The Five-Level Education and Teaching Research System: A Distinctively Chinese Research Mechanism for Basic Education

China’s five-level education and teaching research system (ETRS) has been instrumental in advancing Chinese basic education. It includes the central-, provincial-, municipal-, and county-level education and teaching research institutions and school-based teaching research offices, which jointly contribute to the enhancement of the quality of education and teacher professional development. There is close collaboration as well as a clear division of responsibility among these institutions. This article expounds on the ETRS’s functions and characteristics, shedding light on its significance for Chinese basic education with a view to providing implications for global education development.