top-tier innovative talents. Keywords: Top-Tier Innovative Talents; Student Development Guidance; School-Based Mechanism; General Senior High Schools; Reform of Talent Cultivation Methods Copyright © ISRG Publishers. All rights Reserved. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17505133 36 1. Introduction Against the backdrop of increasingly fierce global scientific and technological competition, the cultivation of top-tier innovative talents has become a core link for China to achieve high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and the strategy of becoming an educational power. General senior high schools, as an important stage for laying the foundation of innovative literacy and early identification of talents, have an obvious contradiction between their standardized and homogeneous talent cultivation model and the personalized and differentiated growth paths required for top-tier innovative talents. Constructing a scientific school-based student development guidance mechanism is regarded as a key path to resolve this contradiction and promote the transformation of talent cultivation methods in senior high schools. 2. Research Origin: Background and Motivation 2.1 The Dilemma of the Times: In-depth Predicaments in the Reform of Talent Cultivation Methods in General Senior High Schools China has put forward the goals of “running education that satisfies the people” and “accelerating the construction of a high-quality education system”. General senior high school education plays a connecting role in talent cultivation. Running general senior high school education well is of great significance for 2 consolidating the achievements of universal compulsory education, enhancing the development momentum of higher education, building a highquality education system with Chinese characteristics, and further improving the overall quality of the national population. China’s “People’s Education” once pointed out that how to deepen the reform of talent cultivation methods, run general senior high school education that satisfies the people, and promote the high-quality development of basic education is a major urgent issue of the times. 1 In the practice of deepening the reform of talent cultivation methods, challenges inevitably emerge: first, the problem of homogeneous school-running in general senior high schools still exists; second, the talent cultivation model is not flexible enough; third, the momentum for diversified and characteristic development of senior high schools is insufficient. However, an important way to effectively promote the reform of talent cultivation methods is to strengthen student development guidance. General senior high schools should fully pay attention to students' individual needs, continuously promote student development guidance work based on the needs of adapting to the reform of talent cultivation methods and the actual situation of the school, so as to effectively form a joint force in talent cultivation and improve the quality of talent cultivation. To sum up, an important way to resolve the predicament in the reform of talent cultivation methods in general senior high schools is to explore a set of systematic and characteristic practical theories and practical experiences in student development guidance. By enhancing the initiative and consciousness of student development guidance, 1 General Office of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China. Guiding Opinions on Advancing the Reform of Ordinary High School Education Models in the New Era (State Council Document No. 29 [2019]) [EB/OL]. (2019-06-19) [2023-10-27]. http://www.gov.cn/zhengce/content/201906/19/content_5401568.htm. general senior high schools can improve the matching degree between talent cultivation and the social demand for talents. 2.2 Policy Guidance: Rigid National-Level Planning for Student Development Guidance in China The State Council of China has issued the first national-level special plan for the youth field in the history of New China - the “Mediumand Long-Term Youth Development Plan (20162025)”, which provides fundamental policy guidance for the development of contemporary youth (youth referred to in this plan are aged 14-35). Youth development has received increasing support from top-level design. 2 Nowadays, the development of Chinese youth has entered a new stage, and Chinese youth have become an increasingly important force in promoting sustainable development. However, senior high school education is a critical period for the formation of youth’s personality and their independent development, and it has special significance for improving the national quality and cultivating comprehensive and individualized youth. Student development guidance in general senior high schools plays a fundamental and foundational role in cultivating and developing youth, and also undertakes the important task of youth cultivation. Senior high school education is an important way to develop youth. The basic quality of Chinese youth development depends on the quality of student development guidance in general senior high schools. Therefore, taking this national policy as an opportunity, general senior high schools should focus on student development guidance, learn from domestic and international experiences, and closely align with the actual situation of senior high school education to better promote the high-quality development of Chinese education and the strategy of cultivating high-quality talents for the future. 