Conceptualizing and Contextualizing

Higher Education with Chinese

Characteristics Ontological and
Epistemological Dimensions Jian Li
Visit to download the full and correct content document:
https://textbookfull.com/product/conceptualizing-and-contextualizing-higher-education
-with-chinese-characteristics-ontological-and-epistemological-dimensions-jian-li/
More products digital (pdf, epub, mobi) instant
download maybe you interests ...

Global Higher Education Shared Communities: Efforts and

Concerns from Key Universities in China Jian Li

https://textbookfull.com/product/global-higher-education-shared-
communities-efforts-and-concerns-from-key-universities-in-china-
jian-li/

Shaping Education Reform in China Overviews Policies

and Implications Jian Li

https://textbookfull.com/product/shaping-education-reform-in-
china-overviews-policies-and-implications-jian-li/

Marxism and Socialism with Chinese Characteristics 1st

Edition Jin Huiming

https://textbookfull.com/product/marxism-and-socialism-with-
chinese-characteristics-1st-edition-jin-huiming/

Quality Work in Higher Education Organisational and

Pedagogical Dimensions Mari Elken

https://textbookfull.com/product/quality-work-in-higher-
education-organisational-and-pedagogical-dimensions-mari-elken/
Faculty Development in Chinese Higher Education
Concepts Practices and Strategies Xudong Zhu

https://textbookfull.com/product/faculty-development-in-chinese-
higher-education-concepts-practices-and-strategies-xudong-zhu/

Socialism with Chinese Characteristics: A Guide for

Foreigners 1st Edition Roland Boer

https://textbookfull.com/product/socialism-with-chinese-
characteristics-a-guide-for-foreigners-1st-edition-roland-boer/

Groundwater Chemical Kinetics and Fractal

Characteristics of Karst Tunnel Cangsong Li

https://textbookfull.com/product/groundwater-chemical-kinetics-
and-fractal-characteristics-of-karst-tunnel-cangsong-li/

A New Study on the Judicial Administrative System with

Chinese Characteristics Yong'An Ren

https://textbookfull.com/product/a-new-study-on-the-judicial-
administrative-system-with-chinese-characteristics-yongan-ren/

Transfer Pricing in China: Concepts, Controls,

Practices, and Audit Assessment Jian Li

https://textbookfull.com/product/transfer-pricing-in-china-
concepts-controls-practices-and-audit-assessment-jian-li/
Perspectives on Rethinking and Reforming Education

Jian Li
Xudong Zhu

Conceptualizing
and Contextualizing
Higher Education
with Chinese
Characteristics
Ontological and Epistemological
Dimensions
Perspectives on Rethinking and Reforming
Education

Series editors
Zhongying Shi, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
Shengquan Yu, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
This book series brings together the latest insights and work regarding the future of
education from a group of highly regarded scholars around the world. It is the first
collection of interpretations from around the globe and contributes to the
interdisciplinary and international discussions on possible future demands on our
education system. It serves as a global forum for scholarly and professional debate
on all aspects of future education. The book series proposes a total rethinking of
how the whole education process can be reformed and restructured, including the
main drivers and principles for reinventing schools in the global knowledge
economy, models for designing smart learning environments at the institutional
level, a new pedagogy and related curriculums for the 21st century, the transition to
digital and situated learning resources, open educational resources and MOOCs,
new approaches to cognition and neuroscience as well as the disruption of
education sectors. The series provides an opportunity to publish reviews, issues of
general significance to theory development, empirical data-intensive research and
critical analysis innovation in educational practice. It provides a global perspective
on the strengths and weaknesses inherent in the implementation of certain
approaches to the future of education. It not only publishes empirical studies but
also stimulates theoretical discussions and addresses practical implications. The
volumes in this series are interdisciplinary in orientation, and provide a multiplicity
of theoretical and practical perspectives. Each volume is dedicated to a specific
theme in education and innovation, examining areas that are at the cutting edge
of the field and are groundbreaking in nature. Written in an accessible style, this
book series will appeal to researchers, policy-makers, scholars, professionals and
practitioners working in the field of education.

More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/14177

Jian Li Xudong Zhu
•

Conceptualizing
and Contextualizing Higher
Education with Chinese
Characteristics
Ontological and Epistemological Dimensions

123
Jian Li Xudong Zhu
Faculty of Education, China Institute Faculty of Education
of Education and Social Development Beijing Normal University
Beijing Normal University Beijing, China
Beijing, China

ISSN 2366-1658 ISSN 2366-1666 (electronic)

Perspectives on Rethinking and Reforming Education
ISBN 978-981-13-3473-3 ISBN 978-981-13-3474-0 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3474-0
2019 Comprehensive Discipline Construction Fund of Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018962770

© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2019

This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part
of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations,
recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission
or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar
methodology now known or hereafter developed.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this
publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from
the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
The publisher, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this
book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the
authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or
for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to
jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
The registered company address is: 152 Beach Road, #21-01/04 Gateway East, Singapore 189721,
Singapore
Preface

The term higher education with Chinese characteristics is initially proposed and
examined in this book from both ontological and epistemological dimensions. This
book involves conceptualizing and contextualizing higher education with Chinese
characteristics from a philological perspective. This book entitled Conceptualizing
and Contextualizing Higher Education with Chinese Characteristics: Ontological
and Epistemological Dimensions is not only admiration for its sweeping scope and
impressive depth but also academic skepticism about its transcendence over tra-
ditional and modern lines of division within Chinese higher education. It is
expected to satisfy the widespread craving for a comprehensive understanding for
the currently vivid historical landscape more insightfully than anything else in the
Chinese higher education system. In addition, this book also provided a critical
interpretation of the complexities of constructing higher education with Chinese
characteristics. The detail on each chapter is illustrated as follows:
The introductory chapter provides a theoretical introduction of exploring the
nature of ontology as a heuristic tool to examine the higher education with Chinese
characteristics. This chapter involves introducing the ontological dimension of
higher education with Chinese characteristics. The origins and definitions of
ontology and the categories and types of ontology contribute to illustrating the core
idea of ontology. The upper ontological dimension, domain ontological dimension,
interface ontological dimension, and process ontological dimension of higher
education with Chinese characteristics are proposed and illustrated to conceptualize
and contextualize the framework of ontological dimensions of higher education
with Chinese higher education.
Chapter 2 focuses on the introduction on epistemological dimension of higher
education with Chinese characteristics. This chapter also involves investigating and
analyzing the epistemological dimension of higher education with Chinese char-
acteristics. The origins and definition of epistemology and the content and concept
of epistemology contribute to illustrating the core idea of epistemology. Both

