透视美国研究型大学本科教学与科研关系的迷局

To Understand the Puzzle of the Relationship between Undergraduate Teaching and Research in American Research Universities

20世纪八九十年代以来,为应对社会批评,美国研究型大学开启了重建本科教育的运动,以平衡本科教学与科研关系。但这场改革的结果却是一场迷局。有些证据显示,美国研究型大学的本科教育得到极大关注,教学质量有很大改善;而也有证据显示,美国研究型大学本科教学与科研的失衡状况依旧,甚至更为突出。新制度主义可以给这一迷局提供一种答案,即美国研究型大学为了合法存在,设立了一些改革本科教育,提升教学质量的正式制度,同时又采取大量使用兼职教师和研究生助教,虚化教学学术,实施新进步主义教学等非正式策略,虚置了正式制度。由此,美国研究型大学就用正式制度向社会展示了重视本科教学的形象,又通过非正式策略,依然重视科研。

In response to social criticism, the American research university opened the reconstruction of undergraduate education to balance the relationship between undergraduate teaching and research since the 1980s and the 1990s. But the result was a puzzle. Some evidence suggested that the situation had improved, but other suggested that imbalance of undergraduate teaching and research had been even more serious. New institutionalism could provide an answer to the puzzle. In order to exist legally, the American research university set up some formal systems to improve the undergraduate teaching, but at the same time took a lot of informal strategies, such as more employment of part-time teachers and graduate assistants, along with new progressive teaching. In this way, the American research university with formal system showed the society the image of paying great attention to undergraduate teaching, and still attaching great importance to research at the same time through informal strategy.