2.3 Practical Needs: The Urgency of Early Cultivation of Top-Tier Innovative Talents The 2024 Government Work Report proposed to “improve the mechanism for discovering and cultivating top-tier innovative talents”. During the two sessions of the National People's Congress and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the issue of the independent cultivation capacity of top-tier innovative talents has attracted much attention. Focusing on national strategic needs and targeting the frontiers of science and technology and key fields to cultivate top-tier innovative talents is not only the demand of the times for talent cultivation, but also a must-answer question for the education system and even the whole society. The cultivation of top-tier innovative talents focuses on developing their autonomy, practical ability, dedication to a certain field, and perseverance. The basic education stage is the key period for 2 General Office of the State Council. Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Reform of Regular Senior Secondary Education Models in the New Era (No. 29 [2019]) [EB/OL]. (2019-06-19) [2023-10-27]. http://www.gov.cn/zhengce/content/201906/19/content_5401568.htm. 2 Central Committee of the Communist Party of China & State Council. *Notice on Issuing the “Medium-to-Long-Term Youth Development Plan (2016-2025)”* [EB/OL]. (2017-04-13) [202310-27]. http://www.gov.cn/zhengce/201704/13/content_5185555.htm. Copyright © ISRG Publishers. All rights Reserved. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17505133 37 carrying out the early cultivation of top-tier innovative talents. From the perspective of physical and psychological development stages, the cultivation of top-tier innovative talents mainly lays the foundation in the senior high school stage. However, under the background of the new college entrance examination, general senior high school education attaches importance to talent selection while neglecting talent cultivation. Many schools often use the method of “selecting top students with high scores” as a common means of talent selection. But after selection, they still use the same cultivation methods as before, only focusing on test scores and the inculcation of disciplinary knowledge, while ignoring the personalized development of students. At the same time, teachers adhere to egalitarianism in daily education, do not emphasize the qualitative differences among students, and deliberately treat all students equally. This leads to the phenomenon of "modeled output" of cultivated talents. A survey on why the cultivation of top-tier innovative talents is not successful shows that 22% of the respondents believe that outdated teaching methods and means are the main factors restricting the cultivation of innovative talents, 19% think it is the lack of cultivation of innovative awareness, and other influencing factors include the failure of supporting systems to keep up (17%), the uneven level of teachers (17%), insufficient investment in teaching (13%), and imperfect communication platforms (12%). 3 It can be seen that backward cultivation methods and insufficient supporting resources are important factors restricting the output of innovative talents. Therefore, in order to effectively realize the cultivation of top-tier innovative talents, general senior high schools should have a complete set of student development guidance mechanisms, conduct targeted research on the development of potential students in different academic stages, and develop consecutive and progressive courses for them to achieve targeted cultivation. To sum up, the predicament in the reform of talent cultivation methods in general senior high schools, the requirements of national policies, and the needs for cultivating top-tier innovative talents require senior high schools to establish a set of systematic and characteristic student development guidance mechanisms. On the basis of in-depth research on the internal and external factors affecting student development guidance in senior high schools and revealing the development needs of senior high school students in the school, it is necessary to enhance the students’ conscious awareness of future development planning, guide general senior high schools to implement student development guidance work scientifically and reasonably, establish a school-based student development guidance mechanism, and promote the all-round development of target talents. This is of great theoretical and practical significance for improving the quality of talent cultivation in general senior high schools in China and meeting the demand of social development for top-tier innovative talents in the new era. 3. Definition of Core Concepts A clear definition of concepts is the cornerstone of academic research. This study involves three core concepts, which need to be clearly defined. 3.1 Student Development Guidance Mechanism 3.1.1 Student Development Guidance 3 Xie, Z. X., Wang, J., & Liu, M. J. (2017). “Survey Report on the Top-Tier Training Program for Basic Discipline Students”. China University Teaching, (4), 13–18. The “Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Reform of Talent Cultivation Methods in General Senior High Schools in the New Era” issued by the Ministry of Education of China points out that student development guidance should strengthen guidance for students in aspects such as ideals, psychology, academic studies, daily life, and career planning. It helps students establish correct ideals and beliefs, understand themselves correctly, better adapt to senior high school study and life, handle the relationship between their personal interests and strengths and the needs of the country and society, and improve their independent decision-making ability in selecting elective courses, optional exam subjects, application majors, and future development directions. 4 Professor Huang Xiangyang from East China Normal University believes that student development guidance has now formed a student development guidance system that emphasizes life guidance, academic guidance, and career guidance equally. 