v
vi Preface

knowledge-based epistemological dimension and justification-based epistemologi-

cal dimension are proposed and illustrated to conceptualize and contextualize the
framework of epistemological dimensions of higher education with Chinese higher
education.
Chapter 3 mainly involves conceptualizing ontological-epistemological dimen-
sion model of higher education with Chinese characteristics. This chapter also
involves integrating the ontological dimension and epistemological dimension for
constructing the ontological-epistemological dimension model of higher education
with Chinese characteristics. The consistency and uniformity between ontological
dimension and epistemological dimension provide a solid foundation to concep-
tualize the ontological-epistemological dimension model of higher education with
Chinese characteristics. Both the rationale of the ontological-epistemological
dimension model and dialectical relationship of the ontological-epistemological
dimension model contribute to investigating and identifying the ontological-
epistemological dimension model of higher education with Chinese characteristics.
Chapter 4 concentrates on constructing the epistemological dimension model of
higher education with Chinese characteristics in the domain of concept, context,
and practice. Higher education with Chinese characteristics is inherently embedded
in both Chinese traditional culture and Chinese modern political culture. This
chapter examines the ontological conception of Chinese characteristic higher edu-
cation both from the conceptual and political perspective. First, illustrating the
government agendas and politics for constructing Chinese characteristic higher
education, it shows that the roles played by individual universities or colleges. It
next describes the ontological conceptual framework of identifying Chinese char-
acteristic higher education to show how it differs from the Western-dominated
higher education concepts and models. The distinction between Eastern and
Western context and the integration of the globalization and localization involves in
constructing Chinese characteristic higher education. The final section considers
policy implications of the developing Chinese characteristic higher education.
Chapter 5 involves identifying the domain ontological dimension of imple-
menting higher education with Chinese characteristics from the topic-oriented
policy perspective. The connotation of higher education with Chinese characteris-
tics is multi-dimensional. This chapter also focuses on illustrating and analyzing a
couple of political document, including principal responsibility system, Chinese
characteristic higher education talent cultivation, internal management mechanism,
teaching and curriculum, internal institutional structure, and modernization of
higher education. The construction and understanding of the connotation of Chinese
characteristics of higher education is conducive to a clear exploration of the
development of higher education in China, and to provide evidence and reference
for the comprehensive development and improvement of higher education in China.
Chapter 6 mainly focuses on examining upper ontological dimension of higher
education with Chinese characteristics in the domain of concept-oriented ideolog-
ical system. Specifically, the development of the ideological system of higher
education with Chinese characteristics is divided into four periods, including the
period 1 of seeking truth from facts (1978–1983), period 2 of the priority and
Preface vii

modernization of education (1983–1998), period 3 of popularization of higher

education (1998–2003), and period 4 of optimization stage of world-class univer-
sities (since 2003). In addition, this chapter also investigates the main character-
istics of the higher education with Chinese characteristics from multiple
perspectives. The reflection and remarks on the exploration of the ideological
system of higher education with Chinese characteristics are also presented in this
chapter.
Chapter 7 concentrates on examining the knowledge-based epistemological
dimension of higher education with Chinese characteristics from the talent culti-
vation perspective. This chapter mainly involves illustrating, analyzing, and
investigating the enrollment trend in current Chinese higher education, the over-
view of talent cultivation with Chinese characteristics, the reflections on talent
cultivation with Chinese characteristics, implications on talent cultivation with
Chinese characteristics, recommendations on talent cultivation with Chinese char-
acteristics, critiques on talent cultivation system reform with Chinese characteristics
accounting for constructing knowledge-based epistemological dimension of talent
cultivation with Chinese Characteristics.
Chapter 8 involves investigating the knowledge-based epistemological dimen-
sion of higher education with Chinese characteristics from faculty development,
innovation, and leadership perspectives. Specifically, this chapter mainly includes
several sections, which focuses on a review of faculty development from a policy
perspective, a historical development perspective on faculty development, the brief
overview on faculty development model, the faculty development from a
multi-dimensional perspective, the philosophy dimension from sociology dimen-
sion and physical dimension. In addition, the concept of faculty academic inno-
vation at higher education with Chinese characteristics is conceptualized and
proposed through constructing the concept of faculty academic innovation, offering
the theoretical framework and model, and criticizing the obstacles and providing
strategies on promoting faculty academic innovation.

Beijing, China Jian Li

Xudong Zhu
Acknowledgements

In the realization of this book, our contributors have been supportive and willing to
share their works. I am grateful for the generosity and positive spirit of collegiality.
While most of the chapters in this book are original, several are adopted from my
previously published material and editors are grateful for the kind permissions
granted to facilitate this.

Warmly Thanks To

Wangqian Fu is a doctoral candidate in Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal

University. Her research interests include education policy, inclusive education and
special education with research and publications on internationalization of higher
education; the implication of inclusive education of USA to China; the education
equality for the children with disabilities. During her doctoral program, she works
in the China Institute of Education and Social Development as a research assistant,
being responding for editing public opinion of education weekly, which is entrusted
by the Ministry of Finance.
Jinhui Xu is Ph.D. student of statistics at Arizona State University. He earned his
MS in statistics from Indiana University. His main research areas are causal
inference, Bayesian statistics, and educational statistics. Now his interest is to
develop a novel model in causal inference by combining stochastic process, non-
and semi-parametric statistics, and Bayesian Statistics and endeavor to apply it into
social science area. In educational statistics, he is now interested in cheating
detection in large-scale testing. He is also interested in financial statistics and
mathematics (mostly in option pricing), (Bayesian) design of experiments
(to investigate causality), and actuarial science.

