1 option
The highest exam : how the gaokao shapes China / Ruixue Jia and Hongbin Li ; with Claire Cousineau.
- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- Jia, Ruixue, author.
- Li, Hongbin, author.
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Gaokao (Educational test).
- Gaokao (Educational test)--Social aspects.
- Universities and colleges--China--Entrance examinations.
- Universities and colleges.
- Educational tests and measurements--Social aspects--China.
- Educational tests and measurements.
- Physical Description:
- 1 online resource (253 pages)
- Edition:
- 1st ed.
- Place of Publication:
- Cambridge : Harvard University Press, 2025.
- Summary:
- "Each year, more than ten million students across China pin their hopes on the gaokao, the nationwide college entrance exam. Unlike in the United States, where standardized tests are just one factor, in China college admission is determined entirely by gaokao performance. It is no wonder the test has become a national obsession. Drawing on extensive surveys, historical research, and economic analysis, and informed by Ruixue Jia and Hongbin Li's own experiences of the gaokao gauntlet, 'The Highest Exam' reveals how China's education system functions as a centralized tournament. It explains why preparation for the gaokao begins even before first grade - and why, given its importance for upward mobility, Chinese families are behaving rationally when they devote immense quantities of money and effort to acing the test."-- Provided by publisher.
- Contents:
- Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Contents
- Introduction
- Part I: Family
- Chapter 1. Obsession
- Chapter 2. Rules of the Tournament
- Chapter 3. The Payoff
- Part II: State
- Chapter 4. Political Logic
- Chapter 5. Centralization and the Rise of STEM
- Chapter 6. Education and Global Power
- Part III: Society
- Chapter 7. Values and Institutions
- Chapter 8. A Mirror of Society
- Chapter 9. The Exam Empire Expands
- Notes
- Acknowledgments
- Index.
- Notes:
- Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.
- ISBN:
- 0-674-30183-8
- 0-674-30184-6
- 9780674301832 (electronic book)
- OCLC:
- 1514300747
The Penn Libraries is committed to describing library materials using current, accurate, and responsible language. If you discover outdated or inaccurate language, please fill out this feedback form to report it and suggest alternative language.