One or multiple paths to quality assurance of higher education institutions in the United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a federation of seven autonomous emirates that follow different economic models. There is a process for quality assurance at the federal level, however, each emirate takes its own approach to assure the quality of its institutions. This has resulted in different procedures and varying levels of oversight and scrutiny of quality. Since the majority of higher education providers in the UAE are market-driven, this poses the challenge of maintaining the quality of education in those institutions. This study explores how well quality assurance systems support the quality of commercial higher education institutions using two research methods: semi-structured interviews with 38 stakeholders to investigate their perceptions of the quality assurance processes in the UAE; and focus group discussions with 161 students to collect their views of the quality of education in the commercialised institutions. The research confirms earlier findings that quality of education is a function of quality assurance processes.     

Chinese TEFL teachers’ perceptions about research and influences on their research endeavours

English has always occupied a key position in China’s education. The quality of English education depends largely on the quality of the English teaching force. Improving the overall quality of Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) teachers entails advancing both their teaching and research competence. This study, with its focus on Chinese TEFL teachers working in a higher education institution, was set up in a context where Chinese higher education colleges are being transformed into universities and research is becoming a crucial aspect of all teachers’ work. This small-scale case study investigated a group of Chinese TEFL teachers’ perceptions about research and their individual and workplace characteristics that influenced their research endeavours. The findings revealed that Chinese TEFL teachers recognised the significance of research for teaching, professional growth and career advancement. However, lack of individual characteristics such as research and disciplinary knowledge, confidence in research and intrinsic motivation impeded their research efforts. Their institution and departments seemed to encourage research; yet, more specific financial and academic support to start and sustain their research endeavours is required. This study’s findings provide implications for both individual teachers and their institutions to engage TEFL teachers more actively in research.     

The impact of generation and socioeconomic status on the value of higher education in the UAE: A longitudinal study

This study explores the differences between student and parents’ value orientation for a college degree across a large sample in the UAE. The value of obtaining a higher education degree in the UAE is transgenerational. Salient benefits of a college degree can be categorized by economic, social and entrepreneurial factors and a model is set forth based on an intrinsic/extrinsic and self vs. other continuum. Education and income are related to valuing several educational outcomes. The most important factor identified across generations included both self-transcendence and self-enhancement values. From 2011–2015, the importance of higher education’s social benefits has increased.     

高等教育扩招与中国经济增长--来自双重差分法的实证检验

高技能型人力资本是新时代经济增长的重要引擎。中国1999年推行的高等教育扩招政策极大地丰富了中国高技能型人力资本,对中国经济增长产生重要影响。文章基于1997-2015年城市面板数据,利用双重差分方法实证考察了高等教育扩招政策对中国经济增长的影响。研究结果表明:第一,1999年实施的高等教育扩招政策显著地促进了中国经济增长。在剔除相关因素之后,高等教育扩招政策对中国经济增长率的贡献度达到17%-29%。第二,随着时间的推移,高等教育扩招政策的经济增长效应存在报酬递增效应。第三,高等教育扩招政策对经济增长的促进作用存在高校的数量效应和质量效应,即高等教育数量越多,高等教育质量越好,高等教育扩招政策对经济增长的促进效应就越大。第四,高等教育扩招政策对经济增长的促进作用存在空间递减效应,即东部地区最大、中部地区次之、西部地区不显著。因此,新时代保持持续的经济增长,需要充分重视高等教育在经济增长中的作用,以及调整高等教育结构,并提高高等教育质量,同时增强高技能型人力资本与经济发展阶段的匹配程度。     

黑龙江省高等教育对经济增长的贡献分析

高等教育具有培养专门人才、科学研究、服务经济社会发展和文化传承创新的职能,高等教育能够拉动经济增长。依据教育综合指数的年均增长率、GDP年均增长率等指标,采用柯布-道格拉斯生产函数构造模型,测算2001-2009年黑龙江省高等教育对经济增长的贡献率,并与辽宁、吉林以及全国比较。结果表明,黑龙江省的贡献率低于吉林、辽宁和全国,今后应当努力提高黑龙江省高等教育的质量,加大教育资源向经济增长力的转化,提升对经济增长的贡献率。     

