A corpus-based discourse analysis of the vision and mission statements of universities in Turkey

This article presents findings from a corpus-assisted discourse analysis of mission and vision statements of 105 state and 66 private/foundation universities in Turkey. The paper combines a corpus-based approach with critical discourse analysis to interpret the data in relation to its institutional as well as socio-political context. It argues that the mission and vision statements are marked by a need for reassuring their legitimacy and the demands of a growing tertiary market. The historical and cultural backgrounds of the development of universities in Turkey, as well as political and economic conditions, are also decisive in the shaping of mission and vision statement of universities.     

Establishing research universities in Ukrainian higher education: the incomplete journey of a structural reform

The idea of the research university as a key institution for social and economic development in knowledge-intensive societies has been adopted by the Ukrainian government after the fall of the communist regime. Establishing research universities is a long journey during which many things might happen. To understand this journey better in the case of Ukrainian research universities, we applied an analytical framework derived from the concept of travel and translation of ideas. This concept analyses reform through three types of editing rules: the rules of context, logic and formulation. These editing rules have guided our analysis of data gathered from policy documents complemented by face-to-face interviews. We conclude that the idea as introduced came to little, as the turbulent political context precluded long-term planning and universities were faced with conflicting policies.     

社会公正与大学角色

Social justice is not only a vital ethical principle of the human society but also the all-important value of the entire social system. As a public sphere, the university undertakes the purpose to achieve public interest. It plays a significant role in reflecting, defending, and fostering social justice. Nurturing people with social justice awareness is a key mission of the university; it communicates and advocates the ideas of social justice, which helps to foster social justice consciousness of the public; and, for its own part, it must strive to embody and defend procedural justice. __________ Translated from Gaodeng Jiaoyu Yanjiu 高等教育研究 (Journal of Higher Education), 2007, 28(1): 13–19, revised by Zha Qiang, Faculty of Education, York University     

The identity of SENCos: insights through images

Stimulated by special educational needs co-ordinators' (SENCos) reactions to a published image, the researchers used photovoice methodology to explore SENCos' images of themselves in relation to the perceptions of three groups of their colleagues: senior management team, teachers and teaching assistants. The analysis of the images involved the application of Activity Theory, which has the capacity to illuminate and explore the social context.
The results demonstrate the complexity of the role of the SENCo and the need to negotiate different perceptions. The authors argue the case for policies and procedure to fully take into account these differences. The adoption of this methodology helped to provide a deeper understanding of these issues.     

The mediation of teaching and learning processes through identity artefacts. A Vygotskian perspective

The aim of this paper is to address the teaching and learning processes in schools from a Vygotskian perspective based on the notion of identity artefacts (IAs) which, for our purposes, consist of documents created by the learners about themselves, in which they try to capture all the things that make sense and are meaningful to them and which, subsequently, can be used by teachers to work on curricular and pedagogical content. We conceptualise the notion of the identity artefact from the broader notions of mediation and cultural artefacts. We also provide a critical analysis of some examples of IAs.     

"大学内治"与校长治校

大学内治即大学内部管理,由于大学样长居于管理的最高权力地位,因此,大学的管理如何又取决于其校长如何管理,在对学校的内部管理中,“治什么”和“怎么治”是与校长治校理念密切相关的两个问题。     

A review of the role of national policy and institutional mission in European distance teaching universities with respect to widening participation in higher education study through open educational resources

The open educational resources (OER) movement is relatively new with few higher education institutions (HEIs) publishing or using them, and even fewer using them to widen engagement or participation in HE study. Although distance teaching universities have been in the vanguard of widening opportunities for HE study, they vary in how far they are doing so. Some use this informal learning through studying OER as a bridge to formal learning; others see it as an end in itself, often as part of a wider set of lifelong learning activities. Initial experiences of some European distance teaching universities indicate that OER are fine for confident and experienced learners but most people will require other support mechanisms to achieve participation. More effort may be needed to design and present OER in ways that are suited to the learners to support their learning, including developing new ways to recognize achievements through open study.     

