Development Of Chinese Universities Research Articles

Teacher Agency and Continuing Professional Development in Chinese Universities

The aim of this study was to examine the impact of educational background, professional title, work experience and agency on the continuing professional development (CPD) of 620 university teachers in China using a questionnaire survey. The findings indicate that there are significant differences in the CPD levels of teachers based on their educational qualifications, professional titles and years of experience, with CPD levels evolving alongside these factors. Additionally, teacher agency was found to have a significant positive effect on CPD, with higher levels of teacher agency being correlated with higher levels of CPD. The findings also revealed that teacher agency has a significant and positive influence on teachers' activities in terms of updating knowledge, reflection and collaboration in the context of continuing development. Received: 19 February 2024 / Accepted: 24 April 2024 / Published: 5 May 2024

Professional Competence, Teaching Pedagogy, and Assessment Practices: Basis for Enhanced Faculty Development Plan

This study investigates the interplay between professional competence, teaching pedagogy, assessment practices, and faculty development plans in Chinese universities. Employing descriptive quantitative research, data was collected using a questionnaire with a high Cronbach’s alpha score (>0.900). The study involved 405 college teachers from three universities in Anhui Province, China. Results indicate that a strong foundation of professional competence, effective teaching pedagogy, and appropriate assessment practices significantly contribute to faculty development. Respondents reported employing diverse teaching strategies and assessment practices, resulting in positive teaching outcomes and professional growth. The findings provide valuable insights for administrators and educators to enhance faculty development in Chinese universities. Future research should explore additional challenges and considerations to further advance faculty development efforts.

A Student Engagement Typology and Its Relationship to Ability Development in Chinese Universities

A Student Engagement Typology and Its Relationship to Ability Development in Chinese Universities

Exploring the Impact of Blended Learning on Deeper Learning among University Students: A Qualitative Study Based on Teachers' Practice

The aim of this study is to explore the role of blended learning in promoting deeper learning among university students, using teachers who use blended learning methods and students who participate in blended learning in Chinese universities as the study participants. The study used in-depth interviews and questionnaires to collect data, and applied qualitative research methods to analyse the data. The study found that blended learning can facilitate deeper learning by providing richer learning resources, fostering student motivation for learning and independent study and facilitating interaction and communication between teachers and students. In addition, the study also found that teachers and students have some concerns and challenges with blended learning, such as inadequate teaching skills and equipment, and students' unfamiliarity with online learning. Therefore, it is recommended that in promoting blended learning, teacher training and support should be strengthened and students' knowledge and skill level of online learning should be improved. The findings of this study may provide lessons for teaching reform and talent development in Chinese universities.

Perceptions of ESP Lecturers’ Professional Development in China: An Ecological Perspective

The teaching of English for Special Purposes (ESP) has become the mainstream of English teaching in Chinese universities. This article, from a perspective of Educational Ecology, explored ESP lecturers’ professional development in Chinese universities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted on 13 ESP lecturers who were in the interim of transforming from teaching of English for General Purposes (EGP). It was found that there existed an imbalance in the ESP lecturers’ professional development in terms of internal and external ecology. In order to resume the ecological niche, this article proposed a quadruple symbiosis of ESP lecturers’ professional development, namely an integrity of ESP lecturers’ autonomy, management support, ESP teacher community, and ESP teacher training and enterprise cooperation internship.

Using Production-Oriented Approach in Business English Courses: Perceptions of China’s English-Major and Non-English-Major Undergraduates

In light of pedagogical innovation, this study reports a two-stage survey with 172 participants from English-major and non-English-major programs on their needs of production-oriented approach and perceptions of effective implementation strategies in business English courses at a Chinese university. The results of the study suggest that while the two student groups used different learning methods, both valued communication with native speakers. While the two groups had different needs in business English reading, writing, and speaking activities, they also preferred listening to business news broadcasts. The two groups liked learning in case studies and case-based methodology. Based on the needs, a production-oriented teaching procedure is designed. For teaching activities, the students preferred simulation and role-play. As to their favorite teaching and learning materials, English-majors mentioned English news reading and videos, whereas non-English-majors liked theme-based reading materials. For curriculum adaptation and post-course practice, they suggested using communicative activities and more recent cases. The majority of the groups considered the teaching activities, materials, and activities as effective. Based on the different needs and perceptions, effective and tailored implementation strategies for a production-oriented approach in business English courses for the two student groups at this Chinese university context are suggested. Informed by production-oriented pedagogical theories, the results of the study may have significant implications for business English teaching reform and theoretical development in Chinese universities as well as other cultural and education settings in further innovating and refining the teaching and learning process.

