







































 

 

 

 

 

The Impact of High School Entrance 

Examination Competition on Students’ 

Participation in Extracurricular Tutoring in the 

Compulsory Education Period: An Empirical 

Analysis Based on the Data of 

China Family Panel Studies

Haiping Xue,
1
 Chenchen Fang

2
 

 
1. Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China  

2. Peking University, Beijing 100871, China 

Abstract. We used the Hierarchical Linear Bernoulli Model based on 

China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) 2016 data and provincial high 
school acceptance rate data. We explored the relationship between pro-

vincial high school entrance examination competition and students’ ex-

tracurricular tutoring participation during compulsory education. The 
study found that the high school acceptance rate and occupational high 

school acceptance rate have no significant effect on the participation 

rate of students’ extracurricular tutoring in the compulsory education 
stage. However, the high school acceptance rate has a significant posi-

tive impact on the participation rate of students’ extracurricular tutor-
ing, and there is a heterogeneous effect on the participation rate of stu-

dents’ extracurricular tutoring from families of different social classes. 

The higher the high school acceptance rate, the greater the probability 
of students from families with higher social strata participating in extra-

curricular tutoring. The demonstration high school acceptance rate has 
a significant negative impact on students’ extracurricular tutoring par-

ticipation rate. It has a heterogeneous influence on students’ extracur-

ricular tutoring participation in different school stages and social class 
families. The education administration department should actively ex-

pand high-quality, high school educational resources and increase the 

demonstration high school acceptance rate. And to increase the number 
of admissions for the demonstration high school to disadvantaged fami-

lies with lower social strata to alleviate the pressure of families and stu-



Xue & Fang. High School Entrance Examination and Extracurricular Tutoring. 

Vol.8, No.2, 2021 1082 

dents from the high school entrance examination competition. This can 

not only reduce the participation rate of students’ extracurricular tutor-

ing during the compulsory education stage, but also promote the equali-
zation of high-quality high school entrance opportunities for children of 

different classes of families. 

Best Evidence in Chinese Education 2021; 8(2):1081-1102. 

Doi: 10.15354/bece.21.or040. 

How to Cite: Xue, H., & Fang, C. (2021). The impact of high school entrance exam-

ination competition on students’ participation in extracurricular tutoring in the com-

pulsory education period: An empirical analysis based on the data of China Family 

Panel Studies. Best Evidence in Chinese Education, 8(2):1081-1102. 

Keywords: Extracurricular Tutoring, High School Acceptance Rate, High School, 

Demonstration High School, Education Competition

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

About the Author: Chenchen Fang, Graduate School of Education, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China. E-

mail: fcc1121@pku.edu.cn  

Correspondence to: Haiping Xue, College of Education, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China. E-

mail: xuehaiping_416@163.com  

Conflict of Interests: None. 
 

© 2021 Insights Publisher. All rights reserved. 

Creative Commons Non Commercial CC BY-NC: This article is distributed under the terms of the Crea-

tive Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-

nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided 

the original work is attributed by the Insights Publisher. 

mailto:fcc1121@pku.edu.cn
mailto:xuehaiping_416@163.com


Xue & Fang. High School Entrance Examination and Extracurricular Tutoring. 

Vol.8, No. 2, 2021 1083 

Introduction 

DUCATION equity is an essential foundation of social equity. China’s high 

school education has made remarkable achievements. The gross enrollment rate 

of high school has increased from 1.1% in 1949 to 91.2% in 2020; simultane-

ously, the gross enrollment rate of higher education in China in 2020 is 54.4% (Chu, 

2020; Ministry of Education, 2020). It can be seen that there is not a significant gap in 

entrance opportunities for high school education in China. However, there is still a big 

gap in entrance opportunities for higher education. From a dynamic perspective, the gap 

in higher education enrollment opportunities is the accumulation and continuation of 

unequal opportunities for basic education. Receiving an excellent elementary education 

will help students enter a better middle school and a high-quality high school, giving 

them a tremendous advantage in entering universities and even elite universities. The 

result of gradual stratification means that students entering different levels of schools 

will have different educational outcomes, which will directly affect their subsequent 

academic mobility and even social mobility (Yang, 2000). In the hierarchical diversion, 

middle school is the critical stage. After graduating from middle school, most students 

receive high school education, some receive secondary vocational education, and a 

small number directly enter society. It can be seen that the diversion effect of the high 

school entrance examination is pronounced. Since the admission rate of middle school 

entering high school is much higher than that of high school entering university, enter-

ing a “good high school,” that is, demonstration high school,
1
 receiving high-quality 

high school education becomes especially important for middle school students.  

Because the demonstration high school is loved by parents and students and 

recognized by society, for children to gain an advantage in the high school entrance 

examination competition and receive high-quality high school education, extracurricular 

tutoring has become an important choice for parents and students. As an essential way 

of education competition and family education investment, extracurricular tutoring or 

shadow education has evolved into a worldwide phenomenon, particularly in develop-

ing countries and East Asian countries (Bray & Kwok, 2003; Dang & Rogers, 2008; 

Song et al., 2013). In China, the extracurricular tutoring rate of middle school students 

has reached 47.3%, and nearly half of middle school students have participated in extra-

curricular tutoring (Xue, 2016). Extracurricular tutoring is becoming an effective means 

of competition between students and their families (Song et al., 2013). However, few 

scholars currently research the relationship between high school entrance examination 

competition and students’ participation in extracurricular tutoring. This study used 

CFPS 2016 data and collected high school acceptance rate data from various provinces, 

based on EMI and MMI theories, and through the establishment of the Hierarchical 

Linear Bernoulli Model, explored the high school acceptance rate that reflects the inten-

sity of high school entrance examination competition and the participation of students 

in extracurricular tutoring during compulsory education to provide empirical evidence 

for better formulation of extracurricular tutoring-related policies. 

E 



Xue & Fang. High School Entrance Examination and Extracurricular Tutoring. 

Vol.8, No. 2, 2021 1084 

Literature Review 

Educational competition is an essential social choice, which mainly revolves around 

educational opportunities, high-quality school education opportunities, and well-paid 

employment opportunities with different academic diplomas (Liu, 2004). For students 

in the compulsory education stage, since China’s average high school acceptance rate is 

above 90%, high school education opportunities are not the focus of education competi-

tion. The educational competition mainly revolves around obtaining high-quality high 

school education opportunities. Therefore, to gain an advantage in the competition, 

families with higher socioeconomic status will receive additional educational resources 

through extracurricular tutoring (Lee & Shouse, 2011). Wu (2014) found that because 

China’s high school and university admissions follow the competitive principle of mer-

it-based admissions, qualified families purchase points, “abilities,” and “opportunities” 

by purchasing additional educational resources, that is, extracurricular tutoring. This 

allows students to gain an advantage in the high school entrance examination competi-

tion, damages the right of children from families who cannot provide extracurricular 

tutoring to enjoy high-quality education and interferes with educational equity (Wu, 

2014). Xue (2015) studied the extracurricular tutoring activities of Chinese students in 

the compulsory education stage and found that extracurricular tutoring enabled the chil-

dren of the superior class to obtain more quantity and higher quality education so that 

their children could succeed in the future education and employment competition (Xue, 

2015). Zhang and Bray (2017) used data from middle school students in Chongqing to 

analyze the relationship between high school entrance examination competition and 

extracurricular tutoring. They pointed out that China’s college entrance examination is 

highly competitive and has high stakes. It puts tremendous pressure on high school stu-

dents aspiring to go to university. 