5 Wang Xiaomei holds that student development guidance generally refers to a series of personalized development guidance services provided by schools for students, mainly focusing on guidance in personality, academic studies, daily life, professional fields, and social aspects. The purpose is to enable students to better adapt to life and study and achieve healthy growth and development. 6 Fang Xiaoyi and others define student development guidance as a complete set of guidance services provided by schools for students in terms of their personality, social psychology, career, and academic studies, with the aim of promoting the all-round development of students and improving the quality of talent cultivation. 7 This paper defines it operationally as follows: student development guidance refers to a series of targeted guidance services provided by schools to promote the all-round and personalized development of students and improve the quality of talent cultivation, covering aspects such as ideals, psychology, academic studies, daily life, and career planning. 3.1.2 Mechanism The Modern Chinese Dictionary provides four explanations for “mechanism”: (1) the structure and working principle of a machine; (2) the structure, function, and interrelationship of an organism; (3) the physical and chemical laws of certain natural phenomena; (4) generally referring to the process and method of interaction between the organizations or parts of a work system. This study adopts the fourth meaning. 8 It should be noted that “mechanism” and “system” are closely related yet distinct from 4 Ministry of Education. (2019). Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Reform of Regular Senior Secondary Education Models in the New Era [EB/OL]. (2019-06-19) [2023-10-27]. http://www.moe.gov.cn/srcsite/A06/s7053/201906/t20190619_386 539.html. 5 Huang, X. Y. (2017). Preliminary Discussion on the Construction of a Student Development Guidance System. Educational Research, 38(9), 47–53. 6 Wang, X. M. (2012). Practical Exploration of the Student Development Guidance System in Regular Senior Secondary Schools. Educational Science Research, (4), 45–48+68. 7 Fang, X. Y., Hu, W., Chen, L., & Wang, Q. (2013). Problems and Countermeasures in Constructing a Student Development Guidance System for Regular Senior Secondary Schools. Journal of the Chinese Society of Education, (8), 22–26. 8 Institute of Linguistics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (Ed.). (2016). Contemporary Chinese Dictionary (7th ed.) [Z]. Beijing: The Commercial Press. p. 598. Copyright © ISRG Publishers. All rights Reserved. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17505133 38 each other. Qian Xuesen believes that a system is an organic whole with specific functions composed of several interacting and interdependent components (elements), and it is also a part of a larger system. 9 In contrast, a mechanism is a specific operation mode that coordinates the relationships between various parts of a thing and connects them. The academic community generally recognizes the “six-element theory” as the main components of the ideological and political education mechanism. The elements of the mechanism in this study include the operation subject, operation purpose, operation environment, operation motivation, operation mode, and operation guarantee. Specifically, in the context of this paper: the “operation subject” is the leading factor, mainly referring to the school and all teachers and students; the operation purpose has a guiding function, with the most important being the implementation of the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education and the cultivation of top-tier innovative talents; the operation environment mainly refers to the campus culture, which has a guiding function; the operation motivation is the source of strength, including internal and external motivations, i.e., the educational demands of the whole society; the operation mode refers to the specific paths and actual operations. According to the actual needs of this paper, the six elements are integrated and divided into four parts: improving the dualleadership mechanism of organizational disciplines and student development guidance, perfecting the school-family-society collaborative mechanism, expanding the "teacher-curriculumactivity" series of operation mechanisms, and innovating the diversified evaluation mechanism. To sum up, this paper holds that the student development guidance mechanism is a stable, continuous, and effective operation mode formed by analyzing the interrelationships and interactions among various elements of student development guidance, with the purpose of promoting the all-round and personalized development of students and improving the quality of talent cultivation. It includes the dual-leadership mechanism of disciplinary teaching and student development guidance, the improved alumni collaboration mechanism, the expanded “teacher-curriculum-activity” series of operation mechanisms, and the innovative diversified evaluation mechanism. 3.1.3 School-Based Student Development Guidance Mechanism The school-based student development guidance mechanism refers to a student development guidance mechanism constructed and practiced by schools based on the school's own orientation to meet the needs of promoting the all-round and personalized development of students. 3.1.4 Top-Tier Innovative Talents Top-tier innovative talents refer to those who demonstrate outstanding abilities and innovative capabilities in a certain field or industry. Such talents usually possess extraordinary talents and abilities, but they often have a vague understanding of their own unique intelligence and abilities. This requires parents, teachers, or schools to identify and cultivate these talents through various discovery and cultivation mechanisms. Top-tier innovative talents play a crucial role in scientific and technological progress, industrial development, and national security. They usually have noble morals, extensive knowledge, and innovative capabilities, 9 Qian, X. S., Xu, G. Z., & Wang, S. Y. (1978, September 27). Organizational Management Technology: Systems Engineering [N]. Wenhui Daily, pp. 1, 4. and can put forward innovative ideas, material products, and social services. 