Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Higher Education Research in China: An Independent Academic Field Under the State

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Researching Higher Education in Asia

Abstract

This chapter outlines higher education research (HER) in China developed as a well-recognized independent academic field in the unique national and historical contexts. The rise and formation of higher education as a research field in China have been closely related with the substantive growth of the higher education system itself. Higher education research in China is characterized by strong institutional basis, an obvious orientation toward policy and practice at the macro- and mesolevels, and support from and legitimacy by a strong state. Knowledge production in the field is currently characterized by being increasingly outward looking and through support from the state.

This chapter is a modified and updated version mainly based on our journal articles published in 2012 (Chen and Hu 2012) and partly from Chen (2015).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 119.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    Renda Higher Education Research Digest (RHERD) (renda fuyin ziliao gaodeng jiaoyu) is anestablished and highly reputable database of quality articles selected by experts invited by the Information Center for Social Sciences of Renmin University of China. It can be found from http://ipub.zlzx.org/

References

  • Altbach, P., & Engberg, D. (2001). Higher education: A worldwide inventory of centers and programs. Phoenix: Oryx Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Becher, T., & Trowler, P. (2001). Academic tribes and territories: Intellectual enquiry and the culture of disciplines (2nd ed.). Buckingham: The Society for Research into Higher Education & Open University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bie, D., & Peng, Y. (2008). 近十年我国高等教育研究的现状与未来走向—以《高等教育研究》刊发论文为样本 [On the development of higher education study in China in recent ten years and its future trends: Take the papers published by Journal of Higher Education as sample]. 高等教育研究 [The Journal of Higher Education], 29(4), 65–72.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen, X. (Ed.). (1999). 中国高等教育研究50年(1949–1999)[Higher education research in China for 50 years (1949–1999)]. Beijing: Educational Science Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen, H. (2010). 北大高等教育研究:学科发展与范式变迁 [Higher education research in Peking University: Discipline development and paradigm shift]. 北京大学教育评论 [Peking University Education Review], 8(4), 2–11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen, S. (2015). Boundary objects and boundary brokering to make the research-policy-practice nexus possible: The case of Chinese higher education field. Higher Education Policy, 28, 441–457.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, S., & Hu, L. (2012). Higher education research as a field in China: Its formation and current landscape. Higher Education Research & Development, 31(5), 655–666.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clark, B. (1996). Substantive growth and innovative organization: New categories for higher education research. Higher Education, 32, 417–430.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Department of Finance of Ministry of Education in China & National Bureau of Statistics of China. (n.d.). The Database of China Educational Finance Statistical Yearbook. Retrieved on December 12, 2011 from http://data.cnki.net/navi/HomePage.aspx?id=N2010090825&name=YZZJJ&floor=1

  • Ding, X. and Zhou, Y. (2009). 高等教育研究方法的演变——基于人大复印资料《高等教育》(1980—2007)的分析 [The evolution of research methods in higher education: Analysis based on Higher Education (1980–2007) of Renmin University in China], 理工高教研究 [Higher Education Research in Science and Technology], 28(2),22–27.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fan, W. and Y. Gao. (2010). 中国高等教育研究主题:1979–2008 [Higher education research themes in China: 1979–2008]. 高等教育研究 [The Journal of Higher Education], 31(2), 43–52.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gong, F. (2011). 追问研究本意纾解学科情结[Explore the original purposes of higher education research and resolve the complex of discipline]. 北京大学教育评论 [Peking University Education Review], 9(4), 41–48.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gong, F., & Ye, B. (2006). 2000–2004年中国教育研究热点与关键词—基于CSSCI的统计分析[The hot topics and key words of educational research in China from 2000 to 2004: Based on the statistical analysis of CSSCI].高等教育研究 [The Journal of Higher Education], 27(9), 1–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodchild, L. (2011). Higher education as field of study in the United States: Its history, knowledge base and degree program development. Peking University Education Review, 9(4), 10–40.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guo, L. (2011). 学科标准视域中的高等教育学科属性探析 [Higher education as a discipline? Perspectives from discipline criteria]. 北京大学教育评论 [Peking University Education Review], 9(4), 91–96.