Consequently, this pressure promotes the school’s competition, making the 

high school entrance examination a high-stakes examination (Zhang et al., 2017). In 

addition, the uneven distribution of educational resources between regions and schools 

also forces families to use extracurricular tutoring to gain or maintain a competitive 

advantage. Zhou and Wu (2018) pointed out that due to the “hothouse effect,” students 

have tremendous pressure to improve academic achievement and the pursuit of elite 

diplomas. This “atmosphere” full of educational competition will lead to extracurricular 

tutoring demand (Zhou & Wu, 2018). 

Extracurricular tutoring has become a global phenomenon, especially in South-

east Asia, which is particularly prevalent and has aroused widespread concern among 

scholars. The increasingly fierce competition between students and families around ex-

tracurricular tutoring has not only aggravated the academic burden of students and con-

sumed a large number of family and social resources, but also may weaken the govern-

ment’s policy effectiveness in advancing education equity, maintaining and expanding 

social inequality (Xue & Ding, 2009; Bray, 1999). However, there are few empirical 

studies on educational competition and students’ participation in extracurricular tutoring. 

Because of this, this article uses the Hierarchical Linear Bernoulli Model based on the 



Xue & Fang. High School Entrance Examination and Extracurricular Tutoring. 

Vol.8, No. 2, 2021 1085 

CFPS2016 data to explore the relationship between the high school acceptance rate re-

flecting the intensity of high school entrance examination competition and the participa-

tion of students in extracurricular tutoring during the compulsory education stage. The 

research conclusions will help us understand the underlying reasons behind extracurric-

ular tutoring and provide a theoretical basis for the government to govern the extracur-

ricular tutoring problem. 

Theoretical Basis and Research Hypothesis 

The theory of maximizing maintenance of inequality (MMI) (Raftery & Hout, 1993) 

and the theory of effective maintenance of inequality (EMI) (Lucas, 2001) provide an 

excellent theoretical idea in the elaboration of the relationship between middle school 

entry competition and extracurricular tutoring. According to the theory of MMI, when 

compulsory education is not universally available, the educational opportunities of chil-

dren of different social classes are various. To maintain their children’s competitive 

advantage in entering higher education, families with higher social strata will strive to 

maximize their children’s educational opportunities. Only when compulsory education 

is universally available or reaches saturation can educational opportunities for children 

of different social strata families decrease. Lucas (2001) further proposed the EMI theo-

ry based on the MMI theory. According to the EMI theory, when compulsory education 

is universally available, due to the imbalance and inadequacy of mandatory education in 

China, the quality of compulsory schooling differs between urban and rural areas, be-

tween regions, and between schools. Thus, the core of education competition shifts to 

the quality of education rather than the only opportunity of an education. Because Chi-

nese school education needs to take care of every student, it is challenging to achieve 

differentiated teaching. The teaching time is relatively fixed, which is not very different 

for students, so extracurricular tutoring has become the “first choice” for parents and 

students in the education competition. To allow their children to maintain an advantage 

in the future competition for higher education, families with higher social strata will 

obtain additional educational resources of higher quality and quantity through extracur-

ricular tutoring. 

Currently, China’s high school enrollment rate has reached more than 90%. 

When families of different social classes can receive high school education, they no 

longer seek high school education opportunities but higher quality high school educa-

tion. Therefore, for families of different social classes, the core of their education com-

petition lies in going to a “demonstration high school,” not a “general high school,” let 

alone a “vocational high school.” As China’s high school education has been universal-

ly available, and even the high school enrollment rate in some provinces has reached 

100%, there is less competition for high school enrollment opportunities. In addition, 

due to the low threshold of vocational education, and in recent years, China has vigor-

ously expanded the enrollment of secondary vocational education, so there is less com-

petition around vocational education entrance opportunities. Therefore, families of dif-

ferent social classes compete mainly around “high school” and “demonstration high 

school.” When the high school acceptance rate of some provinces and cities rises, stu-



Xue & Fang. High School Entrance Examination and Extracurricular Tutoring. 

Vol.8, No. 2, 2021 1086 

dents have a greater chance of enrolling in high school education, which will increase 

students’ anxiety going to a “better high school.” Especially for families with higher 

social strata, facing the increasing competition in education and the lack of high-quality 

educational resources, they have aggravated their sense of anxiety and sense of urgency 

(Xue & Fang, 2020). Therefore, to effectively maintain their social status, families with 

higher social strata will be more sensitive to the high school acceptance rate and en-

courage students to participate in extracurricular tutoring, which further increases the 

participation rate of extracurricular tutoring. Only when the demonstration high school 

acceptance rate increases will this ease the education anxiety of families and students, 

thereby reducing the participation rate of extracurricular tutoring. Based on this, this 

article proposes research hypotheses on the relationship among “high school enrollment 

rate,” “vocational high school enrollment rate,” “high school acceptance rate,” and 

“demonstration high school acceptance rate” and the participation rate of extracurricular 

tutoring: 

Research hypothesis 1: The high school acceptance rate has no significant effect on the 

participation rate of students’ extracurricular tutoring during the compulsory edu-

cation stage. 

Research hypothesis 2: The occupational high school acceptance rate has no significant 

effect on the participation rate of students’ extracurricular tutoring in the compul-

sory education stage. 

Research hypothesis 3: The high school acceptance rate has a significant positive effect 

on the participation rate of students’ extracurricular tutoring during the compul-

sory education stage. 

Research hypothesis 4: Demonstration high school acceptance rate has a significant 

negative impact on the participation rate of students’ extracurricular tutoring dur-

ing the compulsory education stage. 

Research hypothesis 5: The high school acceptance rate has a heterogeneous effect on 

the participation rate of extracurricular tutoring of students from different family 

social classes in the compulsory education stage. As the high school acceptance 

rate increases, students with higher family social classes are more likely to partic-

ipate in extracurricular tutoring. 

