Can Non-Subject-Based Off-Campus Training Improve Student Mental Health in the Context of the Implementation of the Double Reduction Policy? A Study Based on a Survey in 30 Counties in Six Eastern, Central, and Western Provinces of China

Oct 15, 2026

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Mental health of primary and secondary school students has drawn wide public attention as China implements the Double Reduction policy. This study analyzes the effects of non-subject-based off-campus training on students’ mental health using survey data from 30 counties in six provinces across eastern, central, and western regions. Using standardized measures of depression, state anxiety, and positive affect, it applies regression and matching techniques to compare participants and non-participants.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages5

Reading Time13 min

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Introduction

Research Methods

Research Subjects

Research Tools

Data Analysis

Research Findings

Can Non-Subject-Based Off-Campus Training Improve Student Mental Health in the Context of the Implementation of the Double Reduction Policy? A Study Based on a Survey in 30 Counties in Six Eastern, Central, and Western Provinces of China Weidong Fu, Wei Li Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, Hubei, China | Abstract: Mental Health of primary and secondary school students has drawn wide public attention against the backdrop of the implementation of the Double Reduction policy. This article aims to analyze the effects of non-subject-based off-campus training on student mental health based on an investigation among primary and secondary school students from 30 counties (cities, districts) in six eastern, central, and western provinces of China.
Best Evidence in Chinese Education 2023; 13(2):1697-1701.
Doi: [10.15354/bece.23.ar033](10.15354/bece.23.ar033) | | --- | | How to Cite: Fu, W., & Li, W. (2023). Can non-subject-based off-campus training improve student mental health in the context of the implementation of the double reduction policy? A study based on a survey in 30 counties in six eastern, central, and western provinces of China. Best Evidence in Chinese Education, 13(2):1697- 1701. | Keywords: Mental Health, Non-Subject-Based Training, Double Reduction Policy Correspondence to: Weidong Fu, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, Hunan, China. E-mail: [604143009@qq.com](604143009@qq.com) Conflict of Interests: None. © 2023 Insights Publisher. All rights reserved. Creative Commons Non Commercial CC BY-NC: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 License ([http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/](http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed by the Insights Publisher. Introduction According to the survey results of the Report on National Mental Health Development in China (2019-2020), only 14.24% of Chinese teenagers reached the standard of mental healthiness and 24.6% of them were identified as suffering from depression in 2020 (Fu, Zhang, & Chen, 2021) . This shows a worrisome circumstance of mental health development in Chinese primary and secondary students. Hence, how to enhance their mental health level has become a severe challenge in Chinese basic education. In July 2021, Chinese government issued the Opinions on Further Reducing the Burden of Homework and Off-Campus Training for Compulsory Education Students (often referred to as the Double Reduction policy) . As a result of the implementation of the Double Reduction policy, the number of subject-based off-campus training institutions has been significantly reduced, with a 95.6% decrease in offline institutions and 87.1% reduction in online training platforms. This study focuses on the current state of nonsubject-based after-school training in the context of the execution of the Double Reduction policy and the impact of the participation in non-subject-based off-campus training on mental health of primary and secondary school students. Research Methods Research Subjects This study conducted a questionnaire investigation simultaneously in the eastern province of Guangdong, central provinces of Hubei and Hunan, and western provinces of Sichuan and Guizhou by means of stratified sampling and obtained 11340 questionnaires, among which 8436 were valid. As “participating in non-subject-based offcampus training or not” is a key factor in the analysis, questionnaires with this critical information missing were eliminated, and ultimately 5973 questionnaires were used in this study. Research Tools The Independent Variable: Participating in non-subjectbased off-campus training or not. The Dependent Variables 􀁸 Depression Two items from the Depression Scale developed by the China Education Panel Sur

FAQs

How were depression, state anxiety, and positive affect measured?

Depression was assessed using items from the Depression Scale from the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS). State anxiety used the State-and-Trait-Anxiety Scales revised by Zhang (1998) and the self-rating inventory of test anxiety revised by Wang (1995), while positive affect used the Positive and Negative Affect Scales developed by Watson et al. (1988).

What key findings were reported after the Double Reduction policy started?

Participation in non-subject-based off-campus training decreased slightly, while participants’ time and money investment stayed broadly stable. Participation significantly relieved depression for primary students, but showed no significant effects on state anxiety and positive affect, and had no remarkable impact for junior secondary students.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Bulrr