Professional identity creation: Examining the development of beginning preservice teachers' understanding of their work as teachers

The importance of reflection in supporting the continued professional learning of preservice practitioners is well recognised. This study examines one aspect of the outcomes of preservice teachers' reflection: the development of their own self-image as a teacher. In making the transition from student to teacher, preservice teachers create their own professional identity. Their ability to articulate this identity is examined through a new construct, a “teachers' voice”. A teachers' voice, develops when preservice teachers interpret and reinterpret their experiences through the processes of reflection. A teachers' voice is articulated as part of the persons' self-image. The construct, a teachers' voice, was investigated by examining changes in preservice teachers' contributions in an online discussion forum. Two complementary approaches of content analysis were applied. Both methods revealed changes in preservice teachers' levels of engagement and showed that in the first semester of preservice teacher education, the majority of preservice teachers moved towards a more professional stance in their contributions.     

The impact of role conflict,role ambiguity and organizational climate on the job satisfaction of academic staff in research-intensive universities in the UK

This study focuses on academics in research-intensive universities in the UK and explores their perceptions of organizational climate, role conflict, role ambiguity and job satisfaction. The findings suggest that the universities have multiple organizational climates. Three organizational climate types – the Clan, the Hierarchy and the Adhocracy – were associated with lower levels of role stress. However, the Market climate was associated with higher levels of role conflict. Only the Clan-type climate was directly related to high levels of job satisfaction. It appears that despite the changes in the styles of management in universities, the collegial/Clan climate is still a very important contributor to the satisfaction of academic staff.     

我国民办高校专业设置的现状、问题及对策

我国民办高校的专业设置具有市场性强、偏好热门专业等特点;存在的问题主要有专业设置缺乏科学论证,带有一定的盲目性,过于雷同等。对此,可采取扩大其专业设置自主权,优化专业结构,构建多样化的以人为本的专业培养模式等对策。     

The reformulation of national identity in the new Taiwanese citizenship curriculum through the lens of curriculum reformers

The national curriculum reformers, regarded as members of the social elites and intellectuals, projected their vision of identity onto the curriculum which they constructed and influenced the next generation’s national consciousness. In the tangled relationship between politics and education, the selection of the reformers in a sense dictates the direction of the new curriculum. This article interviewed 18 reformers, members of the latest citizenship curriculum of 2010, to investigate their individual views on identities and the monolithically-promoted Chinese configuration in the old curriculum. Although the new citizenship curriculum, renamed Curriculum Guidelines for Civics and Society, puts nothing in writing in favour of either a Chinese or Taiwanese national identity, according to the discovery in this research, the Curriculum Committee implicitly embedded a transformed inclusive and hyphenated Taiwanese national identity in the new curriculum in the hope of accentuating Taiwan’s exclusive sovereignty. The inner thinking of the reformers is uncovered to reveal their reasoning that a broadly constructed national identity can concurrently accommodate diverse personal identities and suits the society better than the previously prescribed Chinese identity. This article also records the evolution of the curriculum from the previous China-centred narratives to Taiwan-centred narratives, something that happened in line with the changes in Taiwanese society.     

高校教师立德树人的困境根源、认识澄清与实践进路

落实立德树人根本任务是高校教师的重要职责与使命。高校教师对自身身份认知的偏差成为其立德树人的困境根源。破解高校教师立德树人困境,高校教师既要正确认识自身身份公务性与专业性并存的特点,也要正确理解立德树人的内在价值和外在价值。推进高校教师立德树人可以从促进立德树人内在价值与外在价值相融合,构筑提高高校教师立德树人认知的法治基础,构建高校教师立德树人协调机制,推动教师培育体系进一步完善等方面着手。     

The impact of a teacher education culture-based project on identity as a mathematically thinking teacher

Identity as a mathematics teacher is enhanced when a teacher explores the cultural setting of their mathematics. The reports of projects that link culture and mathematics were analysed to explore the impact of sociocultural situations together with affective and cognitive aspects of self-regulation on identity. The reports were written by pre-service and in-service, mainly secondary, teachers at the University of Goroka, Papua New Guinea. While all 239 reports were read and considered in terms of the thesis of this article, 60 (25%) were analysed in detail developing the argument. The results indicate the strengths of such projects to take account of cultural knowledge when colonised education systems are further modified through reforms that emphasise culture. The significance for teacher education is the role that an activity which links culture and school mathematics plays in building values and identities.     

