Do Returnee Faculty Promote the Internationalization of Higher Education? A Study Based on the “2014 Faculty Survey in China”

Abstract

Based on data from the “2014 Chinese University Faculty Survey,” this article analyzes the distribution characteristics and manifestations of internationalization from returnee faculty to Chinese colleges as well as their impacts on the internationalization of higher education in the three dimensions of scientific research output, teaching content and methods, and international exchanges. Compared to local teachers, returnee faculty members adjust their research output strategies to reach a higher level of internationalization. They favor publishing papers in international journals and publish fewer domestic papers and make fewer domestic patent applications. They focus on international perspectives and content in their course teaching content and methods. In terms of international exchanges, they participate in international academic conferences and travel abroad more often for advanced studies. Their experiences studying overseas accumulate their comparative advantage in the internationalization of the academic profession. Higher education institutions should make them play larger roles in promoting the internationalization of scientific research and teaching as well as international academic exchanges to improve the level of internationalization of Chinese higher education.     

The logic of mass higher education

Abstract

The distinguishing characteristic of postsecondary education in the past half century has been expansion ‐ the emergence of mass higher education worldwide. Now, many industrialised countries educate forty percent or more of youth in postsecondary education, and developing countries are rapidly expanding as well. Mass higher education brings with it certain inevitable changes in higher education. Among these are a diversification of academic institutions, less homogenous student populations, alterations in patterns of academic work and of the academic profession itself, an increase in managerial control of academic institutions, and, recently, a reliance on distance methods of delivering instruction. These changes are part of the logic of mass higher education, and will be increasingly apparent in the 21st century.     

Cultivating the next generation of academics in South Africa

Abstract

The academic workplace is experiencing numerous changes in South Africa and around the world, including increasing managerialism, declining governmental funding and massification of university systems. Global trends have impacted South Africa, and additional local contextual factors combine to create a situation in which the pool of prospective academics is limited, particularly with regard to individuals from diverse backgrounds, at the same time as vacancies for academic staff are expected to increase. In order to address the question of who will become the next generation of academics in South Africa, the author investigates potential barriers to developing academics through qualitative research conducted with postgraduate students, academic staff and administrators at two higher education institutions. Two central thematic categories are explored—induction into postgraduate studies and induction into the academic profession. The author posits that systematic socialization, both into postgraduate studies and into the academic profession, is a vital link toward cultivating emerging academics to fill academic positions for an equitable workplace in South African higher education institutions.     

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

Abstract

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.     

孔子与古鲁:中国与印度学术职业的变革

随着高等教育外部环境的不断变化,中国与印度的学术职业已经并正在继续发生重要的变革。在中国,随着政治经济体制改革的推行,政府开始改革公办高校的教师聘用制度,以解决原有体制中存在的冗员、合格教师短缺和效率低下等问题。改革虽然取得了一定的积极成果,但也面临着如何使西方管理文化与中国传统文化兼容等问题。在印度,政府结构调整使政府逐步撤出高等教育领域,其学术职业呈现出衰落的趋势。为此,印度大学拨款委员会采取了各种措施以提高教师的水平,但收效甚微。中国与印度的学术职业正处于一个不确定的过渡阶段。     

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

Abstract

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.     

Doctoral Student Socialization: Educating Stewards of the Physical Education Profession

ABSTRACT

In preparing the future stewards of the physical education profession, the occupational socialization and professional development of physical education doctoral students is important to consider. To date, there has been scant scholarly inquiry into doctoral education in physical education. However, there is an abundance of research related to doctoral training in the higher education literature more generally. Drawing upon this larger body of work, this article expands occupational socialization theory to address the socialization of physical education doctoral students and faculty members. The case is made that effective doctoral training in physical education is essential to securing the future of the profession. Provided is an overview of the existing literature, presentation of an adaptation to occupational socialization theory that explains doctoral physical education socialization, and a discussion of key professional development issues that academic leaders and student support personnel should consider. Implications and recommendations for doctoral physical education leadership and academic programs are provided.     

