Research On Shanghai Spring Gaokao Policy From The Perspective Of Structural Functionalism

After more than 20 years of development,the Spring College Entrance Examination and Admission System in Shanghai,also known as Shanghai Spring Gaokao,still carries on its enduring reformative and innovative spirit,in a most challenging situation as other pilot provinces have gradually pulled out of the scheme.This practice has laid a solid foundation for the pilot trial and successful implementation of the new Gaokao reform in Shanghai.Shanghai Spring Gaokao is not a duplicate of the College Entrance Examination.Instead,its bold attempts in breaking system barriers in terms of introducing multi-application mode,cancelling liberal arts and science division,mult-criteria admission and comprehensive evaluation provides a unique,more cutting-edge and innovative experience for deepening the reform of Gaokao System.Based on the theoretical framework of structural functionalism and the analytical method of educational sociology,in conjunction with a large number of statistics and data comparison of different dimensions,this study has conducted extensive,in-depth research on the implementation content,operation mechanism and policy mechanism of Shanghai Spring Gaokao,and has come up with the following findings:First,although the scale of Shanghai Spring Gaokao is relatively small,it presents a complex and complete system.Analyzing from the perspective of structural functionalism,we can clearly observe its internal structure and functional mechanism,which lies in the core of its positive developmentSecond,not all the behaviors and activities of the stakeholders comply with the overall goal of the Shanghai Spring Gaokao.The dysfuctions caused by the students,universities and the government due to their respective subjective will or objective conditions may have strong negative effects on the equilibrium state of the system,which should be paid full attention to in the formulation and improvement of the Shanghai Spring Gaokao policy.Third,for different types of majors,the talent selection effect of Shanghai Spring Gaokao shows discrepancies,which is not caused by the problems or defects of the system itself,but related to the professional training objectives and the internal characteristics of the knowledge system.Shanghai Spring Gaokao has been doing remarkably well in recognizing talents for occupational higher education characterized by autonomous testing.However,for academic majors focusing on the learning of theoretical knowledge,the system seems not being able to play its due talent selection effect.The discussion of Shanghai Spring Gaokao policy leads to the conclusion that the reform of China’s Gaokao System has a long way to go.As Shanghai Spring Gaokao is concerned,the following policy recommendations have been generated to improve its practice:First,set a higher goal to further promote the connection,and avoid the disconnection between talent selection and talent development.Second,change the admission mode with a more open attitude.It is suggested to refer to the matching admission mode,and give colleges and universities,students more autonomy.Third,encourage high-level colleges and universities,and more categories of majors to join in,so as to provide students with more high-quality educational resources and a wider range of professional choices,so as to strengthen students’ willingness,and finally achieve the win-win situation between students,colleges and universities.