Fabricating Education through PISA? An Analysis of the Distinct Participation of China in PISA

Abstract

Fabricating education through PISA? An analysis of the distinct participation of China in PISAPISA allows for comparisons and contributes to the distribution of certain types of capital among countries, which is converted into soft power. Education has been considered an important pillar of the increased status and power China holds globally. However, Chinese participation in PISA differs from other countries, whereby only some of China's wealthiest areas participate rather than the entire country. Our research investigates China's distinct participation in PISA and its political implications through an analysis of the discourses of China and the OECD. Our findings point towards an intertwinement between local agency and global scripts regarding Chinese involvement in PISA.

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“…We must highlight that since 2018 PISA data are available also for China, which ranks at the top of all scores of the assessments. However, Chinese participation differs from other countries, considering only the regions of Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang, or the wealthiest and most economically developed regions in China [45]. Figure 1B represents for each country, for each reference year, the percentage variation of the normalized OECD's PISA value from its average annual value within the countries considered.…”