Co esponding au ho : Ucab Julie E
Copy igh © 2025 Au ho (s) e ain he copy igh o his a icle. This a icle is published unde he e ms o he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion Liscense 4.0.
Unpacking China’s Pisa Success: Go e nance, cu iculum, and challenges in pu sui o
educa ional excellence
Julie Es añol Ucab 1, * and Gladys Sahagun Esca los 2
1 Depa men o Educa ion, Facul y o Educa ion, Sal acion Elemen a y School, Kadingilan, Bukidnon, Philippines.
2 Depa men o P o essional Educa ion, College o Educa ion, Cen al Mindanao Uni e si y, Uni e si y Town, Musuan,
Ma amag, Bukidnon, Philippines.
Wo ld Jou nal o Ad anced Resea ch and Re iews, 2025, 26(02), 1572-1575
Publica ion his o y: Recei ed on 23 Ma ch 2025; e ised on 09 May 2025; accep ed on 11 May 2025
A icle DOI: h ps://doi.o g/10.30574/wja .2025.26.2.1613
Abs ac
This e iew syn hesizes li e a u e om 2009 o 2024 o analyze key ea u es o China's educa ion sys em in luencing
PISA (P og amme o In e na ional S uden Assessmen ) ou comes, ocusing on go e nance, cu iculum, lea ne and
eache de elopmen , and suppo sys ems. China's high PISA ankings e lec s eng hs in cen alized go e nance,
igo ous cu icula, and eache p o essionalism, especially in a luen u ban egions. Howe e , hese successes mask
pe sis en u al-u ban dispa i ies and an exam-d i en cul u e c i icized o s i ling c ea i i y and inc easing s uden
s ess. Ongoing e o ms seek o add ess hese issues, ye sus ained e o s a e essen ial o ensu e educa ional excellence
ha is bo h b oad-based and balanced ac oss he coun y.
Keywo ds: PISA; China; Educa ion Sys em; Sys ema ic Re iew; Pe o mance
1. In oduc ion
China has pa icipa ed in he P og amme o In e na ional S uden Assessmen (PISA) ou imes, ini ially ep esen ed
by Shanghai in 2009 and 2012, egions known o hei ou s anding pe o mance ha placed hem well abo e OECD
a e ages. Howe e , hese esul s p ima ily e lec ed u ban cen e s a he han he en i e coun y, e ealing signi ican
u al-u ban educa ional di ides and inequali y. In 2015, he sample expanded o include Beijing, Jiangsu, and
Guangdong, which led o a d op in anking due o g ea e di e si y. By 2018, Guangdong was eplaced by Zhejiang, a
p o ince wi h a s ong educa ional epu a ion, likely imp o ing China’s o e all s anding. PISA pa icipa ion se es
mul iple pu poses o China: enhancing sys em assessmen , mode nizing educa ion quali y and managemen , and
p o essionalizing policy-making. This e iew syn hesizes li e a u e om 2009 o 2024 o analyze key ea u es o China’s
educa ion sys em in luencing PISA ou comes, ocusing on go e nance, cu iculum, lea ne and eache de elopmen ,
and suppo sys ems (OECD, 2020; Schul e, 2019; Wikipedia, 2025)
2. Me hods
This sys ema ic e iew d aws on pee - e iewed a icles, policy analyses, and o icial epo s ela ed o China’s PISA
pa icipa ion and educa ion e o ms om 2009 o 2024. The analysis is s uc u ed ollowing he IMRAD o ma , wi h
hema ic a eas iden i ied om he mos ele an and ecen esea ch. Da a syn hesis emphasizes go e nance and
managemen , cu iculum de elopmen , lea ne and eache de elopmen , and suppo sys ems in ela ion o PISA
pe o mance and subsequen policy esponses.
Wo ld Jou nal o Ad anced Resea ch and Re iews, 2025, 26(02), 1572-1575
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3. Resul s
3.1. Go e nance and Managemen
China’s educa ion sys em is highly cen alized, wi h he Minis y o Educa ion (MOE) se ing na ional policies, s anda ds,
and cu icula, while p o incial and local au ho i ies implemen hese di ec i es. Teache ce i ica ion ollows na ional
s anda ds equi ing o mal quali ica ions, ce i ica ion exams, and con inuous p o essional de elopmen . Sala ies and
bene i s a e egula ed o main ain compe i i eness, especially in u ban a eas. Despi e obus go e nance, signi ican
dispa i ies pe sis be ween u ban and u al schools, wi h u ban cen e s ecei ing mo e esou ces and a ac ing mo e
quali ied eache s, con ibu ing o hei supe io PISA pe o mance (Minis y o Educa ion o he People's Republic o
China, 2025; Lin, 2025; CHEA, 2025).
