Education In China Research Articles

Chinese Pioneering Educators’ Understandings and Practices of STEM Education

The Chinese education system issued a series of policies to encourage educators to explore science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and selected a number of schools and educators as pioneers of STEM education. Through the education policy implementation framework, this qualitative study explores eight pioneering educators’ interpretations of STEM education, their knowledge of STEM education policies, and how they transform their understanding into practice. The results show that the pioneering educators hold a similar understanding of the definition of STEM education and how STEM education should be conducted. However, they adopted diverse STEM practices due to their different academic backgrounds, administration roles, school environment, available resources, and personal abilities and interests. They displayed tension and confusion over their own STEM practices and requested official guidance. The tension may have emerged from the conflicts between the top-down policy operation system and the place-based, bottom-up nature of STEM education. Further, STEM policies played a positive role in increasing educators’ openness and confidence in trying new STEM education strategies; however, they could not influence how educators performed their STEM practices. The educators proposed four kinds of policies to support STEM practices. This study highlights the importance of including teachers’ ownership and agency while drafting STEM education policies and proposing practices. The implications for better STEM education policy design and implementation are discussed.

THE IMPACT OF TRAINING ON EMPLOYABILITY AND TURNOVER INTENTION AMONG UNIVERSITY STAFF IN SHANDONG PROVINCE, CHINA

As societal expectations for the quality and service level of higher education continue to rise, universities need to adapt to these changes through training, meet societal demands, and reduce staff turnover intentions. This study aims to investigate the impact of training on the employability and turnover intentions of administrative staff in Chinese higher education institutions. Based on the Social Exchange Theory and Conservation of Resources theory, a comprehensive research model is constructed to analyze the dynamics of relationships within educational settings. Data were collected from 500 faculty members at various universities in Shandong Province, China, using a structured questionnaire, and Structural Equation Modeling was employed to analyse the relationships between variables. The analysis reveals that training significantly enhances staff employability while concurrently diminishing their intentions to leave. Notably, it was found that employability inversely correlates with turnover intentions, highlighting employability's crucial mediating role between training and turnover intentions. The findings advocate for universities to revamp and innovate their training initiatives, ensuring these interventions are precisely tailored to the genuine needs of their academic and administrative staff. By bolstering employability through targeted training programs, universities can mitigate staff turnover intentions, thereby securing a stable teaching cohort and elevating the competitive edge of higher education institutions.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0841/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

‘Panda diplomacy’ and the subtle rise of a Chinese language ecology in Qatar

ABSTRACT Over the past two decades, the Chinese language has emerged as a global language. Gulf Cooperation Council countries, such as Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, have integrated Chinese language into their educational systems and established Confucius Institutes to promote Chinese language and culture. In Qatar, interest in Chinese language education has risen, though not as pronounced as its neighbouring countries. This article, grounded in a Critical Cultural Political Economy of Education (CCPEE) approach, provides a comprehensive overview of Chinese language and education policy in Qatar, utilising a mix of primary and secondary sources, and insights from the second author’s role as a Chinese language coordinator in Qatar. The article examines cultural, political, and economic aspects related to Qatar-China ties and the Chinese community in Qatar, the role of China during the World Cup, Chinese language in the linguistic landscape, Chinese language education policies, and the state of a Confucious Institute in Qatar. Finally, it offers some implications in terms of the future of Chinese language education in the country and some fruitful directions for further research.

Promoting education about and for sustainable development: assessing the incorporation of SDGs in Chinese higher education

PurposeThis study aims to examine and assess how sustainable development goal (SDG) Target 4.7 is incorporated in one leading higher education institution (HEI) in China (with a focus on teacher-education programmes) from students’ perspectives.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses document analysis and a semi-structured interview to analyse official and accessible documents of the programmes related to SDG Target 4.7 and recorded interviews with seven students across various Postgraduate Diploma in Education programmes in the field of education at the examined university.FindingsSDG Target 4.7 is absent in the related documents. Challenges and barriers for students include limited opportunity to be informed about SDG Target 4.7, limited topics covered, ineffective pedagogies and students’ diverse needs being neglected and teachers not giving immediate feedback. Given the opportunities in teaching and learning SDG Target 4.7, such as students are keen to learn and implement SDG Target 4.7, future directions could be reducing teachers’ lecturing and increasing student engagement in multiple ways, providing concrete examples that are relevant to students’ lives and giving immediate feedback and designing more related courses to specifically and systematically teach SDG Target 4.7.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the field by identifying and deeply analysing an interesting and representative non-western case that remains underexplored in literature. In this sense, it helps international readers to generate a more comprehensive understanding of Chinese approaches to SDGs in its higher education system, develop a more holistic global discourse on incorporating SDGs into HEIs and compare the similarities and differences between different countries’ approaches.

