Expansion Of Education Research Articles

Balancing control and legitimacy in higher education policy implementation

A key policy challenge in establishing new universities is the potential risk of lower academic standards and mission drift, which can affect policy effectiveness and outcomes. While regulation and funding tend to be preferred policy instruments for securing control of higher education expansion and achieving policy objectives, this article reports on a nation-wide reform in which various forms of legitimacy and control were actively used as measures in the design and establishment of almost one hundred new elite universities – the Institutes of National Importance (INIs) – in India. Our theoretical framework is based on the need for reinvention in policy design in higher education, that is based on the possible cross-fertilisation between the field of public administration and organisational theory. Through a mixed-method research design that included archival documents related to higher education reform and case studies of seven new INIs, this article demonstrates how ‘soft instruments’ based on legitimacy may align public policy objectives and stakeholder expectations ensuring quality and mission sustainability of new universities. We suggest that institutional and instrumental dimensions related to legitimacy and control can be integrated into a joint theoretical framework for policy implementation in higher education. We inform higher education policy by uncovering a range of legitimacy-based policy options in higher education, including the significance of reputation, national classification schemes, and organisational archetypes, that can be operationalised to minimise mission divergence.

Expanding the International Role of China’s Educational Soft Power

The objectives of this research are as follows: (1) to study China’s concept of using soft power to expand its role in international education; (2) to study the mechanisms and operational models used to expand China’s role in international education; and (3) to study the successful outcomes and negative impact of China’s expansion in this field. This is a qualitative research study that utilizes Joseph S. Nye’s concept of soft power in conjunction with document analysis. The research findings indicate that China’s expansion in international education is a tool for using China’s soft power. The mechanisms include establishing branches of the Confucius Institute, recruiting volunteer teachers, setting standards for Chinese language proficiency tests, promoting academic personnel exchange, and providing scholarships for international students. Additionally, China has raised the quality of its domestic educational institutions to meet international standards. China has also established an agency tasked with promoting Chinese language and culture at the international level, namely the Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC), previously known as Hanban. The success of these efforts is evidenced by the number of Confucius Institute branches and classrooms, volunteer teachers, and international students receiving scholarships to study in China. These efforts have resulted in an improved image of China and a reduction in negative perceptions towards China from abroad.

Wage Differentials and Inequality in Managerial and Professional Jobs: Quantile Regression Analysis

In the economics literature, it is vividly portrayed that there is a great deal of disparity in wages received by workers across economic activities and occupations in India. The primary purpose of this article is to identify factors determining wage differentials and to measure wage inequality in managerial and professional occupations. Using unit-level records of periodic labour force survey (PLFS) published by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), we apply quantile regression model to examine how wage distribution is determined by personal, household and labour market characteristics. Our analysis is limited to persons aged between 15 and 65 and employed in managerial and professional occupations. The findings suggest that rural–urban dichotomy, gender, technical education, social group, job contract, type of enterprise and enterprise workforce size are statistically significant across quantiles and are important in explaining the wage distribution of managerial and professional workers in India. From a policy perspective, the invigoration of gender-based measures coupled with the expansion of technical education and labour market institutions are essential for bridging the wage disparity in India. JEL Classifications: J16, J24, J31

More Graduates, Fewer Skills? Vocational Education Expansion and Skilled Labour Shortages in China

Abstract China's need for skilled workers to upgrade its industrial system is increasingly urgent due to global economic competition. Despite massive expansion of its Vocational Education and Training system over the past two decades, a significant skilled labour deficit remains. Current debates on the inefficacy of vocational education focuses on the lack of institutional synergies between education and industry but often overlooks the inherent conflicts within the vocational education system and micro-level skill formation processes. Our ethnographic research in two upper-secondary vocational schools unveils a disturbing trend: the rapid massification of vocational education, which prioritizes student enrolment numbers over educational quality, fails to address the demand for skill formation and skilled labour. It inadvertently generates adverse consequences for both administrative management and classroom instruction. Skill development frequently falls to after-school professional associations and an exclusive group of elite students. Meanwhile, reform initiatives, such as the craftsmanship campaign and skill competitions, benefit only a few without improving the employment prospects for the wider student population. These findings call for greater attention to the inherent tensions within China's Vocational Education and Training system. Only when there is a deeper understanding of the underlying causes of ineffective skill formation in vocational schools can China achieve its national goal of industrial upgrades.

Escalating competition in NHS: implications for healthcare quality and workforce sustainability.

The UK's National Health Service (NHS) faces escalating competition ratios for specialty training positions, with application rates dramatically outpacing the growth in available posts. This trend contributes to systemic bottlenecks and challenges traditional career progression pathways within medicine. In this evolving landscape, the once-certain career progression within medicine is now increasingly uncertain. This commentary explores the complex dynamics of increased medical school admissions against stagnant specialty training placements and the broader strategic implications for workforce planning within the NHS. It critically evaluates the implications of current funding policies, which seem to prioritise an expansion of nondoctor healthcare roles over the development of specialist training, raising concerns about the long-term patient care quality and safety. Key recommendations include a reassessment of medical education expansion, a review of funding allocation, increased support for specialty training, and government accountability for healthcare workforce planning. The urgent need for strategic policy reform is underscored to ensure that NHS can sustain a high-quality, specialist-led healthcare provision in the face of rising competition and workforce pressures.

Large increase in ASD prevalence in Israel between 2017 and 2021.

Accurate estimation of annual changes in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) prevalence is critical for planning the expansion of diagnostic, education, and intervention services at an adequate rate. Previous studies from Israel have reported that ASD prevalence among 8-year-old children has increased from estimates of 0.3% in 2008 to 0.65% in 2015 and 1.3% in 2018. Here, we analyzed data acquired from the National Insurance Institute of Israeli (NII), a governmental organization that approves and monitors all ASD children who receive welfare services in Israel, and Clalit Health Services (CHS), the largest Health Maintenance Organization in Israel that provides health services to ~52% of the population. Data from both sources included annual data files from 2017 to 2021 containing the number of ASD cases per year of birth for 1-17-year-old children. This allowed us to estimate annual ASD prevalence among 3.5 million children born between 2000 and 2020 in Israel. Both data sources revealed a nearly two-fold increase in ASD prevalence among 1-17-year-old children from 2017 to 2021. Estimated prevalence rates differed across age groups with 2-3-year-old (day-care) children increasing from 0.27% to 1.19% (>4 fold change), 4-6-year-old (pre-school) children increasing from 0.8% to 1.83%, and 8-year-old children increasing from 0.82% to 1.56% in NII data. These results demonstrate that autism prevalence continues to increase in Israel with a shift towards diagnosis at earlier ages. These findings highlight the challenge facing health and education service providers in meeting the needs of a rapidly growing autism population.

The Relationship Between Popularization of Higher Education and Unemployment Rate in China

As a result of the reform and opening, as the Chinese government and society have paid more attention to education, the popularization of education has gradually taken shape, followed by a more complex social structural population, traditional calculations of unemployment rate and gross enrollment rate. The method is no longer suitable for todays social situation. This article is based on Martintrow's three-stage theory of higher education, and the formula used frequently by China's National Bureau of Statistics to calculate urban jobless rates. Assuming the actual unemployment rate calculation formula, regression analysis shows that the higher the degree of higher education, the unemployment rate will also increase accordingly. Government macro-control, the expansion of vocational education, filling the professional labor force gap currently present in society, appropriately regulating the percentage of the population receiving higher education, elevating the status of vocational education, eradicating preconceived notions previously held against vocational education, etc. are all ways that educational development can be accomplished. There were a number of macro and micro control measures developed.

What really matters for global intergenerational mobility?

This study investigates the genuine impacts of education expansion, education inequality, and parental dependency on intergenerational mobility. It utilizes data from the Global Database on Intergenerational Mobility for 153 countries and cohorts born between the 1940s and 1980s. By employing a causal machine learning approach to address confounding problems, this research reveals that education expansion can promote intergenerational mobility to a certain extent. However, its effectiveness is partially diminished by education inequality and may be ineffective if parental dependency exists at a high level. Furthermore, this study also indicates that while gender inequality in intergenerational mobility still exists, its degree has been significantly reduced across generations. When compared to parental dependency, gender effects are far less important. Therefore, there is a need to reassess the roles of parental dependency and gender bias in intergenerational mobility, especially when parental dependency is currently underestimated, and gender bias is overemphasized.

