One school, two systems’

Navigating the geographies of alternative education in an elite primary school in China

Bibliographic Data

ID8963551
AuthorsZhenjie Yuan (0009-0006-2873-3363, Guangzhou University), Huiyu Xie (0009-0002-4127-4692, School of Geography and Remote Sensing Guangzhou University Guangzhou Guangdong China), Hong Jian Zhu (0000-0002-9557-1679, School of Geography and Remote Sensing Guangzhou University Guangzhou Guangdong China, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume50
Issue3
Publication date2024-12-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueTransactions of the Institute of British Geographers (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0020-2754 • E-ISSN: 1475-5661
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/tran.12736
OpenAlexW4404903418
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited71

Despite the global rise of alternative education as a response to the limitations of standardised methods, little attention has been given to how these systems coexist with mainstream education, particularly in non‐Anglophone contexts. This article addresses this gap by examining a distinctive primary school in Guangzhou, China, where alternative and mainstream education coexist on the same campus. Utilising the framework of spaces of prescription and negotiation, the study explores how alternative educational spaces navigate the constraints of China's centralised educational system while maintaining their distinctiveness. The findings reveal that T School strategically adapts mainstream educational spatial forms to support its elite education philosophy, thereby underscoring the fluid boundaries and dynamic interplay between alternative and mainstream education. This research advances the understanding of the spatial and temporal strategies that alternative education employs within standardised systems, offering insights into the adaptability of educational boundaries. Furthermore, the study illuminates the flexibility of spaces of prescription and negotiation within overlapping and interconnected power geometries. By adopting a critical and poststructuralist approach, the framework could enrich the understanding of the fluidity and negotiation of educational boundaries globally. The study's findings carry significant implications for policymakers and educators, guiding the development of more inclusive and responsive educational policies worldwide

China · Economic growth · Economics · Elite · Mathematics education · Pedagogy · Physics · Political science · Politics · Primary (astronomy · School education · Sociology · Diverse Education Studies and Reforms · Gender Studies · Global Education and Multiculturalism · Global Educational Reforms and Inequalities · Law · Psychology

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