Motivations and influences in Chinese international doctoral students’ decision for STEM study abroad

Despite China’s recent remarkable performance in high-quality research, the number of students going abroad to pursue doctoral degrees in STEM fields has been rising rapidly. This study investigates the motivations of Chinese international doctoral students (CIDS) in STEM fields for undertaking a PhD abroad, and the external factors influencing this major life decision. Based on in-depth interviews with 35 CIDS from seven universities in four Australian states, the findings show that for the current generation, enriching life experiences and self-cultivation emerged as most prominent personal motivations. The choice to study abroad, though ultimately a personal decision, was influenced by a range of factors and particularly long-term cooperation between host and home institutions. Both academic and personal reputation of supervisors played important roles in the selection of host institutions. This study may be of value to supervisors and higher education policy-makers, at institutional and government levels in all countries, whether “home” or “host”, invested in sustainable international doctoral education.     

Degrees of value: comparing the contextual complexities of UK transnational education in Malaysia and Hong Kong

This paper reveals the complex diversity that underpins ostensibly similar transnational education programmes (TNE), through a comparison of UK TNE in Malaysia and Hong Kong. It draws on data from two different yet cognate studies on the role of UK universities in delivering higher education in Asia. Some fine-grained and informative differences between the ways in which ‘value’ in TNE is constructed in different host contexts is revealed. The paper brings to light the ‘voices’ of TNE students and graduates, which are very seldom heard. The arguments adapt and extend the concepts of education as a positional good, and as cultural capital. For various instrumental, intrinsic and personal reasons the authors discuss in detail, UK TNE is more highly valued in Malaysia than in Hong Kong. The paper makes a wider contribution to knowledge on the changing landscape of international higher education and the impact on social and personal (dis)advantage.     

Stakeholder participation in international higher education partnerships: results of a survey of two sub-Saharan African universities

In the last few years, foreign institutions have increasingly sought to establish partnerships with African universities. Likewise, African universities have increasingly sought to establish linkages with foreign institutions. Different factors suggest that these partnerships will continue to be a major focus in the future. This study draws from a survey of a random sample of 468 university administrators, academic staff and postgraduate students at two major public universities in Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It estimates the level of participation in international partnership activities and examines factors related to this participation. The study found that 4 in 10 stakeholders at the two institutions had participated in partnership activities, and that participation was a function of awareness of partnership opportunities, the use of technology and stakeholder status.     

Managing International Branch Campuses: What Do We Know?

Over the last decade, the growth of the international branch campus (IBC) has been one of the most striking developments in the internationalisation of higher education. There are now over 200 IBCs across the world, mostly in the Middle East and East and South‐east Asia. Despite the growing numbers of IBCs and the considerable financial and reputational risk they pose to their home universities, relatively little is known about the challenges of managing these foreign outposts. This paper reviews the growing, but still fragmented, literature in this increasingly important sector of higher education. It finds that managers of IBCs are faced with a range of challenges, which primarily stem from dealing with key stakeholder groups: students, staff, home and host country quality regulators, the home university and the host government, as well as the IBC's local joint venture partners. It concludes that further work is required to better understand the factors which influence and constrain IBC managers in balancing the competing interests of stakeholders.     

Using Institutional Selection Factors to Develop Recruiting Profiles: Marketing Small,Private Colleges and Universities to Prospective Student Athletes

This paper discusses two important concepts—internationalization and the international marketing of higher education—and how they influence international students' choice of Canadian universities. The paper is based on two studies: one on 140 East Asian international graduate students who enrolled at two large Ontario universities in the academic year 2003–2004, and the other on 95 international undergraduate students who enrolled at an Ontario university in academic year 2005–2006. The research findings show that market segmentation determines the applicability of internationalization and/or marketing of higher education. Activities related to the internationalization of education play a critical role in influencing the research-oriented students' choice of a Canadian graduate school. Marketing activities have a direct impact on graduate students' choice in professional programs. “Twinning” or “incountry” programs—a blend of internationalization and international marketing approach—have a strong influence on undergraduate students' choice to come to Canada.     