ix
Contents

Part I Conceptualizing Higher Education with Chinese

Characteristics
1 Introduction on Ontological Dimension of Higher Education with
Chinese Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.1 What Is Ontology? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.1.1 The Origins and Definitions of Ontology . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.1.2 Categories and Types of Ontology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.2 Ontological Dimensions of Higher Education with Chinese
Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 6
1.2.1 Upper Ontological Dimension: Concept-Oriented Value . .. 7
1.2.2 Domain Ontological Dimension: Topic-Oriented Value . .. 9
1.2.3 Interface Ontological Dimension: Discipline-Oriented
Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 11
1.2.4 Process Ontological Dimension: Information-Oriented
Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 13
1.3 Conclusions and Remarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 14
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 15
2 Introduction on Epistemological Dimension of Higher
Education with Chinese Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
2.1 What Is Epistemology? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
2.1.1 The Origin and Definition of Epistemology . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
2.1.2 Content and Concepts of Epistemology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2.2 Epistemological Dimensions of Higher Education
with Chinese Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
2.2.1 Knowledge-Based Epistemological Dimension . . . . . . . . . . 19
2.2.2 Justification-Based Epistemological Dimension . . . . . . . . . 20
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

xi
xii Contents

3 Conceptualizing Ontological-Epistemological Dimension

Model of Higher Education with Chinese Characteristics . . . . ..... 23
3.1 The Rationale of the Ontological-Epistemological
Dimension Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... 23
3.2 Dialectical Relationship of the Ontological-Epistemological
Dimension Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... 24
3.3 The Content of the Ontological-Epistemological Dimension
Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... 25
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... 26

Part II Contextualizing Ontological–Epistemological Dimension

Model of Higher Education with Chinese Characteristic
4 Epistemological Dimension Model of Higher Education with
Chinese Characteristics: Concept, Context, and Practice . . . . . .... 29
4.1 Introductions and Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... 29
4.2 Government Political Agendas for Higher Education with
Chinese Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... 30
4.3 Epistemological Dimension Model of Higher Education with
Chinese Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... 31
4.3.1 Chinese Characteristic Higher Education Academic
Freedom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... 32
4.3.2 Chinese Characteristic Higher Education Norm . . . . . .... 35
4.4 Policy Implications on Higher Education with Chinese
Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... 40
4.5 Conclusion and Remarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... 41
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... 42
5 Domain Ontological Dimension of Implementing Higher Education
with Chinese Characteristics: Topic-Oriented Policy Perspective . . . . 45
5.1 Political Document on Principal Responsibility System . . . . . . . . . 45
5.2 Political Document on Higher Education with Chinese
Characteristics Talent Cultivation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
5.3 Political Perspective on Internal Management Mechanism . . . . . . . 49
5.4 Political Perspective on Teaching and Curriculum . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
5.5 Political Perspective on Internal Institutional Structure . . . . . . . . . 52
5.6 Political Perspective on Modernization of Higher Education . . . . . 55
5.7 The Meanings and Implication for Constructing
“Double First-Class” Universities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
5.8 Conclusion and Remarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
References (Article in Chinese) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Contents xiii

6 Upper Ontological Dimension of Higher Education with Chinese

Characteristics: Concept-Oriented Ideological System . . . . . . . . . .. 63
6.1 Time Dimension: The Development of the Ideological System of
Higher Education with Chinese Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 64
6.1.1 Period 1: “Seeking Truth from Facts” (1978–1983) . . . . .. 64
6.1.2 Period 2: “The Priority and Modernization of Education”
(1983–1998) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 65
6.1.3 Period 3: “Popularization of Higher Education”
(1998–2003) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 65
6.1.4 Period 4: “Optimization Stage of World-Class
Universities” (Since 2003) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 66
6.2 The Main Characteristics of the Higher Education with Chinese
Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 66
6.2.1 Key Point 1: Relying on Science and Education
to Revitalizing the Country, Giving Priority to the Higher
Education and Building World-Class Universities as a
National Strategic Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 67
6.2.2 Key Point 2: Taking Moral Education and Quality
Education as the Main Pathway of Talent Training in
Higher Education with Chinese Characteristics . . . . . . . .. 68
6.2.3 Key Point 3: Making the Leadership of the Party
Committee as Magic Weapon for Constructing
Leadership of Higher Education with Chinese
Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 69
6.2.4 Key Point 3: Taking the Socialist Moral Values as the
Curriculum Value Orientation of Higher Education with
Chinese Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 69
6.3 Reflection and Remarks: On the Exploration of the Ideological
System of Higher Education with Chinese Characteristics . . . . . .. 70
Reference (Articles in Chinese) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 72
7 Knowledge-Based Epistemological Dimension of Higher Education
with Chinese Characteristics: Talent Cultivation . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 75
7.1 The Enrollment Trend in Current Chinese Higher Education . . . .. 75
7.2 The Overview of Talent Cultivation with Chinese
Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 77
7.2.1 Transform Education Ideology, Overall Implement
Quality Education, and Construct Higher Education
Personnel Training System with Chinese
Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 77
7.2.2 Review of the Work of Cultural Quality Education
in the Past Eight Years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 79
7.2.3 Strive to Build a System of Talent Cultivation in
Socialism with Chinese Characteristics with the
Core of Comprehensively Improving Students’ Quality . .. 82
xiv Contents

7.2.4 Construct the Significance of the Higher Education Talent

Training System with Chinese Characteristics Centering
on Improving Students’ Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 83
7.2.5 Taking Cultural Quality Education as the Starting Point,
Build the Requirements of the Higher Education
Personnel Training System with Chinese Characteristics
Centered on Improving Students’ Quality . . . . . . . . . . . .. 83
7.2.6 The Measures of Implementing the Higher Education
Personnel Training System with Chinese Characteristics
as the Core of Improving Students’ Quality, Including
Classroom Teaching, Campus Culture Construction and
Social Practice, Should Be Achieved the Combine of
Classroom and Extracurricular, School Education and
Social Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 85
7.2.7 Some Opinions on the Future Development of Cultural
Quality Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 86
7.3 Reflections on Talent Cultivation with Chinese Characteristics . .. 88
7.3.1 Between Closed and Open: Research on Classification
System and Characteristics of Top-Notch Innovative
Talents Training Models in Chinese Universities . . . . . . .. 88
7.3.2 System Characteristics: Three Selection-Culture
Mechanisms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 90
7.3.3 Management Characteristics: The Main Subjects
of Three Types of Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 91
7.3.4 The Benefits of Community-Based Education
and the Disadvantages of Homogeneous Competition . . .. 93
7.3.5 Parallel Disputes Between Elite Colleges and Professional
Colleges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 94
7.3.6 The Tension Between Professional Topography
of the Talent and Everyone’s Growth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 94
7.3.7 The Applicability of Different Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 95
7.4 Implications on Talent Cultivation with Chinese
Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 98
7.4.1 Results and Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 98
7.4.2 Problems and Reasons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
7.5 Recommendations on Talent Cultivation with Chinese
Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
7.5.1 Exploring and Summarizing, Strengthening Research
on the Construction of Modern University System from
Theory and Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
7.5.2 Leading the Charter and Constructing a Modern
University System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
7.5.3 Highlighting Academics and Adjusting the Internal
Governance Structure of the University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Contents xv

