Chinese responses to Shanghai’s performance in PISA

Abstract

This article analyses the public responses in China to Shanghai’s performance in the 2012 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Based on data obtained from media accounts and other materials published between 2013 and 2016, the research findings show that the responses in China are generally reflective, measured and self-critical. Drawing upon Gadamer’s notions of ‘tradition’, ‘horizon’ and ‘prejudice’, this paper contends that the responses reflect the prevailing worldviews in China that perceive Shanghai’s education system to be academically rigorous but too exam-oriented and burdensome. It is further argued that Confucian knowledge traditions and structures in China shape the Chinese interpretations of the PISA assessment format, leading them to downplay Shanghai’s success. This study introduces the metaphor of ‘triadic eyes’ and highlights the mediating effects of the ‘local eyes’ of policy actors in an era of global educational governance.