在职工程硕士教育质量管理中利益相关者治理机制探析

作为利益相关者组织的大学——在职工程硕士教育系统是一个集知识传授、科学研究和人才培养等诸多组织活动的联合,是一个包括政府、大学、生源单位和学生等利益相关者的"共同体"。在职工程硕士教育质量的利益相关者分为外部利益相关者和内部利益相关者。外部利益相关者包括政府管理部门、生源单位和社会各界等;内部利益相关者包括大学管理层、教职员工和工程硕士学员等。不同利益相关者对教育质量保障的期望、价值和利益诉求不尽相同。为了实现利益相关者整体利益的最大化,确保在职工程硕士教育质量,需要在工程硕士教育质量保障方面,权衡利益相关者的利益,建立利益相关者共同参与的治理机制。     

Transnational higher education for capacity development? An analysis of British degree programmes in Hong Kong

Drawing upon a project on British transnational education (TNE) programmes offered in Hong Kong, this paper interrogates the capacity development impact of TNE on the students, the Hong Kong Government and the programme providers. It addresses the questions: ‘What capacity is being developed in TNE operations?’ and ‘For whom?’ Our findings reveal multiple capacities at play. As TNE has been traded between British and Hong Kong universities and facilitated by the Hong Kong Government's laissez-faire doctrine, as a commodity in the neoliberal trade-in-education regime, students' interests are often sidelined. This paper calls for a critical reflection on this TNE model.     

我国大学教学之弹性研究

近20多年来我国大学对以往长期实行的刚性教学模式进行了多方面的改革，试图以此增加教学之弹性。本文通过对有代表性的四所大学教学计划中课内学时和课程结构变化情况的调查分析，发现大学教学之弹性的发展曾经出现阶段性反复，但总的趋势是弹性在增大；教学之弹性在各大学课程结构上表现各异，显示出强烈的大学自主性；大学教学之弹性在实践中还存在诸多障碍，有限的弹性并没有能够完全发挥作用。要增加大学教育教学的弹性，必须进一步转变教育观念，改革一些陈旧的做法，调整政府相关教育政策，营造充满弹性和无穷发展可能的大学教育教学模式。     

利益相关者视角下民办高校监管体系的构建

民办高校是一种典型的利益相关者组织,民办高校举办者、学生及其家长、教职工、政府和公众等,都是民办高校健康发展中关系密切的利益相关者。基此,在完善学校法人治理结构上,民办高校应立足于利益相关者治理,构建利益相关者参与的监督体系,以维护利益相关者的利益、保障高等教育的公益性与公共性。但在现实办学实践中,我国民办高校内外监督制约机制普遍缺失,利益相关者难以起到监督作用。我国民办高校事实上陷入"家族化"经营治理,从而极大制约着民办高校的持续健康发展。当前,民办高校应着力建立健全以监事会为重点的内部利益相关者监督机制和以政府监管为主体的外部利益者监督机制,以此完善学校治理结构,纠正民办高等教育市场失灵,进而实现民办高校持续健康发展。     

Book review

This paper reports an evaluation of an innovative university–school partnership in which teacher practitioners work as university lecturers in a regional Australian pre‐service teacher education programme. The philosophy of this programme encompasses authentic partnerships between universities, schools and other industry employers. The study was motivated by an interest inunderstanding the experiences and outcomes for the teacher practitioners and in documenting their experiences. Staff members who are currently on contract as university lecturers as well as teachers who have completed secondments and returned to school settings are surveyed. This paper focuses on suggestions to improve the partnership and discusses future directions for the partnership.     

A Market/Value Based Approach to Satisfy Stakeholders of Higher Education

ABSTRACT

What value does the university offer in terms of economic and social development? Having stakeholders question the contribution and value of colleges and universities is not new nor is it unique to American universities. Institutions of higher education are currently facing a crisis of confidence by parents, prospective students, alumni, congressional committees, and the media. Many stakeholders are concerned about the value provided by colleges and universities. Although there has been an effort to call attention to the issue and to examine select educational processes, there is a dire need to address all aspects of the university product. This article provides a market-based paradigm to help university/college administrators understand the critical aspects of identifying, defining, managing, and delivering superior value to all stakeholders of the institution. This article also provides a university planning process model for incorporating value in the strategic planning process of any university. Faced with increasing pressure to reduce the churn rate of students and increase retention, universities' focus must shift toward attracting students who fit with the value proposition (delivery) of the institution. This article is not an attempt at resolving the debate over the role or purpose of the university; our intent is to present a market-based approach to facilitate the delivery of value to all university stakeholders in keeping with the vision and mission of the institution.     

