Chinese Educational Context Research Articles

Innovations in an institutionalised higher education system: the role of embedded agency

This paper explores how a novel university governance model at Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), largely learned from the West, has been implemented in the highly institutionalised and centralised Chinese higher education system. For this purpose, we first constructed an analytical framework, integrating the conceptualisation of an innovation process in higher education and the concept of embedded agency. This framework was then applied to analyse eight interviews, seven policy documents and six news media reports in our empirical investigation of the case university. Our major research findings are: the governance model adopted by SUSTech was a disruptive innovation and it was mostly challenged by the incompatibility between the norms around the governance model and the institutional context of Chinese higher education; this challenge was mitigated through three agency strategies, labelled by the metaphors of new wine in a new bottle, new wine in an old bottle and old wine in a new bottle. Successfully implementing these strategies calls on the visions, skills of playing power games and social capital of those initiating the innovation. Finally, we discuss the theoretical contribution and practical implications of the study in the conclusion.

The relationships between teacher emotions and classroom instruction: Evidence from senior secondary mathematics teachers in China

This study conducted a questionnaire survey with a sample of 221 senior secondary mathematics teachers, to examine the relationships between teacher emotions and classroom instruction in the context of China. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling were used to analyse the data. The results showed that the mathematics teachers experienced enjoyment and satisfaction more frequently than anger and anxiety, with these emotions varying with age, grade, teaching experience, and professional title. Inquiry-based instruction positively predicted enjoyment and satisfaction and negatively anger and anxiety, while direct instruction positively predicted anger and anxiety. Teachers’ satisfaction can also be a positive predictor of inquiry-based instruction. This study enriches research on teaching–emotion relationships, extending them to the context of Chinese mathematics education.

Partial measurement invariance of beliefs about teaching for creativity across U.S. and Chinese educators.

While empirical research on creativity has grown steadily over the past 35years, teachers' beliefs about creativity and their implicit beliefs about teaching for creativity remains understudied, as well as cross-cultural examination of teacher beliefs in this area. This study explored the measurement invariance of beliefs about teaching for creativity (creative self-efficacy, fixed creative mindset, growth creative mindset, desirability of creativity for teaching success and value of creativity for student academic and workplace success). American and Chinese educators at two universities were surveyed to rate the degree to which they agreed with statements about beliefs about teaching for creativity (N=376). Measurement invariance analysis was used Multiple-Groups Confirmatory Factor Analysis with the lavaan package in the R Statistical Programing Environment. Partial measurement invariance was obtained such that a model with factor loadings constrained equal across samples for four of the five constructs (creative self-efficacy, fixed creative mindset, growth creative mindset, desirability of creativity for teaching success), did not worsen model fitness. Additionally, when factor loadings for items on the value of creativity for student academic and workplace success latent variable were allowed to vary across samples, we found evidence of structural invariance. That is, the covariances among the five latent variables were found to be invariant across samples. The major result of this study is that the theoretical structure and relations among five important creative self-constructs is invariant across American and Chinese educational constructs. However, there may be cultural differences in the value of creativity for student academic and workplace success, as perceived by teachers. Future research can focus on calibrating teacher beliefs about teaching for creativity with classroom observation, in American and Chinese educational contexts.

Multi-level analysis of factors influencing teacher job satisfaction in China: evidence from the TALIS 2018

ABSTRACT This study used the data from the TALIS 2018 to explore how teacher job satisfaction is affected by factors at the teacher-level (e.g., teacher motivation and teachers’ perceived disciplinary climate) and school-level (e.g., school delinquency and violence) simultaneously. The HLM results showed that both the school- and teacher-level factors were significantly related to teacher job satisfaction. These findings were discussed in relation to Chinese educational contexts.

