Does School Consolidation in Rural Areas Affect Students' Education? Empirical Evidence from China

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Does School Consolidation in Rural Areas Affect Students' Education? Empirical Evidence from China
Language: English
Authors: Yu Li (ORCID 0000-0003-1848-8975), Bo Gao
Source: European Journal of Education. 2024 59(4).
Availability: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 13
Publication Date: 2024
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools
Secondary Education
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Rural Areas, Consolidated Schools, Educational Change, Educational History, Urban Schools, School Closing, Educational Attainment, Achievement Gap, Rural Youth, High School Students, Data Analysis, Enrollment Influences, Government Role, Achievement Gains
Geographic Terms: China
DOI: 10.1111/ejed.12790
ISSN: 0141-8211
1465-3435
Abstract: In the late 1990s, an extensive consolidation of schools in rural China led to the amalgamation of numerous primary and secondary schools into urban schools or their discontinuation. The study aimed to investigate whether China's school consolidation movement has influenced the educational attainment of rural students. The data are sourced from the China Household Income Project (CHIP) and regional statistical yearbooks, and the cross-section difference-in-differences (DID) method is used to analyse the differences in high school enrolment of rural students between regions with different degrees of school consolidation. Empirical analysis results indicate that school consolidation substantially enhances the probability of rural students receiving high school education, as well as having a positive impact on rural students taking the college entrance examination and receiving a longer formal education. Moreover, the findings of the empirical analysis remain significant even after controlling for variations in government educational expenditures, substituting the explained variables, as well as eliminating the influence of school-entering age. The adjustment of rural schools, as an inevitable historical trend, is beneficial to improving rural educational attainment.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2024
Accession Number: EJ1450294
Database: ERIC
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Abstract:In the late 1990s, an extensive consolidation of schools in rural China led to the amalgamation of numerous primary and secondary schools into urban schools or their discontinuation. The study aimed to investigate whether China's school consolidation movement has influenced the educational attainment of rural students. The data are sourced from the China Household Income Project (CHIP) and regional statistical yearbooks, and the cross-section difference-in-differences (DID) method is used to analyse the differences in high school enrolment of rural students between regions with different degrees of school consolidation. Empirical analysis results indicate that school consolidation substantially enhances the probability of rural students receiving high school education, as well as having a positive impact on rural students taking the college entrance examination and receiving a longer formal education. Moreover, the findings of the empirical analysis remain significant even after controlling for variations in government educational expenditures, substituting the explained variables, as well as eliminating the influence of school-entering age. The adjustment of rural schools, as an inevitable historical trend, is beneficial to improving rural educational attainment.
ISSN:0141-8211
1465-3435
DOI:10.1111/ejed.12790