Stakeholders' perceptions of shadow education in mainland China before and after the double reduction policy: A systematic review of English‐language research

Abstract

In the past decade, research on shadow education in China has expanded rapidly, particularly following the 2021 Double Reduction Policy (DRP), which extended earlier regulatory measures by banning profit‐seeking academic tutoring and sought to reduce students' academic workload and families' financial burden. Although many studies have examined stakeholders' perceptions, the literature remains fragmented and is rarely compared across groups or policy periods. This systematic review synthesizes English‐language research indexed in Scopus and Web of Science on how key stakeholders in mainland China perceive shadow education and how research foci differ between studies addressing shadow education before and after the DRP. Because the DRP followed earlier regulation and its implementation continues to evolve, the policy serves here as an organizing time marker rather than a causal breakpoint. Thirty‐four studies were synthesized. Academic pressure, peer competition and study burden recurred across parents, students and teachers, while group‐specific themes included parental responsibility and financial strain, teachers' dual‐role ethics and tutors' market adaptation. A clear shift in research attention also emerged: post‐policy studies concentrated on perceptions of policy implementation and adaptation, leaving other topics aside. Coverage was uneven across regions and stakeholder groups, with students, school leaders and policymakers underrepresented and central and western China rarely studied. Because the review draws only on internationally indexed English‐language studies, these are gaps in the international evidence base rather than in Chinese research as a whole.