The changing work life of academics : a comparative study of a renowned and a regional university in the Chinese Mainland

Expansion of higher education has been perceived as the major tool through which China can raise its international competitiveness. To raise educational quality, the Ministry of Education initiated a new employment reform and a Teaching Quality Assessment for Undergraduate Programs. In this research...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Australian educational researcher 2013-02, Vol.40 (1), p.27-45
Main Author: Lai, Manhong
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic staff
Academic staff attitudes
Academic staff role
Academic staff workload
Capitalism
China
College Faculty
College Programs
Comparative Analysis
Competition
Education
Education reform
Educational Change
Educational policy
Educational Policy and Politics
Educational Psychology
Educational Quality
Employment
Enrollments
Foreign Countries
Government Role
Higher Education
Interdisciplinary Approach
Interdisciplinary aspects
Managerialism
Postsecondary education
Product development
Qualitative Research
Research methodology
Research Projects
Teacher Effectiveness
Teaching
Teaching and Teacher Education
Undergraduate Study
Universities
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Summary:Expansion of higher education has been perceived as the major tool through which China can raise its international competitiveness. To raise educational quality, the Ministry of Education initiated a new employment reform and a Teaching Quality Assessment for Undergraduate Programs. In this research, a qualitative method was employed to investigate the changing work life of academics in two universities in the Chinese Mainland: University A, a regional university, and University B, a renowned university. The experiences of the two universities reflect that the reform measures have led to a distortion of academic culture. Besides competing for national research projects, academics at the renowned university conducted research for the governmental sector, while academics in the regional university worked with the market. The government continually used various measures to maintain control over academic work. Most academics felt forced to conform to the reform measures. Within the two sample universities, there were indigenous interpretations of the relationship among the state, the market and academics. [Author abstract]
ISSN:0311-6999
2210-5328
DOI:10.1007/s13384-012-0068-6