Conference Program

In China, the Gaokao has become a universally accepted and legitimized educational selection mechanism and a crucial vehicle for meritocracy. As a result, 'education changes fate' has evolved into ‘Gaokao changes fate’ (Howlett, 2021) — the belief that diligence and academic effort can transform one’s fate, particularly for rural students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Rural female students have historically been celebrated as the most diligent embodiment of this meritocratic ideal, outworking their male and urban counterparts in pursuit of upward mobility (Howlett, 2023; Gu and Jean Yeung, 2021; Wang, 2017). However, the ongoing devaluation of educational credentials and decreasing educational mobility have further eroded the myth that diligence for the Gaokao can change one’s fate.

In response, this study examines how rural female students experience, negotiate, and respond to the disillusionment of meritocracy in their daily school lives. This study draws on semi-structured interviews with 20 female students from two lowest-performing classes, a science track (n=10) and an arts track (n=10), in an elite county-level high school in central-southern China.

Hence, the study finds that female students have developed different educational attitudes and strategies in response to their disillusionment with meritocracy. First, some students who believe in the value of education engage in covert studying, as showing effort openly carries negative social connotations and invites mockery. Second, some students skip exams to avoid confronting their poor performance. Third, others cheat in exams, not because they value education, but to meet parental expectations. Fourth, some students leave campus during self-study sessions — eating out, playing billiards, or visiting cafés — as a way of stepping away from school life. Finally, a small number remain enrolled but stop attending school and work outside instead, showing a complete rejection of the educational system.