International Journal of Chinese Education

The learning discourse of the 21st century is characterized by the emergence of the knowledge economy, and the need for lifelong learning for learners to be able to adapt to the fast and ever changing economies of the society. This has created changing demands for the skill sets of the 21st century learners, such as the ability for critical and creative thinking, the ability for self-directed and collaborative learning, the ability to learn formally and informally, and the ability for both competition and cooperation, etc. The skill sets diverge from the almost single-faceted traditional emphasis on academic abilities, and the knowledge functions of the university is gradually changing. Knowledge creation is being regarded as possible not only by basic and discovery research, but also possible in the process of teaching, clinical practice and multi-disciplinary integration. Knowledge ownership is changing from the ivory tower research professors to combined expectations and ownership of the learners and stakeholders. The significance of knowledge is shifting from its simple significance in terms of discovery to being measured by its utilization and mobilization, and user’s satisfaction. All these have implications for learning, and university teaching is also changing from traditional research based learning modes towards practice and internship, the opportunity for experiential learning, and the opportunity of exchange among an increasingly diversified student body, developed through the agenda of internationalization. The purpose of this paper is to examine these changes and how the changes require our adjustment in our teaching and learning approaches, measurement, and expectations for learning outcomes in university education.

One unintended consequence of Chinese higher education expansion is an increasing socioeconomic gap in college achievement. Using 2011 College Freshmen Development Survey data, this paper engages in an empirical analysis of the association between one’s socioeconomic status, high school preparation, and college performance. This study finds that well prepared and academically engaged high school graduates achieve a significantly higher level of college development than their less prepared peers. Moreover, low-ses students have a significantly lower level of core competence and civic participation, due to their lack of academic preparation, learning engagement, and parental support in high school. This study provides a critical evidence for the life cycle skill formation argument that the deficit in early human capital investment can impair adolescent and adult attainment.

This qualitative study investigates college student development in the epistemological, intrapersonal, and interpersonal dimensions through participating in co-curricular undergraduate research programs. The student interview data reported in this paper comes from a larger study on college experiences and student learning. It is found that student development in the three dimensions are intertwined in undergraduate research programs, and internal voices begin to emerge in college. Despite the research- and innovation- orientation of undergraduate research programs, they serve as vehicles for students to explore answers to three driving questions in young adulthood: “How do I know?,” “Who am I?,” “How do I want to construct relationships with others?” Limitations and implications are also discussed.

“World-class” research universities have long been a priority in the educational, corporate, and political spheres in China. With the establishment of the Outline of China’s National Plan for Medium and Long Term Education Reform and Development (2010-2020), China seeks to develop globally competitive research universities that are based on position in the global rankings. In this article, the author examines the role of college environment (e.g., academic, campus, interpersonal) on college student’s learning and development relative to China’s quest for “world-class” universities. Utilizing Jamil Salmi’s (2009) theoretical framework of ‘world-class universities,’ this article introduces Chan’s conceptual framework of ‘Environment-Learning-Resources (elr)’ to suggest how the college environments influence the imposition of structure, processes, and student learning at emerging global research universities in mainland China.

This paper introduces the design and implementation of a comparative survey research project, amistem [Assessing Multinational Interest in stem (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)] in China, the U.S., and Australia that is being conducted by researchers at Indiana University. We begin with an overview of how survey research has developed in China during the past two decades, especially in the field of higher education. This analysis provides the backdrop for considering the challenges we faced in “internationalizing” the stem survey research project. Part two of the paper illuminates the difficulties of implementing the study in multiple contexts, including China. Part three of the paper examines challenges related to the translation and cultural adaptation of the u.s.-based survey for the Chinese context. Our conclusions shed light on the contexts, processes, challenges and possibilities of conducting multi-national survey research in China, as well as on ways to insure that multi-national surveys are culturally appropriate and comparable.

The paper uses macro-causal analysis combined with empirical data analysis to illustrate how Chinese scholars in higher education (he) have adapted the concept of “student engagement” and indigenize the instrument of the National Survey of Student Engagement (nsse), with the aim of revealing college teaching/learning activities and understanding the learning processes of Chinese students in he. The paper explains why and how the China College Student Survey (ccss) was developed by the research team in the Institute of Education (ioe), Tsinghua University, using the nsse as a basis, with the help of both domestic and foreign scholars. The paper analyzes data collected nationwide in 2012, under the framework of four trends influencing he in China. Cases are also studied in the paper illustrating the learning behaviors of college students, as well as the macro-level driving forces in a more general context.