4. Literature Review: Research Status and Theoretical Basis 4.1 Current Research Status at Home and Abroad 4.1.1 Research on the Connotation of Student Development Guidance in General Senior High Schools There are mainly three viewpoints on the definition of the connotation of student development guidance in general senior high schools: the first is the cognitive perspective. This viewpoint holds that student development guidance is a process in which students learn to recognize themselves, develop themselves, and improve themselves. Domestic scholars argue that "student development guidance is a process in which schools, in accordance with the physical and mental development needs of adolescents, use certain professional knowledge and experience to help students understand themselves, recognize the world, and solve problems, so as to better adapt to study and life and achieve the maximum level of development". 10 Japan’s “Student Guidance Manual” defines “student guidance” as a process based on the recognition of human dignity, regarding each student as an end in itself, that is, helping individuals with their own inherent value to realize selfactualization, aiming to promote the optimal development of human nature. 11 The second is the activity perspective. This viewpoint holds that student development guidance refers to all educational activities centered on student development, and its value lies in preparing students for adapting to social life, higher education, and career development in the future, and laying a foundation for students' lifelong development. Li Jin, Deputy Director of the Primary and Secondary School Teaching Research Center of the Curriculum and Teaching Materials Research Institute of the Ministry of Education of China, believes that “student development guidance in general senior high schools is a series of guidance activities carried out in aspects such as students’ ideals, psychology, study, daily life, and career to promote the allround and personalized development of general senior high school students and cultivate era-specific new talents with ideals, abilities, and responsibilities”. 12 Japanese scholars propose that one of the connotations of student guidance is to carry out specific and practical student activities. 13 The third is the methodological perspective. Student development guidance is put forward as a solution to the problem of how schools pay attention to individual differences and effectively promote the development of all students. Some scholars point out that student development guidance refers to a series of services provided by schools to guide all students in aspects such as psychology (including personality 10 Chang, X. S. (2018). Theoretical and Practical Research on Student Development Guidance in Secondary Schools [D]. Tianjin Normal University. 11 Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan. (2022). Guide to Student Guidance [Z]. Tokyo: National Printing Bureau. p. 5. 12 Li, J. (2021). Student Development Guidance in Regular Senior Secondary Schools: Connotation, Pathways, and Challenges. Basic Education Curriculum, (9), 4–10. 13 Shimazaki, M., & Shimazaki, S. (2017). Theory and Practice of Student Guidance and Career Guidance [M]. Tokyo : Gakubunsha. p. 28. Copyright © ISRG Publishers. All rights Reserved. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17505133 39 and sociality), academic studies, and career. At present, the academic community has not yet reached a relatively consistent consensus on the definition of the connotation of student development guidance in general senior high schools. How to interpret the connotation of student development guidance in general senior high schools in a reasonable and comprehensive manner is the key to conducting research at present. 4.1.2 Research on the Value of Student Development Guidance in General Senior High Schools Research on the value of student development guidance can be summarized into the following aspects: the first is to promote the all-round and personalized development of students. Qiao Zhihong from the Psychology Department of Beijing Normal University proposes to take students as the center, build a comprehensive development guidance system, and promote the all-round and personalized development of senior high school students. 14 Ma Nan points out that doing a good job in student development guidance helps students fully understand themselves, clarify their future development direction, and achieve all-round and personalized development. 15 The second is to help improve the quality of talent cultivation. Student development guidance is an important link for general senior high schools to improve the quality of talent cultivation. Scholar Wang Xin from the Faculty of Education of Shaanxi Normal University holds that “strengthening the construction of the student development guidance teacher team and building a high-quality student development guidance teacher team is an important task for general senior high schools to improve the quality of talent cultivation”. 16 The third is to realize the high-quality development of education. Liu Yuanyuan and Liu Pingqing from Beijing Institute of Technology point out that China's education has basically achieved the goal of “providing education for all without discrimination”, and the key to finally realizing the high-quality development goal of “making the best use of people’s talents” lies in effective student development guidance to achieve individualized teaching and promote students' efficient learning. 17 The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) proposes that the value of student guidance lies in promoting students’ development in three major fields: academic studies, career, and personal/social aspects. 18 4.1.3 Research on the Model Construction of Student Development Guidance Mechanism in General Senior High Schools Research on the student development guidance mechanism in general senior high schools mainly includes the following 14 Qiao, Z. H. (2019). Constructing a Student Development Guidance System for Regular Senior Secondary Schools under the New Gaokao Context. Educational Science Research, (3), 5-10. 15 Ma, N. (2020). Practice and Reflection on the Student Development Guidance System in Regular Senior Secondary Schools. Teaching and Administration, (36), 15-17. 16 Wang, X. (2021). Dilemmas and Breakthroughs in Building a Student Development Guidance Teacher Team in Regular Senior Secondary Schools. Teacher Education Research, 33(4), 88-94. 17 Liu, Y. Y., & Liu, P. Q. (2022). From “Educating All Without Discrimination” to “Developing Each Person’s Talents”: The Educational Value of Student Development Guidance. Journal of National Academy of Education Administration, (5), 78-85. 18 American School Counselor Association (ASCA). (2019). The ASCA National Model : A Framework for School Counseling Programs (4th ed.) [M]. Alexandria, VA : Author. viewpoints: First, some scholars have conducted research from the regional perspective. Li Jin, Deputy Director of the Curriculum and Teaching Materials Research Institute of the Ministry of Education of China, has proposed a regionally coordinated student development guidance mechanism. The region fully integrates student development guidance into the work system of the new curriculum, new teaching materials, and new college entrance examination, and explores a student development guidance mechanism with regional characteristics and school-based implementation by means of overall promotion, key breakthroughs, and characteristic development. 19 Haidian District of Beijing has actively constructed a collaborative promotion mechanism for student development guidance featuring “administrative leadership, research implementation and promotion, and school-based personalized practice”. It has established a regional student development guidance organization, guided schools to set up student development guidance centers, with the district-level leader being concurrently held by the director of the Education Commission and the school-level leader by the principal. It provides guarantees in terms of fund investment, policy support, system construction, teacher training, and public opinion publicity, and strengthens the monitoring of implementation to provide organizational guarantees for the smooth development of student development guidance work. 20 Taiyuan City of Shanxi Province has conducted research and diagnostic analysis on the current situation of student development guidance in general senior high schools, especially student mental health, school mental health education, career planning education, and family education guidance. On this basis, it has established a Taiyuan Student Development Guidance Project Team, with 13 project schools participating in in-depth research, jointly carrying out special research, and regularly holding seminars and demonstration and exchange activities to lead and guide schools in carrying out student development guidance work. 21 The student counseling services in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China are jointly provided by the Hong Kong Education Bureau, the Hong Kong Social Welfare Department, and social welfare institutions, covering three aspects: academic development, career development, and personal and group development. 22 The Taiwan Region of China adopts a “three-in-one” counseling system integrating teaching, discipline, and counseling, with academic, life, and career counseling as the main contents, and is equipped with full-time counselors. 23 Second, from the school perspective, Li Jin, Deputy Director of the Curriculum and Teaching Materials Research Institute of the Ministry of Education of China, has 19 Li, J. (2021). Student Development Guidance in Regular Senior Secondary Schools: Connotation, Pathways, and Challenges. Basic Education Curriculum, (9), 4-10. 20 Haidian District Education Commission, Beijing. (2020). Implementation Plan for Student Development Guidance Work in Haidian District Secondary Schools [Z]. 21 Taiyuan Municipal Education Bureau. (2021). Implementation Plan for Student Development Guidance Programs in Taiyuan Regular Senior Secondary Schools [Z]. 22 Education Bureau, Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. School Administration Guide: Student Guidance Services [EB/OL]. [2023-10-27]. https://www.edb.gov.hk/tc/sch-admin/admin/about-schstaff/guidance.html. 23 Wu, W. D. (2017). Sixty Years of Counseling in Taiwan. Journal of Educational Research, (275), 44-59. Copyright © ISRG Publishers. All rights Reserved. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17505133 40 proposed to construct a student development guidance management mechanism featuring principal leadership, hierarchical promotion, professional guidance, and administrative support, and regularly hold special meetings to discuss key and difficult issues and coordinate various forces to carry out work. 24 Scholars Liu Pingqing and Liu Yuanyuan from Beijing Institute of Technology point out that based on the four-dimensional framework of student development covering “academic studies, character, ability, and vision”, a comprehensive motivation model for student growth should be constructed. 25 Li Jizhou, Secretary of the General Party Branch of Yongding Experimental School of Beijing No. 8 Middle School, has proposed combining internal and external resources to truly establish a student development guidance support system. 26 Wang Nan suggests that schools should take the development of academic resources and core resources as the “warp” and adhere to the “weft” of comprehensively doing a good job in student development guidance to construct a familyschool-society collaborative guidance mechanism. 27 Qiao Zhihong from Beijing Normal University requires schools to build a comprehensive development guidance system integrating career development, academic guidance, and mental health. Schools should construct courses and develop projects from the perspective of students, solve common problems, and provide personalized counseling. 28 However, there are relatively few academic literatures specifically studying the student development guidance mechanism. Many scholars have also pointed out that there are many problems in the student development guidance mechanism, such as insufficient motivation of the development subject, obstacles in the operation process, unclear evaluation indicators, and lack of overall coordination mechanisms. These problems need to be solved in subsequent research. 4.2 Review of Theoretical Basis Synergy Theory: Originating in the 1970s, it is an important branch theory of system science founded by the famous German theoretical physicist Hermann Haken. Haken believes that “synergetics is the 'science of coordinated cooperation', aiming to discover the universal laws on which structures are formed”. Its basic ideas mainly include the synergy effect, the “slaving” principle, and the self-organization principle. It aims to study the process of a system moving from disorder to order and explore the optimal state and function of system organization. Among them, the synergy effect refers to the “1+1>2” overall effect produced by 24 Li, J. (2021). Student Development Guidance in Regular Senior Secondary Schools: Connotation, Pathways, and Challenges. Basic Education Curriculum, (9), 4-10. 25 Liu, Y. Y., & Liu, P. Q. (2022). From “Educating All Without Discrimination” to “Developing Each Person's Talents”: The Educational Value of Student Development Guidance. Journal of National Academy of Education Administration, (5), 78-85. 26 Li, J. Z. (2021, November 10). Internal and External Integration: Truly Establishing a Guarantee System for Student Development Guidance. Modern Education News, p. 003. 27 Wang, N. (2022). Research on the Construction of a Student Development Guidance System in Regular Senior Secondary Schools from the Perspective of Home-School-Community Collaboration. Primary and Secondary School Management, (5), 33-36. 28 Qiao, Z. H. (2019). Constructing a Student Development Guidance System for Regular Senior Secondary Schools under the New Gaokao Context. Educational Science Research, (3), 5-10. the synergy of various subsystems in a complex open system; the “slaving” principle, also known as the dominance principle, means that “the order parameter dominates each part. The order parameter is like a puppeteer in a puppet show, making the puppets dance, while the puppets in turn affect him and restrict him. The dominance principle plays a core role in synergetics”. The order parameter is the most important concept in synergy theory. The socalled order parameter refers to a parameter that causes the formation of a new structure through changes during the evolution of the system. It represents the “order” or state of the system and plays a role in dominating each subsystem and governing the overall evolution and development of the system. The selforganization principle refers to the process in which a system automatically forms a certain structure or function in accordance with certain established rules among its internal subsystems without external instructions, so as to continuously optimize itself. 29 Although synergy theory is an emerging science, it has been widely applied in the fields of natural sciences and social sciences. It enables the subsystems within a complex system and the elements within the system to form an orderly structure in terms of time, space, and function for the realization of a common goal, thereby improving work efficiency. Its interdisciplinary research paradigm and research methods provide a new path and possibility for us to understand and study things. Synergy theory is highly compatible with the research on the school-based student development guidance mechanism for top-tier innovative talents. The student development guidance in Taishan No. 1 Middle School is an open system and a complex systematic project, involving a large number of non-linear activities and disordered states. It involves many factors and variables, and the correlation between variables is very strong. We need to coordinate not only the internal relationships of Taishan No. 1 Middle School, but also the relationships between the school and the government, enterprises and public institutions, social organizations, alumni, and families. We need to focus closely on the goal of "improving the quality of cultivating top-tier innovative talents", effectively coordinate the relevant educational resources within general senior high schools, and strengthen the interaction between subsystems. However, to achieve this goal, it is necessary to construct a scientific mechanism and realize the scientific allocation and orderly operation of various resources and forces through top-level design, organization and implementation, evaluation and feedback, and optimization and improvement, so as to synergistically promote the in-depth development of practical education. Therefore, as the main body of organizing student development guidance, Taishan No. 1 Middle School focuses on constructing a school-familysociety collaborative mechanism, striving for maximum support from the government to provide a good policy environment for student development guidance; strengthening exchanges and cooperation with enterprises and public institutions to improve their awareness and sense of responsibility for student development guidance work, encouraging them to actively absorb students from Taishan No. 1 Middle School to participate in practical activities, and providing practice bases or platforms for students' development; strengthening communication and contact with parents to obtain their recognition and support. By coordinating 29 Qiao, Z. H. (2019). Constructing a Student Development Guidance System for Regular Senior Secondary Schools under the New Gaokao Context. Educational Science Research, (3), 5-10. Copyright © ISRG Publishers. All rights Reserved. