Parental Educational Anxiety Under the Double Reduction Policy: Sources and Solutions from Smith’s Policy Model

Abstract

Based on Smith’s Policy Implementation Process Model, this study systematically analyzes the mechanisms that generate and potential pathways to alleviate parental educational anxiety within the context of the “Double Reduction” policy, focusing on four dimensions: the idealized policy, the implementing agencies, the target group, and the environmental factors. The findings reveal that parental anxiety stems from a structural misalignment between the policy’s objectives and families’ practical expectations. This anxiety is further amplified during implementation due to inadequate capacity of the implementing agencies, parents’ cognitive lag and behavioral path dependence, as well as environmental factors such as the academic evaluation system and media discourse. Consequently, this paper proposes a coordinated approach involving policy redesign, capacity building for implementing agencies, cognitive empowerment of parents, and optimization of the external environment to mitigate anxiety, thereby facilitating the effective implementation of the “Double Reduction” policy and fostering a healthier educational ecosystem.