Methodology 

Data Source and Variable Description 

The data used in this article all come from CFPS data funded by the “985” project of 

Peking University and implemented by the Chinese Social Science Survey Center of 

Peking University in 2016. The CFPS sample covered 25 provinces / municipalities / 

autonomous regions. The target sample size was 16,000 households, and the survey 

objects included all family members in the sample households. The sample of this study 

was compulsory education students, a total of 4,158 students, including 2,935 elemen-

tary school students, 1,233 middle school students. 



Xue & Fang. High School Entrance Examination and Extracurricular Tutoring. 

Vol.8, No. 2, 2021 1087 

This study used occupational high school acceptance rate, high school ac-

ceptance rate, demonstration high school acceptance rate, and high school acceptance 

rate to measure the intensity of high school entrance examination competition. The 

smaller the acceptance rate was, the more intense the high school entrance examination 

competition was. On the contrary, the larger the value was, the smaller the high school 

entrance examination competition was. Since the participation of students in extracur-

ricular tutoring in 2016 is more affected by the educational opportunities in the past 

year, this study used the high school acceptance rate in 2015 to measure the high school 

entrance examination felt by middle school students in the province in 2016 as the in-

tensity of the competition. 

The total high school acceptance rate of a province in 2015 = The total number 

of students enrolled in the province’s high school in 2015/the number of middle school 

graduates in 2015.
2
 

The vocational high school acceptance rate of a province in 2015 = The num-

ber of students enrolled in the province’s vocational high school in 2015/the number of 

middle school graduates in 2015. 

The high school acceptance rate of a province in 2015 = the number of students 

enrolled in the province’s high school in 2015/the number of middle school graduates in 

2015. 

The acceptance rate of a province’s demonstration high school in 2015 = the 

number of students enrolled in the province’s demonstration high school in 2015
3
/ the 

number of middle school graduates in 2015 (Table 1). 

Research Methods 

Since whether students participate in extracurricular tutoring is affected by multiple 

levels and factors such as family, province, and city, the data used in this study has a 

cofounding relationship. In addition, since whether students participate in extracurricu-

lar tutoring is a dichotomous variable. This study established an estimation model for 

individual students and provinces, and cities: 

 Zero Model 

This model has decomposed the total difference in students’ extracurricular tutoring 

participation into two levels: individual students and inter-provincial differences. It was 

mainly used to explore significant differences in students’ extracurricular tutoring par-

ticipation between provinces. The model is as follows: 

 

Student layer: Yij = β0j+rij, rij~N (0,δ
2
)  (1) 

Provincial level: β0j = γ00+μ0j, μ0j~N (0,τ00)  (2) 

 

Among them, Yij indicates whether the i-th student in the j-th province partici-

pates in extracurricular tutoring. β0j represents the average participation rate of extracur-

ricular tutoring among students in province j. γ00 represents the overall student partici- 



Xue & Fang. High School Entrance Examination and Extracurricular Tutoring. 

Vol.8, No. 2, 2021 1088 

Figure 1. Variable Description. 

Type Variable Description 

Individual 

Level 

Participate in extracurricular 
tutoring 

0=No,1=Yes 

Gender 0=Female，1=Male 

Schooling stage 0=Elementary School，1=Middle School 

Family 

Level 

Parent's highest professional 
status 

1=Lower，2=Middle，3=Upper 

Parent's highest education 
1=Illiteracy，2=Elementary School，3=Middle School，4=High School，

5=Associate，6=Undergraduate，7=Master’s，8=Doctorate 

Net income per capita 
1=Lowest 20%，2=Mid/Lower 20%，3=Middle 20%，4=Mid/Higher 20%，
5=Highest 20% 

Provincial 

Level 

GDP per capita in 2015 Continuous Variable 

Total High School Acceptance 
Rate in 2015 

Continuous Variable 

Vocational High School Ac-
ceptance Rate in 2015 

Continuous Variable 

High School Acceptance Rate in 
2015 

Continuous Variable 

Demonstration High School 
Acceptance Rate in 2015 

Continuous Variable 

 

 

 

pation rate of extracurricular tutoring. μ0j represents the random effect between prov-

inces and cities. δ
2
 represents the difference in the participation rate of extracurricular 

tutoring at the student level. τ00 represents the difference in the participation rate of stu-

dents’ extracurricular tutoring between provinces and cities. 

 Full Model 

On the basis of the zero model, the student-level and provincial-level variables were 

added to construct a full model. It was mainly used to examine the influence of varia-

bles at the student and provincial levels on students’ extracurricular tutoring participa-

tion rate. The model is as follows: 

 

Student level: Yij = β0j+β1jgender+β2jzdx+β3jxxjd+β4jfmzy+β5jfmxl+β6jrjsr+rij, 

rij~N (0,δ
2
)  (3) 

Provincial level: β0j = γ00+γ01GDP+γ02lqv+μ0j, μ0j~N (0,τ00)  (4) 

 

The Relationship between High School Entrance Ex-

amination Competition and Students’ Participation in 

Extracurricular Tutoring 

Table 2 presents the basic situation of the participation rate and high school acceptance 

rate of extracurricular tutoring in various provinces and cities. The average participation 



Xue & Fang. High School Entrance Examination and Extracurricular Tutoring. 

Vol.8, No. 2, 2021 1089 

Table 2. Participation Rate of Extracurricular Tutoring and Various Total High 
School Acceptance Rates by Provinces and Cities. 

 

Participation 
Rate of 
Extracurricular 
Tutoring (%) 

Total 
High School 
Acceptance 
Rate (%) 

High School 
Acceptance 
Rate (%) 

Vocational 
High School 
Acceptance 
Rate (%) 

Demonstration 
High School 
Acceptance 
Rate (%) 

Heilongjiang 64.50 96.32 67.76 28.56 9.41 

Tianjin 62.50 109.41 64.14 45.27 14.37 

Jiangsu 59.40 89.56 52.20 37.37 4.78 

Shanghai 58.20 97.83 56.68 41.14 18.41 

Liaoning 52.90 95.16 62.19 32.96 6.67 

Zhejiang 49.00 93.45 54.33 39.12 13.78 

Shandong 37.80 85.52 55.86 29.66 18.69 

Hunan 36.10 88.33 54.35 33.98 14.20 

Jilin 35.80 89.69 67.10 22.59 14.72 

Beijing 35.70 90.38 61.16 29.22 17.73 

Shanxi 34.00 85.90 58.10 27.80 19.38 

Anhui 33.80 104.55 56.68 47.86 39.14 

Hubei 33.30 89.12 60.39 28.74 21.20 

Henan 32.30 85.59 54.99 30.60 24.21 

Shaanxi 28.80 97.69 69.64 28.05 6.70 

Hebei 27.80 94.07 58.92 35.14 33.92 

Fujian 20.90 98.15 59.38 38.76 9.93 

Gansu 20.40 84.62 60.00 24.62 20.76 

Guangdong 18.90 81.97 51.39 30.58 12.57 

Sichuan 18.90 101.06 55.59 45.47 12.41 

Chongqing 18.00 97.68 61.08 36.61 43.30 

Jiangxi 12.40 85.80 57.57 28.23 21.95 

Yunnan 10.70 77.98 47.56 30.42 15.05 

Guizhou 8.20 81.38 48.90 32.48 20.36 

Guangxi 8.10 90.41 49.47 40.94 20.40 

Average 32.74 91.66 57.82 33.85 18.16 

 