7.6 Critiques on Talent Cultivation System Reform with Chinese

Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
7.6.1 Coordinate Two Services: Serving Social Development
and Serving Student Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
7.6.2 Adhere to Two Respects: Respect the Common Logic of
Talent Cultivation and Respect China’s Special National
Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
7.6.3 Return to Two Centers: The University Is Centered on
Teaching and Teaching Is Centered on Students . . . . . . . . 112
7.6.4 Grasp Two Key Points: Curriculum System Construction
and Teaching Mode Innovation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
7.6.5 Construct a Three-Dimensional Guarantee: The
Government Is not Offside, the University Is not Absent,
and the Society Is not Misplaced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
References (Articles in Chinese) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
8 Knowledge-Based Epistemological Dimension of Higher Education
with Chinese Characteristics: Faculty Development, Academic
Innovation, and Leadership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
8.1 A Review of Faculty Development: A Policy Perspective . . . . . . . 120
8.1.1 A Historical Development Perspective on Faculty
Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
8.1.2 Brief Overview on Faculty Development Model . . . . . . . . 122
8.1.3 Remarks and Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
8.2 Faculty Development: A Multi-dimensional Perspective . . . . . . . . 124
8.2.1 Philosophy Dimension: “Development” in the Idea
of Faculty Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
8.2.2 Sociology Perspective: “Development” in the Idea
of Faculty Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
8.2.3 Physical Dimension: “Development” in the Idea of
Faculty Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
8.3 Faculty Academic Innovation at Higher Education with Chinese
Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
8.3.1 Introduction and Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
8.3.2 Proposed the Concept of Faculty Academic Innovation . . . 131
8.3.3 Theoretical Framework and Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
8.3.4 Obstacles and Strategies on Promoting Faculty Academic
Innovation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
8.3.5 Findings and Discussion on Faculty Academic
Innovation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Appendix: The Scholar Viewpoints on Higher Education with Chinese
Characteristics from Prof. Xudong, Zhu, Published
on Guang Ming Daily . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
About the Authors

Jian Li is the Assistant Professor in China Institute of Education and Social

Development, Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University. She received her
Ph.D. in educational leadership and policy studies (ELPS), School of Education,
Indiana University Bloomington. Her research interests focus on Global Learning,
Global Competence, Global Citizenship, Globalization and Internationalization of
Higher Education.
She currently also serves as think tanker at China Institute of Education and
Social Development, Beijing Normal University. China Institute of Education and
Social Development (CIESD) was co-founded by China Association for Promoting
Democracy and Beijing Normal University. It was founded on the base of China
Institute of Education Policy and China Academy of Social Management of Beijing
Normal University. Beijing Normal University integrated the internal resources and
gave solid supports to the foundation of CIESD. Its mission is to advance the
modernization of the education and social construction with Chinese characteristics.
And it is committed to building a new type of high-end-oriented think tank with the
characteristics of the education reform and development and the social governance
innovation. Over the past decade, hundreds of the research papers have been
undertaken by CIESD members, more than 530 of which obtained important
instructions from party and state leaders at various levels; CIESD has drafted a
number of the national education standards and made great influence on the
decision-making and the revision of the education law for the party and govern-
ment. CIESD has held different classes and high-level series of the forums, which
has played the positive roles in influencing public opinion. CIESD has created a
new mechanism within the international exchange and cooperation for the insti-
tution’s foundation of public diplomacy. CIESD will continue to adhere to high
standard, and build a professional high-end-oriented think tank with the interna-
tional visionary and significant influence in educational and social fields.

xvii
xviii About the Authors

Xudong Zhu is the Dean of Faculty of Education and the Professor in the Institute
of Teacher Education of Beijing Normal University. His work focuses on teacher
education, comparative education, and history of education, with an emphasis on
the system transformation of teacher education in China, comparative study on the
national development and education, the history of ideas of education in the West.
Much of his work has involved the policy, practice of teacher education, and
teacher professional development, supported by research in China, World Bank,
UNESCO, Intel, etc. He is the Secretary of National Expert Committee of Teacher
Education of MOE in China and the Director of the Center for Teacher Education
Research among the Key Research Institutes of Humanities and Social Sciences in
University of MOE. He is Director of Institute of Teacher Education of Beijing
Normal University and an Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Teacher Education
Research, China. He was the Fulbright Senior Visiting Scholar of US State
Department during the year of 2002–2003.
 Part I
Conceptualizing Higher Education
with Chinese Characteristics
Chapter 1
Introduction on Ontological Dimension
of Higher Education with Chinese
Characteristics

This chapter involves introducing the ontological dimension of higher education with
Chinese characteristics. The origins and definitions of ontology and the categories and
types of ontology contribute to illustrate the core idea of ontology. The upper onto-
logical dimension, domain ontological dimension, interface ontological dimension,
and process ontological dimension of higher education with Chinese characteristics
are proposed and illustrated to conceptualize and contextualize the framework of
ontological dimensions of higher education with Chinese higher education.

1.1 What Is Ontology?

Identifying the nature of ontology involves analyzing the origins, definitions, cate-
gories, and types of ontology. This section mainly focuses on describing and illus-
trating the definition, content, and structure of ontology.

1.1.1 The Origins and Definitions of Ontology

The term ontology is initially proposed in the field of philosophy. The idea of ontol-
ogy in the study of philosophy focuses on identifying being, becoming, existent, or
reality that related to the fundamental relations around the world.1 The term ontology
was initially proposed by Tattva Mimamsa, who as an ancient Indian philosopher.
Ontology is an aspect of the Samkhya School of philosophy.
Couples of philosophers involve identifying and conceptualizing the idea of ontol-
ogy. Parmenides was the first philosopher in Greek to propose the ontological char-
acterization of the fundamental nature of existence (Amini 2008; Ameriks 1992). In

1 https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ontology.

© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2019 3

J. Li and X. Zhu, Conceptualizing and Contextualizing Higher Education with Chinese
Characteristics, Perspectives on Rethinking and Reforming Education,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3474-0_1
4 1 Introduction on Ontological Dimension of Higher Education …

his work, he describes two kinds of existence and initially proposed the statement,
which nothing comes from nothing, and the existence is eternal. In his viewpoints,
the opinions about truth must often be false and deceitful. Most of Western phi-
losophy considers the idea of ontology as the fundamental concepts of falsifiability
(Balcerowicz 2016). From their perspectives, the existence (being) is what may be
conceived of by thought, created, or possessed. Hence, there might be neither void
nor vacuum. The entirety of creation is eternal, uniform, and immutable, though
not infinite (Buchdahl 1986; Crowther 1985; Korner and Gram 1971). Parmenides
suggested that change, as perceived in everyday experience, is illusory. Everything
that may be apprehended is but one part of a single entity. The pluralistic conception
of “Being” is considered another interpretation of the idea of ontology. In the fifth
century BC, Anaxagoras and Leucippus replaced proposed that the reality of being
with that of “Becoming” and therefore by a more fundamental and elementary ontic
plurality. This argument focused on constructing “seeds,” which Aristotle referred
to as homogeny of the various substances and building the atomistic theory, which
the atoms and their intrinsic movement in it.
The term ontology involves a branch of metaphysics concerned with the nature
and different relations of being (Esposito 2013; Goodwin 2001). The ontological
questions mainly involve a series of questions, such as “what can be said to exist?
What is a thing? Into what categories, if any, can we sort the existing things? What
are the meanings of Being? What are the various models of being of entities?” In
addition, different philosophers hold different perspectives to these questions. Divid-
ing the extant subjects and predicates into different sections is considered as one
approach to understand the idea of ontology in different fields. There also existed
a couple of essential ontological dichotomies, which include universals and partic-
ulars, substance and accident, abstract and concrete objects, essence and existence,
determinism and indeterminism, monism and dualism, idealism and materialism.

1.1.2 Categories and Types of Ontology

Moreover, different philosophers classify the idea of ontology into different cate-
gories and types (Gasparyan 2014; Lolordo 2008, 2013; Laywine and Watkins 1992).
For example, the term upper ontology refers to concepts supporting development of
an ontology, meta-ontology; the term domain ontology refers to the concepts rele-
vant to a particular topic or area of interest, to information technology or to computer
languages, or to particular branches of science; the term interface ontology involves
the concepts relevant to the juncture of two disciplines; the term process ontology
involves inputs, outputs, constraints, sequencing information, involved in business or
engineering processes. In general, Plato argued that the nature of ontology is associ-
ated with the sensible bodies or insensible forms (Owen 2008; Pye 1989; Paek 2005;
Perez 2016). In his categories, Aristotle identifies some specific possible kinds of
things that may be the subject or the predicate of a proposition.
1.1 What Is Ontology? 5

We can also distinguish the types of ontology into three main contents: formal
ontology, descriptive ontology, and formalized ontologies. Specifically, the idea of
formal ontology was initially introduced and illustrated by Edmund Husserl in his
book of Logical Investigations (Unah 1997; Maitland 1982; Mcwherter 2015; Serck-
Hanssen 2015; Silveira 2015). According to Husserl, the study of the genera of being
is associated with the leading regional concepts and categories, which focuses on the
eidetic reduction coupled with the method of categorical intuition. The phenomeno-
logical ontology includes two types: One is formal ontology and another is regional
or material ontology. The phenomenological ontology mainly involves investigat-
ing the problem of truth on basic levels, such as formal logic of judgments, the
synthetic forms of possibility, formal axiology, and formal praxis. In contemporary
philosophy, the formal ontology divided into two basic principal approaches: One
approach focuses on studying formal ontology as a part of ontology and analyzing
the tools and approach of formal logic; another approach concentrates on examining
the logical features of predication and of the various theories of universals. All two
ontology approaches involve the application of the specific paradigm of the applied
predication, conditions, and interpretation (Zhi-Ping 2004; Zou and Jia-Ni 2014).
The distinction between the formal ontology and material ontology is considered
as another divide to analyze the types of formal ontology and material ontology.
Specifically, investigating the relationship between formal ontology and material
ontology is fundamental to understand the overall landscape of identifying the idea
of ontology. Descriptive ontology refers to the collection of information about the
list of objects that can be dependent or independent items (real or ideal). Formalized
ontology aims to construct a formal codification for the results descriptively acquired
at the preceding levels. Moreover, formal ontology is also considered as the result
of combining the intuitive, informal method of classical ontology into the formal,
mathematical method of modern symbolic logic, and ultimately of identifying them
as different aspects of one and the same science (Table 1.1).
Moreover, the idea of ontological formation refers to the formations of social
relation as the dominant ways of being. The dominant formation of ontology involves
temporal, spatial, corporeal, and epistemological connections, which are taken to be
central to construct the dominant formation. Specifically, the idea of ontological
formation also focuses on how ontological categories of time, space, embodiment,
knowing, and performing are occurred objectively and subjectively. In other words,
different ontological formations involve different topics and questions that related to
the context of tradition, the modern and the postmodern. The idea of identifying the
idea of ontology in different contexts was first introduced by Paul James. He made
the distinctions between globalism and nationalism from contextual dimensions. In
addition, the idea of the ontological formation is also considered as the intersection
rather than singular formation. In other words, the ontological formation refers to
the formation of being. The philosophical distinction among different formations of
being involves providing various approaches of translating practical understanding
and concerning into how humans might design cities and communities that live
creatively across different ontological formations.
6 1 Introduction on Ontological Dimension of Higher Education …

Table 1.1 Categories, types, and distinctions of ontology

Categories and types Implications and meanings
Upper ontology Concepts supporting development of an
ontology, meta-ontology
Domain ontology The concepts relevant to a particular topic or
area of interest, to information technology or to
computer languages, or to particular branches
of science
Interface ontology The concepts relevant to the juncture of two
disciplines
Process ontology Inputs, outputs, constraints, sequencing
information, involved in business or
engineering processes
Categories distinctions Illustrations
True reality Illusion The nature of ontology is associated with the
Formal ontology Descriptive ontology sensible bodies or insensible forms
Formal ontology Material ontology

In addition, the formation of ontology is also associated with reality and actuality.
In order to clearly illustrate the nature of ontology, it is pivotal to distinguish the
terms “reality” and “actuality.” In the view of philosophy, the idea of “actual entity”
holds a philosophical status of fundamental ontological priority. The idea of “real
entity” involves actual objects, which may derive the reality from the logical relation
to some actual entity or entities. For instance, the notion of human beings is real,
which derives the reality from its reference to those many actual occasions, each of
which is an actual entity. Hence, the actual entity should earn its philosophical status
of the fundamental ontological priority through satisfying different philosophical
criteria. There is an established and long philosophical history of identifying the
concepts of reality and actuality. The distinction between reality and actuality also
involves the theoretical investigation of Brownian motion by Albert Einstein in the
early twentieth century. The debate might be entitled microcosmic ontology. The real
or actual existence may be very difficult to demonstrate empirically. A distinction is
sometimes drawn between actual and virtual subatomic particles.

