The Dynamics of Shadow Education: Contrasting 'Rat Race' and 'Lying Flat'

Authors

  • Cheng Peng AU

Keywords:

Rat Race, Lying Flat, Shadow Education

Abstract

In May 2021, the concept of ‘lying flat’ surged in popularity in China, inciting widespread interest and prompting extensive research and analysis. As its antonym, the ‘rat race,’ represents intense, high-pressure competition and is often featured and discussed in numerous articles alongside ‘lying flat,’ providing a contrasting perspective. This paper examines the phenomena of ‘lying flat’ and ‘rat race’ within the context of shadow education in China. It aims to elucidate their interplay and provide insights for schools, teachers, parents, and students. This paper seeks to help schools and teachers reassess and refine their educational objectives, assist parents in forming a balanced perspective on shadow education, and support students in managing their mindset to navigate the balance between the ‘rat race’ and ‘lying flat’ within the shadow education landscape. This article outlines the definition and evolution of shadow education, incorporating theories and past research on both ‘rat race’ and ‘lying flat.’ It delves into the causes, types, and manifestations of these phenomena within the context of shadow education. Building on the explanation of the ‘rat race’ and ‘lying flat’ in shadow education, the article offers three key recommendations: schools and teachers should deeply reflect on the essence of education, adjusting their objectives and expectations; parents should adopt a ‘lying flat’ approach to their children’s performance, avoiding the pitfalls of overemphasizing competition and neglecting the importance of parent-child relationships; students should embrace the competitive spirit fostered by the ‘rat race,’ while also maintaining a ‘lying flat’ mindset to ensure their overall physical and mental well-being.

References

Aurini, J., & Davies, S. (2013), "Supplementary education in a changing organizational field: The Canadian case", Out of the Shadows: The Global Intensification of Supplementary Education (International Perspectives on Education and Society, Vol. 22), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 155-170. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-3679(2013)0000022007

Biesta, J. J. (2010) Good Education in an Age of Measurement. Boulder: Paradigm.

Boehm, J. (2018). Supplementary education. Journal of Education in Black Sea Region, 4, 44–52.

Bouillon, P. (2010). Le coaching privé braque les profs [in French]. Le Soir. Retrieved January 26, 2024, from http://archives.lesoir.be/le-coaching-prive-braque-les-profs_t-20101118-014UQU.html

Bray, M. (2021). Shadow Education in Europe: Growing Prevalence, Underlying Forces, and Policy Implications. ECNU Review of Education, 4(3), 442-475.

Bray, M., & Kobakhidze, M. N. (2014). Measurement issues in research on shadow education: Challenges and pitfalls encountered in TIMSS and PISA. Comparative Education Review, 58, 590–620.

Byun, S., & Baker, D. (2015). Shadow education. In R. Scott, S. Kosslyn, & N. Pinkerton (Eds.), Emerging trends in the social and behavioral sciences: An interdisciplinary, searchable, and linkable resource (pp. 1-9). Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley-Blackwell.

Carcillo, S., & Königs, S. (2015). NEET Youth in the Aftermath of the Crisis: Challenges and Policies. OECD Social, Employment and Migration Working Papers, 164.

Chen, Y. H., & Cao, Y. H. (2021). “Lying flat”: rise, formation mechanism and social consequences. Fujian Forum, 9.

Chen, Y. Y., & Li, H. C. (2021). The Policy Evolution, Predicament and Resolutions of Governing Shadow Education. Fudan Education Forum, 19, 5.

Christensen, S. (2019). Shadow education and Scandinavian educational culture: Some preliminary observations [Powerpoint presentation]. Aarhus University.

Christensen, S., & Ørberg J. W. (2015). Privat lektiehjælp kaster sin skygge over Danmark [Private tutoring throws its shadow over Denmark] [in Danish]. Asterisk, 76, 32–33.

Fu, Q. Q. (2022). From “rat race” to “lying flat”: Modernity anxiety and Youth subculture. Research on The Phenomenon and Problems of Youth, 2, 238, 80–90.

Geertz, C. (1963). Agricultural Involution: The Process of Ecological Change in Indonesia. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

Guo, J. C. (2021). Involution and Lying Down: Philosophical Reflections on Social Phenomenon. Beijing Education. 01, 41.

Hu, Y. M., Fan, W. F., & Ding, W. L. (2015). Whether shadow education expands the inequality of education results - Based on the empirical research of PISA 2012 Shanghai data, Peking University Education Review, 13, 3.

Huang, Y. Y., & Luo, Z. B. (2021). The cognitive and pragmatic analysis of the catchphrase “inner volume” and “lying flat.” Science and Technology Information Magazine. 24, 187-190.

Huang, Z. Z. (2000). Small-scale peasant economy and social change in North China. Taipei: Zhonghua Book Company.

Jin, Y. N. (2021). The phenomenon of youth “lying flat” under the perspective of labor view. Journal of Youth, (4), 59–63.

Jokić, B., Soldo, A., & Ristić, D, Z. (2013). Private tutoring and social equity in Croatia and Bosnia & Herzegovina: A comparative qualitative study. In Bray M., Mazawi A., Sultana R. (Eds.), Private tutoring across the Mediterranean: Power dynamics, and implications for learning and equity (pp. 11–27). Sense Publishers.

Kim, Y. C., & Jung, J. H. (2019). Shadow education as worldwide curriculum studies. Manhattan, New York: Springer International Publishing.