3.2. Cu iculum De elopmen
China employs a na ionwide s anda dized cu iculum emphasizing co e subjec s aligned wi h PISA domains:
ma hema ics, science, and Chinese language. Recen e o ms aim o mo e beyond o e memo iza ion o os e c i ical
hinking, c ea i i y, and holis ic de elopmen , hough implemen a ion a ies widely ac oss egions. Shanghai’s
cu iculum e o ms, in luenced by PISA insigh s, ha e shaped na ional policy by in eg a ing balanced assessmen
sys ems ha include s uden well-being and b oade compe encies alongside academic achie emen (Asia Socie y,
2006; Wang, Bian, Xin, Khe , Houang, & Schmid , 2009; OECD, 2019).
3.3. Lea ne De elopmen
Chinese s uden s a e ecognized o hei s ong wo k e hic, discipline, and academic achie emen , pa icula ly in u ban
a eas. Howe e , he sys em’s hea y ocus on examina ions esul s in high wo kloads, signi ican s ess, and widesp ead
eliance on ex acu icula u o ing. Mo i a ion is o en ex insic, d i en by exams and pa en al expec a ions, wi h less
emphasis on c ea i i y and independen inqui y. Some Chinese educa o s de end his app oach, emphasizing
knowledge accumula ion as ounda ional o inno a ion. Con e sely, o he s a gue o mo e child-cen e ed, c ea i e
educa ion. The Shanghainese model has a ac ed in e na ional a en ion o i s ela i e educa ional equali y and
e ec i e managemen o low-pe o ming schools, sugges ing po en ial lessons o o he con ex s (OECD, 2020; BBC,
2015; Chen, 2020; Zhao, 2016).
3.4. Teache De elopmen
Teache p o essionaliza ion is p io i ized h ough clea ca ee pa hways, egula e alua ions, and manda o y ongoing
aining. U ban eache s bene i om be e aining, esou ces, and incen i es, whe eas u al eache s ace hea ie
wo kloads and ewe ad ancemen oppo uni ies. Go e nmen e o ms a ge imp o ing eache quali y and educing
dispa i ies, bu challenges emain in a ac ing and e aining quali ied eache s in less de eloped egions (Minis y o
Educa ion o he People’s Republic o China [MOE], 2024; Li, Yang, & Wang, 2025; UNESCO, 2025).
3.5. Suppo Sys ems
China has de eloped comp ehensi e suppo sys ems, including na ionwide assessmen s, a ge ed unding o
disad an aged a eas, and ini ia i es o mode nize school in as uc u e. Inspi ed by PISA, na ional quali y moni o ing
sys ems assess academic achie emen alongside s uden well-being, eaching quali y, and school managemen .
None heless, esou ce alloca ion emains une en, wi h u ban a eas enjoying mo e obus suppo , pe pe ua ing
pe o mance gaps (Chen, 2020; Da cy & Roy P ess, 2023; Si ian Chen, 2020).
4. Discussion
China’s high PISA ankings e lec s eng hs in cen alized go e nance, igo ous cu icula, and eache p o essionalism,
especially in a luen u ban egions. Howe e , hese successes mask pe sis en u al-u ban dispa i ies and an exam-
d i en cul u e c i icized o s i ling c ea i i y and inc easing s uden s ess. While e o ms aim o p omo e holis ic
de elopmen , di e si y assessmen s, and add ess inequali ies, p og ess is une en. Chinese policymake s inc easingly
acknowledge ha high PISA sco es do no ully cap u e educa ional quali y, pa icula ly ega ding s uden well-being,
inno a ion, and equi y. The endu ing in luence o Con ucian educa ional adi ions and socie al expec a ions shapes
bo h achie emen s and challenges wi hin he sys em (G uij e s, 2020; Kobakhidze, 2023; OECD, 2023; TES, 2023).
Wo ld Jou nal o Ad anced Resea ch and Re iews, 2025, 26(02), 1572-1575
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5. Conclusion
China’s educa ion sys em, as e lec ed in i s PISA pe o mance, is cha ac e ized by s ong go e nance, s anda dized
cu icula, and a ocus on eache quali y. These ac o s con ibu e o high es sco es, pa icula ly in u ban cen e s, bu
also e eal challenges including exam p essu e, u ban- u al dispa i ies, and limi ed emphasis on c ea i i y and holis ic
de elopmen . Ongoing e o ms seek o add ess hese issues, ye sus ained e o s a e essen ial o ensu e educa ional
excellence ha is bo h b oad-based and balanced ac oss he coun y.
Compliance wi h e hical s anda ds
I comply wi h e hical s anda ds by conduc ing my esea ch esponsibly, ensu ing anspa ency, ob aining necessa y
e hical app o als, and secu ing in o med consen when applicable. The esea che s’ also assu ed ha he e would be
con lic s o in e es s and ha he op p io i y is o main ain a high le el o objec i i y in da a collec ion, analysis, and
discussion. Mo eo e , his esea ch would be o compliance o he Republic Ac No. 10173 o known as he Da a P i acy
Ac o 2012.
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