'The Art of Being Governed': Unravelling Teachers' Agency in Reconciling Academic Burden within China's High-Stakes Exam System
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| Title: | 'The Art of Being Governed': Unravelling Teachers' Agency in Reconciling Academic Burden within China's High-Stakes Exam System |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Yuchen Wu (ORCID |
| Source: | European Journal of Education. 2025 60(4). |
| Availability: | Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 10 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Foreign Countries, High Stakes Tests, Testing Problems, Social Problems, Student Welfare, Stress Variables, Professional Autonomy, Teaching Methods, Learner Engagement, Student Participation, Educational Change, Change Strategies, Educational Improvement, Educational Policy, Stress Management |
| Geographic Terms: | China |
| DOI: | 10.1111/ejed.70317 |
| ISSN: | 0141-8211 1465-3435 |
| Abstract: | The excessive academic burden that undermines students' well-being has become a matter of global concern. Drawing on Archer's social realist theory, this qualitative case study identified three forms of teacher agency in navigating academic burden under the 'Double Reduction' policy: methodological refinement that rendered the workload more engaging and sustainable; epistemological reconfiguration that transformed burden through recognition and inclusive participation; and ontological reconstruction that reframed burden as an opportunity for deep intellectual inquiry. Teachers emerged as culturally embedded, reflexive agents who reconciled institutional pressures with moral commitments. This agency challenges the compliance-resistance binary and emphasises the importance of teacher-informed, context-sensitive policy design. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1490485 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | The excessive academic burden that undermines students' well-being has become a matter of global concern. Drawing on Archer's social realist theory, this qualitative case study identified three forms of teacher agency in navigating academic burden under the 'Double Reduction' policy: methodological refinement that rendered the workload more engaging and sustainable; epistemological reconfiguration that transformed burden through recognition and inclusive participation; and ontological reconstruction that reframed burden as an opportunity for deep intellectual inquiry. Teachers emerged as culturally embedded, reflexive agents who reconciled institutional pressures with moral commitments. This agency challenges the compliance-resistance binary and emphasises the importance of teacher-informed, context-sensitive policy design. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0141-8211 1465-3435 |
| DOI: | 10.1111/ejed.70317 |