Exploring a Qualitative Methods Approach to Measure Learning Gain in Teaching Assistants: A Chinese Case Study

This paper explores the use of a range of qualitative methods to measure learning gain of teaching assistants (TAs) in mainland China at a Sino-British University where the authors used to work. It uses a case study to report on an evaluation of TA training at the University, which is part of its Postgraduate Research Development Programme, to ascertain students’ acquired skills and skills gaps. A key focus of this evaluation consists of exploring ways to measure learning gain for individual TAs. As teacher educators, the researchers delivered TA training, conducted specialist observations of TAs’ teaching practice, as well as a series of ‘Learning to Teach’ groups. Measuring individual learning gain of TAs occurred during the semester and at the end of the semester. Criteria and measurements were tested to explore how learning gain of TAs could be measured in a Chinese higher education context. Implications outlined in this paper could be useful for TA training in higher education settings. Key findings include that evaluation of learning gain should occur at different points in time, as well as be continuous, consistent and comprehensive. In other words, multiple approaches, including both quantitative and qualitative methods, could capture a more objective picture of TAs’ learning gains.

Chinese adolescents' achievement goal profiles and their relation to academic burnout, learning engagement, and test anxiety

The purpose of this study was to explore achievement goal profiles and their relation to academic burnout (emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and efficacy), learning engagement, and test anxiety in a Chinese educational context. Five goal profiles—high all, low all, mastery-oriented, moderate all, and approach-oriented—were identified through latent profile analysis. The approach-oriented profile was the most adaptive with less academic burnout, more learning engagement, and lower test anxiety, followed by the mastery-oriented profile. The high all profile, representing the highest proportion of Chinese adolescents, seemed not to exert more negative influence on students' learning than the mastery-oriented profile except with greater negative emotional experiences. The relation of achievement goal profiles to learning engagement and test anxiety was mediated by emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and efficacy in some cases. This study contributes to deep understanding of achievement goals among Chinese adolescents.

The Role of Social Capital/Guanxi in Students’ Decision-Making about Postgraduate Education in China: An Explorative Case Study

This paper explores how the concept of social capital developed by Bourdieu and Coleman as well as the Chinese concept of guanxi (关系) or relationships facilitates students’ access to postgraduate education in a case study of a university in southeast China. The study comprises an initial survey of 381 first-year postgraduate students and a series of interviews with 30 participants. Social capital and guanxi inform analysis of the data. The results reveal that students from different social backgrounds employ different forms of social capital and guanxi networks in their decision-making about postgraduate education. They contribute to conceptualizations of how social capital is generated through guanxi in the Chinese educational context.

When testing stakes are no longer high: impact on the Chinese College English learners and their learning

It is now a consensus that high-stakes testing exerts powerful impact in controlling curriculum and pedagogy, and shaping students’ learning. The power of testing is especially strong in contexts where testing culture prevails. The Chinese educational context is such a context which is dominated by competitive tests. The language testing results from large-scale tests, such as CET-4 (College English Test—Band 4), used to be included as a compulsory prerequisite for undergraduates to get their bachelor’s degree. Such a requirement has been removed recently to reduce testing stakes for leverage purposes. Thus, it is worthwhile to investigate whether the change will possibly help to impact students and their learning in a positive way.Our study aimed to explore the impact of changes in the stakes of a language test in the Chinese university context. Data were collected through questionnaires from 544 College English students at a university in north-western China. Our analysis via SPSS 2.3 showed that test-taking was still well accepted and practiced; while reducing the stakes helped to redirect the students towards English learning, it had less impact on their English learning motivation and approaches. The findings also show that the test-dominated environment that is deep-rooted in the macro- and micro-contexts decided the students’ responses to this policy change.

Improving postgraduate students' scientific literacy and self-efficacy using international collaborative research workshops: an exploratory case study in a Chinese university

Postgraduate education in China bears the dual mission of "high-end talent supply" and "scientific and technological innovation" as delegated by the Ministry of Education of China (2017). Improve the quality of postgraduate student training and management is essential for Chinese universities to meet this requirement. This paper investigates the practical effectiveness of using a specially designed, internationally collaborative research training workshop to enhance new Chinese postgraduate students' scientific literacy and self-efficacy. The research results show that the workshop, which integrates seminar presentations and both individual and group-based student activities, is of practical significance for improving the experiences of first-year postgraduate students. The findings indicate the application of enactive mastery and vicarious learning strategies in research training workshop effectively boost students' motivation, confidence and feeling of accomplishment at their early research career, and can provide ongoing benefits to support Chinese students to further develop research skills and capabilities. The positive findings in this exploratory study can inform future research projects to examine the transferability of this research training workshop model in the broader Chinese higher education context.