1.2 Ontological Dimensions of Higher Education

with Chinese Characteristics

Along with the illustration of ontology previously, the ontological dimensions

of higher education with Chinese characteristics are multifaceted, which mainly
includes the upper ontological dimension, domain ontological dimension, interface
ontological dimension, and process ontological dimension.
1.2 Ontological Dimensions of Higher Education with Chinese … 7

1.2.1 Upper Ontological Dimension: Concept-Oriented Value

The upper ontological dimension on higher education with Chinese characteristics

involves a couple of educational concepts supporting the development of Chinese
higher education. In this sense, the upper ontological dimension focuses on con-
structing and refining educational concepts and ideas that advancing Chinese higher
education in the long term. In other words, concept-oriented is the core value of
identifying upper ontological dimension of higher education with Chinese charac-
teristics. In recent decades, in order to promote the concepts of accelerating Chinese
higher education, a couple of ideas and concepts regarding to improving Chinese
higher education has been generated and disseminated. From the upper ontologi-
cal dimension on higher education with Chinese characteristics, there are several
representative concepts as follows.

1.2.1.1 “Rejuvenating the Country by Science and Education”

The major content of the strategy of “Rejuvenating the Country by Science and Edu-
cation” involves: Along with the guidance of the thought of the first productive force,
the science and technology is considered the first productive force; the education is
the fundamental force for accelerating the science and technology, which are placed
in the important position of the economic and social development. Advocating higher
education with Chinese characteristics focuses on improving the ability of China’s
scientific and technological strength and the transforming the science and technol-
ogy into the real productive forces. Therefore, the overall power of Chinese higher
education is strengthened, and the contribution rate of science and technology to the
economy is raised and improved. The quality of science and technology is closely
rooted in the quality of higher education with Chinese characteristics in order to
accelerate the prosperity of the country.
Historically speaking, in May 1995, at the National Conference on Science and
Technology, Ex-President Jiang Zemin put forward the strategy of implementing the
country by science and education and establishing the policy of science and technol-
ogy and education as the means and foundation for the rejuvenation of China. This
policy also serves as the core value of constructing higher education with Chinese
characteristics. The concept of “Rejuvenating the Country by Science and Educa-
tion” has greatly enhanced the awareness of promoting the importance of science,
technology, and education as the first productive force. To carry out the strategy
of “Revitalizing the Country through Science and Education,” Chinese government
gave full attention to the role of science, technology, and education in order to strive
to cultivate the foundation of revitalizing the country. In other words, advocating
and constructing higher education with Chinese characteristics involve improving
Chinese economic growth and establishing high-tech enterprises as soon as possi-
ble. Hence, strengthening the quality of the people is correlated to strengthen the
higher education in contemporary China. Along with the strategy of “Rejuvenating
8 1 Introduction on Ontological Dimension of Higher Education …

the Country by Science and Education,” constructing higher education with Chinese
characteristics should pay attention to the training of talents, and attaching impor-
tance to the creative research work. Science, technology, and education have dual
functions, which cannot only provide various means for the development of the cur-
rent social economy, but also provide the necessary foundation for the sustainable
and long-term development. Currently, science, technology, and education can pro-
vide knowledge, technology, and talent for economic and social development for
providing benefits and the returns of investment in the field of science, technology,
and education.

1.2.1.2 “Building Moral and Cultivating Talent”

The core idea of “Building Moral and Cultivating Talent” refers to cultivate talents
with Chinese traditional moral education. In Chinese traditional education regime,
the idea of education is considered as a kind of the social activity in which people
are trained in a specific system and way. The primary purpose of Chinese traditional
education focuses on the original meaning of teaching and learning. The concept of
“Building Moral and Cultivating Talent” has a long history and tradition in China,
not only embodies the core idea of the Communist Party of Chinese thought of higher
education, but also reflects the essence theory of Chinese traditional thoughts and
serves the international higher education experience reference. “Building Moral and
Cultivating Talent” is inherently embedded in the common pursuit and direction of the
global higher education reform in the new era. “The Book of Rites” highlighted that,
“the essence of university is to reflect moral, be sensitive to people’s needs and for
the supreme good.” This also emphasizes the aim of Chinese education is to establish
and promote the moral personality and the spirit of unity through cultivating talents
with the political integrity. China traditional education thought has always focused
on “moral” form, paying attention to self-cultivation. Confucius’s “the essence of
gentleman” and “sincerity is the heart” all concentrate on the self-virtue cultivation.

1.2.1.3 “Quality-Oriented Education”

Chinese educational theorists initially proposed the idea of “quality-oriented educa-

tion” in the early 1990s. Historically, in May 1985, the Central Committee of the
Communist Party of China and the State Council held the reform and opening up
meeting. In this meeting, the First National Conference on Education Work was pub-
lished by the Communist Party of China. Chinese government has decided on the
reform of the educational system and pointed out that the reform of the education sys-
tem should focus on improving the quality of the national education and producing
more talents for the development of nation. The concept of “quality-oriented educa-
tion” appeared in the late 1980s. In 1987, the former deputy director of the former
State Education Committee, Bin Liu firstly used the term “quality-oriented educa-
tion” in his article entitled “improve the quality of elementary education.” At the
same period, unlike “quality-oriented education,” “exam-oriented education” break
1.2 Ontological Dimensions of Higher Education with Chinese … 9

