‘Self’ and ‘othering’ as a byproduct of large‐scale assessment
An investigation into the Gaokao retake policy
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21444957 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Yifeng Cheng (School of Education The University of Queensland St Lucia Queensland Australia), M Obaidul Hamid (0000-0003-3205-6124, School of Education The University of Queensland St Lucia Queensland Australia, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-25 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | British Educational Research Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0141-1926 • E-ISSN: 1469-3518 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1002/berj.70212 |
| OpenAlex | W7162454763 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 27 |
While Gaokao, the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE), has been extensively discussed outside the Chinese academic circle, the retake policy of the test has not received much attention. Moreover, Gaokao research in China has predominantly examined the effectiveness of the retake decision in relation to students' demographic characteristics. Qualitative research that examines the impact of the Gaokao retake policy on the lives of test‐takers, specifically on current‐year as well as retake students, is rare. The present study aimed to fill this research gap by investigating the social impact of the Gaokao retake policy. Specifically, we examine how the impact is manifested as the discursive process of ‘self’ and ‘othering’ by current‐year and retake students. We associate Gaokao retake with global educational change to illustrate how neoliberalism in Chinese education has normalised competition, leading current‐year and retake students to the process of ‘othering’ in which self is elevated over the other, perpetuating social divisions between them. We also foreground the question of socioeconomic inequality between the two groups as it plays out in Gaokao as a national, large‐scale assessment influenced by neoliberalism
Higher education · Process (computing) · Relation (database) · Root cause · Socioeconomic status · Global Educational Policies and Reforms · Global Educational Reforms and Inequalities · Higher Education Governance and Development
Effectiveness and Fairness of Chinese Higher Education Admissions Policy
Academic stress in Chinese schools and a proposed preventive intervention program
The university entrance examination system in China
The transformation of neoliberalism
Revisiting ‘resilience’ in light of racism, ‘othering’ and resistance
Medium of instruction policies and language practices, ideologies and institutional divides
Literacy and Education in Contemporary China
Disarticulating feminism
Neoliberalism and education
Othering in an English Language Program
Higher Education, Meritocracy and Inequality in China
Neoliberalism, Authoritarian Politics and Social Policy in China
English as a medium of instruction and the discursive construction of elite identity
Higher Education or Vocational Training
| Highly cited | No |
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