Public University In China Research Articles

Developing sustainable career paths as teacher-researchers in a changing academic landscape: A tale of two EFL teachers in China.

The study aimed to investigate how two English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers integrated their teacher and researcher identities to achieve sustainable professional growth in the context of a changing academic landscape. Using purposive sampling, two EFL teachers from a non-elite public university in China were selected as participants for this qualitative study. Data were collected and triangulated from multiple sources, including semi-structured interviews, narrative frames, document analysis, and the academic profiles of the participants. A qualitative, inductive thematic approach was employed in the data analysis. Adopting "identity" as an analytical lens, this study examined how the two participants underwent different identity trajectories to develop into teacher-researchers under the influence of their personal values and beliefs, as well as contextual factors such as institutional research policy. Throughout their identity construction process, the two participants encountered identity deficits and tensions between multiple professional roles, leading to their struggles with identity and complex identity (re)construction. While the participants underwent interactions between various forms of identity throughout their careers, they enacted agency to take actions and draw on available resources to address their identity deficits and conflicts, ultimately resolving them by pursuing a sustainable career path as teacher-researchers in their situated socio-institutional environment. Despite their different identity trajectories, the construction of the participants' teacher-researcher identity facilitated their continuing professional development. This study contributes to our understanding of the complexities of EFL teachers' identity (re)construction when seeking to establish sustainable career paths in a changing academic context. This study also has implications for both EFL academics and university management on how to assist EFL teachers in integrating teacher and researcher identities to achieve sustainable professional development in higher education.

Critical Issues and Trends in Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education in Higher Education in the Post-COVID-19 Era in China and Spain

In the post-COVID-19 era, where innovation and entrepreneurship as an engine for economic development is a top priority for each country, acquiring various skills through innovation and entrepreneurship education is a trend for higher education students. We focus our analysis on two public universities in China and Spain with some similarities in the implementation of innovation and entrepreneurship education. To obtain our information, we conducted interviews with multiple experts in both universities. The study shows that both countries provide funding and policies to promote innovation and entrepreneurship education as innovation and entrepreneurship education is seen as making the university more visible, both at the national and international levels, and as providing society with employment opportunities. We conclude that although innovation and entrepreneurship education design and definition in both universities are different, their development characteristics and trends are the same. Moreover, both universities face common difficulties, namely financial support, management support, and integration with different disciplines. Finally, innovation and entrepreneurship education promote also internationalization and regional development, which requires both countries to strengthen foreign language education and the provision of more entrepreneurial support services.

Investigating self-concept in EFL pronunciation among Chinese Non-English major learners at a public university in China

Very limited research has explored the English pronunciation and self-concept among EFL non-English major learners in China. Therefore, this study investigated the level of Chinese EFL non-English major learners’ self-concept about their level of English pronunciation, how they self-evaluated their English pronunciation, and the pronunciation problems they encountered. A convergent mixed-method approach was utilized to collect data. A sample of 392 Chinese EFL learners from different universities responded to an English pronunciation questionnaire about self-concept, where results showed that Chinese EFL non-English major learners had a very low self-concept of English pronunciation. Meanwhile, another sample of 100 students took an English pronunciation test and responded to the English pronunciation self-evaluation form. Results demonstrated that 82% of the participants scored 59/100 and below in the English pronunciation test. As for the self-evaluation of English, also 82% self-evaluated their English as either average or poor. Moreover, a focused group discussion with five EFL teachers showed that among the pronunciation problems faced by Chinese EFL learners included: a) adding or omitting extra sounds, b) problems with phonemes, c) confusion of vowels and consonants, and d) problems with suprasegmental phonemes. It is hoped that this study would provide some implications for putting forward countermeasures to improve the EFL pronunciation among EFL Chinese learners.