Research on Enhancement Strategies for the Integration of Industry-Education Information Technology Platforms in Vocational Colleges

During this pivotal period in which China's vocational education is transitioning from a scale-oriented to a connotation-oriented development, efforts to reform vocational education are continuously intensifying, with the integration of industry and education consistently serving as the key logical thread in the reform of the modern vocational education system. Educational informatization stands as a crucial indicator of educational modernization, and the comprehensive promotion of educational modernization through educational informatization is a significant strategic decision for China's educational reform and development. However, integration of industry and education has not formed mutual integration and commonality between the entire school and enterprise levels in aspects such as talent cultivation, faculty construction, and scientific research cooperation, leading to a lack of a scientific evaluation system for assessing the effectiveness of this integration. Therefore, vocational colleges should actively construct an integration of industry and education information management platform based on the thinking of integration of industry and education and the ISO 25010 software quality model. This will further improve and enhance the service capabilities of the integration of industry and education information technology platform, facilitate multi-party interactive cooperation among governments, industries, enterprises, and schools, better meet the requirements of talent cultivation model transformation and innovative development in the construction of higher vocational colleges, and standardize the process of integration of industry and education, making it more transparent, visualizing data analysis, and comprehensively evaluating effectiveness.

Outstanding scholar as dean: the impact of dean academic achievements on school research output

ABSTRACT In recent years, China emerged as one of the world’s largest producers of academic research papers contributing massively to national and international journals annually. This prolific output serves as evidence to the dedicated efforts of Chinese universities to foster research activities among their teaching staff. However, the role of academic leaders, particularly that of school deans, on research productivity within these institutions remains an important and unresolved question. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of the academic achievements of deans on the research output of business schools of China prestigious 985/211project universities. For this purpose, we manually collected data on the deans of business schools of 985/211 project universities from 2000 to 2018 as well as data on published research papers by each school. Empirical results show that during the tenure of an ‘academic dean’, the average number of papers published by business schools increased by about 10.6% annually. After being converted into standard ‘Economic Research Journal’ articles, this effect increased by as much as 28%. The above results are robust with several different model specifications and definitions for academic deans. Our research findings hold significant policy implications, not only for China's education system but extends to various knowledge-intensive institutions, such as hospitals, research labs, and consultancy organizations.

"Track style" children's fundamental movement skills test: construction and verification of an efficient evaluation system.

This study aimed to develop an efficient tool for assessing children's fundamental motor skills, the "Track style" Children's Fundamental Movement Skills Test (TCFMST), based on theories of motor development integrated with Chinese cultural context and physical education teaching situations. Starting from a literature analysis, the study selected items from existing fundamental movement skill (FMS) assessments, textbooks, physical education and health standards, and children's movement guidelines to construct a pool of test items. Subsequently, the items were screened and optimized using the Delphi method. Finally, the feasibility, discrimination, difficulty, reliability, and validity of the constructed test were examined using testing methods. The TCFMST includes three dimensions: locomotive skills, body control skills, and manipulative skills, with a total of 10 items. The difficulty and discrimination of each item are appropriate; the correlation coefficients for retest reliability range from 0.789 to 0.943 (p < 0.01). The results of exploratory factor analysis indicate that the common factors align with the hypothesized three dimensions, indicating good structural validity of the test. The concurrent validity results show a correlation coefficient of -0.510 (p < 0.01) between the TCFMST and the total score of TGMD-3, indicating a moderate correlation between the two tests. The TCFMST developed in this study has good difficulty, discrimination, reliability, and validity. It also features strong operability, a short duration, and high interest. It can serve as an important tool for monitoring children's fundamental motor skill levels.

