Typologies of anomalies in higher education

Abstract

Under the transformation of the Russian higher education, its development is hindered by the wide spread of anomalies which carry serious risks for the universities, higher education and society. The article presents the authors interpretation of anomalies in higher education as violations of the substantial, structural and functional nature, determined by the mismatch of actions and interactions in universities with the fundamental norms of higher education. The research aims at providing typologies of anomalies in higher education. The practical meaning of these typologies is to use them as a basis for developing social technologies, mechanisms and forms of prevention and overcoming various types of violations in higher education. The authors use three methodological approaches - institutional, structural, and community-based - to introduce a theoretical framework for the study of anomalies in higher education. The typologies of anomalies were identified on the basis of the following criteria: 1) the nature of norms violated - anomalies of deviant (violation of moral norms) and delinquent (violation of legal norms) types; 2) the nature of anomalies manifestation - explicit and latent types; 3) the spheres of their manifestation - anomalies in the educational process, research, management, and social activity; 4) the levels of their manifestation - institutional, systemic and community-based anomalies; 5) subjects of abnormal behavior - anomalies in the communities of students, pedagogical, scientific stuff, and managers.