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Education Development in China: Education Return, Quality, and Equity

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  • Lijia Guo

    (Faculty of Human, Social and Political Science, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3RQ, UK
    Downing College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1DQ, UK
    Department of Sociology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA)

  • Jiashun Huang

    (Institute for New Economic Thinking, Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK
    School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK
    Labor & Worklife Program, Harvard Law School, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA)

  • You Zhang

    (Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, M5S 1V6, Canada)

Abstract

As the biggest developing country with the largest population in the world, China has made great achievements in education development, which has contributed tremendously to reducing poverty and boosting prosperity in the past decades. However, in the course of education development, many problems and issues have emerged, which have also been extensively studied by scholars in various fields in both China and international contexts. Among the myriad of research topics, three research foci stand out as the most concerning and studied: education return, education quality, and education equity. This paper draws on both international research literature and evidence from China to discuss education development issues including education return, education quality, and education equity, and suggests future directions for research and practice to enhance education development and to achieve a sustainable future.

Suggested Citation

  • Lijia Guo & Jiashun Huang & You Zhang, 2019. "Education Development in China: Education Return, Quality, and Equity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(13), pages 1-20, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:13:p:3750-:d:246924
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    References listed on IDEAS

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