More is worse: the impact of private supplementary tutoring on middle school students’ academic achievement

ABSTRACT The literature on the effect of private supplementary tutoring has not yet reached a unanimous conclusion. In the context of the marketization of educational resources in China, this paper uses data from the Chinese Education Panel Survey (CEPS) and employs the two-stage least squares method (TSLS) to investigate the causal impact of private supplementary tutoring participation on junior middle school students’ academic achievement. After addressing the endogeneity issue of private supplementary tutoring participation, the results show that private supplementary tutoring significantly reduced the overall standardized scores of junior high school students, as well as their standardized scores in Chinese, mathematics, and English. Heterogeneity analysis shows that students attending lower-ranked schools are more adversely affected by private supplementary tutoring. Further analysis shows that the more academic pressure students face, the greater the negative impact of private supplementary tutoring on their academic achievement. Therefore, for students with heavy homework, blindly participating in private supplementary tutoring could exacerbate the academic achievement gap among students, which is detrimental to the balanced development of education.

“There is Demand, There is a Market”: Implementation of the Prohibitive Chinese Double Reduction Shadow Education Policy—From the Tutors’ Perspective

Amidst the growing prominence of shadow education (known as supplementary tutoring) in China and the implementation of the Double Reduction Policy (prohibiting academic tutoring for compulsory schooling stage students), this study presents a comprehensive assessment of tutor responses to the implementation of the Double Reduction Policy and investigates the dynamic landscape of the shadow education sector, considering historical and contemporary developments. Employing a qualitative research approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sample of seven tutors, consisting of both institutional and private tutors. Thematic analysis was applied to the interview data to identify and interpret key themes. The findings show that while the Double Reduction Policy exhibits efficacy in certain aspects, the emergence of alternative approaches poses potential challenges to its overall effectiveness. Notably, this research offers a novel perspective by incorporating the viewpoints of tutors, shedding light on the potential trajectories of Chinese shadow education within the context of the Double Reduction Policy. Furthermore, this study contributes valuable insights to the scholarly discourse and serves as a pivotal reference for policymakers and stakeholders involved in the governance of the shadow education industry.

The determinants influencing bilingual instruction in Chinese higher education: a complex network analysis

The primary objective of this research was to investigate the determinants influencing bilingual instruction at the tertiary level in the Chinese educational context. A complex network analysis was adopted for this study. Twenty-one factors were first identified using the Delphi method, a qualitative research method. A complex network was then designed for analysis of the factors. The results indicate that the network is a scale-free network with certain key factors. The findings further reveal that the subject language feature and bilingual instruction models have more connections with other factors, and thus they are the most significant factors to ensure the effective implementation of bilingual instruction. The findings of this research may provide implications for bilingual education.

Chinese older adult educators’ attitudes toward aging and turnover intention: burnout as a mediator

ABSTRACT In the 21st century, with the spread of lifelong education and the increase in the aging population, the need for learning among older people has increased, resulting in a shortage of teachers for older learners. A literature review of both Western and Eastern cultures revealed that the turnover or shortage of older adult educators may be related to their attitudes toward aging and burnout. To confirm this hypothesis, this paper examines the mediating effect of burnout on the relationship between attitudes toward aging and turnover intentions among Chinese older adult educators. The Attitudes toward Aging Questionnaire, Turnover Intention Questionnaire, and Burnout Questionnaire were used to collect the data. Finally, a total of 774 samples from Shanghai, China, were analyzed through structural equation modeling. The results revealed that when three components of attitudes toward aging, i.e. psychological growth, physical change, and psychosocial loss, are considered, burnout in Chinese older adult educators fully mediates the relationship between psychosocial loss and turnover intention, which means that if Chinese older adult educators suffer considerable psychosocial loss, burnout increases, leading to increased turnover intention. In other words, the negative experience of psychosocial loss can be decreased through a holistic approach to teaching aging along with intergenerational interaction, which in turn reduces burnout and decreases the intention to leave. Future follow-up studies should focus on how to develop a holistic teaching curriculum to facilitate the practical implementation of the findings of this research. We believe that this research can be beneficial with regard to attempts to address the shortage of older adult educators and promote teacher development in the context of older adult education.

The Impact of Technological Innovation and Digital Arts Development on Chinese Guangdong Higher Vocational Education: A Theoretical Model and Empirical Analysis

The Impact of Technological Innovation and Digital Arts Development on Chinese Guangdong Higher Vocational Education: A Theoretical Model and Empirical Analysis

De-westernising competition: ‘Harmony of competition’ in Chinese higher education