 

 

 

rate of extracurricular tutoring in China has reached 32.73%. The participation rate of 

compulsory tutoring students in Heilongjiang was the highest, reaching 64.5%, and the 

participation rate of students in Guangxi province was the highest lowest, at 8.1%. In 

general, the participation rates of students in the three northeastern provinces, the Yang-

tze River Delta and the Beijing-Tianjin region, were relatively high. In contrast, the 

participation rates of students in the central and western areas were relatively low. This 

was consistent with the results of Xue et al. (2019; Xue & Fang, 2019). The average 

high school acceptance rate across China reached 91.66%. Among them, the high 

school acceptance rates in Tianjin, Anhui, and Sichuan exceeded 100%. The reason 

may be that some middle school students returned to high school after working, which 

caused the number of high school admissions to exceed the number of middle school 

graduates. The average high school acceptance rate in China was 57.82%, the highest 



Xue & Fang. High School Entrance Examination and Extracurricular Tutoring. 

Vol.8, No. 2, 2021 1090 

was Shanxi Province, which reached 69.64%, and the lowest was Yunnan Province, 

which was 47.56%. The difference between the two was about 20%. The national aver-

age vocational high school acceptance rate was 33.85%, the highest in Anhui Province 

was 47.86%, and the lowest in Jilin Province was only 22.59%. China requires the ad-

mission ratio of high schools and vocational high schools to be 1:1. At present, the high 

school acceptance rate was much higher than the professional high school acceptance 

rate. However, the demonstration high school acceptance rates of different provinces 

and cities were quite different. The national average demonstration high school ac-

ceptance rate was 18.16%, the highest was 43.30% in Chongqing City, and the lowest 

was only 4.78% in Jiangsu Province.  

Figure 1 presents the trends in the participation rate of extracurricular tutoring, 

total high school acceptance rate, high school acceptance rate, vocational high school 

acceptance rate, and demonstration high school acceptance rate of each prov-

ince/city/autonomous region. The participation rate of students’ extracurricular tutoring 

in the compulsory education stage of each province increased with the increase of the 

total high school acceptance rate, high school acceptance rate, and occupational high 

school acceptance rate of each province. On the other hand, with the increase in the 

province’s demonstration high school acceptance rate, it had declined. 

To further explore the relationship between the participation rate of students’ 

extracurricular tutoring in the compulsory education stage of each province and the total 

high school acceptance rate, occupational high school acceptance rate, high school ac-

ceptance rate, and demonstration high school acceptance rate, Pearson correlation was 

used for analysis. Correlation analysis results (Table 3) showed that students’ extracur-

ricular tutoring participation during compulsory education in each province was signifi-

cantly positively correlated with total high school acceptance rate, professional high 

school acceptance rate, and high school acceptance rate. At the same time, there was a 

significant negative correlation with the demonstration high school acceptance rate rela-

tionship. 

The Impact of High School Acceptance Rate on Stu-

dents’ Participation in Extracurricular Tutoring 

Using the Hierarchical Linear Bernoulli Model to analyze the impact of high school 

acceptance rate on the participation rate of compulsory education students’ extracur-

ricular tutoring, a zero model without any explanatory variables was first constructed. 

The results show that the variances of the participation rate of students’ extracurricular 

tutoring within and between provinces and cities are 0.1167 and 0.0065, respectively, 

and the intra-group correlation coefficient is 0.0528, indicating that 5.28% of the total 

variation in the participation rate of students’ extracurricular tutoring came from the 

inter-provincial difference. At the same time, from the point of view of the significance 

level, the p-value of the significance test was zero, indicating that the participation rate 

of students’ extracurricular tutoring had highly significant differences between provinc- 

 



Xue & Fang. High School Entrance Examination and Extracurricular Tutoring. 

Vol.8, No. 2, 2021 1091 

 
Figure 1. Participation Rate of Extracurricular Tutoring and Total High School 

Acceptance Rate. 

 

 

 

Table 3. Correlation Analysis between Participation Rate of Extracurricular 
Tutoring and Total High School Acceptance Rate. 

 

Participation 

Rate of 

Extracurricular 

Tutoring 

Total 

High School 

Acceptance 

Rate 

Vocational 

High School 

Acceptance 

Rate 

High School 

Acceptance 

Rate 

Demonstration 

High School 

Acceptance 

Rate 

Participation 

Rate of 

Extracurricular 

Tutoring 

1 0.563** 0.183** 0.462** -0.240** 

Total 

High School 

Acceptance Rate 

0.563** 1 0.567** 0.582** 0.015 

Vocational 

High School 

Acceptance Rate 

0.183** 0.567** 1 -0.340** 0.050** 

High School 

Acceptance Rate 

0.462** 0.582** -0.340** 1 -0.033* 

Demonstration 

High School 

Acceptance Rate 

-0.240** 0.015 0.050** -0.033* 1 

 



Xue & Fang. High School Entrance Examination and Extracurricular Tutoring. 

Vol.8, No. 2, 2021 1092 

Table 4. Bernoulli Hierarchical Linear Model Analysis of the Influence of Total 
High School Acceptance Rate and Vocational High School Acceptance Rate 
on Participation Rate of Extracurricular Tutoring. 