Risk Factors and Resilience Strategies: Voices From Chinese Novice Foreign Language Teachers

In recent years, due to the concern of the high rate of burnout and attrition of teachers in their early career years, teacher resilience has become a vital theme in the study of their professional development. However, little has been done in China. This study contextualized teacher resilience development in Chinese universities and interviewed seven resilient novice foreign language (FL) teachers to explore risk factors confronting them in Chinese contexts and resilience strategies they have employed to cope with these challenges. In-depth interview data and informants' reflective journals were analyzed inductively by using thematic analysis. The results of the study unfolded risk factors peculiar to Chinese context, and novices' adoption of resilience strategies was found to involve teachers' highly selective and dynamic interaction with risk and protective factors, and individual agency manifested itself as an important factor in novice FL teacher resilience development.

Structure and Characteristic Analysis of Chinese Scientific Research Network Based on the SNA

The purpose of this study is to identify the current status and research trends of the efficiency assessment of scientific research and development in Chinese universities over the last 10 years through social network analysis(SNA). The data used in the analysis were extracted from 589 papers from CNKI academic archives in China and analyzed among them 190 papers directly related to the evaluation of scientific research and development efficiency. The analysis showed that the present state of science and technology research efficiency assessment in Chinese universities, identifying research trends, major factors on scientific research and development and major factors promoting exchanges of scientific research. This study can provide positive meaning to facilitate the development of scientific research and development in universities, enhance scientific research management and promote knowledge exchange. This study has limitations in comprehensively analyzing scientific research trends in the actual Chinese research environment. Subsequent studies need to compare trends in China and other countries.

Universities of China: Current Status and Global Development Strategy Until 2035

Introduction. Now China is completing the “State program for medium and long-term reform and development of education for 2010–2020.” The results achieved during the implementation of this program and the new strategy for the development of China’s education, including in the field of higher education and higher education institutions, are becoming a new subject of research in domestic science and require careful study. The purpose of the study is to characterize the current state of Chinese universities and identify a strategy for their development until 2035. Methods and materials. As research methods, analysis of open data sources and comparative analysis were used. The source base includes regulatory documents of the People’s Republic of China in the field of education (laws, the state program and state projects), CPC documents related to the development of the education system (reports of the party congress and plenum), information resources of the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China (National Statistical Reports on Education Development for 2016–2018), data from QS World University Rankings and Times Higher Education World University Rankings for the period 2016–2020. Analysis. As a result of the reform, the gross enrollment ratio of high school education (10–12 grades) increased from 79.2% (2009) to 88.8% (2018), and higher education from 24.2% (2009) to 48.1% (2018). The fulfillment of the tasks of reforming the higher education system, including the implementation of Projects 211 and 985, by the beginning of the 13th five-year plan (2016) has enabled 85 Chinese universities to enter the world ranking THE (2016–2017). In 2016, China switched to a new strategy for the global development of higher education, embarking on the implementation of the “Project of First-Class Universities and Scientific Disciplines”. At the 19th CPC Congress (2017), this strategy was supplemented by the task of intensive development of higher education. Currently, the global development strategy for higher education and universities in the country is continuing as part of the overall modernization of education, according to which China plans to strengthen the combined power and influence of country’s education in the international arena by 2020, and by 2035 to increase the competitiveness of higher education in the context of transforming the country into a global educational power. Results. The results of the study include the following: 1) the current state of Chinese universities significantly exceeds the state of 2009 in both quantitative and qualitative indicators; 2) the modern strategy for the development of higher education is the strategy of global development of Chinese universities, aimed at their achievement of leading and first positions in the world, as well as strengthening the competitiveness of China’s higher education, contributing to the transformation of China into a world educational power in 2035.