Beyond Antagonism? The Discursive Construction of ‘New’ Teachers in the United Arab Emirates

The UAE, which celebrated independence in 1971, is a rapidly changing environment where aspects of traditional Bedouin culture co‐exist with the immense changes being wrought by the forces of globalization and the wealth brought about by the development of the oil industry. Emirati nationals are a minority within the UAE, comprising approximately 20% of the population, and the majority of the schoolteachers are expatriates drawn from other Arabic speaking countries. Within this context, the Higher Colleges of Technology’s Bachelor of Education degree in Teaching English to Young Learners prepares young UAE national women for English language teaching positions in local government schools. The research presented in this paper is drawn from this two‐year study of student teachers and explores the discursive construction of the students’ systems of knowledge and belief. The paper concludes with a critical consideration of the study’s implications and some possible recommendations for teacher education in the UAE that may also have resonance for teacher education programs in other contexts.     

阿联酋构建区域高等教育枢纽的路径与挑战

阿联酋通过发布国家创新战略以及制定科学、技术和创新政策等方式为区域高等教育枢纽的建设创造了良好的政策与制度环境.吸引国际分校、打造高等教育发展新引擎、构建知识与创新枢纽以及加大对教育的财政投入等举措成为阿联酋建设区域高等教育枢纽的重要路径.与此同时,阿联酋在建设区域高等教育枢纽的过程中,面临着从知识消费国转变为知识生产国、市场与利益驱动导致供大于需的无序发展、缺乏统一的质量保障机制、高等教育机构研究能力和投入不足等诸多挑战.     

新中国成立70周年高等教育国际化研究的可视化分析

高等教育国际化作为发展高等教育的重要内容,始终是研究者关注的重点。为厘清新中国成立以来高等教育国际化研究的发展状况,运用CiteSpace软件对CNKI数据库中1949—2019年相关文献进行可视化分析,发现70年来高等教育国际化研究产生了数量可观的研究者;研究机构以教育类机构为主,高校是主要阵地;研究热点关注人才培养、留学生、经济体制、中外合作等;研究热点大体经历了五个不同发展阶段,主要是从单向学习借鉴模式为主演变为双向互惠、均衡流动为主;但机构间和作者间的合作程度不高。新时代中国高等教育国际化发展应更加注重机构和人员之间的深度合作、更加聚焦国际化的内涵发展和质量提升、追求更高水平更可持续发展方向,为做强中国高等教育、服务国家现代化建设、提升中国国际影响力,更好助力服务人的全面发展、民族复兴、强国建设和文明互鉴、人类进步作出新贡献。     

Being highly internationalised strengthens your reputation: an empirical investigation of top higher education institutions

In an educational context characterised by globalisation, reputation constitutes a crucial issue for today’s higher education institutions. Internationalisation of higher education is often seen as a potential response to globalisation and, consequently, higher education has become increasingly internationalised during the past decade. In this paper, we investigate the relationship between internationalisation and reputation in top higher education institutions. Results reveal that internationalisation positively influences a university’s reputation but also moderates the relationship between the institution’s reputation and its institutional performance with regard to research quality, teaching quality and graduate employability.     

Higher education from massification to universal access: a perspective from Japan

Though Japan has established one the largest higher education systems in Asia much earlier than most of the other Asian countries and some European countries, including the UK, Germany and France, except for a very few Japanese books and articles, little research has been published in Japan on this topic. This article will address the research question: how did Japan’s higher education shift from massification, through to post-massification and, now, to near universal access? By examining the changes in the enrollment in Japan’s higher education based on quantitative analysis, the article will provide an example of how an Asian country had experienced different stages of the growth in enrollments in higher education. Moreover, it is also argued that the major findings from Japan’s case study are not necessarily consistent with the definition of the three-stage linear changes in higher education enrollment by Martin Trow.     