 Model 1 Model 2 Model 3 Model 4 Model 5 Model 6 Model 7 Model 8 Model 9 
Model 
10 

Student Level 

Boy (Girl as 

a Reference) 

-0.257*** 
(0.083) 

-0.257*** 
(0.083) 

-0.256*** 
(0.083) 

-0.257*** 
(0.083) 

-0.257*** 
(0.083) 

-
0.260*** 

(0.083) 

-
0.260*** 

(0.083) 

-
0.260*** 

(0.083) 

-
0.260*** 

(0.083) 

-0.260*** 

(0.083) 

Net Income 

Per Capita 

0.369*** 

(0.038) 

0.450 

(0.601) 

0.370*** 

(0.038) 

0.369*** 

(0.038) 

0.370*** 

(0.038) 

0.372*** 
(0.038) 

0.501** 
(0.218) 

0.372*** 
(0.038) 

0.372*** 
(0.038) 

0.371*** 
(0.038) 

Parents' 

Highest 

education 

0.339*** 

(0.040) 

0.339*** 

(0.040) 

0.085 

(0.577) 

0.339*** 

(0.040) 

0.339*** 

(0.040) 

0.339*** 

(0.040) 

0.339*** 

(0.040) 

0.181 

(0.207) 

0.339*** 

(0.040) 

0.339*** 

(0.040) 

Parents' 

Highest 

Professional 

Status 

0.294*** 

 (0.064) 

0.294*** 

 (0.064) 

0.294*** 

 (0.064) 

-0.632 

 (0.982) 

0.294*** 

 (0.064) 

0.299*** 

 (0.064) 

0.299*** 

 (0.064) 

0.299*** 

 (0.064) 

0.430 

 (0.363) 

0.299*** 

 (0.064) 

Middle school 
(Based on 

Elementary 

School) 

0.050 

 (0.091) 

0.050 

 (0.091) 

0.050 

 (0.091) 

0.048 

 (0.091) 

 -0.401 
(1.473) 

 0.046 

 (0.091) 

 0.046 

 (0.091) 

 0.047 

 (0.091) 

 0.047 

 (0.091) 

 0.418 

 (0.524) 

Provincial Level 

GDP 

Per Capita 

0.001 

 (0.001) 

0.001 

 (0.001) 

0.001 

 (0.001) 

0.001 

 (0.001) 

0.001 

 (0.001) 

0.001 

 (0.001) 

0.001* 

 (0.000) 

0.001 

 (0.001) 

0.001* 

 (0.000) 

0.001* 

 (0.000) 

Total High 

School 

Acceptance 

Rate 

3.221 

 (2.347) 

3.531 

 (3.278) 

2.191 

 (3.317) 

1.268 

(3.143) 

3.055 

 (2.408) 
     

Vocational 

High School 

Acceptance 

Rate 

     
 -3.123 

 (2.588) 

 -1.561 

 (3.669) 

 -5.080 

 (3.608) 

 -2.271 

 (3.479) 

 -2.687 

 (2.649) 

Interaction Effect 

Total High 

School 

Acceptance 
Rate*Household 

Income 

Per Capita 

 
-0.096 

 (0.711) 
        

Total High 

School Ac-
ceptance 

Rate*Parents’ 

Highest Educa-
tion 

  
 0.299 

 (0.678) 
       

Total High 
School 

Acceptance 

Rate*Parents’ 

Highest 

Professional 

Status 

   
1.092 

 (1.156) 
      

Total High 

School Ac-
ceptance 

Rate* Schooling 

Stage 

    
0.533 

 (1.732) 
     

Vocational High 

School Ac-
ceptance 

rate*Household 

Income Per 
Capita 

      
 -0.469 

 (0.780) 
   

Vocational High 

School Ac-
ceptance 

Rate*Parents’ 

Highest Educa-
tion 

       
0.571 

 (0.735) 
  

Vocational High 

School 
        

 -0.470 

 (1.283) 
 

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Xue & Fang. High School Entrance Examination and Extracurricular Tutoring. 

Vol.8, No. 2, 2021 1093 

Acceptance 

Rate*Parents’ 

Highest 

Professional 

Status 

Vocational High 

School 

Acceptance 

Rate* Schooling 

Stage 

         
-1.350 

 (1.878) 

Intercept 
-6.374*** 

 (1.906) 

-6.639** 

 (2.729) 

-5.493** 

 (2.764) 

 -4.719* 

 (2.600) 

-6.232*** 

 (1.960) 

-
3.071*** 

 (0.707) 

-
3.512*** 

 (1.019) 

 -2.516** 

 (1.004) 

-
3.309*** 

 (0.960) 

-3.192*** 

 (0.725) 

Model 

Significance 
0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 

Observed 

Value 
3,498 3,498 3,498 3,498 3,498 3,498 3,498 3,498 3,498 3,498 

Note: 1.*, **, *** indicate significant at the level of 10%, 5%, and 1%, respectively. 2. Standard errors are in parentheses. 

 

 

 

es and cities. Therefore, this study constructed a multi-layer linear model to discuss and 

analyze the factors that affected students’ participation in extracurricular tutoring. 

Table 4 shows that at the student level, the participation rate of boys in extra-

curricular tutoring was significantly lower than that of girls. The net income per capita 

of the family, the highest educational background of the parents, and the most elevated 

occupational status of the parents all had a significant positive impact on the participa-

tion rate of students’ extracurricular tutoring. There was no significant difference in the 

participation rate of extracurricular tutoring among students at different school stages. 

At the provincial level, GDP per capita had no significant effect on the participation rate 

of extracurricular tutoring. The high school acceptance rate had no significant impact on 

extracurricular tutoring. The cofounding items of high school acceptance rate and fami-

ly income per capita, parents’ highest education level, parents’ highest occupational 

status, and learning stage were put into the model. It was found that the effects were not 

significant. This showed that students of different family backgrounds and different 

stages of the study had no heterogeneity in the pressure brought by competition for high 

school entrance opportunities. Similarly, the effect of vocational high school acceptance 

rate on the participation rate of students’ extracurricular tutoring had also reached a 

similar conclusion. 

Table 5 presents the high school acceptance rate and demonstration the high 

school acceptance rate on students’ extracurricular tutoring participation rate. The re-

sults showed that the high school acceptance rate had a significant positive effect on 

students’ extracurricular tutoring; that is, the higher the high school acceptance rate was, 

the higher the participation rate of extracurricular tutoring was. The cofounding items of 

high school acceptance rate and family income per capita, parents’ highest educational 

background, parents’ highest professional status, and learning stage were added to the 

model. We found no heterogeneity in the impact of the high school acceptance rate on 

the participation rate of extracurricular tutoring among students of different family in-

comes, parents’ highest education level, and learning stage. However, students with 

other parents’ professional status had heterogeneity in the influence of high school ac-

ceptance rate on the participation rate of extracurricular tutoring. 



Xue & Fang. High School Entrance Examination and Extracurricular Tutoring. 

Vol.8, No. 2, 2021 1094 

Table 5. Bernoulli Hierarchical Linear Model Analysis of the Influence of High 
School Acceptance Rate and Demonstration High School Acceptance Rate on 
Participation Rate of Extracurricular Tutoring. 