International student mobility and poverty reduction: A cross-national analysis of low- and middle-income countries

While educational expansion is often acknowledged as a driving force in poverty reduction, there has been limited scholarly exploration of the influence of international higher education on poverty alleviation. With the dramatic surge of international student mobility, tripling from two million in 1997 to over six million by 2021, previous research has predominantly focused on individual benefits such as skill acquisition and labour market outcomes, overlooking the broader societal effects in students’ home countries. This study examines how international higher education influences poverty reduction in the home countries of students from low- and middle-income nations, drawing on a theoretical framework rooted in transnationalism. Employing dynamic panel data analysis with the System Generalised Method of Moments approach on data from 1999 to 2018, this study finds that while the immediate effect of international student mobility on reducing extreme poverty is not significant, its long-term association over a fifteen-year period is significant. These results suggest the transformative potential of international higher education for sustainable development, emphasising its systemic and long-term effects in poverty alleviation. Our research highlights that policy interventions expanding access to international higher education could be an important element of poverty reduction strategies in low- and middle-income countries.

Economic Shocks and Assimilation Policies: Phylloxera and Educational Expansion in French Algeria

Economic Shocks and Assimilation Policies: Phylloxera and Educational Expansion in French Algeria

ИССЛЕДОВАНИЕ ФАКТОРОВ, ВЛИЯЮЩИХ НА ПРОФЕССИОНАЛЬНЫЙ ВЫБОР И ПРОФЕССИОНАЛЬНУЮ ИДЕНТИЧНОСТЬ СТУДЕНТОВ

With the expansion of higher education in our country, students are paying more and more attention to choosing a specialty. The choice of a specialty can affect their identification with the specialty to varying degrees, as well as their enthusiasm, learning and the effectiveness of vocational training. Therefore, this article examines the factors influencing college students’ choice of specialty and their professional identity.

The Application of PDCA Cycle Theory Combined with Subjective and Objective Empowerment Method in Teaching Quality Assessment System of Higher Vocational Colleges and Universities

Abstract As the expansion of higher vocational education hastens the massification of higher education, issues concerning the quality of teaching at higher vocational institutions have become increasingly apparent. This study addresses these concerns by integrating the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle theory to develop a robust assessment system for evaluating teaching quality in higher vocational colleges. Utilizing a combination of hierarchical analysis and entropy weighting methods, the assessment system is enhanced both subjectively and objectively. By employing higher vocational colleges and universities labeled M1 to M6 as illustrative examples, we apply linear weighted summation to derive comprehensive evaluation scores from the tested teaching quality evaluation index system. The empirical results indicate that the cumulative variance contribution rate of the assessment indices reached 91.765%. In the quality assessment, M4 scored the highest with a composite score of 4.60, while M6 scored the lowest at 3.49. Comparative analysis across dimensions shows that the index scores for M6 were notably lower than those of other institutions, ranging between 3.20 and 3.80. Implementing the proposed teaching quality assurance system resulted in a substantial increase of 0.77 points in its comprehensive score. Thus, the assessment and assurance system developed in this study proves to be practically valuable, offering an effective means to enhance teaching quality and elevate the educational standards in higher vocational colleges.

Resources and opportunities of ICT for Chinese rural students in EFL: The pursuit of quality and balanced development in compulsory education

China’s educational equity has advanced recently, and information and communications technology has drawn more attention as a classroom tool and a crucial component of educational equity. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the availability, benefits, and drawbacks of ICT technology in rural China’s English as a foreign language classroom. In addition, it will carry out a thorough examination based on China’s most recent education policy. According to the research, using ICT in the classroom might increase students’ motivation and involvement. However, there are certain issues that require collaboration from all societal segments. In reality, in-depth research on the application of ICT resources in rural students’ EFL instruction may work as a template for other developing countries and promote the balanced worldwide expansion of rural education. Theoretically, understanding how ICT resources function to raise the standard of English instruction for rural students is advantageous because it provides a theoretical framework for relevant policy planning.

THE INTERRELATION OF THE INDIVIDUAL STYLE OF PEDAGOGICAL ACTIVITY AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DIFFICULTIES OF TEACHERS IN INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

With the expansion of inclusive education, there is a growing need to understand the problems faced by teachers. One of the main factors influencing the effectiveness of the pedagogical activity is the individual style of pedagogical activity. The article reveals the relationship between the individual style of pedagogical activity and the psychological difficulties of teachers in inclusive education; the influence of the individual style of pedagogical activity on the ability of a teacher to adapt to the peculiarities of teaching children with disabilities is considered.