荷兰高等教育质量评估保障模式的改革与启示

荷兰高等教育管理及质量保障经过了持续完善的改革过程,政府建立认证制度并发挥重要引导作用,保证高校充分享有自治权,促使评估机构走向市场化,建立并完善日趋严格的评估制度,保证外部保障体系和内部保障体系相协调,政府、高校、市场和社会建立一种平等、互动、协商的治理制度。我国要全面提高高等教育质量,政府应保持＂掌舵者＂的角色,树立多样化质量观,兼顾对教学与研究的评估,注重高校的分类分层评估,培育独立性的评估中介机构,充分发挥高校自身的主体性。     

父母教育卷入对小学生学习成绩的影响:成长型思维的中介作用

本研究主要聚焦于小学生父母教育卷入的现状,探讨父母教育卷入与成长型思维对小学生学业成绩的影响,帮助父母更好地认识到思维培养的重要性以及家校的高效合作。文章以“父母教育卷入问卷”、“成长型思维量表”、学业成绩为研究工具,以四川成都地区的709名小学生为研究对象,得出以下结论:(1)从整体水平上看,除父亲智力卷入低于中等水平外,小学生高年级学生的父亲教育卷入总分、父亲行为管理、情感卷入、母亲教育卷入总分及其各维度、成长型思维总分及其各维度均处于中等偏上水平,母亲的教育卷入水平高于父亲。(2)父母教育卷入与成长型思维不存在显著差异,女生的学习成绩显著高于男生;高年级小学生父母教育卷入、成长型思维总分及其学业成绩显著高于低年级小学生;独生子女的母亲教育卷入总分及其各维度与学业成绩显著高于非独生子女:,(3)小学高年级学生父母教育卷入对学习成绩有预测作用,成长型思维在两者之间起部分中介作用。     

Finding the next ‘wave’ in internationalisation of higher education: focus on Malaysia

This article presents a case study of Malaysia’s inroad in internationalising its higher education system for the past three decades and proposes recommendations and the way forward in internationalisation. Internationalisation is one of the critical agenda in Malaysia’s higher education transformation with an end target of becoming an international hub of higher education excellence by 2020. The country is no stranger in internationalisation as efforts in student mobility, academic programmes and international collaboration have started since the 1980s and 1990s. As with other higher education systems globally, it was the private sector that initiated and sustained efforts in internationalisation of Malaysian higher education. With the growth in international student enrolment, the country has established itself as a student hub; however, greater focus and clarity in direction should be set forward in accelerating Malaysia’s progress in internationalisation, with research and development as a potential catalyst. The article also questions Malaysia’s current standing with regard to internationalisation and the need in facilitating higher education institutions to build their capacity in internationalisation, highlighting the important roles of individual institutions at both public and private sector that drive the country’s internationalisation agenda.     

我国网络教育质量管理范式研究

教育质量管理大致经历了质量控制、质量保障和全面质量管理三个阶段或三种范式的探索.借用这种一分为三的分析框架,本文采用全部调查与个案分析相结合的方式,调查国家教育部正式批准试点的高校网络教育学院的质量管理情况.研究发现,教育质量管理的每个阶段或每种范式在我国网络教育质量管理活动中都时有体现.我国网络教育质量管理的典型规定表明,注重毕业生“零缺陷”、重视学员的“顾客”地位、质量管理信息公开已是其显著特点.教育理论界宜针对问题加强研究,在促进网络教育建构质量文化的同时避免消费主义倾向.     

中美高校人才培养质量成本的分层比较——试论“后大众化”时代教育财政理念的变革原点

从"质量发生"的视角来看,与高校人才培养质量紧密相关的"教学支出"、"学生支出"、"教育科研支出"和"学术支持支出"四项成本,被界定为高校人才培养的质量成本。按照"合格质量"、"良好质量"和"一流质量"的人才培养质量基准,对中美近年来的高校人才培养质量成本分层比较发现:与美国高校人才培养质量成本的"层次鲜明"不同,我国高校在人才培养质量成本方面更多体现出"科研至上"、"物质为先"的发展倾向;"后大众化"时代的我国高等教育财政理念和实践需要从"物质"向"人本"的原点转变。     