ABSTRACT The discourse regarding globalisation and particularly ‘global competition’ has appeared in a range of socio-economic areas and higher education is no exception. Global competition has been the policy context in which a range of national excellence initiatives have been developed. These have often involved competitive processes with significant funding as a core incentive for universities to participate. Several countries have implemented these to build ‘World Class Universities’ (WCU) but often this concept is linked to global rankings and a western model of what world class is. The aim of this study is to critically examine the characteristics of China’s WCU policies, particularly as a competition discourse. It aims to go beyond Western-centric paradigms to capture a more inclusive and diverse understanding of competitive dynamics across various cultural and regional contexts. The article first draws upon critical globalisation studies, then it reviews ‘indigenous’ Chinese policy concepts of ‘world class-ness’ in HE, next it examines the construction of higher education (HE) competition in the Chinese national and institutional contexts, and finally it conducts a thematic review of the main Chinese WCU policies and the strategy and implementation documents of the ‘core’ WCU institutions with respect to the indigenous concepts. Our study’s findings will contribute to a nuanced understanding of competition in HE settings – it examines and challenges the tendency of the competition discourse to reduce distinctions between national contexts.

Examining the link between coach-athlete relationship and athlete burnout among college soccer players: the mediating role of training satisfaction.

Athlete burnout is an adverse factor that usually decreases athletes' sports performance and reduces their passion for athletic career development. The present study examined the association of coach-athlete relationship, training satisfaction, and athlete burnout, and then explored the training satisfaction as a mediating role of the effect of coach-athlete relationship on athlete burnout among college soccer players. Soccer players from seven Chinese higher education institutions were recruited for the study. The participants were selected using stratified random sampling and included 218 participants. The Coach-Athlete Relationship Scale, Training Satisfaction Scale, and Athlete Burnout Questionnaire were used to collect data from the participants. Pearson's product-moment correlation analysis, linear regression analysis, and bootstrap method were conducted to analyze the collected data set. The results showed that (1) there was a significant correlation between coach-athlete relationship, training satisfaction, and athlete burnout. (2) coach-athlete relationship and training satisfaction significantly negatively predicted athlete burnout (β = -0.39, p < 0.001; β = - 0.29, p < 0.001). (3) training satisfaction had a significantly mediating effect on the relationship between coach-athlete relationship and athlete burnout (β = -0.15, p < 0.001, ES = 0.28). Coach-athlete relationship can not only directly negative impact athlete burnout but can also negatively influence athlete burnout through the mediating effect of training satisfaction. Therefore, we suggest the following to alleviate athlete burnout: on one hand, coaches can provide more communication opportunities for athletes to improve the coach-athlete relationship. On the other hand, teams can enhance training satisfaction by building team culture.

A qualitative analysis of Chinese higher education students’ intentions and influencing factors in using ChatGPT: a grounded theory approach

The emergence of ChatGPT has significantly impacted the field of education. While much of the existing research has predominantly examined the theoretical implications of ChatGPT, there is a notable absence of empirical studies substantiating these claims. As pivotal stakeholders in education and primary users of ChatGPT, exploring the willingness and influencing factors of higher education students to use ChatGPT can offer valuable insights into the real-world needs of student users. This, in turn, can serve as a foundation for empowering education with intelligent technologies in the future. This study focuses specifically on the demographic of students in Chinese higher education who have utilized ChatGPT. Using semi-structured interviews and grounded theory methodology, we aim to comprehensively understand the extent to which students embrace new technologies. Our objective is to elucidate the behavioral inclinations and influencing factors of student users. The findings of this study will contribute practical insights for refining policy frameworks, expanding the dissemination of quality resources, optimizing and upgrading products for an enhanced user experience, and fostering higher-order thinking skills to adeptly navigate evolving technological landscapes. In conclusion, this research endeavors to bridge the gap between theoretical discussions and practical applications.

Research on the effect of mixed teaching strategies on students' ambidextrous innovation

Mixed teaching strategies have caused a fierce debate about teaching quality in China's higher education. Based on theories of constructivism and self-regulation, we examine the impact of mixed teaching strategies on learners' ambidextrous innovation capacities. Utilizing a questionnaire survey of 412 undergraduate and graduate students from 36 Chinese higher education institutions, this research demonstrates that combining metacognitive strategies with motivational and collaborative approaches enhances exploratory innovation ability, while the pairing of metacognitive and collaborative strategies promotes exploitative innovation. Furthermore, the study identifies significant differences in the effectiveness of mixed teaching strategies based on students' self-efficacy and teaching acceptance levels. These findings highlight the importance of tailoring mixed teaching strategies to individual characteristics for optimal learning outcomes and fostering students' innovative potential. This research contributes to the discourse on effective teaching practices in Chinese higher education by proposing a mixed teaching strategies matrix informed by self-efficacy and teaching acceptance, offering valuable guidance for educators seeking to cultivate students' innovative abilities.

Emotional journeys: the pathways of African students to a Chinese higher education institution and performances of ‘emotion work’

ABSTRACT This article examines the emotional aspects of international student mobility (ISM) from African countries to a higher education institution in China. While there is increasing scholarly attention to the role of emotional experiences in ISM, most of this work has focused on Western destinations with a long history of education mobilities. Information on newly emerged, non-Western ISM destinations is comparatively limited. Drawing on ethnographic research of 15 months at a Chinese university, this article shows how emotions shape and re-shape pre-arrival aspirations, daily interactions, and post-graduation plans among students from African countries. Specifically, the study shows that many students confront emotional dissonance and perform diverse forms of ‘emotion work’ in attempts to find a sense of familiarity and belonging while studying abroad. This is significant as it speaks to students’ agentive subjectivity in contending with emotional challenges and navigating complex ‘emoscapes’. The paper argues that a focus on emotions contributes to a more nuanced, multifaceted understanding of contemporary educational mobilities. It illuminates how students’ multiple emotions are continuously articulated and circulated with and within these ISM flows apparently driven by economic forces in the global higher education market.

Innovative Interdisciplinary Approaches: Frontline Chinese Teaching Practices in the Digital Age

This article examines the integration of interdisciplinary thinking within the Chinese language curriculum in middle schools during the digitalization of education, particularly in the context of the 2022 edition of the "Chinese Curriculum Standards for Compulsory Education." The focus is on the current trends in interdisciplinary teaching, using case studies to explore how teachers can leverage interdisciplinary knowledge to enhance students' understanding of the Chinese language curriculum amidst digital transformation. The article underscores the significance of interdisciplinary thinking in Chinese education, highlighting its practical applications in areas such as blackboard design and overall lesson planning. By incorporating the international features of the Qingbaijiang District, it presents case studies that further illustrate the role of interdisciplinary thinking in advancing international education. The article aims to align theory with practice, adapt to the demands of educational digitalization, and concludes that interdisciplinary thinking effectively promotes subject integration, complements educational digitalization, enriches teaching content, strengthens students' global awareness, and lays a solid foundation for their comprehensive development and future career planning.

Assessing the digital competence of in-service university educators in China: A systematic literature review

Rapid growth has been witnessed in digital technologies, resulting in significant productive changes in communication and information technology-oriented practices in different fields. Hybrid teaching or blended learning has gained progressively widespread acceptance in the educational process, and concerns about teachers' information and communication technology (ICT) competence or digital competence have become prevalent. This study adopts a systematic review to interpret and analyse the relevant research findings, aiming to systematically investigate the existing models and paradigms of ICT competence or digital capacities and to understand further how these models and paradigms are applied specifically within the context of Chinese universities. Based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, 12 out of 801 candidate studies were accessed from Web of Science, Scopus and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases. The findings indicate that the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) and the National Educational Technology Guides for Teachers in Higher Education (CETG) are frequently used to evaluate college educators' digital proficiency or ICT capability in China. Educators’ demographic characteristics, self-efficacy, external factors such as institutional policies and the availability of infrastructure and training collectively influence how digital teaching is integrated within Chinese higher education institutions. By conducting a systematic review of research trends and the critical factors affecting the digital competence of faculty in Chinese universities, this study aims to equip policymakers and educators with a deeper understanding of how to prepare for educational shifts in the digital era and thereby ensure the sustainability of professional development.

Promoting the Spread of Chinese Language Through Chinese International Education Students

The emergence of Chinese language fever has brought both opportunities and challenges for Chinese language dissemination, and students of Chinese language education, as the main force of Chinese language teaching overseas, are facing a lot of new problems including changes in the external environment and changes in their own factors. This paper analyzes the difficulties faced by this group of students in become Chinese language volunteers according to the questionnaire and finds out the problems they are most concerned about. At the same time, the paper also analyzes many papers to figure out the reasons for the current difficulties in Chinese language dissemination and then makes explanations. In view of the current situation of Chinese language dissemination and the specific situation of students of Chinese language international education, both the academic circles and the students themselves need to grasp the changes in the world, clarify the direction of their own development and make corresponding adjustments. Hoping that this paper clarify the difficulties faced by students in this field and provide some help to the dissemination of the Chinese language.