Abstract
This study investigates how structural inequalities based on socio-economic status, geographic origin, and ethnic identity can perpetuate achievement gaps in China’s college English classrooms, and evaluates a context-specific pedagogical framework designed to address these disparities. Employing a transformative mixed-methods design across six universities, the research piloted a tripartite framework integrating Academic Inequality Mitigation, Deliberative Interdependence, and Transformative Translation. Quantitative results demonstrated a 15% narrowing of the urban-rural performance gap on the College English Test Band 4 and statistically significant increases in students’ academic belonging. Qualitatively, students from under-resourced backgrounds reported a 28% reduction in classroom anxiety and 41% stronger connection to curricula validating their cultural assets. The study contributes an empirically validated model of harmonized equity pedagogy—a strategic approach reconciling universal equity principles with centralized system realities—offering actionable insights for fostering empowerment in contexts where standardized curricula and socio-political sensitivities shape educational discourse on diversity.