Understanding Professional Development Policies for Novice Lecturers: Perspectives from the University Management

Professional development policy is an initiative intended to up-skill novice lecturers, and in so doing improve university education. This qualitative case study was conducted to explore the understanding of university management on professional development policies. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and documents. The participants were twelve university management at two selected public universities in China including vice-chancellors, directors of the Academic Affairs Office, deputy deans, and administrators in the Academic Affairs Office. Data from documents supplied the data obtained from interviews. Then, using thematic analysis to identify the themes that emerged from the data obtained. The findings of this study indicated that the university management has a comprehensive and deep understanding of professional development policies. As policymakers, they are aware of what the policy contains, which includes the policy target group, policy goals, guiding principles, and fields covered in policies. The university management should take and enact their role of lecturer professional development seriously, and provide useful activities and programs for novice lecturers to help them.

Task-based Language Teaching Activities in College English Course in a Public University in China

Task-based Language Teaching Activities in College English Course in a Public University in China

The development of independent colleges and their separation from their parent public universities in China

With the highest number of students in private higher education in the world, China is updating the governance system for this sector. This process involves independent colleges, which were founded by and remain associated with public universities, but which are privately funded. As one of the strategies to improve the development of independent colleges, in 2008 the Ministry of Education asked these colleges to separate from their parent public universities. However, by the end of 2020, over half of the 2008 colleges had still not separated but, over the next year, the outstanding figure suddenly dropped by one-third. This paper analyses the factors affecting the separation from the viewpoints of different stakeholders. Private funders have an interest in making use of the parent universities’ resources and controlling and gaining financial returns from the colleges; for the parent universities, the management fees paid by the colleges are an important priority, while, for local government, more and better higher education places with less public finance is a key goal. Currently, there are few studies in the English language literature on independent colleges. By disseminating experiences of higher education reform in China, our findings could have important implications for government policymakers and for senior and practicing managers in universities.

Exploring Positive Psychology Factors in the Quality of English as A Foreign Language Classroom Life: A Case Study

This study aimed to examine the quality of life in EFL classrooms by investigating the relationship between foreign language enjoyment, growth mindset, and language performance in a public university in China. The study employed an explanatory sequential research design involving 388 EFL students. and data were collected via a survey questionnaire, an English language test, and interviews. The findings indicated a moderate quality of life in EFL classrooms as students possessed moderate language enjoyment and growth mindset. Additionally, the structural equation modelling analysis revealed that language enjoyment and growth mindset had significant direct effects on English Language Performance. Keywords: foreign language enjoyment; growth mindset; English language performance; quality of life eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2022. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v7i22.4153

Using Extended TPB Models to Predict Dishonest Academic Behaviors of Undergraduates in a Chinese Public University

Dishonest academic behavior (DAB) by students in Chinese higher education institutions has become a significant concern. However, the related study of academic dishonesty in mainland China is very limited. This study fills this gap by examining the theory of planned behavior and its three extended versions, validating the effectiveness of predicting DAB among Chinese undergraduates, and testing 11 developed hypotheses. This study uses a quantitative research design, and responses are collected online from 525 undergraduate students from five disciplines in the second to fourth year at a public university in China. The results reveal the proposed models have good fitting indices and support 10 hypothetical relationships. These relationships demonstrate that attitudes, norms and control beliefs significantly impact intentions and justifications. Meanwhile, behavioral control, intentions, and justifications significantly influence DAB. Notably, this study found a direct and significant effect of MO on justifications. Therein, Model four best explains the variance in DAB and provides practical support for the expanded TPB models’ application in China.

‘EMI is like a durian’: Chinese students’ perspectives on an ideal English-medium instruction classroom in higher education

This paper reports a qualitative study of what constitutes an ideal EMI classroom from the perspective of university students. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 26 university students from various disciplines at a large public university in China. The analysis reveals three core themes, which were perceived to be integral to an ideal EMI classroom: 1) an integration between content, language, and learning strategies, 2) a process-oriented course design permeated with a translanguaging approach, and 3) moving beyond specific EMI classrooms with a future and community orientation. This paper argues that EMI needs to be approached as a full educational experience with multiple dimensions (i.e. cognitive, social, and affective), through which, students gradually build up their professional knowledge and disciplinary literacy as well as foster their sense of belonging and direction in their situated subject field.