The formation of the South Korean identity through national curriculum in the South Korean historical context: Conflicts and challenges

This study explores how the South Korean identity has been formed and transformed by examining the Korean national curriculum in its historical context. The study first examines how the Korean identity, previously formed by traditional ethnic values, has been transformed during the period of national modernization. It then describes the efforts to form a Korean identity through national curriculum reform amid globalization, a phenomenon that has rapidly progressed in Korea since the 1990s. It also discusses the conflicts within and challenges to Korean identity in the Korean curriculum reform process.     

Moving towards professionalism: The strategic management of international education activities at Australian universities and their Faculties of Business

Universities around the world are increasingly focusing on entrepreneurial activities (Slaughter and Lesley 1997; Clark 1998). In Australia, the growth of international entrepreneurial activities has resulted in the creation of a significant export-oriented sector. These activities include the recruitment of international students to Australian campuses, the development of Australian university campuses in offshore locations, and the delivery of Australian degree programs at both onshore and offshore locations in partnership with universities, professional associations and private corporations. In 2000, Australian universities received A$770 million from international student fees (Maslen 2000a, p. 10). Australian universities currently receive on average around eight percent of revenues from these sources, with some depending on international entrepreneurialism for as much as one-third of revenues (DETYA 1998a). Managing these activities in an efficient, effective and sustainable manner has thus become critically important to virtually every institution in the Australian higher education sector. As is the case when businesses become international, universities are faced with the need to manage the complexities, risks and challenges associated with international operations. To date, little empirical work has been undertaken which explores and examines how Australian universities are managing their international entrepreneurial business operations. The aim of this study is thus to respond to this research gap by exploring how Australian universities, particularly in terms of their Faculties of Business, organise and manage international entrepreneurial activities. The research examines management approaches, practices and processes at five Australian universities. A Strategic Advantage Model of Internationalisation is presented representing a theoretical and conceptual synthesis of the findings.     

The performance of academic identity as pedagogical model and guide in/through lecture discourse

The study described in this article sets out to understand the barriers and affordances to successful completion of the short research thesis required in many advanced undergraduate courses or Honours programmes. In the study, the genre features of students' research projects and the criteria used to assess them were analysed and both students and supervisors were interviewed. The article focuses on one particular student from the case study and the findings provide in-depth insights into the complexities of genre acquisition in one particular department at a South African university, where writing and knowledge of the genre are often not taught, but must be acquired through a form of apprenticeship. The article concludes by raising some questions about how research genres can best be mediated in developmental contexts, where the teaching of writing may not be valued.     

What hinders teachers from translating their beliefs into teaching behaviors: The case of teaching generic skills in Vietnamese universities

This article re-visits the relationship between teacher beliefs and teaching behaviours and analyses factors influencing the translation of teacher beliefs into teaching behaviours using the case of developing generic skills for university students. Through interviews with 16 teachers of skills subjects and 25 teachers of specialised subjects of the Business Administration programs in six different Vietnamese universities, it was shown that there was an indirect relationship between teacher beliefs and their teaching behaviours. The analysis showed that institutional leadership and teachers' personal motivation could strongly influence the translation of their beliefs into actual teaching behaviours.     

贵州省新升本院校二外日语教育对策研究

贵州省新升本院校的生源、地域和教学条件等方面和老牌本科院校差距较大,所以在研究二外日语教育改革的时候,有必要在新升本院校这一特定环境下来研究。本文以贵州省新升本院校为背景,把因材施教理论和罗杰斯的人本主义教育理论相结合,提出了分班教学和教师角色转换这两个改革方向。     

统筹城乡发展中高校职能引导农民观念转变的途径

实现农民思想观念的转变是建设社会主义新农村的关键。改革开放以来,我国农民的思想观念有了很大进步,但长期的小农经济思想在农村仍有残余,与统筹城乡科学发展大局不和谐。高校应当充分发挥自身职能帮助农民改变落后观念,树立适应现代新农村建设的新观念,为新农村建设提供动力支持和思想保障,     

The role of English language and international media as agents of cultural globalisation and their impact on identity formation in Kuwait

This study examines the influence of English language usage and international media on the strength of either national or global identity. The regression analysis of 354 responses reveals that individuals who studied at universities that use English as a medium of instruction show significant differences in the extent to which they embrace a global identity. Viewing local (Kuwaiti) television programmes and the use of the Internet predict national identity. This study discusses the social entities that are important factors in mitigating the influence of globalisation on national identity. It concludes that the argument that globalisation and Westernisation are two faces of the same coin is overstated.