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17505133 41 and utilizing all available resources, it gathers a joint force for student development guidance and continuously promotes the student development guidance work to develop in breadth and depth. 5. Research Review and Prospect 5.1 Research Review In general, scholars at home and abroad have achieved certain results in the research on the connotation, value, and mechanism of student development guidance in general senior high schools. However, these studies still have shortcomings: First, the research perspective is too single, and the systematicness of the research is insufficient. That is, most studies take a certain aspect of student development guidance in general senior high schools as the research object or start from a certain perspective, failing to conduct an integrated study on student development guidance in general senior high schools in a systematic manner. Second, the research focuses on theoretical and practical discussions, lacking evaluation feedback and empirical analysis. Most scholars propose similar ways to solve problems, but there is insufficient tracking of the application of these theories or the effectiveness of their application. Because student development guidance cannot only stay at the level of theoretical research, but also be put into practical work. Third, there is a lack of horizontal or classified comparative research, and international reference is seriously insufficient. There is a lack of exploration on the operation laws of student development guidance mechanisms in different types of general senior high schools, and insufficient analysis and evaluation of foreign research results on related issues, failing to provide strong theoretical support for improving the scientific level of student development guidance in general senior high schools in China. 5.2 Prospect for Future Research Based on the above research review, to further enhance the theoretical depth and practical value of the research, future related research should focus on the following two directions for deepening: First, focus on practical problems and explore the optimal path for the professionalization and institutionalization of student development guidance work. The author of this paper will be rooted in the practical context of student development guidance in Taishan No. 1 Middle School, aiming to systematically diagnose its current situation and predicaments, and conduct a micro-case study: based on the analysis of the current situation of student development guidance in Taishan No. 1 Middle School, explore how to realize the professionalization and institutionalization of student development guidance work in an optimal way to cultivate top-tier innovative talents. Second, focus on theoretical construction and analyze the internal logic and system coupling of the student development guidance mechanism. The key theoretical issue of this paper is to analyze the interrelationships and interactions among various elements of student development guidance, study the dual-leadership mechanism of disciplinary teaching and student development guidance, improve the school-society-family collaborative mechanism, expand the “teacher-curriculum-activity” series of operation mechanisms, and innovate the diversified evaluation mechanism, so as to form a spiral student development guidance mechanism featuring stimulating subject motivation - organizational operation - evaluation feedback - improvement and promotion. 6. Conclusion Cultivating top-tier innovative talents is a major plan for China’s development. As an early link in the innovation chain, general senior high schools play a crucial role in the quality of student development guidance, which is related to the overall situation of China's national strategy for cultivating innovative talents. Through a systematic review, this paper shows that constructing a stable, continuous, and effective school-based student development guidance mechanism for top-tier innovative talents is an inevitable choice and core path to resolve the current predicament in the reform of talent cultivation methods in senior high schools, respond to national policy requirements, and meet the needs of cultivating top-tier innovative talents. Cultivating top-tier innovative talents is a major plan for China’s development. As an early link in the innovation chain, general senior high schools play a crucial role in the quality of student development guidance, which is related to the overall situation of China's national strategy for cultivating innovative talents. Through a systematic review, this paper shows that constructing a stable, continuous, and effective school-based student development guidance mechanism for top-tier innovative talents is an inevitable choice and core path to resolve the current predicament in the reform of talent cultivation methods in senior high schools, respond to national policy requirements, and meet the needs of cultivating top-tier innovative talents.