REUNIFICATION AND THE DEMISE OF THE WEST CAMEROON EDUCATION BOARD, 1961-1972: AN HISTORICAL APPRAISAL OF THE IMPACT OF FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTS

This paper looks at the demise of the West Cameroon Education Board from the perspective of an outcome of financial constraints on the West Cameroon Government. It argues that the educational choices of the West Cameroon Government significantly accentuated financial constraints which contributed to the fragilization and eventual demise of the Education Board, ultimately paving the way for the interference of the Federal Government in the West Cameroon educational system. The paper uses the historical-analytical method to interpret data collected mostly from the National Archives Buea (NAB) and presents findings according to the chronological and thematic approach. It reveals that the rapid expansion of education in West Cameroon between 1961 and 1969 accentuated financial constraints on Government which helped to fragilize the Education Board. This made the West Cameroon educational system vulnerable to Federal Government interference and eventual take over by 1972. Thus, accounting for the demise of the West Cameroon Education Board.

Does Educational Expansion Reduce Income Inequality?: An Application of the Mincerian Equation in Mauritius

Does Educational Expansion Reduce Income Inequality?: An Application of the Mincerian Equation in Mauritius

Twenty Years of Waves: 1999 Higher Education Expansion and Income Inequality in China

Twenty Years of Waves: 1999 Higher Education Expansion and Income Inequality in China

Achieving Universal Higher Education in China: Characteristics, Challenges, and Future Directions

The universalization of higher education in China has undergone a remarkable transformation driven by government policies and rapid economic growth. This study explores the characteristics and future development of this educational evolution. China's journey towards universalization began with ambitious policy initiatives in 1998, aiming to expand access to higher education. Within a mere 17 years, the gross enrollment rate in higher education surged from 9.8% to an impressive 50%, surpassing the United States' 30-year path to universality. This rapid expansion, fueled by a burgeoning economy, has raised questions about educational quality and employability. New universities have played a crucial role, expanding access and optimizing the higher education structure. However, they face challenges due to their short history and limited resources. The study also emphasizes the need for a balanced regional framework and an education model aligning with sustainable development goals. China's experience in universalizing higher education provides valuable insights for global educational development. This transformation serves as a noteworthy case study, highlighting the importance of balancing quantity and quality in higher education expansion and providing lessons for educational development worldwide.

The positive effects of the higher education expansion policy on urban innovation in China

<abstract> <p>Higher education not only enhances people's well-being, but also plays an important role in the in-depth implementation of the innovation-driven development strategy. In this paper, we use Chinese urban data for 1995–2020, utilizing the higher education expansion policy implemented in China in 1999 as an external shock. Using Double/Debiased Machine Learning (DML), we examine the impact of the aforementioned policy on urban innovation and its mechanisms. The results show that: (1) The higher education expansion policy significantly promotes urban innovation; (2) the policy promotes human capital expansion and strengthens government financial support, thereby significantly fostering urban innovation; (3) the impact of the policy varies across cities with different geographic locations, population densities and levels of marketization. Therefore, the findings of this paper provide empirical evidence that higher education expansion policy stimulates urban innovation. It also offers useful insights for China's transition from "Made in China" to "Created in China" during its high-quality development phase.</p> </abstract>

중국 근대의 일상과 문학, 그 기억과 표상

Modern China had all the conditions for the development of popular fiction such as detective novels, thanks to the development of various modern media, the expansion of mass education, and urbanization. In addition to the basic principles of presenting a case and resolving it logically, detective novels have secured their own unique territory based on the selection of themes that attract readers' attention, the surprise of unexpected endings, and the scientific knowledge and rational thinking that can convince readers. The popularity of modern detective novels in China is closely related to the daily life of modern society, which dynamically reflects the tastes and hobbies of the times and the specificity of modern thinking and perception. This paper is motivated by the same problem: in order to approach the substance of modern Chinese detective fiction, it is necessary to understand the cultural and literary characteristics of the society in which it is written. Therefore, this paper aims to identify the modern ideas and perceptions that made detective novels possible as a genre of fiction based on a comprehensive set of texts, including detective novels, as well as related novel publicity, event reports, and novel criticism, during this period. Specifically, it explored the daily life and literature of modern China, focusing on the aesthetic phenomena of expectation and fun in detective fiction. Second, it examined detective fiction in terms of the logic of the Enlightenment, represented by scientific knowledge and rational thinking. Third, it explored the possibilities of detective fiction in terms of hobby tastes as a modern reading material. This study, which examines the daily life and literature of modern China, as well as its memory and representation, through the analysis of modern Chinese detective fiction works and extracurricular materials, will provide an opportunity to reestablish the status of detective fiction.