An empirical survey on prevalence and demographic differences in academic dishonesty among undergraduates from four public universities in China

PurposeThis empirical survey is conducted to investigate the prevalence rate of academic dishonesty (AD) in examinations and assignments among undergraduates. The study compared the difference in admitted behaviours of academic dishonesty between male and female students comprising second-year, third-year and fourth-year students from the discipline of business, engineering, information technology (IT) and education.Design/methodology/approachA cross-sectional study was utilized in this study and collected data via the online questionnaire. A total of 1,624 respondents participated from four public universities of four provinces in China Mainland.FindingsThe findings showed that the proportion of respondents from China participating in AD is between 15.4 and 51.7%. The findings showed that more than two-thirds of the respondents stated involved dishonesty in examinations and assignments at least once during the previous academic year. In addition, male and female undergraduates in second-year, third-year and fourth-year showed statistically significant differences in dishonest behaviours. Specifically, the male/senior students were more involved in dishonest behaviours than the females/sophomores.Originality/valueUnlike previous studies, this study found that discipline in the Chinese context was not a significant demographic predictor of dishonesty. Although not significantly different, the respondents majoring in business reported a high engagement rate of dishonesty, followed by engineering and information technology undergraduates, but education undergraduates revealed the lowest engagement rate of dishonesty. The target integrity education should be imparted among male and senior students.

An integrated analysis of quality and productivity growth in China’s and Taiwan’s higher education institutions

The main objective of this study is to measure the productivity growth of universities across the Taiwan Strait. This study uses the global metafrontier Malmquist framework and considers university quality to estimate productivity changes in higher education institutions (HEIs) on both sides of the strait during the period between 2008 and 2014. The results show that China’s HEIs enjoyed productivity growth of 1.24% per year. Technical progress contributed the most to this growth during the study period because public universities in China received significant funding and strong support from the government to improve teaching quality, thus achieving significant technical progress. Similar observations are found for Taiwan’s public universities. These universities, on average, reflect good performance in both the teaching and the research components. However, private HEIs in Taiwan are less productive relative to their counterparts. It is not surprising that the regression in productivity among private HEIs is mainly the result of lower student enrollment, an insufficient number of publications, and low research funding. As a result, Taiwan’s HEIs on average experienced a 0.10% decline in productivity per year during the study period. Private HEIs in Taiwan should pay greater attention to the quality of their universities to attract more local and international students. An increase in the quality of a university appears to not only improve technical efficiency but also increase productivity.

Bedtime procrastination in the relationship between self-control and depressive symptoms in medical students: From the perspective of sex differences

BackgroundDepressive symptoms typically exhibit sex differences among medical students and are associated with bedtime procrastination (BP) and self-control. However, it remains unclear whether sex differences exist in the relationship between these variables. MethodsA cross-sectional observational study was conducted among 402 medical students from a public university in China. Students’ depressive symptoms, BP, and trait self-control were assessed using the Chinese version of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)-II, the Bedtime Procrastination Scale, and the Self-control Scale, respectively. Applying a BDI cutoff value of 14, 364 valid participants were divided into non-depressed (<14) and depressed (≥14) groups. ResultsBinary logistic regression revealed that BP was an independent predictor of the prevalence of depressive symptoms in women only. Hierarchical regression showed that high BP levels were independently positively correlated to more depressive symptoms only in non-depressed women. In contrast, low self-control levels were independently negatively correlated to more depressive symptoms in non-depressed and depressed female students. Furthermore, structural equation modeling reflected the mediating role of BP between self-control and depressive symptoms in the non-depressed female group only. ConclusionsSex differences exist in the effect of BP on depressive symptoms as well as the relationship between self-control and depressive symptoms among Chinese medical students. As a moderator, sex regulates the mediating effect of BP on the relationship between self-control and depressive symptoms in the non-depressed group. These findings provide a sex-specific perspective for targeted prevention and intervention of depressive symptoms among high-risk medical students, especially during the non-depressed period.