 
Model 
11 

Model 
12 

Model 
13 

Model 
14 

Model 
15 

Model 
16 

Model 
17 

Model 
18 

Model 
19 

Model 
20 

High School 

Acceptance Rate 

6.212*** 
(2.178) 

 4.632 
 (3.225) 

6.729** 
 (3.394) 

 2.126 
 (3.228) 

5.476** 
 (2.269) 

     

Demonstration 

High School 

Acceptance Rate 

     

-
2.789*** 
  
(1.520) 

 -3.826* 
 (2.139) 

-4.206* 
 (2.266) 

 -3.305 
 (2.086) 

 -2.158 
 (1.552) 

Interaction effect 

High School 

Acceptance 
Rate*Household 

Income Per Capita 

 
0.535 
 (0.802) 

        

High School 

Acceptance 

Rate*Parents’ 

Highest Education 

  
 -0.160 
 (0.810) 

       

High School 

Acceptance 

Rate*Parents’ 

Highest 

Professional Status 

   
2.465* 
 (1.426) 

      

High School 

Acceptance 

Rate*Schooling 

Stage 

    
2.149 
 (1.989) 

     

Demonstration 

High School 

Acceptance 

Rate*Household 

Income Per Capita 

      
0.330 
 (0.478) 

   

Demonstration 

High School 

Acceptance 
Rate*Parents’ 

Highest Education 

       
0.422 
 (0.499) 

  

Demonstration 

High School 

Acceptance 

Rate*Parents’ 

Highest 

Professional Status 

        
0.286 
 (0.795) 

 

Demonstration 

High School 

Acceptance 

Rate* Schooling 

Stage 

         
 -1.984* 
 (1.152) 

Intercept 
-
7.300*** 
 (1.269) 

-
6.398*** 
 (1.858) 

-
7.596*** 
 (1.958) 

 -
4.975*** 
 (1.855) 

-
6.878*** 
 (1.320) 

-
3.153*** 
 (0.508) 

 -
2.967*** 
 (0.574) 

-
2.896*** 
 (0.591) 

-
3.055*** 
 (0.574) 

-
3.285*** 
 (0.511) 

Model 

Significance 
0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 

Observed 

Value 
3,498 3,498 3,498 3,498 3,498 3,496 3,496 3,496 3,496 3,496 

Note: The above models control gender, household net income per capita, parent's highest education level, parent's highest occupation, schooling stage 
at the student level, and controls per capita GDP at the provincial level. Due to space reasons, it is omitted from the article. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Xue & Fang. High School Entrance Examination and Extracurricular Tutoring. 

Vol.8, No. 2, 2021 1095 

In contrast, the demonstration high school acceptance rate had a significant 

negative impact on students’ extracurricular tutoring participation. Thus, it showed that 

the improvement of the demonstration high school acceptance rate could reduce the 

participation rate of students’ extracurricular tutoring. After adding the cofounding 

items of the demonstration high school and different family backgrounds and learning 

stages, the results showed no heterogeneity in the demonstration high school acceptance 

rate on the participation rate of extracurricular tutoring among students of diverse fami-

ly backgrounds. However, students of varying learning stages had heterogeneity in the 

demonstration high school acceptance rate on the participation rate of extracurricular 

tutoring. 

In the research mentioned above, there was heterogeneity in the influence of 

acceptance rate on the participation rate of extracurricular tutoring among students of 

different learning stages and the highest professional status of their parents. To further 

explore the profound differences of heterogeneity, this study carried out sub-sample 

regression on different school stages and the highest occupational status of parents. Ta-

ble 6 shows the sub-sample regression results of varying school stages. Whether it is the 

elementary school sample or the middle school sample, the high school acceptance rate 

and vocational high school acceptance rate significantly affected students’ extracurricu-

lar tutoring participation. However, the high school acceptance rate had a significant 

positive impact on students’ extracurricular tutoring participation. Among them, the 

coefficient of the middle school sample was higher than that of the elementary school 

sample, indicating that the high school acceptance rate had a more significant impact on 

the participation rate of middle school students’ extracurricular tutoring than elementary 

school students. On the other hand, in the elementary school sample, the demonstration 

high school acceptance rate had no significant effect on the participation rate of extra-

curricular tutoring. 

In contrast, in the middle school sample, the demonstration high school ac-

ceptance rate significantly negatively affected the extracurricular tutoring participation 

rate. The increase in the acceptance rate of the demonstration high school could dramat-

ically reduce the probability of middle school students participating in extracurricular 

tutoring. Because middle school students face direct pressure from high school entrance 

examination competitions, they are more sensitive to the demonstration high school 

acceptance rate. However, elementary school students face more competitive pressure 

from the beginning of middle school, so the increase in the demonstration high school 

acceptance rate could significantly reduce the participation rate of middle school stu-

dents’ extracurricular tutoring. In contrast, the impact on elementary school students 

was not significant. 

Table 7 presents the effect of acceptance rate on the participation rate of extra-

curricular tutoring among students with different parents’ highest professional status. In 

the samples of the highest occupational status of different parents, neither the high 

school acceptance rate nor the vocational high school acceptance rate significantly af-

fected the participation rate of students’ extracurricular tutoring. The high school ac-

ceptance rate has a significant positive impact on the participation rate of students’ ex- 



Xue & Fang. High School Entrance Examination and Extracurricular Tutoring. 

Vol.8, No. 2, 2021 1096 

Table 6. Bernoulli Hierarchical Linear Model Analysis of the Influence of Total 
High School Acceptance Rate on the Participation Rate of Extracurricular Tu-
toring of Students in Different School Stages. 

 Elementary School Sample Middle School Sample 

Total High School 

Acceptance Rate 

 2.500 
(2.386) 

   
 4.416 
(2.846) 

   

Vocational 

High School 

Acceptance Rate 

 
 -4.039 
(2.609) 

   
-2.744 
(3.209) 

  

High School 

Acceptance Rate 
  

 6.130*** 

  (2.222) 
   

7.158*** 

  (2.562) 
 

Demonstration 

High School 

Acceptance Rate 

   
-2.378 

(1.585) 
   

-3.575* 

(1.835) 

Intercept 
-5.977*** 

 (1.932) 

-3.060*** 

 (0.705) 

-7.443*** 

 (1.303) 

-3.423*** 

 (0.537) 

-7.062*** 

 (2.308) 

-2.923*** 

 (0.882) 

-7.545*** 

 (1.502) 

-3.423*** 

 (0.537) 

Model Significance 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 

Observed Value 2,448 2,448 2,448 2,448 1,050 1,050 1,050 1,050 

Note: The above models control gender, household net income per capita, parent's highest education and parent's highest occupation at the student 
level, and controls per capita GDP at the provincial level. Due to space reasons, it is omitted from the article. 

 

 

 

 

Table 7. Bernoulli Hierarchical Linear Model Analysis of the Influence of Total 

High School Acceptance Rate on the Participation Rate of Extracurricular Tu-

toring of Students with Different Parents’ Highest Professional Status. 

