An increasing number of left-behind children has emerged in rural China as a result of the large-scale migration of rural farmers to urban cities since the 1990s. With the absence of parent(s) from the family, the left-behind children face crises in socialization and their relationships with their parents are threatened by physical distance. This paper investigates how Chinese left-behind children negotiate the missing roles of parents and how the parent-child relations in such families change over time, through in-depth case studies of two left-behind children with different family backgrounds in rural Henan province.
The philosophy of “publish or perish” has already been adopted as a yardstick by the vast majority of Chinese higher education institutions in their attempts to benchmark Western research universities in recent years, which has led to increasing pressure on university teachers to produce research publications. This paper addresses this endemic issue in China’s teaching universities with particular reference to its impact on English teacher educators. It points out that this trend is a result of unrealistically benchmarking research universities in well-resourced Western countries and overlooking the nature of teaching universities, the nature of English teacher educators’ professional commitments, and the practical constraints on China’s teaching institutions. It has given rise to a variety of problems which, unless addressed properly, may demoralize English teacher educators and impair the quality of both teaching and research. The paper argues that a fair perception of and attitude towards research and realistic expectations of English teacher educators’ research outcomes are essential. Practical implications at macro-, meso- and micro-levels are provided with the aim of improving the status quo.
This mixed methods study investigates learning outcomes resulting from college attendance in the Chinese mainland. Data for this study is derived from undergraduate survey responses at 21 universities and interviews with 64 seniors at five universities. Factor analysis reduced learning outcome items to two factors, and 19 categories of learning outcomes were distilled from interview data. These categories were then reduced to four domains: knowledge, skills, intrapersonal awareness, and interpersonal competence. Compared with literature generated in the West, intercultural competency as well as quantitative and computer literacy are missing in the Chinese higher education context. Student learning is an integrated whole and takes place in diverse settings in and outside the classroom.
In the changing higher education environment, universities increasingly engage in areas outside the traditional teaching and research missions. The new missions extend over wide yet specialized areas, such as technological advancement, internationalization, entrepreneurship, and enhancement of teaching and learning. To effectively handle these areas, universities require specific talents that may not be found in conventional academic and administrative cadres. The transformation highlights blurred boundaries between academic and non-academic spheres of the university. Situated in the University of Hong Kong (HKU), this paper explores how the university utilizes new professionals and administrative staff in new missions. Qualitative interviews with university staff reveal their profiles and perceptions in evolving organizational structures. By examining understudied subjects in Hong Kong, it discusses implications of changing university staff and how universities may optimize their new talent.
MBA education has become the fastest growing segment of education in China in recent years and a segment that can now be considered indispensible. However, how best to teach it has long been a source of debate. One of the key issues is how to match student traits with teaching methods. While engaged as teachers of marketing management, the authors collected data by questionnaire, carried out empirical research and data comparison, and undertook contingency analysis. It was found that different personal traits in students lead to different attitudes towards teaching methods. A student’s major in college, gender, and sector of employment has little influence on attitudes towards teaching methods, while age, the most sensitive factor, plays the biggest role, followed by job and class. Therefore, these factors should be taken into consideration when arranging classes, developing the curriculum, and planning teaching methods.
This review essay analyzes the historiography of Confucian academies (shuyuan) in imperial China, focusing on five representative books published in China between 2008 and 2014, including two new editions of books originally published in 1995 and 2004. The five authors share a deep concern about the nature of academies, particularly their relationship with the state. A secondary theme that these books address is the impact that academies had on late imperial Chinese culture and society. Read together, these five works show how research on academies in imperial China has evolved over the past two decades.