Learning Outcomes of a Hybrid Online Virtual Classroom and In-Person Traditional Classroom during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This paper explores the effects of using a hybrid virtual/traditional classroom, a blended teaching and learning approach, on undergraduate learning outcomes during the initial stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study aimed to investigate the prominent problems that appeared in the process of online teaching and learning and to measure the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on undergraduates’ learning outcomes in public universities in China. The field of specialization of the subjects of this study is under the rubric of social science and higher education. We designed and conducted a pilot survey to identify students’ perspectives on the key issues and experiences of the use of distance-learning through an online virtual classroom in the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, we applied a binary logistic regression model to real data from two different economics course exams to measure the short-term impacts of using the two different learning environments on the undergraduates’ performance outcomes. The results indicate a statistically significant negative impact of using virtual classrooms on undergraduate learning outcomes. By contrast, in-person traditional classrooms had more desirable learning outcomes. Moreover, the hybrid approach proved to be more effective than the use of online virtual classrooms alone.

How to allocate multi-period research resources? Centralized resource allocation for public universities in China using a parallel DEA-based approach

In many real scenarios, all decision-making units (DMUs) fall under the umbrella of a central unit, such as banks, supermarkets and public universities, that has the power to supervise and control them. In such centralized decision-making circumstances, how to allocate fixed resources across DMUs when there is competition for resources has always been an important problem for managers. Data envelopment analysis (DEA) offers a new performance-based solution to resource allocation issues. In this paper, we propose a parallel DEA-based approach to reallocate multi-period resources among all DMUs by treating individual periods (e.g., years) as divisions operating at the parallel level. To balance the goals of the organization and the individual preferences of each DMU in resource allocation, we introduce the concept of cross-efficiency. Hence, we combined the operations of individual periods and the concept of cross-efficiency in one method simultaneously. Such allocations for multi-period resources are more acceptable by both the central manager and the evaluated DMUs. Finally, we assessed the R&D performance of each one of the 61 public universities in China and reallocated government funding resources among them.

Motivation and Grit Affects Undergraduate Students’ English Language Performance

&lt;p style="text-align: justify;"&gt;This study aims to explore non-English speaking major student’s perceptions of Motivation and Grit and the relationship between these two factors and students’ English language performance at a public university in China. The research was conducted by quantitative research design to collect 624 non-English speaking Major students’ answers to multiple questionnaires at a public university in China. Data analysis is used by SPSS and AMOS. The study shows that Motivation and Grit all have a positive correlation with English language performance. One major conclusion of this study is Grit has the most significant effect on the English language performance of non-English speaking major students in multiple regression analysis and is also the best predictor of the relationship between these two factors and English language performance in the path analysis in Structure Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis. The finding also revealed that male students’ perception of motivation and grit is slightly stronger than that of female students. These findings highlight the need for English as a foreign language (EFL) teacher to understand students’ affective factors in learning English, and hence help them utilize different teaching methods to enhance students’ English learning and promote sustainable development of English learning in a public Chinese university.&lt;/p&gt;

Building and Sustaining a Group of Chinese EFL Learners’ Imagined Identities and Agency

This study explores the imagined identities of three EFL undergraduates at a local public university in China, and how these identities relate to their commitment to language learning. Data were gathered through classroom observations, interviews, course documents, and student artefacts for two academic semesters. The data showed that the students’ imagined identities with regards to their professional development, academic pursuits, and corresponding social roles developed throughout their language learning trajectories. In turn, their imagined professional and social identities informed their current EFL learning agency in terms of their initiative to learn English at the university. The findings suggest that a focused imagined identity assists students in building self-discipline and choosing appropriate learning skills. As the current study presents a limited group of students that may not fully represent EFL students’ imagined identities in China, a longitudinal study may further reveal other factors that could contribute to this topic in the future. Although the construction and development of one’s imagined identity are complex and dynamic, the data show that the earlier one sets a clear professional or academic imagined identity, the more motivated a student is to learn the target language.

