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Practical Pathways for High-Quality and Balanced Development of Compulsory Education: A Case Study of Yulin High-Tech No. 2 Middle School Using Integrated PEST-SWOT Analysis

Xiang Li¹, Yanfei Ji²*, Panpan Ding¹

Guide to Education Innovation / 2026,6(3): 326-341 / 2026-07-28 6 0

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• Information:

  1. Yulin University, Yulin;
  2. Yulin High-tech Zone No.2 Middle School, Yulin

• Keywords:
  Compulsory education; High-quality and balanced development; PEST-SWOT analysis; Case study; School governance
• Abstract: Despite continuous policy investment to advance equity within China’s compulsory education system, schools in prefecture-level cities of inland regions still face structural gaps in resource allocation and education quality. Existing research has widely applied SWOT analysis to school strategic planning, yet few studies integrate the Political, Economic, Social, Technological (PEST) macro-environmental tool with the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats (SWOT) analytical framework to examine high-quality and balanced development in junior high schools. This study takes Yulin High-Tech No. 2 Middle School as a single case, combines document analysis, semi-structured interviews, and on-site observation to construct an integrated PEST-SWOT analytical framework. Results show that: (1) standardized management, young teacher teams and digital infrastructure are core internal strengths; (2) teacher structure imbalance and curriculum homogeneity and uneven student foundations constitute three core internal weaknesses; (3) policy support, regional industrial upgrading and education informatization policies bring external opportunities; (4) inter-school competition, funding constraints and evaluation reform pressure are major external threats. This study extends the application scope of the PEST-SWOT integration framework to compulsory education governance, constructs a three structural tensions model to characterize the atypical underdevelopment state of schools in resource-based regions, and provides actionable pathways for similar inland schools to promote balanced development.
• DOI: 10.35534/gei.0603030 (registering DOI)
• Cite: Li, X., Ji, Y. F., & Ding, P. P. (2026). Practical Pathways for High-Quality and Balanced Development of Compulsory Education: A Case Study of Yulin High-Tech No. 2 Middle School Using Integrated PEST-SWOT Analysis. Guide to Education Innovation, 6(3), 326−341.