China’s Sustainable Talent Cultivations for Basic Disciplines: Evaluating the Reformed National College Enrollment Policy

Abstract

Understanding the effectiveness of the implementation of higher education policies could help stakeholders make informed decisions. As a relatively new policy, research on the evaluation of the reformed national college enrollment policy—Strengthening Basic Disciplines Plan (SBDP), especially from the perspective of policy innovation and implementation is limited. This study attempts to evaluate SBDP at an early stage, thereby understanding how effectively SBDP has been implemented and what its innovations are. Utilizing the policy documentation and institutional admission documents, this study operated qualitative data using a semi-quantitative method, primarily focusing on two comparisons: the SBDP policy documentation vs. institutional SBDP admission documents, and institutional SBDP vs. Independent Enrollment Policy (IEP) admission documents. Results showed that most pilot institutions regulate SBDP admission documents in accordance with the policy documentation. However, institutional divergence in practical implementations still exists, even under centralized governance. In addition, four major demand-oriented innovations such as cultivating talents in basic disciplines and cultivation strategies in SBDP were found, compared to IEP. These findings have implications in helping Chinese higher education stakeholders to effectively implement SBDP and achieve sustainable talent cultivation for national strategies.