Examining Users' Sustained Attention to Online Learning by Modifying a UTAUT Model of Rain Classroom

Rain Classroom, a popular online learning platform in China, has been developed to face the constant innovations of teaching pedagogy. However, few studies have attempted to understand its users’ sustained attention under the guidance of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT). Based on the authentic relationships between constructs of the UTAUT model, this study tries to determine the factors that influence users’ sustained attention to Rain Classroom by replacing the two dependent constructs, use behavior and behavioral intention with sustained attention and self-efficacy. There were 421 students from a public university in China involved in this study. By using the data collected from an online questionnaire, the current research tested five hypotheses. The results were consistent with the relationships in the original UTAUT model except for effort expectancy. The theoretical and practical implications of this research were also discussed.

Second Language Learners' Competence of and Beliefs About Pragmatic Comprehension: Insights From the Chinese EFL Context.

It can be a great challenge for second language (L2) learners to comprehend meanings that are implied in utterances rather than the surface meaning of what was said. Moreover, L2 learners’ attitudes toward pragmatic learning are unknown. This mixed-methods study investigates L2 learners’ ability to comprehend conversational implicatures. It also explores their beliefs about and intentions to develop this ability using Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior (TPB). A total of 498 freshmen from a public university in China participated in the study. Data were collected using a web-based test, stimulated recall tasks and semi-structured interviews. Results show that the participants differed in recognizing the intended meanings. Complicated factors account for the variations. In addition to the types of implicature, learners’ beliefs about developing pragmatic comprehension also influence their learning intention, and subsequent performance. These beliefs include learners’ multi-layered, complex attitudes toward the outcomes of pragmatic learning, perceived self-efficacy beliefs regarding language proficiency and L2 cultural knowledge, actual behavioral control over opportunities and resources for pragmatic learning, and perceptions of less social pressure on pragmatic learning. The use of TPB may help language teachers and test designers to understand learners’ beliefs about L2 pragmatic learning in the English as a foreign language (EFL) context. Understanding the factors influencing learners’ intention will help design more effective teaching curricula that may integrate pragmatic instruction and testing in the future.

The role of emotions as mechanisms of mid-test warning messages during personality testing: A field experiment.

This study focuses on the role of emotions in personnel selection and faking research. In particular, we posit that emotions are likely to be activated when applicants receive warning messages from organizations. Drawing on Nabi (Nabi, Communication Theory, 9, 1999, 292) cognitive-functional model of discrete negative emotions, we propose and empirically test the effects of three discrete negative emotions (guilt, fear, and anger) triggered by a warning message during a personality test on personality score accuracy and perceived test fairness. Participants in this within-subjects field experiment were 1,447 applicants for graduate school at a large public university in China. They completed two parallel forms of a personality test: one within a selection context, and another within a developmental context 6 months later as a baseline measure. In the selection context, a warning (or a control) message was randomly assigned to participants during the personality test. Emotions and perceived test fairness were measured after the test was completed. Results indicated that guilt, fear, and anger each played a unique role. Guilt explained how mid-test warnings improved personality score accuracy among fakers, whereas fear accounted for why nonfakers over-corrected their personality scores. Finally, anger explained why the mid-test warnings reduced perceived test fairness for both fakers and nonfakers. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Student evaluation of sino-foreign cooperative universities: from the perspective of internationalization of higher education

ABSTRACT With the development of globalization, transnational higher education is gradually becoming an essential means for many countries to achieve internationalization. Nowadays, Sino-foreign cooperative universities and programmeshave been turned into an important form of internationalization of Chinese higher education, increasingly attracting the attention among policy-makers and academic researchers. This paper focuses on student satisfaction with Sino-foreign cooperative universities by both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Based on the case study, the development trend of Sino-foreign cooperative universities is discussed. Therefore, this paper is of far-reaching significance in improving the student satisfaction of Sino-foreign cooperative universities and promoting the internationalization of other ordinary public universities in China. Through the mixed empirical methods and case study approach, this paper found that the student evaluation of Sino-foreign cooperative universities shows the characteristics of “integration” that effectively absorbs the maternal resources and characteristics of both Chinese and foreign parties, and also realizes self-management and education innovation.