Kirby, P. (2016). Shadow Schooling: Private tuition and social mobility in the UK. The Sutton Trust.

Li, J. L., & He, R. Z. (2019). Time Investment in Family Education, Economic Investment and Youth Development: Social Capital, Cultural Capital, and Shadow Education Interpretation. Chinese Youth Research, 8, 97-105.

Li, S., Zhao, W., Long, P. X., Dong, Q. Y., & Sun, L. (2022). Awakening or Escape: Lying questionnaire preparation and related psychological factors. Psychology: Techniques and Applications, 10, 618-630.

Li, Y. N. (2022). The research status and the prospect of “lying flat.” Journal of Chongqing University of Arts and Sciences, 41(6), 118-129.

Lin, L. F., & Gao, Y. L. (2021). “Youth”: an explanation of a structural dilemma, Youth Phenomenon. China Academic Journal Electronic Publishing House.

Ling, X. X., & Li, C. L. (2022). Cultural structure, narrative symptoms, and coping strategies of “lying doctrine.” Journal of Xinjiang Normal University, 42(2). 124–139.

Liu, C. L. (2022). Not “flat” or “inside.” Public Health, 6, 444, 30–31.

Liu, J. X. (2021). Between “roll” and “lying” is a spectrum; many options exist. AUG, 44.

Liu, J. (2017). Parents as Consumers in a Marketised Education Environment: The Demand for Private Supplementary Tutoring at Primary and Lower Secondary Levels in China. Hong Kong, China: The University of Hong Kong.

Liu, S. C., & Qi, Z. Q. (2004). Conceptual analysis of “internalization.” Journal of Sociological Research, 5, 96-110.

Lu, J. F. (2022). In the English-speaking world, how to say “lying flat.” The East, 3(10), 53-55.

Meskens J., & Berkenbaum P. (2009). Selon Educadomo, un élève sur dix a besoin de cours particuliers [According to Educadomo, One pupil out of ten needs private tutoring] [in French]. Le Soir. Retrieved January 26, 2024, from http://archives.lesoir.be/un-eleve-sur-dix-a-besoin-de-cours-particuliers_t-20090306-00M16R.html

MEXT. (2008). Kodomo no Gakkogai Deno Gakushukatsudo ni Kansuru Jittai Chosa Hokoku [Actual Condition Survey on Learning Activities of Children outside of Schools]. Tokyo: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).

Ni, S., & Ye, X. (2020). On the internalization and Reconstruction of the Chinese Traditional Culture. Hubei Social Science, 10, 89–95.

Paul, A. (2008). Analysis of emotions. Yang Xu, in translation. Haikou: Nanhai Publishing House, 1.

Pei, Y. (2022). On the survival anxiety of “inner volume” and “lying flat.” Journal of Ludong University (Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition), 1, 65–70.

Peng, P. (2007). Shadow Education: Foreign Research on Private Tutoring and Its Inspiration. Journal of Comparative Education, 9, 44–48.

Qin, X. Y., & Dai, Y. Q. (2022). “Rat Race,” “Buddha Department” to “Lying Flat” - View the cultivation of youth fighting spirit from the change of social mentality. China Youth Research. 2, 5–13.

Qiu, X. L. (2019). An Analysis of the group portrait and causes of the “no desire generation” in Japan. China Youth Research, 8, 113–119.

Ristić Dedić Z., Jokić B., & Jurko L. (2006). Croatia. In Silova I., Būdienė V., Bray M. (Eds.), Education in a hidden marketplace: Monitoring of private tutoring (pp. 169–190). Open Society Institute.

Sandberg‐Thoma, S. E., Snyder, A. R., & Jang, B. J. (2015). Exiting and returning to the parental home for boomerang kids. Journal of Marriage and Family, 77(3), 806-818.

Stevenson, D. L., & Baker. D. P. (1992). Shadow education and allocation in formal schooling: transition to university in Japan. American Journal of Sociology, 97(6), 1639–1657.

Sun, W. P. (2022). On Consumption Dissimilation in the Era of Digital Capitalism. Marxist Studies, (1), 71-80.

Tang, Y., Liu, Y. Q., & Fu, Y. (2022). Empirical Analysis of the influencing Factors of parents of primary and middle school students. Journal of Chengdu Normal University, 38, 11.

Tian, M. Y. (2021). “Bad Inner Volume” and Education Revolution. Social Science Newspaper. Retrieved January 26, 2024, from http://m.chinareform.net/index.php?m=content&c=index&a=show&catid=49&id=39191

Wang, Y. W., & Wang, M. F. (2021). Classification and logic: Analysis of why “lying flat” occurs based on the perspective of Merton's social anomie theory. Exploration and contention, 12, 63-73.

Xu, J. L. (2021). Lying flat: the “young people” culture under the intergenerational conflict. Exploration and contention, 12, 8-11.

Xu, W. T. & Ma, L. Y. (2021). To go beyond the era of learning: the educational dilemma and breakthrough of the phenomenon of “inner volume.” Research in Teaching, 44, 4.

Zhang, W. (2022). “Lie flat” mentality discrimination and coping strategies. Journal of Xi'an Petroleum University (Social Science Edition), 1, 83–88.

Downloads

Published

2024-11-04

How to Cite

Peng, C. (2024). The Dynamics of Shadow Education: Contrasting ’Rat Race’ and ’Lying Flat’. ASEAN Journal of Education, 10(2). Retrieved from https://so01.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/AJE/article/view/272676