away from the actual needs of people and simply to get high marks for the exami-
nation. At this stage, the state has strengthened the guidance to the “quality-oriented
education” from the policy perspective. In February 1993, the CPC Central Commit-
tee and the State Council issued the “Chinese Education Reform and Development
Outline” and transformed from “exam-oriented education” to “quality-oriented edu-
cation” in primary and secondary schools and “quality-oriented education” is defined
as “improving the students’ ideological and moral, scientific culture, labor skills and
physical and psychological quality for promoting the students to do a lively and vivid
development.” This is the first time to make a clear expression of “quality-oriented
education” in the central government document.
In June 1999, the Third National Conference on education was held. This confer-
ence with the theme of “quality-oriented education” has raised the “quality-oriented
education” as the important status of the overall situation of the national development,
and the quality education has been given a new mission. The Central Committee of
the Communist Party of China focused on deepening education reform and imple-
menting quality education in an all-around way. “This decision clearly pointed out
that the implementation of the quality-oriented education is to fully implement the
party’s education policy, to improve the quality of the people as the fundamental
purpose, to cultivate students’ innovative spirit and practical ability to focus on cre-
ating all-around development with ideals, morality, culture, and discipline.” The
talent cultivation purpose of Chinese characteristic higher education adheres to the
socialist pathway of the development of higher education for achieving all-around
development. The goal of Chinese characteristic higher education is not inconsis-
tent with the training students with leadership skills, digital literacy, communication
skills, innovation and entrepreneurship, global citizenship, critical thinking and team
cooperation spirit.

1.2.2 Domain Ontological Dimension: Topic-Oriented Value

The domain ontological dimension of higher education with Chinese characteristics

refers to the educational concepts relevant to a particular or specific topic or area of
interest for constructing higher education contextually. In other words, the key point
of domain ontological dimension of higher education with Chinese characteristics
focuses on constructing topic-oriented value for identifying the practical approaches
and methods. From the domain ontological dimension on higher education with Chi-
nese characteristics, there are several representative topics regarding to constructing
the practices and efforts as follows:

1.2.2.1 “Project 985”

Project 985 is considered one example of identifying domain ontological dimension

of higher education with Chinese characteristics. Politically, the implementation of
the “Project 985” is a major decision made by the Communist Party of China and the
10 1 Introduction on Ontological Dimension of Higher Education …

State Council of the People’s Republic of China at the turning of twentieth century.
Specifically, on May 4, 1998, Ex-President Jiang Zemin, at the hundredth anniversary
congress of Peking University, on behalf of the Communist Party of China and the
Central People’s Government of People’s Republic of China, proposed that in order
to achieve modernization, China should have a number of first-class universities with
advanced world levels. In 1999, the State Council approved the Ministry of Educa-
tion’s document entitled Action Plan for Education Revitalization in Twenty-first
Century and the” Project 985” was officially launched. The first policy on “Project
985” was first implemented in Peking University and Tsinghua University. In 2004,
the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance issued the Opinion of the
Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance on the Continued Implementation
of the Construction Project of the “Project 985.” According to the Action Plan for
the 2003–2007 Education and Revitalization of the Education and the Ministry of
Finance, Chinese government started the construction of the two stage of the “Pro-
ject 985.” In 2010, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance issued
the Views of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance on Speeding
up the Construction of a world-class university and a high-level university. Accord-
ing to the Outline of the National Medium- and Long-Term Education Reform and
Development Program (2010–2020), the new round of “Project 985” has begun to
be implemented. In December 30, 2011, at the Twenty-fourth Meeting of the Eleven
NPC Standing Committee, Yuan Guiren, the President of Minister of Education,
argued that the scale of the “Project 211” and “Project 985” had been stable and
the introduction of competitive machinery was introduced to the discipline-oriented
construction of “Project 985” and “Project 211.” These two platforms provide sus-
tainable support for building the characteristics and advantages of Chinese colleges
and universities.

1.2.2.2 “Project 211”

The “Project 211” involves the construction project of higher education institutions,
and a number of key disciplines focused on the construction of 100 universities in
twenty-first century. It was officially launched after the approval of the State Council
in 1995. The “Project 211” is the largest and highest level of construction in the field
of higher education. It is a major policy for the Chinese government to implement
the strategy of “Rejuvenating the Country by Science and Education” and the great
decision made by the Chinese nation to develop higher education in the face of
the situation at home and abroad at the turn of the century. In November 1995,
the former State Education Commission and the Ministry of Finance jointly issued
the “Project 211” Overall Construction Plan and the “Project 211” was officially
launched. In September 2002, with the approval of the State Council, the former
State Planning Commission, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Finance
jointly issued a number of opinions on strengthening the construction of the “Project
211” during the 19th National Congress of CPC. In December 30, 2011, at the
Twenty-fourth Meeting of the Eleven NPC Standing Committee, Yuan Guiren, as the
1.2 Ontological Dimensions of Higher Education with Chinese … 11

President of the Minister of Education, argued that both “Project 211” and Project
985” all contribute to constructing the competitive machine system with Chinese
characteristics. The main contents of the construction of the “Project 211” include
the overall conditions of the universities, the key disciplines, and the construction of
the public service system for higher education.

1.2.2.3 “Double First-Class Universities”

The construction of “first-class universities and first-class disciplines” involves the

construction of world-class universities and first-class disciplines, which is a major
strategic decision made by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China
and the State Council of People’s Republic of China. It also serves as another national
strategy following the “Project 211” and “Project 985” in the field of Chinese higher
education. It is beneficial to promote the comprehensive and international competi-
tiveness of China’s higher education and provides a strong support for the realization
of the “Chinese Dream” and the great rejuvenation of the China. In November,
the State Council decided to promote the construction of first-class universities and
first-class disciplines in the same year. In January 2017, the Ministry of Education
and the Ministry of Finance at the National Development and Reform Commission,
with the consent of the State Council, issued a comprehensive document, focusing
on the construction of first-class universities in the world and the construction of
first-class disciplines. In September 21, 2017, the Ministry of Education, the Min-
istry of Finance, and the State Development and Reform Commission jointly issued
the Notice on the Publication of a List of World-Class Universities and First-Class
Disciplines and Construction Disciplines, officially confirming the publication of
the first-class universities and first-class discipline construction colleges and con-
struction disciplines, and the first batch of 137 first-class construction colleges and
universities in the total number of universities and colleges. Among them, there are
42 universities in the world’s first-class universities. In October 18, 2017, President
Xi Jinping pointed out in the nineteen major reports that we should speed up the
construction of first-class universities and first-class disciplines.

