What Can China Learn From Evidence-Based Educational Reform? - A Comparative Review of Educational Technology Programs’ Effects on Mathematics Achievement

Oct 15, 2026

This review contrasts the U.S. and China’s mainland regarding how educational technology programs affect mathematics achievement. Evaluation studies are examined and compared with emphasis on research quality. Using a systematic review and meta-analysis, the study shows a stronger overall effect of these programs in mainland China than in the U.S., while also highlighting concerns about the quantity and quality of evaluation studies in China. Evidence-based effectiveness programs since 2010 are classified by evidence level.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages19

Reading Time48 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Evidence-based reform in education

Definition and essential activities

Comparative review: U.S. vs. China

Evaluation evidence quality

Intervention programs and evidence levels

What Can China Learn From Evidence-Based Educational Reform? A Comparative Review of Educational Technology Programs’ Effects on Mathematics Achievement Chen Xie (谢晨) Institute of International and Comparative Education, East China Normal University ECNU Review of Education 2021, Vol. 4(1) 65–83 ª The Author(s) 2020 Article reuse guidelines: [sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[ ](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[DOI: 10.1177/2096531120944410](DOI: 10.1177/2096531120944410)[ ](DOI: 10.1177/2096531120944410)[journals.sagepub.com/home/roe](journals.sagepub.com/home/roe) Abstract Purpose: This review contrasts the U.S. and Chinese mainland in terms of educational technology programs’ effects on mathematics achievement. The existing evaluation studies are assessed and compared, especially from the perspective of research quality. Moreover, this review finds out what intervention programs work in these two countries and classifies evidence levels of effective programs. Design/Approach/Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis method is used. Findings: The application of educational technology programs produced a better effect in Chinese mainland than in the U.S., however, the quantity and quality of evaluation studies is concerning in Chinese mainland. Since 2010, four programs in the U.S. and one program in Chinese mainland have qualified for strong evidence of effectiveness, which are worthy of receiving scale-up grants. Corresponding author: Chen Xie, Institute of International and Comparative Education, Faculty of Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China. Email: [delxie1985@163.com](delxie1985@163.com) Creative Commons Non Commercial CC BY-NC: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License ([https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/](https://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 as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages ([https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage](https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage)). Originality/Value: This is the first systematic review to contrast the U.S. and China in terms of educational technology programs’ effects on mathematics achievement. Determining what works through high-quality experiments is probably the most important requirement for evidence-based reform in education. This review compares the developments of the U.S., a leader of the movement, with those of China, an undecided observer. The review may provide enlightenment for the undecided countries and regions. Keywords Educational technology, evidence-based reform, mathematics achievement, meta-analysis Date received: 9 April 2020; accepted: 2 July 2020 Developed countries including the U.S. and the UK have already made significant improvements in changing their educational policies to support the use of evidence in schools. Their aim is to put education into a virtuous cycle of innovation, evaluation, and dissemination like the transformed fields, such as medicine, agriculture, and technology (Haskins, 2014; Kolada, 2013) . The interest in evidence has grown in China, but it is far from prompting the construction of a research area ofeducational program development and evaluation. Initiatives similar to evidence-based education reform (Slavin, 2020) have not yet been followed by official recognition. Nevertheless, there are still a few experimental or quasi-experimental studies in China that are comparable with evaluation studies of program effectiveness in Western countries. Therefore, the present review is intended to systematically compare the development ofevaluation studies in the U.S., a leader, with those in China, an undecided observer. Our findings may help China and similar countries determine w

FAQs

What is the purpose of this comparative review?

It contrasts the U.S. and China’s mainland in terms of educational technology programs’ effects on mathematics achievement, assessing existing evaluation studies with a focus on research quality.

What methods does the review use?

It uses a systematic review and meta-analysis approach to evaluate and compare studies and to classify evidence levels of effective programs.

What does the review find about program effectiveness in the two countries?

Educational technology programs show a better overall effect in China’s mainland than in the U.S., but the review notes concerning quantity and quality of evaluation studies in mainland China.

Oct 15, 2026

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