A Bourdieusian rebuttal to Bourdieu’s rebuttal: social network analysis, regression, and methodological breakthroughs

Bourdieu carved out a distinctive analytical niche for his reflexive sociology. His epistemological tool of field analysis, sometimes coupled with statistical correspondence analysis, is particularly powerful when deciphering the matrix of objective structures and subjective structures within social spaces (field) where agents vie for positions (capital), strategise dispositions (habitus), and negotiate practices. When grappling with the inner workings of the social world and the logic of practice within the social world, Bourdieu favours his field theory over network theory and considers correspondence analysis to be superior to regression analysis. In this paper, I argue that Bourdieu’s canonical theory-laden analytical framework does not exclude other methodological approaches. Indeed, Bourdieu himself argues against ‘methodological monotheism’. I therefore make an attempt to develop a Bourdieusian approach to Social Network Analysis (SNA) and regression analysis, despite Bourdieu’s explicit rebuttal to these methodological schools. To this end, I first review Bourdieu’s rebuttal to network analysis and regression analysis. I then tentatively incorporate SNA and regression into Bourdieu’s analytical framework. This is followed by an example of using SNA and regression in Bourdieusian research conducted in a Chinese educational context. In this vein, I engage with a Bourdieusian rebuttal to Bourdieu’s rebuttal.

College students’ views of ethical issues in classroom assessment in Chinese higher education

ABSTRACT Classroom assessment is an effective way to collect evidence about student learning, and a teacher’s professional responsibility in assessment is to use high quality, fair, and ethical assessment information to make decisions about students’ learning and teachers’ instruction. This study used a scenario-based survey and investigated college students’ perceptions about the ethicality of classroom assessment practices in Chinese higher education. Participants included 2711 college students from 177 universities located in 23 provinces and 4 municipalities in China. The results revealed that students reported very different levels of agreement with experts on the scenarios, and it appeared to be more challenging for them to recognize unethical assessment practices in comparison with ethical assessment practices. Students valued using multiple assessment methods but reported inconsistent views with experts regarding grading effort. Confidentiality and communication about grading were found to be the key assessment issues to be addressed in Chinese educational context.

Emotions and creativity as predictors of resilience among L3 learners in the Chinese educational context

This study investigated the factors related to resilience among third language (L3) learners by using a positive psychological framework. Participants were 635 native Chinese-speaking L3 learners (other than Chinese and English) in three highly competitive secondary schools in China. First, the correlation results revealed intercorrelations among positive emotions, creativity and resilience that were all positive and in the moderate range, while negative emotions were negatively correlated with resilience and positively correlated with L3 extrinsic learning motivation; Second, multiple regression analyses revealed that after controlling for the demographical confounders, both creativity and positive/negative emotions significantly predicted resilience in L3 learners. In addition, creativity showed a stronger predictive effect than emotions on resilience among the L3 learners. Further, an indirect effect of creativity was found between emotions and resilience, consistent with the broaden-and-build theory suggesting that positive emotional experiences enables learners to perceive learning contexts from a creative, flexible perspective resulting in the build up of psychological resources (e.g., resilience). Strategies for bringing positive emotions and fostering creativity among language learners in educational contexts through classroom teaching and learning exercises are discussed.

An Analysis of the Representation of Practical Work in Secondary Chemistry Textbooks from Different Chinese Communities

This study analyzes representations of practical work in 10th-grade chemistry textbooks and associated experimental workbooks from different Chinese communities, namely from the People's Republic of China, Taiwan and the Chinese sector in Malaysia. This paper contributes to the current body of knowledge of how practical work in secondary chemistry education is suggested to be applied in Chinese educational contexts. A total of 508 representations related to practical work was identified in seven sets of textbooks. The goal was to gain basic insights into the features associated with suggested approaches to practical work in the textbooks. Our focus was on the suggested type of learning, intended learning outcomes, inquiry level, and aspects of students' engagement with practical work. The results indicate a prevalence of prescribed experiments. This preference is then followed by illustrations of facts and laboratory operation processes. However, only a limited amount of scientific inquiries with at least some amount of openness belongs to the list of preferred items. The intended learning outcomes mainly aim at learning facts. Most textbooks suggest using a structured learning approach. Some suggestions of inquiry-based learning using either guided or open inquiry approaches do occur, but they are relatively limited in the textbooks and do not appear as frequently.