 Lower Level Sample Middle Level Sample Upper Level Sample 

Total 

High 

School 

Acceptance 

Rate 

2.003 
(2.803) 

   
3.854 
(2.943) 

   
3.589 
(3.001) 

   

Vocational 

High 

School 

Acceptance 

Rate 

 
-4.115 
(3.118) 

   
-3.133 
(3.174) 

   
-3.458 
(3.592) 

  

High 

School 

Acceptance 

Rate 

  
5.292** 

(2.563) 
   

7.056*** 

(2.741) 
   

8.179*** 

(3.156) 
 

Demonstration 

High 

School 

Acceptance 

Rate 

   
-4.350** 

(2.018) 
   

-2.388 

(1.834) 
   

-0.420 

(2.164) 

Intercept 
-4.964** 

(2.273) 

-2.391*** 

(0.850) 

-6.324*** 

(1.490) 

-2.377*** 

(0.624) 

-6.536*** 

(2.403) 

-2.729*** 

(0.868) 

-7.459*** 

(1.625) 

-2.839*** 

(0.649) 

-5.721** 

(2.435) 

-2.125** 

(0.993) 

-7.393*** 

(1.846) 

-2.820*** 

(0.776) 

Model 

Significance 
0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 

Observed 

Value 
1,794 1,794 1,794 1,794 1,326 1,326 1,326 1,326 378 378 378 378 

Note: The above models control gender, per capita net income per household, the highest education level of parents, and schooling stage at the student 
level, and controls per capita GDP at the provincial level. Due to space reasons, it is omitted from the article. 

 

 

 

 

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Xue & Fang. High School Entrance Examination and Extracurricular Tutoring. 

Vol.8, No. 2, 2021 1097 

tracurricular tutoring. Among them, the coefficient of the sample of students whose 

parents’ occupational status with the upper level was the largest, but that of the samples 

of students whose parents’ occupational status with the lower level was the smallest. It 

can be seen that the high school acceptance rate had a more significant impact on the 

upper samples and had a minor effect on the lower samples. In the samples whose par-

ents’ occupations were classified as more inferior, the demonstration high school ac-

ceptance rate had a significant negative impact on the participation rate of extracurricu-

lar tutoring. That is to say, the improvement of the demonstration high school ac-

ceptance rate could significantly reduce the participation rate of extracurricular tutoring 

for students whose parents’ occupational classification was lower. However, in samples 

whose parents’ occupations were classified as middle and upper levels, the demonstra-

tion high school acceptance rate had no significant effect on the participation rate of 

extracurricular tutoring. 

Conclusion and Suggestion 

Discussion 

According to the MMI theory, when high school education is not yet widespread, peo-

ple’s primary goal is to get education opportunities, that is, “going to high school.” Now 

high school education has been universally available. More than 90% of middle school 

students can receive high school education, and more than 50% can receive vocational 

high school education. As a result, the attractiveness of high school education opportu-

nities and professional high school education opportunities is significantly reduced. 

This study found that the increase in the high school acceptance rate has instead pro-

moted students’ extracurricular tutoring participation. Only the increase in the demon-

stration high school acceptance rate can effectively reduce the participation rate of ex-

tracurricular tutoring. Combined with the EMI theory, the core of the current high 

school education competition is not the opportunity to receive education but the quality 

of education, that is, “a good high school.” Thus, going to high school can no longer 

effectively maintain their children’s dominant position in high school education and 

future higher education competition for families with higher social strata. 

Moreover, due to the undifferentiated educational opportunities of high schools 

and the scarcity of high-quality high school educational resources, the expansion of 

high school enrollment has increased the pressure of education competition from high-

er-class families in the social class and further aggravated their academic anxiety. 

Therefore, families with higher social strata will try to get their children to participate in 

extracurricular tutoring, trying to help them build an advantage in the high school en-

trance examination competition to enter the demonstration high school and receive bet-

ter high school educational resources. In addition, even if the demonstration high school 

acceptance rate is increased, it will only reduce the participation rate of extracurricular 

tutoring for lower social class families. However, students from families with higher 

social strata still choose to participate in extracurricular tutoring to ensure that they ef-

fectively maintain their competitive advantage in high schools. Furthermore, some do-



Xue & Fang. High School Entrance Examination and Extracurricular Tutoring. 

Vol.8, No. 2, 2021 1098 

mestic and foreign studies have found that extracurricular tutoring can help improve 

students’ academic performance (Xue, 2016; Dang, 2007). This will increase enroll-

ment opportunities and high-quality high school educational resources for demonstra-

tion high schools, which are more enjoyed by children from families with higher social 

strata. As a result, the differences in admission opportunities for children of different 

social classes in the demonstration high school have been enlarged, resulting in unequal 

admission opportunities for the demonstration high school, which is not conducive to 

social mobility and educational equity. 

When studying the impact of high school entrance examination competition on 

compulsory education students’ extracurricular tutoring participation, the high school 

acceptance rate in the study used 2015 data, while compulsory education students’ ex-

tracurricular tutoring participation used 2016 data, which can avoid two-way cause and 

effect to a certain extent problem. However, the problem was still not solved, leading to 

a certain deviation in the estimation results. Therefore, in follow-up studies, we will try 

to use tracking data to reduce endogenous interference further. 

Conclusions 

This study was based on CFPS 2016 data and collected data on high school acceptance 

rates in various provinces. Following the MMI and EMI theories, by constructing the 

Hierarchical Linear Bernoulli Model, exploring the impact of high school entrance ex-

amination competition on students’ extracurricular tutoring participation in the compul-

sory education stage, the following main research conclusions are drawn. 

First, the participation rate of students in Chinese compulsory education in ex-

tracurricular tutoring is 32.74%, and nearly one-third of students participate in tutoring. 

Second, China’s average high school acceptance rate is 91.66%, and most middle 

school students can receive a high school education. Third, China’s average high school 

acceptance rate is 57.82%, and the average vocational high school acceptance rate is 

33.85%. This is quite different from the policy objective of maintaining roughly the 

same enrollment scale for high schools and secondary vocational schools during the 

high school stage in China. Fourth, the average demonstration high school acceptance 

rate in China is 18.16%, indicating that China’s high-quality high school education re-

sources are relatively scarce. 

Second, the high school acceptance rate and vocational high school acceptance 

rate significantly affect students’ extracurricular tutoring participation. Increasing the 

high school acceptance rate and vocational high school acceptance rate cannot reduce 

the participation rate of students’ extracurricular tutoring. It shows that there is less 

competition between high school admission opportunities and vocational high school 

admission opportunities. Moreover, students of different family backgrounds and dif-

ferent stages of study have no heterogeneity in the competitive pressure brought by high 

school education entrance opportunities and vocational high school entrance opportuni-

ties. It shows that the core of education competition among families of different social 

classes is not high school education entrance opportunities and vocational high school 

education entrance opportunities. 