Student voice and engagement: connecting through partnership

This paper draws on research conducted across an English higher education partnership to investigate the ways in which student voice was engaged in further education colleges offering university awards through partnership arrangements. Such collaborations are characterised by the marginal presence of higher education students in an environment that is dominated by further education structures, culture and practice. This provides challenges for both colleges and universities in developing higher education student identity and appropriate mechanisms of student engagement that comply with expectations within the higher education sector but also recognise the contextual situation of students within the college environment. It is argued that student partnership collaboration can be a positive driver in an increasingly marketised global environment, where student voice and feedback mechanisms are at the forefront of quality assessments and institutional reputation. An ideal types framework is suggested as a heuristic device for the evaluation of college strategies of engagement.     

公助民办：高等教育举办体制的理性选择

一种合理的高等教育举办机制只存在于一种合理的政府、高校与社会之间的关系之中.政府与高校、政府与社会之间都应是一种横向互动关系,而非纵向控制关系,而高等教育与社会之间则存在着更加直接和密切的相生相赖关系,高等教育应奠基于社会,而不是政府.公助民办是高等教育举办体制的应然选择.“公助”恰当地反映了政府与高校之间的关系,“民办”则合理地顺应了高校与社会之间的关系.“公助民办”既符合高等教育自治的内在逻辑和规律,也是促进高等教育繁荣发展的体制机制保证.我国高等教育要从单一的政府主导体制走向公助民办的多元化体制,就必须大力培育和发展教育中介组织、循序推进部分公立高校转制和大力提倡和推行教育家办学.     

The need for context-sensitive measures of educational quality in transnational higher education

This paper argues that the current approach to educational quality formation in transnational higher education promotes educational imperialism, and that guidelines and practices should be altered to embrace context-sensitive measures of quality. The claims are sustained by findings from a study that investigated how academics understood and pursued educational quality in an Australian university programme delivered in partnership with a Chinese university in China. A key finding was that a home programme functioned as the single reference point for quality in the programme delivered in China. Quality in the China programme was sought through the imposition of practices and philosophies associated with the home programme, which required the suppression of local educational traditions. The paper points out that reliance on a home programme as the single measure of quality is encouraged by governing UNESCO/OECD guidelines on quality in cross-border provision.     

Understandings of the higher education curriculum in Vietnam

The Vietnamese higher education context is characterised by state control, including the state's development of curriculum frameworks and materials. Institutional autonomy has been ratified by the government; however in practice, universities seem to have little control over curriculum. In order for universities to develop more ownership of curriculum, it is necessary to explore the foundational understandings of curriculum held by stakeholders. Thus, this paper explores the understandings of curriculum expressed by a group of senior staff, academics and students at a Vietnamese university. We found a diversity of understandings that tended to be product focused, teacher focused and textbook driven. We propose that our findings can be used as a starting point for developing more innovative and student-focused understandings of curriculum.     

Third-Generation Partnerships for P-16 Pipelines and Cradle-Through-Career Education Systems

Amid unprecedented novelty, complexity, turbulence, and conflict, it is apparent that a new education system is needed. Focused on a new outcome—postsecondary education completion with advanced competence—heretofore separate systems for early childhood, K-12 schools, and postsecondary education are being joined in P-16 pipelines and Cradle-Through-Career Education Systems. Both are new institutional designs, and they necessitate specially designed partnership systems. In contrast to voluntary, service-oriented partnerships and two previous generations of partnerships, third-generation, collaborative partnerships involve the private sector, and, with state leaders as key stakeholders, prioritize policy change. These third-generation partnerships are essential to the core missions and functions of colleges and universities, and postsecondary education is itself a target for new institutional designs. All such partnerships can be designed, implemented, evaluated, and continuously improved in relation to a new criterion: fit for purpose, in this context, and at this time.     