学术职业:国内研究进展与文献述评

“学术职业”是西方学者研究高等教育的一个重要领域所使用的专门术语。国内对学术职业的研究却刚刚起步,主要是对国外研究成果进行译介,以及从学术职业角度对中国大学教师的问题进行探索,但仍表现出对西方学术职业研究不系统、概念界定不明确、研究群体单薄等问题。     

The Professoriate and the Future of Higher Education Kinesiology

ABSTRACT

This article broadly addresses academic freedom and higher education in America, accentuating the viewpoint that change is not new. A historical overview of the state of the professoriate and social contexts are examined to situate the field of kinesiology into the context of the university. Ideas regarding the future of the field are addressed with an emphasis on the conduct of higher education scholars within this context. It is hoped that this article will not become an autopsy documenting the assault on the field, marginalization of the academy, and end of kinesiology in higher education, but will rather be a call to action for moving forward as a profession.     

Capabilities‐based educational equivalency units: Beginning a professional dialogue

Abstract

This article proposes a basic model for the transformation of academic equivalency in distance education, shifting from a unit of measurement that relies on time in the classroom (the Carnegie unit) to one that focuses on learner achievement. The Capabilities‐Based Educational Equivalency (CBEE) model puts forward a framework of academic equivalency that is founded on valid and useful instructional design objectives. While allowing time to be variable (rather than constant) and holding academic achievement relatively constant, the CBEE model permits the comparison of student achievement in face‐to‐face and distance education, as well as between programs delivering instruction via a wide variety of media.     

The Choice of Academic Profession: Class Taste or Personal Opportunities

Abstract

From a historical perspective, it was only in the modern era that the academic profession was favored by the middle and upper classes who came to dominate it. This article shows that, in contemporary China, the pattern of the middle and upper classes dominating the academic profession results from their families having a good early education and access to educational resources, although these advantages decrease through the years of schooling as they are replaced by the effects of the institution. Overall, class differences behind the choice of academic profession result from the differences in economic conditions of families and the inequality in resource distribution at all levels of education, rather than class culture and taste. Therefore, it is essential to implement a strategy to prioritize education, to enrich educational resources for all, and to extend the years of schooling for all. This will not only improve the quality of the workforce, develop personal potential, and cultivate creative and highly talented people, but also help to promote the development of society and steadily build a harmonious and orderly society.     

Intercultural Competence: Physical Education Teacher Education Recommendations

ABSTRACT 

The increasing diversity of the K-12 student population presents challenges and opportunities for growth in the physical education profession. To address the cultural gap in today’s classroom, many people highlight the need to improve the intercultural competence of teachers. The focus of this article is to summarize the shifting demographics of American society, its impact on K-12 education, and how one California physical education teacher education (PETE) program is preparing pre-service teachers for the multicultural classroom. The article also outlines recommendations for PETE programs to address intercultural competence.     

教师发展(FD)的课题——日本的视角

本文以日本为例,系统研究了大学教师发展（FD）的背景、进展和课题。由于全球化、市场化以及知识化社会等背景,日本在80年代以后开始重视大学教师发展,推动FD制度化。教育质量保证是FD的基本原则。在21世纪,FD的理论和实践都有待于提高到新的阶段。这里不仅包括教师组织、课程、评价制度等要素的改善,还包括重新思考教学学术的问题。     

Who has come out of the pipeline? African-Americans in criminology and criminal justice

This study analyzes survey data collected from African-Americans with PhDs who teach criminology or criminal justice. This research is particularly concerned with the experience of African-Americans in institutions of higher education. In addition to demographic data, the survey collected information on school of graduation, scholarly productivity, and collegial relations. The results indicate that African-Americans are graduating from, and being hired at, some of the top-ranked PhD programs in criminology/criminal justice. African-Americans are generally entering the academic profession as assistant professors with limited publication experience. Finally, African-Americans, in most cases, feel included and a part of their departmental activities.     

Nomadic political ontology and transnational academic mobility

ABSTRACT

Transnational academic mobility is often characterized in relation to terms such as ‘brain drain’, ‘brain gain’, or ‘brain circulation’ – terms that isolate researchers’ minds from their bodies, while saying nothing about their political identities as foreign nationals. In this paper, I explore the possibilities of a more ‘nomadic political ontology’, where the body is ‘multifunctional and complex, a transformer of flows and energies, affects, desires and imaginings’ (p. 25). In this sense, academic mobility is not only the outcome of national innovation and economic competitiveness strategies, but also sets the conditions for epistemic and ontological change at the level of the individual. In this paper, I explore a personal account of the nomadic political ontology of academic mobility to exemplify the interrelationships between nationalism, academic belonging and transnationalism. My experiences as a transnational subject affect the stability and scope of my work as a policy-oriented researcher who studies the academic profession and the internationalization of higher education. My positionality in relation to my research focus is likely not unique to the field of higher education studies or educational research more broadly, which permits a wider applicability of this exploration beyond personal narrative and a particular national context. This personal reflection, guided by nomadic theory and post-structural possibilities, offers a viewpoint of the academic profession beyond the standard mobility discourse.     