Xue & Fang. High School Entrance Examination and Extracurricular Tutoring. 

Vol.8, No. 2, 2021 1099 

Third, the high school acceptance rate has a significant positive effect on stu-

dents’ extracurricular tutoring; that is, the higher the high school acceptance rate is, the 

higher the participation rate of students’ extracurricular tutoring is. 

Fourth, the demonstration high school acceptance rate has a significant nega-

tive impact on students’ extracurricular tutoring; that is, increasing the demonstration 

high school acceptance rate can significantly reduce the student’s participation rate of 

extracurricular tutoring. 

Fifth, the impact of high school acceptance rate on the participation rate of ex-

tracurricular tutoring of students from families of different social classes is heterogene-

ous. The higher the high school acceptance rate, the greater the probability of students 

from families with higher social strata participating in extracurricular tutoring. The high 

school acceptance rate has no heterogeneous influence on students at different school 

stages. Whether it is the elementary school sample or the middle school sample, the 

high school acceptance rate significantly positively affects students’ extracurricular tu-

toring participation. 

Sixth, the demonstration high school acceptance rate has a heterogeneous effect 

on the participation rate of extracurricular tutoring among students from different social 

classes. For example, the demonstration high school acceptance rate has a significant 

negative impact on the participation rate of extracurricular tutoring for students whose 

parental occupation is classified as lower but has no significant effect on the participa-

tion rate of extracurricular tutoring for students whose parental occupation is classified 

as middle and upper. Finally, the demonstration high school acceptance rate has a het-

erogeneous effect on students at different school stages. For example, the demonstration 

high school acceptance rate has no significant impact on the participation rate of extra-

curricular tutoring for elementary school students. Still, it has a significant adverse ef-

fect on the participation rate of extracurricular tutoring for middle school students. 

Suggestion  

First, expand high-quality high school educational resources, increase the demonstration 

high school acceptance rate, and reduce the participation rate of students’ extracurricu-

lar tutoring during the compulsory education stage. As China’s high school education 

has been universally available, the high school entrance examination competition is 

more about the quality of high school education, that is, “a good high school,” not just 

“a high school” education opportunity. However, the scarcity of high-quality high 

school resources has caused Cohort Crowding in the admission opportunities of demon-

stration high schools. The supply elasticity of the demonstration high school is relative-

ly small, which makes its competition more intense (Bound & Turner, 2007). To allow 

their children to enter the demonstration high school, families with higher social strata 

seek out-of-school education, that is, extracurricular tutoring, to help their children 

maintain their advantages in the competition for further instruction. Therefore, we must 

try our best to expand high-quality high school educational resources, increase the sup-

ply capacity of demonstration high schools, and increase the acceptance rate of demon-

stration high schools so that a broader range of families can enjoy high-quality high 



Xue & Fang. High School Entrance Examination and Extracurricular Tutoring. 

Vol.8, No. 2, 2021 1100 

school educational resources. It can relieve the pressure of parents and children from 

high school entrance examination competitions to a certain extent. It can also reduce the 

participation rate of students’ extracurricular tutoring during the compulsory education 

stage. 

Second, to target disadvantaged families with lower social strata to increase en-

rollment quotas for demonstration high schools, weaken the social reproduction role of 

extracurricular tutoring, and promote the equalization of high-quality high school en-

rollment opportunities for children of different classes of families. This study found that 

to maintain their competitive educational advantage effectively, families with higher 

social strata let their children participate in extracurricular tutoring to increase their 

chances of entering the demonstration high school. In addition, the increase in the 

demonstration high school acceptance rate has reduced the participation rate of extra-

curricular tutoring for students whose parents’ occupational classification is lower. 

However, middle-class and upper-class families still choose to participate in extracur-

ricular tutoring. Therefore, even if the demonstration high school acceptance rate in-

creases, families with higher social classes will still allow their children to participate in 

extracurricular tutoring. This will make it easier to increase the number of places in the 

demonstration high school to be more occupied by higher social class students and ex-

pand the inequality of opportunities for children of different families to obtain high-

quality high schools. At present, some provinces have introduced similar policies, such 

as the “target to school” and “spot allocation” of Beijing high school admission and the 

“spot allocation to school” policy of Shanghai. Therefore, while increasing the ac-

ceptance rate of the demonstration high school, the enrollment of the demonstration 

high school should be increased for disadvantaged families with lower social strata to 

weaken the social reproduction effect of extracurricular tutoring. Furthermore, allowing 

children from more disadvantaged families to enjoy high-quality high school education-

al resources will promote equalizing high-quality high school enrollment opportunities 

for children of different classes of families. This will create conditions for breaking the 

solidification of classes and realizing the rational flow of different social classes. 

 

 

 

 

Notes 

1. Demonstration high school is the abbreviation of “demonstrative general high school that im-

plements quality education.” It is the comprehensive implementation of the education policy and 

the exemplary performance of education laws, regulations, and related policies. School-running 

ideas are correct, moral education is strengthened, and education and teaching reforms are ac-

tively carried out. Teachers’ quality and school-running conditions are good, school-running 

has characteristics, and students’ morality, intelligence, and physical development are compre-

hensively developed. Society and colleges, and universities have a good evaluation of students. 

The school has a high management level, has a long history of running a school, and has a high 

reputation in and outside the province (autonomous region, municipality). 

2. The total number of high school enrollment in the province and city was vocational high school 

enrollment and high school enrollment. The number of vocational high school enrollment, the 



Xue & Fang. High School Entrance Examination and Extracurricular Tutoring. 

Vol.8, No. 2, 2021 1101 

number of high school enrollment, and the number of middle school graduates were all derived 

from the 2015 education statistics file of the Ministry of Education. See: 

http://www.moe.gov.cn/s78/A03/moe_560/jytjsj_2015/ 

3. The number of students enrolled in the demonstration high schools of each province and city is 

announced by the demonstration high schools of each province and city. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Received: 01 July 2021 

Revised: 15 July 2021 

Accepted: 15 July 2021 

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https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-012-9236-7
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-012-9236-7
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https://d.wanfangdata.com.cn/periodical/jyyj200901006
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https://doi.org/10.19512/j.cnki.issn2096-2088.2019.04.005
https://d.wanfangdata.com.cn/periodical/bjdxjypl202003009
https://d.wanfangdata.com.cn/periodical/bjdxjypl202003009
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http://www.cnki.com.cn/Article/CJFDTotal-JYKY201706012.htm
https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1001-4608.2018.05.010
https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1001-4608.2018.05.010

	OriginalArticle-HaipingXue-BECE_title_July2021
	OriginalArticle-HaipingXue--BECE_MaintextJuly2021