高校对口支援中教育资源优化配置的理念研究

西部高校对口支援工作中最核心的工作是教育资源的支援与优化配置。如何对受援高等学校公平、透明、有效配置教育资源一直是我国教育行政管理部门在西部高校对口支援工作中希望研究解决的问题。教育资源配置理念决定了教育资源配置的效果。基于教育部陈希副部长对今后对口支援工作提出的“四个显著提升”战略,使政府、支援学校和受援学校3个主体有效互动,研究提出了“政府主导,资源共享,绩效优先,验收后补”的政府对高校对口支援教育资源优化配置的理念,以及“强化领导,培育特色,提高质量,形成机制”的受援高校内部对对口支援教育资源的优化配置理念。     

国民政府初期对高等教育的整顿(1927-1937年)

国民政府成立之初,全国高等教育正处在所谓"大学热"时期。为改变高等学校"数量增加,质量低下"的状况,国民政府对高等教育进行了整顿。其中取消单科大学、限制滥设大学,加强对私立院校以及教会学校的控制与管理是整顿的重点。为此出台了一系列的法规政策,目的是全面加强政府对高等教育的控制以"限制数量、提升质量"。规范和控制相结合是国民政府初期整顿高等教育政策的主要特征。此次整顿还呈现以下特点:第一,整理方式以"裁、并、改、停"为主;第二,整顿内容始终围绕限制大学滥设、加强对私立院校的控制和管理展开;第三,政府整顿高等教育的法规和政策具有一定的灵活性。通过这次整顿,改变了20世纪20年代以来高等教育发展中的无序状况,在一定程度上提高了高等教育的整体水平。当然,在这一过程中也确立和加强了国民党在全国高等院校中的渗透和影响。     

The impact of ‘bursary tourism’ or the desire for a ‘fulfilling,challenging, and emotionally rewarding career’? Career entry motivations and perceptions of preservice teachers from England

Why teachers choose their career has been a popular topic of research in many contexts since the introduction of the FIT-Choice framework by Watt and Richardson in 2007 to study teacher motivations. Although altruistic motivations have been identified as the common driving factor behind preservice teachers' (PSTs') decision to enter the field, there are other motivational factors—such as teaching being a career that fits well with family commitments, or choosing teacher education as a ‘fallback’ option—that are widely reported in different contexts. The introduction of incentives for student teachers in certain subjects has been subject to media criticism in England as promoting ‘bursary tourism’. This study investigates the career entry motivations and teaching perceptions of PSTs from a university that is one of the key teacher education providers in the country, using the FIT-Choice framework. The paper discusses the findings (N = 115), including validation of the FIT-Choice scale, collecting data on 12 motivations and six perceptions, along with preliminary findings. It was identified that intrinsic career values were the highest rated motivation, followed by altruistic values such as the desire to make a social contribution and being a part of shaping the future of children and adolescents. Perceived abilities were also rated higher, while personal utility values and task returns— including monetary rewards—were rated very low. While the participants agreed that the job is professionally and emotionally demanding, it was promising to note that they were highly satisfied with their career choice, implicitly indicating their intention to continue in the teaching profession. Gender differences, along with field of study and training pathway differences in motivations and teaching perceptions are also discussed, with practical implications.     

Investigating higher Education Students’ Professional Socialisation: a revised framework

Research on professional socialisation in higher education has been conducted in nursing, pharmacy, teaching and law, but there is a lack of studies on professional socialisation in tourism and hospitality education. This paper contributes to the body of knowledge by revising the professional socialisation framework ‘Conceptualising Graduate and Professional Student Socialisation’ through the findings of a broader study on the professional socialisation of Chinese international students enrolled in tourism and hospitality degrees at a particular Australian university. The study examined diverse stakeholders’ perceptions of attributes needed by Chinese graduates with Australian university qualifications in tourism and hospitality management entering the Chinese hotel industry. The revised framework, ‘Higher Education Students’ Professional Socialisation Framework’, suggests different processes for enhancing the socialisation and career development of Chinese international students with an Australian tourism and hospitality management degree through work-integrated learning; language learning and communication; teamwork and mentoring; and interactions among different stakeholders. Furthermore, workplace socialisation emphasises mentoring and recognises different approaches to career development. Finally, the revised framework explains how the different stakeholders impact on the professional socialisation of students and graduates. The revised framework, which has a cross-cultural dimension, is generic and can be applied to other fields of study and to both international and domestic students in higher education.