CREDENTIALISM OR QUALITY: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF GAOKAO AND A-LEVEL SYSTEMS BASED ON EDUCATIONAL PRODUCTION AND QUALITATIVE INSIGHTS

Abstract

The study aims to explore and navigate the differences, advantages, and drawbacks of the A-Level system in Malaysia and the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE), commonly known as the Gaokao, in China. While China's Gaokao system has been praised for rigor and fairness, the increasing outflow of students to Malaysia has raised questions about the internal limitations of the system. This paper aims to bridge the empirical gap by combining a production-function-based regression model with COREQ-guided qualitative analysis. The article will systematically demonstrate the proposition of whether student pursuit for Credentialism or superior education quality, and underlying factors that contribute to this trend and the implications for both educational systems. This article take reference for the education production function, establish the regression model, analyzing four independent variables: Curriculum Flexibility, Education Capital Input, English Education Ratio, and Teacher Quality for the correlation with academic admission, through quantitative research methods. Furthermore, the article imports the qualitative research by utilize interviews in accordance with COREQ guidance and other case study to testify and illustrate different education dimensions, to boost the exploration and interpretation of this topic. Due to the sensitive nature of the subject and confidentiality restrictions, it is challenging to acquire comprehensive and systematic data across various secondary schools in China and Malaysia. Nevertheless, based on the collection and analysis of available public statistics, the author has continued the research and observed that the differences between the two educational systems are not as significant as previously assumed. In fact, China demonstrates notable advantages and stronger performance in certain areas. Through systematic qualitative interviews and in-depth case studies, the findings suggest that the underlying causes of the observed issues lie in cultural feudalism, the political structure, and the persistence of credentialism.