Fixing higher education through technology: Canadian media coverage of massive open online courses

The popularization of massive open online courses (MOOCs) has been shrouded in promises of disruption and radical change in education. In Canada, official partnerships struck by higher education institutions with platform providers such as Coursera, Udacity and edX were publicized by dailies and professional magazines. This print coverage of MOOCs captures the contemporary ideological struggle over the meaning of both technology and higher education. By means of a thematic analysis of the English Canadian print coverage of MOOCs (2012–2014), this paper shows that both online educational technologies and higher education are constructed through an economic frame. However, this frame does not go unchallenged. Where newspapers construct MOOCs as an easy fix for an allegedly inefficient and outdated higher education system, professional magazines question the relationship between technology, higher education and money. These different representations point to the efforts of academic communities to develop alternative social imaginaries of education as public good within a dominant neoliberal framing of MOOCs and of the higher education system. In conclusion, the paper reflects on how the academic community can create alternative discursive spaces by shifting the discussion of MOOCs from economic concerns to civic goals.     

What works? Academic integrity and the research-policy relationship

Abstract

In this paper, we consider the intensifying pressures on critical research and academic integrity in a research policy context that has come to be increasingly dominated by an instrumentalist mind-set. Using sensitising resources drawn from Geoff Whitty’s critique of the ‘what works’ agenda, we reflect on the current conditions of academic labour and some of the key issues and dilemmas they pose for critical researchers in the sociology of education and beyond. In particular, we underline the trend for ‘what works’ agendas to become constitutive of academic identities and practices, including at micro-levels, such that the option of ‘standing outside’ them is shifting from being merely personally taxing to being institutionally disallowed. In addition to highlighting the dilemmas this creates for critical researchers and the threat this poses to expansive and democratic approaches to education, the paper emphasises the centrality of relationship-forming in understanding and underpinning academic integrity.     

Gender,Race and Career Success in the Academic Profession

Abstract

Processes underlying the continuing under‐representation of women and members of minority ethnic groups in the academic profession were investigated by examining the career histories of professors in law and biology. Careers in law differ markedly from those in biology. In the academic profession the foundations of success are laid in the early stages of careers when it is important to acquire self‐confidence. Informal networks and patronage are a feature of the academic profession. The relationship between positive self‐evaluations of academic ability and the judgements of senior members of the profession is problematic. The significance of racial and gender stereotypes in these processes needs further investigation.     

The Japanese academic profession

The historical background to the emergence of the Japanese system of higher education is described, attention being drawn to the link established between national aims and those of the university and to the system of gakubatsu (a form of patronage for graduates of a particular university). Post World War II expansion brought junior colleges (tanki-daigaku) into the sphere of higher education as well as universities (daigaku). Though formally and legally these classes of institution are equal they are in fact ranked according to the old system. Within universities there is also a ranking which is reinforced by gakubatsu. This ranking limits mobility in the academic profession; academic staff are likely to spend all their careers, undergraduate, postgraduate and as faculty members, at the same university. This system prevents Japanese scholars from taking posts abroad though it must also be pointed out that many Japanese academics go to great lengths to remain fully acquainted with western scholarship.     

Benchmarking academic standards in the UK

Abstract

The Dealing Report in the UK supported the use of benchmarking in higher education, taking as its stimulus the use of benchmarking in industrial and commercial contexts. The UK Government's concern regarding academic standards has raised the question of whether benchmarking could be applied to them.

This article reports on a pilot study of the benchmarking of academic standards in the UK, and demonstrates ‐ with reference to empirical data ‐ that benchmarking in this context needs to be approached differently from benchmarking in industrial/commercial milieux, since it requires a combination of finely‐drawn comparisons and professional judgements if valid conclusions are to be drawn. It is argued that the complexity which underpins academic standards is inimical to the production of statements about standards that will be applicable across the span of a diverse national system of higher education. The argument presented can be applied, mutatis mutandis, to systems of higher education beyond the UK.