A Study on the Evaluation of China’s Nationally Publicly Funded Normal Students Support Policy: Focusing on Jilin Province
Joongbu University Graduate SchoolDepartment of Education
Li, Guo RuiAdvisor Professor: Uhm, Joon Yong
This study aims to eva...
A Study on the Evaluation of China’s Nationally Publicly Funded Normal Students Support Policy: Focusing on Jilin Province
Joongbu University Graduate SchoolDepartment of Education
Li, Guo RuiAdvisor Professor: Uhm, Joon Yong
This study aims to evaluate China’s nationally publicly funded normal students (PFNS) support policy from a policy-process perspective, focusing on the case of Jilin Province. The PFNS policy has been implemented as a key national strategy to address long-standing structural imbalances in teacher supply and allocation, particularly between urban and rural areas and across regions. While the policy has contributed to stabilizing teacher supply in underserved areas, existing studies have largely examined isolated aspects—such as recruitment, training, placement, or retention—without sufficiently analyzing how the policy operates as an integrated process across different stages. In response to this limitation, this study adopts a comprehensive evaluation framework that examines the PFNS policy across three stages: policy formation, policy implementation, and policy output.
The theoretical framework of this study is grounded in an examination of the institutional background and developmental trajectory of the PFNS policy, including its policy rationale, governance structure, operational mechanisms, and major implementation challenges. In addition, the study draws on education policy evaluation theory to clarify key evaluation perspectives, particularly those emphasizing policy processes rather than single performance indicators. By reviewing prior research on publicly funded teacher education policies in China and comparable international programs, this study establishes an analytical perspective that highlights the interconnections among policy design, implementation conditions, and policy outcomes.
Methodologically, this study employs a mixed-methods research design based on a policy-cycle approach. A Delphi survey is conducted to examine the appropriateness and applicability of evaluation criteria derived from existing policy evaluation frameworks. Building on these criteria, a questionnaire survey is administered to key stakeholders to quantitatively assess perceptions of policy formation, implementation, and output. In parallel, focus group interviews (FGI) are conducted with teachers and policy-related practitioners to capture contextual experiences, diagnose practical challenges, and explore improvement directions. Administrative data are also analyzed to supplement perception-based findings and enhance the objectivity of policy output assessment. Through the triangulation of quantitative, qualitative, and administrative data, this study seeks to improve the reliability and explanatory power of its evaluation results.
The analysis reveals that, in the policy formation stage, the PFNS policy demonstrates relatively clear objectives and a coherent design logic, but shows limitations in fully reflecting regional conditions and long-term professional development needs. In the policy implementation stage, while procedural stability and basic operational consistency are largely maintained, notable disparities emerge in training support, implementation capacity, and field adaptability across regions. In the policy output stage, the policy has achieved measurable results in stabilizing teacher supply and improving initial placement outcomes; however, challenges related to sustainability—such as long-term retention, professional growth, and regional performance gaps—remain evident. FGI findings further illustrate that these challenges are not attributable to isolated policy components, but rather stem from weak linkages among the formation, implementation, and output stages.
In conclusion, this study provides a systematic, process-oriented evaluation of the PFNS support policy in Jilin Province. By integrating policy theory with empirical evidence, it derives stage-specific conclusions and proposes three categories of recommendations: policy-level recommendations to enhance coherence and executability across policy stages, recommendations for improving university-level training and support practices, and suggestions for future research, including longitudinal monitoring and broader regional comparison. Through its application of a policy-process framework and mixed-methods triangulation, this study contributes to education policy evaluation research and offers practical insights for improving the effectiveness and sustainability of publicly funded teacher workforce policies.