EVIDENCE-INFORMED DECISION-MAKING IN CHINESE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

Abstract

As Chinese educational institutions expand their digital infrastructure, administrators acquire unprecedented volumes of research findings, institutional data and analytics. The governing problem is the credibility, relevance and interpretation of that evidence in particular decisions.

This article reports a structured scoping review of international and Chinese literature on evidence use in educational administration, conducted in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR guideline (Tricco et al., 2018). It treats evidence-informed decision-making (EIDM) as an administrative practice that combines research evidence, institutional data, professional expertise, stakeholder knowledge and ethical requirements. The scoping review traces the movement from evidence-based practice toward context-sensitive evidence use, in which evidence constrains administrative judgment, and identifies four recurring frictions visible in the Chinese literature examined here: compliance mandates, assessment cultures, fragmented data systems and uneven research-use capacity. Eight recurring decision moments were identified across the literature and consolidated into the EVIDENCE Cycle: establish ethical purpose, verify varied evidence, interpret within context, deliberate with stakeholders, enact proportionate action, notice outcomes and inequities, correct and learn, and embed an evidence culture. The cycle treats EIDM as continuous administrative inquiry and offers Chinese institutions a way of connecting evidence and policy priorities to defensible local action.