Online Education for Chinese Elementary and Secondary School Students: Experiences and Challenges

Abstract

In addition to studying in schools where online learning has been increasing in recent years, many Chinese elementary and secondary school students participate in outside school online education programs, often urged by their parents so that their learning can be enhanced. Being descriptive, this is a literature review study. The purpose of this article is to provide a narrative of online education for Chinese students with regard to experiences and challenges in the last two years, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data sources of this paper are mainly documents published by the Ministry of Education, but literature published by other organizations and individuals are also referred to. Four hundred and twenty-three million Chinese had received online education by the end of March 2020. For elementary and secondary students, increasing online education in schools and outside schools plays a positive role in reducing the dropout number and provides other substantive benefits. In addition, online education for students during the pandemic allowed children to continue their learning without being on campus, but their overall experiences were mixed, and there were serious challenges to be dealt with.