Task-based Approach to Develop Intercultural Communicative Competence in College English Education

Intercultural communicative competence (ICC) is a hot topic in foreign language teaching and learning. This paper discusses about task-based approach to develop students’ intercultural communicative competence in SUSE English class. In so doing, this paper provides theoretical foundations of concepts about intercultural communicative competence and task-based approach. Meanwhile, this paper describes the feasible tasks used in real class and find it is possible to develop students’ intercultural communicative competence in Chinese educational context.

Academic Interest Scale for Adolescents: Development, Validation, and Measurement Invariance With Chinese Students.

Hidi and Renninger’s four-phase interest development model was identified as the most complete and widely used theoretical model illustrating the essence of academic interest. Using the model along with current research literature as a basis, this study aimed to develop and initially validate a generic multidimensional instrument to measure academic interest across different school subjects in the Chinese education context; this instrument was called the Academic Interest Scale for Adolescents (AISA). Three large samples of Chinese junior high school students were recruited by cluster sampling in the study. (1) Sample 1 (N = 552; 45.5% girls; 12.31 [SD = 0.98] years, range = 10–15 years) completed the draft of AISA, Intrinsic Motivation Scale and Scale for Adolescents’ Flow State in Learning in math and English. (2) Sample 2 (a subgroup of Sample 1, 411 students) completed the AISA in math and English again 2 months later after the first survey. (3) Sample 3 (N = 1,780; 50.1% girls; 13.69 [SD = 0.97] years, range = 12–16 years) completed the AISA in math, English, and Chinese. Identically worded items were used in AISA, except for the name of the subject. An exploratory factor analysis for math in sample 1 using principle axis factoring and promax rotation resulted in a 29-item AISA containing four dimensions: emotion, value, knowledge, and engagement, and the latent variables together explained 59.40% of the total variance. Confirmatory factor analysis for math, English, and Chinese in sample 3 suggested the four-factor model fits well in different samples and subjects. Scale scores showed adequate internal consistency (the Cronbach’s α for AISA and each subscale ranged from 0.86 to 0.93) and acceptable test-criterion relationships (correlations between the AISA score and intrinsic motivation and flow state in learning > 0.51, ps < 0.001). Furthermore, the structural measure invariance across subjects, time (2-month interval), genders and grades were upheld. The AISA promises to be a useful tool for the evaluation of academic interest among Chinese adolescents and can be administered in different educational settings, i.e., different subjects, time, genders, and grades.

Research on Chinese High-School Students’ English Learning Motivation from the Self System Perspective

L2 motivation has been proven to be an important factor for second language learning. The newly proposed framework of the L2 Motivational Self System by Dörnyei has offered researchers valuable insights into L2 motivation. However, few studies have been conducted on the L2 motivation of the English learners from a self perspective in the Chinese context. In consideration of the research gap and the distinctiveness of the Chinese high-school learners, this research aimed to explore L2 motivation among Chinese high-school students from the Self System perspective. A mixed methods approach of the questionnaire with follow-up semi-structured interview was utilized in the study. 128 students (randomly selected) from 4 high-schools in Wuhan in central China filled in the questionnaire survey, and six of them joined the interview. The results of the study showed that: 1) the key component of the L2 Motivational Self System, the Ideal L2 Self cannot be the reinterpretation of integrativeness in Chinese educational contexts; 2) among three dimensions of the Self system, the language learning experience had the highest correlation with learners’ motivation, followed by the Ideal L2 Self, with the Ought-to L2 Self produced the weakest correlation. Based on findings, some practical implications for English teaching are revealed. Keywords: L2 Motivational Self System, English language learning, Chinese high-school students, integrativeness, the Ideal L2 Self, the Ought-to L2 Self, language learning experience DOI : 10.7176/JEP/10-26-07 Publication date :September 30 th 2019