教育对中国经济增长的影响效应——基于元回归分析方法的分析

基于60篇教育与中国经济增长实证研究中626个回归方程的元分析发现,教育对中国经济增长的作用估计受到不同研究特征的影响。尤其是,"显著效应"的实证结果受到估计方法、教育变量和经济增长变量的设定形式、教育变量的测量指标、样本起始年份、区域和控制变量选择等研究特征的显著影响。使用变量增长率形式、运用工具变量法、使用入学率和教育经费数据估计会降低显著性效应的概率;样本区域覆盖面越小、样本起始年份越早、使用受教育年限数据估计会增加显著性效应的概率。漏斗不对称检验显示样本文献存在显著的正向偏误,即回归结果越显著的研究越有可能被发表。因此,在分析教育对我国经济增长的作用时,必须考虑研究之间的异质性和可能存在的发表偏误。未来应重点关注的是,改进测量和估计方法,通过更严谨的研究设计精确识别教育对我国经济增长的因果效应;结合中国经济发展的阶段特征,分行业和部门讨论教育的作用,同时拓展非线性模型以考察教育的收益递增的外部效应;持续关注对教育质量的监测及其对经济增长的影响,为高质量教育体系的建设提供科学的理论支持。     

新中国70年民族高等教育发展:成就、问题与展望

新中国成立70年来,我国民族高等教育的规模迅速扩大,教育质量和水平显著提升。本研究在梳理民族高等教育发展历程及相关文献的基础上,将70年来民族高等教育的成就总结为五个方面:民族高等教育的人才培养成效显著、族际受教育水平差距逐渐缩小、学科建设取得重大进展、科研工作稳步推进以及保障机制逐步建立健全。与此同时,民族高等教育的发展中仍存在一些亟待解决的问题,集中表现为一流民族特色学科发展滞后、高层次人才难以满足民族地区发展需要、民族高校科研的前瞻性不足、服务国家"一带一路"倡议的能力亟须提升等。民族高校需以民族文化为根基,加快一流民族特色学科建设;以"两个服务"为原则,注重高层次人才培养与就业引导;以科研创新为导向,开展民族社会各领域的前瞻性研究;以复合型区域合作人才培养为依托,增强服务国家发展战略的能力。     

英国大学教学卓越框架(TEF)对国际学生流动的影响

英国高等教育一直以悠久的历史和优质的教育享誉全球。随着现代高等教育国际化和市场化程度不断加深,为了保持英国大学的国际竞争力和影响力,并进一步扩大英国高等教育优势,英国政府于2016年5月颁布了教学卓越框架(Teaching Excellence Framework),旨在改善英国高校教学质量,平衡教学与科研地位,改善学生就读体验,因此具有重大变革意义。同时,英国作为世界第二大教育输出国,其国际学生以庞大的基数成为英国高等教育中极具特殊性的参与群体,而教学卓越框架的颁布对其信息搜集、择校选择、权益保护和就读体验等方面产生了深远影响。     

从“数据崇拜”到“数据正义”:人工智能时代高等教育研究范式的旨趣转换

人工智能时代为高等教育研究带来本体论、认识论和方法论的变化,从而产生新的高等教育研究范式。该研究范式的旨趣从"数据崇拜"向"数据正义"转变。该研究范式的特征为:研究者的主体性与技术理性结合、计算思维和因果思维结合、研究效率与研究质量并重。该研究范式的价值体现为促进学科建设、解决高等教育实践问题和凝练高等教育思想。为了实现研究范式的旨趣转换,高等教育研究者需要具备范式旨趣转换意识、培养学科情感、研究方法训练、高等基本理论的修养。     

The ‘yes … but’ dilemma: implementing inclusive education in Emirati primary schools

The Ministry of Education (MOE) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) launched the ‘School for All’ inclusive education initiative in 2010. This article investigates the implementation of this initiative in three primary schools from stakeholders’ perspectives. Using a multiple case study approach, data were collected over a full school year from interviews, observations and documents. Findings revealed uneven progress in five areas: staff training and development, school structures, support services, assistive technology and community awareness. The study identified improved access to mainstream classrooms and growing awareness among stakeholders as emerging good practice. However, serious challenges remain regarding teacher training, exclusionary practices, the lack of specialised support services and misguided policies. This study contributes to the evidence‐based research on inclusion in the UAE with some emphasis on Islamic principles, cultural beliefs and the requirements of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability in promoting every child's right to an education.