1.2.3 Interface Ontological Dimension: Discipline-Oriented

Value

The interface ontological dimension of higher education with Chinese characteris-

tics involves the educational concepts relevant to the juncture of two disciplines.
Specifically, conceptualizing and contextualizing the higher education with Chinese
characteristics is deeply embedded in different disciplines, such as public policy,
sociology, and history.
12 1 Introduction on Ontological Dimension of Higher Education …

1.2.3.1 Interface Between Sociology and Education

From the sociological perspective, conceptualizing and contextualizing the higher

education with Chinese characteristics is intertwined with the analysis of education
implication in sociological regime. Specifically, integrating the concept of the glob-
alization and localization into Chinese modern higher education system is considered
one major interface challenge for constructing and defining higher education with
Chinese characteristics. Entering twenty-first century, the reform of Chinese higher
education was faced with the sociological challenge. Higher education with Chinese
characteristics should not only matters the quantity and scale, but also matters the
quality and efficiency. The event that China participating in the WTO represents
engaging in the world competition that has been greatly accelerated and influenced
Chinese higher education system. With the trends of the globalization and interna-
tionalization, Chinese higher education is not only faced with the diversification of
the main body of the universities and colleges, but also be faced with the challenge of
training and operating mechanism. International educational competition, such as the
pressure of the internationalization and the competition for the educational sources,
is also considered one of the major challenges that Chinese higher education faced
with. In this sense, a bundle of concerns on how to explore and strengthen the process
of the internationalization of Chinese Higher Education, how to implement and pro-
mote the Chinese traditional culture within Chinese current higher education system,
how to prevent the complacent conservative ideas and narrow Nationalism within
Chinese higher education system all considered major issues for constructing Chi-
nese characterized higher education concept. Hence, Chinese characteristic higher
education reform should insist on the idea of “focusing on the local and holding the
global vision.” For the developing countries, especially for China, the globalization
of higher education does not mean “Westernization” or “Americanization.” Chinese
characterized higher education not only should learn the advanced experiences from
the developed countries worldwide, but also construct nationalized higher education
culture and concept.

1.2.3.2 Interface Between Policy and Education

From the political perspective, conceptualizing and contextualizing the higher edu-
cation with Chinese characteristics is intertwined with the analysis of education
implication in political regime. In recent decades, Chinese government launched a
series of higher education policies to construct and conceptualize higher education
with Chinese characteristics historically and contextually. In China, the 18th CPC
National Congress has explicitly clarified the significance of building the socialism
with Chinese characteristics. According to the 18th CPC National Congress, we
need to examine the “Chinese characteristics” as well as summarize China’s eco-
nomic and political experience. In the meanwhile, the National Planning Outline
of Education Reform and Development for Medium- and Long-Term (2010–2020)
also highlighted that conceptualizing and implementing the higher education with
1.2 Ontological Dimensions of Higher Education with Chinese … 13

Chinese characteristics is essential to enhance and accelerate the development of

China’s society. In addition, the National Planning Outline of Education Reform
and Development for Medium- and Long-Term (2010–2020) also symbolizes the
discussion on building a great power of higher education with Chinese characteris-
tics that transforming from the bottom-up scholarly formation into the governmental
behavior. At 18th Governmental Education Consultation Conference, Zhili Chen, the
former President of Ministry of Education in China, pointed out that constructing
the ideas of higher education with Chinese characteristics is beneficial to advance
the improvement of national power.

1.2.3.3 Interface Between History and Education

From the historical perspective, conceptualizing and contextualizing the higher edu-
cation with Chinese characteristics is associated with the analysis of education impli-
cation in historical regime. Historically, constructing higher education with Chinese
characteristics is rooted in the core values of Chinese traditional culture and norm.
China’s traditional universities or colleges were one part of the imperial bureaucracy,
which administered the civil examinations and selected the most knowledgeable and
talented students to serve as officials. Chinese traditional private schools were always
located in rural areas, which more focus on self-mastery. The term “self-mastery” in
Chinese traditional education context is connected with the concept of autonomy in
Western traditional culture. In other words, the idea of academic freedom in Western
cultural context is not accessible and suitable to Chinese higher education with Chi-
nese specific traditional and modern context. In Chinese centralized governmental
context, pursuing academic self-mastery is considered as one accessible academic
norm under current historical regime. Chinese scholars hold the idea of intellectual
authority with Chinese modern higher education system.

1.2.4 Process Ontological Dimension: Information-Oriented

Value

In other words, from the process ontological perspective, constructing higher educa-
tion with Chinese characteristics mainly involves a couple of educational information
regarding to educational inputs, outputs, constraints, barriers. Identifying the over-
all information-based landscape is associated with constructing process ontological
dimension of higher education with Chinese characteristics.
From a process ontological perspective, higher education with Chinese charac-
teristics is the key point of Chinese higher education reform. Higher education with
Chinese characteristics is expected to accommodate with their cultural, political,
economic identities. Chinese universities and colleges serve a cultural organization
with the function of the cultural inheritance. Chinese specific educational culture is
14 1 Introduction on Ontological Dimension of Higher Education …

Fig. 1.1 Framework of ontological dimension of higher education with Chinese characteristics

deeply intertwined with Chinese modern education. By this logic, along with the
information-oriented value, higher education with Chinese characteristics focuses
on exploring the relations between Chinese cultures and Chinese higher education.
Higher education with Chinese characteristics contributes to increasing the enroll-
ment rate of higher education within East Asia through integrating traditional Chinese
education culture and modern education principles (Fig. 1.1).

1.3 Conclusions and Remarks

This chapter mainly involves illustrating and identifying the nature of ontology and
constructing the framework of ontological dimension of higher education with Chi-
nese characteristics. Specifically, the ontological dimensions of higher education
with Chinese characteristics mainly involve a series of questions, such as “what can
be said to exist in higher education with Chinese characteristics? What is a higher
education with Chinese characteristics? Into what categories, if any, can we sort the
existing idea of higher education with Chinese characteristics? What are the mean-
ings of higher education with Chinese characteristics? What are the various models
of constructing higher education with Chinese characteristics?” All these questions
would be solved and finalized in the rest of chapters in this book. In addition, in
the domain of philosophy, different philosophers hold different perspectives to these
questions. There also existed a couple of essential ontological questions, such as uni-
versals and particulars, substance and accident, abstract and concrete objects, essence
and existence, determinism and indeterminism, monism and dualism, idealism and
materialism for investigating and constructing the framework of higher education
with Chinese characteristics.
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
back
back
back
back
back
back
back
back
back
back
back
back
back