“The Students Have Been Spoilt Previously”

The professional development of Chinese teachers of Chinese as a foreign language (cfl) in Europe is confronted with various complex educational challenges and problems. Traditional Chinese educational schemata and cultural values have great impact on these teachers’ professional beliefs and their perceptions. My case studies of six cfl teachers show that their professional challenges are connected with the cultural differences of Chinese and German educational contexts. Open-ended questions, in-depth interviews and classroom observation were employed. And multiple data sources, such as the transcripts of teacher interviews, field notes were included. Cross-case analysis indicated that the cfl teachers have to deal with some conflicts of their previous biographies and new requirements of local educational context, such as teacher-centered didactics versus student-centered didactics, traditional Chinese language approaches versus intercultural communicative didactics; strict classroom discipline versus acknowledgement of students’ individuality etc. I depict their professional development by employing a theoretic framework of developmental task theory, i.e. professional competence, mediation, acknowledgment and institution. My study may help to shed light on understanding the individual difficulties that cfl teachers face in overseas teaching environments. The study’s findings and recommendations therefore are of significance for the future design of teacher training for cfl teachers in Germany and in other European countries.

Foregrounding intersectionality in rural youth’s schooling experiences in China: a queer re-reading

This article uses a queer lens in an intersectional analysis of students’ schooling experiences in rural China. I argue that a queer perspective has been largely neglected and issues related to sexuality have not been carefully investigated in Chinese educational contexts. Drawing on queer theory and an intersectional framework, I re-interpret one of my earlier qualitative studies ‘queerly’ and examine the different ways that the discourses of sexuality and gender shape rural Chinese students’ schooling lives. Findings reveal that these discourses marginalize both effeminate boys who demonstrate ‘too little’ masculinity and male ‘troublemakers’ who perform ‘too much’ masculinity. This queer route of rereading also disrupts other constructions of normalcy associated with class- and place-based identities, such as students’ ‘half-rural identity.’ The analysis shows the importance of foregrounding the intersectional dimensions of inequalities and embracing a queer theoretical framework in understanding rural education in China.

Teachers' Growth Mindset and Work Engagement in the Chinese Educational Context: Well-Being and Perseverance of Effort as Mediators.

The current study investigated the relationships among growth mindset, work engagement, perseverance of effort and well-being for secondary school teachers in the Chinese educational context. We adopted Growth Mindset Inventory, Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES), Grit Scale (Perseverance subscale), and PERMA profiles that measure five dimensions of well-being. Participants included 472 secondary school teachers from 10 secondary schools in central China. Correlation analysis showed that growth mindset, well-being, and perseverance of effort could all predict work engagement. Moreover, the structural equation model and mediation analysis further suggested that well-being and perseverance of effort could partially mediate the relationship between growth mindset and work engagement. This study permitted to advance our knowledge about the relationship between growth mindset and work engagement, which should be considered for future teaching practices and teacher development.

Teacher Professional Collaboration in China: Practices and Issues

Fostering higher-order thinking skills of students is important aim for 21st century education. Teachers, as important elements in a positive learning environment, are the key to high quality education. As for the importance of teacher professional collaboration in teacher development, Hargreaves and Fullan (2012) pointed out that teachers’ professional collaboration will benefit not only students but also the whole school community, and even society at large. In Chinese context, the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China (2010) issued a policy in 2010 promoting teacher professional collaboration and development as a background of this study, implying that teachers must be collaborating actively with colleagues in daily professional life to achieve collective growth for the purpose of improving student learning. Based on the policy reality, this study explored teacher professional collaboration in the Chinese education context. It looked in particular at practices and issues in teacher professional collaboration. This article begins with the definitions of teacher professional collaboration, followed by a detailed exploration of this type of collaboration in Chinese education and issues related to its implementation. This study will provide holistic picture of teacher collaboration in China for contributing to theoretical development and educational practice.