Faculty Development in Chinese Universities—An Analysis of the “2014 Faculty Survey in China”

The “2014 Chinese University Faculty Survey” found that: University faculty in China are young, recent recipients of their academic degrees, and have a high level of inbreeding within academia; there is a high percentage of doctoral degree holders; a large proportion are from villages and towns, and have parents with low-level education and employment; overall they feel high levels of work pressure as well as job satisfaction. They work on average 45 hours a week and are paid nearly RMB 110,000 yuan per year. One third of them live in “policy apartments,” one third have no overseas experience, and one fifth would not choose the academic profession again if they had the chance. They would prefer a teaching to research ratio of 2:8, but their actual work ratio for teaching, research, and service is 4:4.5:1.5. Three conclusions may be drawn from the results of the survey: the academic profession is highly equitable, but would benefit from people from more diverse backgrounds joining; there is a high threshold for entering the profession but opportunities for advancement need to be improved; it is a highly specialized profession that places a high demand on academic excellence.

Measuring Scientific Productivity in China Using Malmquist Productivity Index

Abstract Purpose This paper aims to investigate the scientific productivity of China’s science system. Design/methodology/approach This paper employs the Malmquist productivity index (MPI) based on Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). Findings The results reveal that the overall efficiency of Chinese universities increased significantly from 2009 to 2016, which is mainly driven by technological progress. From the perspective of the functions of higher education, research and transfer activities perform better than the teaching activities. Research limitations As an implication, the indicator selection mechanism, investigation period and the MPI model can be further extended in the future research. Practical implications The results indicate that Chinese education administrative departments should take actions to guide and promote the teaching activities and formulate reasonable resource allocation regulations to reach the balanced development in Chinese universities. Originality/value This paper selects 58 Chinese universities and conducts a quantified measurement during the period 2009–2016. Three main functional activities of universities (i.e. teaching, researching, and application) are innovatively categorized into different schemes, and we calculate their performance, respectively.

China: A World Leader in Graduation Rates

Graduation rates at higher education institutions in China are among the highest worldwide. Faculty and administration avoid weeding out low-performing students for a plethora of reasons. This can have an adverse effect on student performance, especially at colleges with low entry requirements. It also enables corruption in the admissions process. The author argues that graduation, being almost guaranteed, is acting as an impediment to the further development of Chinese universities.

China: A World Leader in Graduation Rates

Graduation rates at higher education institutions in China are among the highest worldwide. Faculty and administration avoid weeding out low-performing students for a plethora of reasons. This can have an adverse effect on student performance, especially at colleges with low entry requirements. It also enables corruption in the admissions process. The author argues that graduation, being almost guaranteed, is acting as an impediment to the further development of Chinese universities.

Ten Years of Entrepreneurship Education at Chinese Universities: Evolution, Problems, and System Building

Entrepreneurship education has experienced four stages of development in Chinese universities, shifting from entrepreneurship show to entrepreneurship education, from teacher training to student education, from classroom teaching to multimodal teaching, and from imparting knowledge to cultivating skills. Currently, the weak links in entrepreneurship education in Chinese universities are primarily reflected in four areas: unsound curriculum design, a lack of qualified teachers for entrepreneurship education, a monotonous model for entrepreneurship education, and imperfect supporting mechanisms for entrepreneurship education. Constructive ideas for the entrepreneurship education system in Chinese universities are: to build a scientific curriculum-based educational system, establish a perfected entrepreneurial practicum system, build up a system for an outstanding corps of qualified teachers, construct a perfected educational model system, and perfect the evaluation system for entrepreneurship education.

Factors Hindering P.E. Teaching Development in Chinese Universities and the Corresponding Strategies

Through analyzing the shortages and strengths of P.E. development in our country’s universities, the factors that affect P.E. development in universities include: teaching management level; teaching guiding ideology; the curriculum setting and teaching pattern; the quality of the P.E. teachers; the teaching environment and so on, and some corresponding development strategies based on these analysis are proposed, so as to provide some theories bases to support P.E. teaching and development in our country’s university to educate more high-quality students out of the P.E. teaching system of high education.

Institutionalization of technology transfer organizations in Chinese universities

There is a lack of in-depth studies on how technology transfer organizations (TTOs) are organized and developed. This paper examines the evolution/institutionalization of TTOs in Tsinghua University (TU), as a microcosm of the development of TTOs in Chinese universities. It explores two issues in particular: what kinds of TTOs have been developed in TU and why some organizational forms become more institutionalised than others. In so doing, an analytical framework is developed by synthesizing the literature on organizational innovation and institutionalization. The analysis is based on extensive review of academic literature and policy documents, as well as on face-to-face interviews with practitioners involved in technology transfer in TU. The paper identifies the tendencies of TTO development in Chinese universities and advances theories on the institutionalization of university TTOs in general.