    Google Scholar 

  • Han, Y. (2009). 高等教育研究的主题分布——基于人大复印资料《高等教育》(1980-2007年)的分析 [thematic landscape of HE research in China: A study based on the analysis of Renda higher education research digest (1980–2007)], 现代大学教育 [Modern University Education], (3), 6–12.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hayhoe, R. (2006). Portraits of influential Chinese educators. Hong Kong: Comparative Education Research Centre of The University of Hong Kong & Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hu, J. (2003). 我国高等教育学学科发展的特殊性分析 [on the disciplinary development particularity of higher education in China]. 教育研究 [Educational Research], (12), 15–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hu, J. (2010). 潘懋元先生之于我国高等教育学科发展的意义 [On significance of Mr. Pan Maoyuan in the development of higher education discipline in China]. 高等教育研究 [The Journal of Higher Education], 31(8), 26–41.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jung, J., & Horta, H. (2013). Higher education in Asia: A publication and co-publication analysis. Higher Education Quarterly, 67(4), 398–419.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Labaree, D. (1998). Educational researchers: Living with a lesser form of knowledge. Educational Researcher, 27(8), 4–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, J. (2005). 中国高等教育研究史 [History of higher education research in China]. Guangzhou: Guangdong Higher Education Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu, X. (2011). 学科还是领域:一个似是而非的争论 [Discipline or field: A paradoxical controversy]. 北京大学教育评论 [Peking University Education Review], 9(4), 77–90.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ministry of Education in China. (n.d.). Educational statistics in 2009. Retrieved on March 12, 2017, from http://www.moe.gov.cn/publicfiles/business/htmlfiles/moe/s4958/index.html. http://www.stats.gov.cn/english/newsandcomingevents/t20110428_402722244.htm.

  • Pan, M. (1995). 高等教育学科建设的回顾与前瞻[Review and outlook of constructing higher education as a discipline]. 高等教育研究 [The Journal of Higher Education], 16(3), 1–5.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pan, M., & Chen, X. (2005). 依附、借鉴、创新?—中国高等教育建设之路[Dependency, reference, innovation?: The road to constructing the discipline of China’s higher education]. 北京大学教育评论 [Peking University Education Review], 3(1), 28–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pan, M., & Li, J. (2009). 高等教育研究60年 [Higher education research in 60 years]. 中国高等教育 [Chinese Higher Education], (18), 15–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pan, M. & Liu, X. (2006). 21世纪初我国高等教育研究的进展与问题 [Development and problems of higher education research in China in the twenty-first century]. 国家教育行政学院学报 [Journal of National Academy of Education Administration], (8), 30–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tang, J. (2010). 中国高教研究地图——基于CSSCI高教研究论文的计量分析和可视化识别 [Landscape of higher education research in China: Based on statistical analysis and visual identification of CSSCI HE research papers]. 中国高教研究 [Chinese Higher Education Research], (2), 22–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Teichler, U. (2011). The changing relationships between higher education research and higher education policy and practice in Europe. Peking University Education Review, 9(4), 2–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Terenzini, P. (1996). Rediscovering roots: Public policy and higher education research. The Review of Higher Education, 20(1), 5–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tight, M. (2007). Research into higher education: An a-theoretical community of practice? Higher Education Research & Development, 23(4), 395–411.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, J. (2004). 高等教育作为一门学科 [Higher education as a discipline]. 高等教育研究 [The Journal of Higher Education], 25(1), 69–74.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, X. (2010). Higher education as a field of study in China: Defining knowledge and curriculum structure. Lanham: Lexington Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, Q., & Liu, N. C. (2014). Higher education research institutes in Chinese universities. Studies in Higher Education, 39(8), 1488–1498.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yan, G. (2011). 高等教育研究的学科化:知识建构还是话语策略?[Higher education studies as a discipline: Knowledge construction or discourse strategy?]. 北京大学教育评论 [Peking University Education Review], 9(4), 62–69.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yuan, B. (2011). 在学科与领域之间:制度化的高等教育研究 [Between discipline and research area: Institutionalized Higher Education Research]. 北京大学教育评论 [Peking University Education Review], 9(4), 70–76.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, Y. (2011). 超越学科论和研究领域论之争[Suspending the disputes over discipline or research field]. 北京大学教育评论 [Peking University Education Review], 9(4), 49–61.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, D., & Sun, J. (2009). 中国高等教育研究30年: 研究者与研究机构的分析[Higher education research in China for thirty years: Analysis of researchers and research institutes]. 现代教育管理 [Modern Educational Management], (10), 13–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhong, B., Zhao, Y., & Hong, Y. (2009). 我国高等教育研究的现状分析与未来展望—基于近三年教育类核心期刊论文量化分析的研究 [On the status quo and the prospect of higher education research in China: Based on the quantitative analysis on the papers of the core journals of higher education in the past three years]. 教育研究 [Educational Research], (7), 14–21.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Education, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China

    Lifang Hu & Shuangye Chen

  2. Institute of Curriculum & Instruction, Faculty of Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China

    Lifang Hu & Shuangye Chen

Authors
  1. Lifang Hu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Shuangye Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lifang Hu .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China

    Jisun Jung

  2. The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China

    Hugo Horta

  3. Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan

    Akiyoshi Yonezawa

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Hu, L., Chen, S. (2018). Higher Education Research in China: An Independent Academic Field Under the State. In: Jung, J., Horta, H., Yonezawa, A. (eds) Researching Higher Education in Asia. Higher Education in Asia: Quality, Excellence and Governance. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-4989-7_7

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-4989-7_7

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-10-4988-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-10-4989-7

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation