A Historical Review of the Development of Women’s Higher Education in China (1908-2020): Stages, Explanations, and Trends

The development of women’s higher education in China can be divided into four stages:emergence(1908-1948);foundation(1949-1976);accelerating development(1977-2008);and the qualitative leap(2009-2020).This work considers the principal institutional mechanisms that contributed to this development.First,flexibly planned parenthood gradually promoted gender equality and openness in society facilitated by systematic“awards,grants,and loans”initiatives to support women’s higher education economically.Second,compulsory education ensured that left-out and migrant children had access to higher education.Third,effective connectivity across different education types bridged education gaps between those with different levels of education.Fourth,China made great efforts to invite and integrate international experiences that promoted the development of women’s higher education.Looking beyond these achievements,we also discuss the future trends of women’s higher education in China.

Returnees and Diaspora as Source of Innovation in Chinese Higher Education

This paper highlights how returnees and knowledge diaspora are important sources for China’s human resources development,identifying push and pull factors that also contribute significantly to innovation in the higher education sector.By outlining China’s key projects and schemes for recruiting international professional workers,the paper argues that bringing advanced knowledge and skills back to a country of origin through international education and experiences is neither new,nor limited to China.At the same time,the rise of a large,worldwide Chinese knowledge diaspora is now of global importance in promoting transnational scientific and business networks that underpin both research and development,and the quest for world-class universities.China’s size and weight,its determination to boost development and improve its higher education system,as well as the willingness of both diaspora and returnees to contribute,constitute its advantages.However,there remain limitations to its success,notably a lack of high-quality research,reservations regarding new ideas,low awareness of international collaborations,too much attention given to material rewards and quick results,corruption,and too many administrative controls and government regulations.

Rethinking the World Bank Agenda for Chinese Higher Education Reform

This article explores the way in which the World Bank has worked effectively with China in higher education.It investigates whether or not the cooperation between the two has changed in line with their changing relationship.More specifically,it discusses whether the World Bank’s China agenda reflects the reform package of socio-institutional neoliberalism which the World Bank has tended to promote worldwide in the era of the Post-Washington Consensus,and how China’s higher education reform has been influenced by the agenda.The article argues that as China is transferring its role from that of a recipient country to that of a donor country,it is increasingly important to position itself as a global player.Other than mastering the game rules of the international community,China should also expand its influence within and through these major international organizations.

Minority Language Issues in Chinese Higher Education:Policy Reforms and Practice among the Korean and Mongol Ethnic Groups

The purpose of this study is to compare Korean and Mongol minorities in the People’s Republic of China in terms of their native language preservation and educational experiences at the higher education level,and to investigate differences and similarities between Korean and Mongol minorities’language issues.Content area experts on Chinese minority education from China,South Korea,and the United States were interviewed for this study.Findings include suggestions for helping to formulate government educational policies regarding issues related to language in Chinese minority education at the higher education level.This information is helpful to better understand and educate others in school and home settings where Chinese ethnic minority students reside.The advancement of Chinese minority education knowledge related to higher education will significantly strengthen and empower individuals,families,and communities throughout the People’s Republic of China.

The Influence of Social Media on College Choice among Undergraduates Majoring in Big Data Management and Application in China:Taking Guilin University of Electronic Technology as an Example

This study aims to investigate the influence of social media on college choice among undergraduates majoring in Big Data Management and Application in China.The study attempts to reveal how information on social media platforms such as Weibo,WeChat,and Zhihu influences the cognition and choice process of prospective students.By employing an online quantitative survey questionnaire,data were collected from the 2022 and 2023 classes of new students majoring in Big Data Management and Application at Guilin University of Electronic Technology.The aim was to evaluate the role of social media in their college choice process and understand the features and information that most attract prospective students.Social media has become a key factor influencing the college choice decision-making of undergraduates majoring in Big Data Management and Application in China.Students tend to obtain school information through social media platforms and use this information as an important reference in their decision-making process.Higher education institutions should strengthen their social media information dissemination,providing accurate,timely,and attractive information.It is also necessary to ensure effective management of social media platforms,maintain a positive reputation for the school on social media,and increase the interest and trust of prospective students.Simultaneously,educational decision-makers should consider incorporating social media analysis into their recruitment strategies to better attract new student enrollment.This study provides a new perspective for understanding higher education choice behavior in the digital age,particularly by revealing the importance of social media in the educational decision-making process.This has important practical and theoretical implications for higher education institutions,policymakers,and social media platform operators.

Chinese Vocational Students' Motivational Factors Pertaining to Gender within College English Curricula: a Study within a Southwestern Chinese Context

Predominant research within Chinese academic contexts focusing on students’ L2 motivational factors remain rooted inlarge-scale research that does not draw a distinction between students from different regional groups within Chinese higher educa-tion. This research seeks to focus specifically on a less-studied group within the Chinese College English curriculum: vocationalstudents—especially vocational students studying within an educational institution in the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing.This small-scale survey(n = 129) was conducted in College English classes to determine if the motivational factors of vocationalstudents remained aligned or distinct from those of their peers across Chinese higher education. Subsequent analysis from the sur-vey findings have shown that while gender differences remain manifested and are aligned with established trends and assumptionspertaining to L2 motivational factors within this context, more research is required to delve into the reasons and rationale behindthe choices made by vocational students in southwestern China within this particular survey instrument.

Measuring Scientific Productivity in China Using Malmquist Productivity Index

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the scientific productivity of China's science system. Design/methodology/approach: This paper employs the Malmquist productivity index(MPI) based on Data Envelopment Analysis(DEA).Findings: The results reveal that the overall efficiency of Chinese universities increased significantly from 2009 to 2016, which is mainly driven by technological progress. From the perspective of the functions of higher education, research and transfer activities perform better than the teaching activities.Research limitations: As an implication, the indicator selection mechanism, investigation period and the MPI model can be further extended in the future research.Practical implications: The results indicate that Chinese education administrative departments should take actions to guide and promote the teaching activities and formulate reasonable resource allocation regulations to reach the balanced development in Chinese universities.Originality/value: This paper selects 58 Chinese universities and conducts a quantified measurement during the period 2009–2016. Three main functional activities of universities(i.e. teaching, researching, and application) are innovatively categorized into different schemes, and we calculate their performance, respectively.

Challenges of Chinese and European Universities in the Modernization and Global Context

Higher education systems need to increasingly transform in order to face new challenges of society in a modern and global context.Both Europe and China are facing challenges in restructuring their higher education systems and embracing the potential for higher education to deliver innovative teaching and learning as well as social and economic services for a changing society.This paper analyses the challenges to European and Chinese universities today and elaborates on the implications of these challenges for EU-China higher education collaboration.An analysis of challenges and relevant strategies in these two contexts can offer us insights into the strengths and weaknesses of each system.This can act as a solid basis for future collaborations or as potential barriers.Thus,this paper endeavors to fill in the gap regarding EU-China higher education cooperation by reducing the knowledge deficit and bringing mutual understanding,respect,trust,and ultimately benefit to both sides.

Suzhi Education and General Education in China

Purpose:Since the 1980s,suzhi has become a core word in contemporary China.Suzhi education as an education philosophy full of Chinese characteristics has been well known in China for generations.Particularly since 1995,culture-oriented quality education as an anchor and starting point of suzhi education implementation in universities,which integrates with general education and liberal education fromWestern concepts,triggered great changes in Chinese universities.This article aims to review the concepts of suzhi education,general education,and their practice in China.Design/Approach/Methods:This study is based on historical developments of suzhi education and general education,research literature,and some typical practice cases.Findings:The analysis finds that suzhi education and general education have consistent goals.Their connotations in China can be understood in three aspects:philosophy,education content,and cultivation mode.They caused three great practices in universities,including general education courses,extracurricular suzhi education activities,and reforms on talent cultivation modes.Originality/Value:This article clarifies the localized understanding of suzhi education and general education in three aspects and outlines the overall reforms around suzhi education and general education in Chinese higher education.

Fairness in Admission:Voices from Rural Chinese Female Students in Selective Universities in Chinese Mainland

As the Chinese mainland has transitioned from elite to mass higher education,the race to attend university has escalated to become a race to attend selective universities.This study focuses on rural female university students and explores how they make sense of their higher education admission experiences.We rationalize that the inquiry into fairness is crystallized through examining rural female students’voices,which remain largely marginalized from the literature.Drawing from in-depth interviews with 22 rural female undergraduates from five selective universities in northern China,we focus on their perspectives towards three key issues in higher education admission:entrance exams,region-based quotas that put them at distinct disadvantages,and new reform initiatives.

Comparing the Open University Systems of China and India:Origins,Developments and Prospects

The national open universities of China and India are unique adaptations of the open university model that emanated from the UK.These institutions have expanded to become the largest universities in the world as measured by current enrollment of approximately four million each.This article comparatively analyzes how these open universities have differentiated themselves from the open university model and from each other amidst similarities of outcome and differences of approach.Historical contexts,national governance of higher education,institutional administration,curriculum and international operations are the foci of analysis.The article contributes to the literature on national and local forces that shape higher education systems and aims to spur collaborations between the institutions in question for mutual benefit.

Using Cognitive Interviews to Explore the Many Different Meanings Undergraduate Students in China Attribute to the Term“College Teacher”

The cognitive interview method was applied to evaluate survey questions translated and adapted from a US-based college student survey instrument.This paper draws data from cognitive interviews with 45 undergraduate students in China and explores the different meanings they attribute to the term“college teacher.”Students understood college teacher as course instructor,academic advisor,class headteacher and counselor,student organization supervisor,and student service personnel.Students developed the understanding through a socialization process of student-teacher interaction.This paper also discusses the importance of using cognitive interviewing to improve questionnaire design,implications for research on student-teacher relationships,and suggestions on fostering student-teacher interaction in Chinese higher education institutions.