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The quality assurance of higher education in China is an issue of vital international interest. To improve the international reputation of the nation's universities, steps must be taken to ensure a sustained focus on the quality assurance within its ranks. This paper is primarily focused on the quality assurance models operational in Chinese universities, the Big data challenges and the legal framework backing them. The paper also discusses the implementation of the models, the extent to which they meet international standards, and how they adhere to prevailing laws. The degree of success in attaining and maintaining quality and evaluation of quality improvement opportunities are also discussed. Some of the solutions recommended in this study are the participation of more teachers and students in quality management, more emphasis of Higher Education Institution (HEI) quality assurance on self-regulation and a learning-oriented approach and conducting sessions to collect anonymous feedback from students to reward staff with best practices. Some of the Quality Assurance practices/models adopted in Chinese Universities are the Ministry of Education (MOE) reviews; the Academic Degree Committee oversight; Higher Education Evaluation Center (HEEC) overview, University self-evaluation according to HEEC Indicators, and the Webometric Ranking Model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As part of a larger study, this paper presents findings from my exploration of discourses about China-US geopolitics through popular discussions on Chinese international students (CIS) who are attending American universities during the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic. The study seeks to advance scholarship for international students attending American colleges, with particular implications for Chinese students, as agents of geopolitical relations. In doing so, it investigates (a) how these students are represented in American media and (b) the criticality of international geopolitics in the mobility of international students. The findings reveal that American popular media sources assume a tone when writing about CIS that may stem from a deeper anti-Chinese sentiment that exists in the US. They also suggest that American institutions of higher education, and American companies that employ CIS after graduation, treat these students as imported subjects/objects that support America's intellectual and economic advancement. In doing so, the media perpetuates narratives of geopolitical tensions between the United States and China, while representing CIS as unwitting agents of those tensions. The study seeks to advance scholarship on international students attending US colleges, particularly those from China, during an era of rising populism and right-wing movements in the US coupled with rapidly deteriorating US-China relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Until recently, modern science had been dominated by a handful of Western countries. However, since the turn of the millennium, the global science landscape has undergone dramatic changes. The number of nations where a significant proportion of research done is of high international standard has now increased considerably. China particularly stands out and is today one of the leading science nations in the world. Overall, Chinese research collaborations with countries in the Western world exemplify the general trend towards increasing complexity in the global research landscape. It has gradually become obvious that differences between institutional settings need to be managed more systematically to promote cross-border research cooperation for shared benefits, from individual to institutional levels. An informed discussion of managing complex conditions necessitates an understanding of the relationship-level dynamics of research collaborations. In order to identify what aspects of international research collaborations are the most pertinent to systematically manage at individual and institutional levels, this paper investigates projects in a bilateral Swedish–Chinese funding program. The paper finds that the majority of collaborations funded had yielded positive impact in terms of publications, strengthened research capacity in research groups, and resource accumulation. The challenges found in the collaborations are related to needs such as improving transparency, ethical concerns, and imbalances in reciprocity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking China's "Chengde Petroleum College" as an example, this paper analyzes the current situation of computer room monitoring in colleges and universities. The Internet of Things technology is used to remotely and automatically monitor the environment of the network computer room. This paper studies and puts forward the method and model of edge calculation in the network computer room monitoring system. The monitoring methods of critical parameters such as thermal environment and energy consumption of computer room are given. The practical application shows that, compared with the historical data in the same period, the energy saving rate of the scheme is as high as 15% ~ 27%, and has good market promotion value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction of green campus is related to the global sustainable development. Under the guidance of campus energy-saving policy, China's green campus mainly focuses on campus' energy saving. In contrast, the green campus in the USA pays more attention to environmental problems. This study focuses on the impact of "energy saving" on the sustainable development of green campus. On the one hand, it puts forward targeted optimization suggestions for the Chinese universities. On the other hand, it provides the experience reference and new development ideas for the global campus sustainability. Based on the characteristics of the development mode of green campus in China and the USA, this paper studies the motivation of "energy saving" to "sustainability" in the construction of green campus in China. In terms of research methods, this paper selects Zhejiang University a typical representative of China's green campus that combined with the comparative group of four American universities and conducts a quantitative analysis of G-value and S-value that represented energy consumption and sustainability, respectively. Zhejiang University's G-value (0.019) in 2016 is one-sixth of that of the comparative group in the same period, indicating that the implementation effect of the energy-saving monitoring platform is remarkable. From 2014 to 2017, the G-values are basically stable at 0.02, indicating that its future development potential is insufficient. Zhejiang University's scores in the four categories of S-value are significantly lower than those in the comparative group, showing that there are great differences in the construction achievements of the five universities. According to the score rate of 17 sub-items of S-value, the five universities have different advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, the green campus construction of China's case university is too one-sided and only stays at the level of energy conservation. The diversification of construction and the balanced development of all aspects should be paid more attention in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The medical field is prone to research misconduct, with serious cases exposed in China in recent years. In compliance with the guidelines from the Ministry of Education requiring higher education institutions to establish dedicated websites for research integrity, this study conducted online statistics on 466 universities to investigate the status of research integrity in Chinese universities with medical programs. Analysis of the data collected from official websites revealed progress in research integrity construction, but numerous issues persist, including scattered information, infrequent publication of warning cases or advanced deeds, lack of dedicated research integrity personnel, and limited disclosure of contact, whistleblowing channels and annual reports. Therefore, this paper proposes four improvement recommendations and provides incentive measures to ensure their implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses about the Chinese government investing in universities and research institutes. Topics include the increase in researchers and research articles in China, and fundamental reforms needed to improve the quality of research. Recruiting world class professionals and mentoring junior staff, assessing the salary and promotion of the faculty every three years, and merged tenure system are also mentioned. The steps taken at Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) are also given.

Recent research has explored the issue of university faculty patent assignment in the US, Europe and Japan from the individual or organization perspectives. However, there is limited empirical research that examines the real picture of faculty patent assignment in China’s universities. This paper aimed to fill this gap by creating a special dataset including 18,435 faculty/patent pairs. The investigation indicated that 13.16 % of pairs were not solely assigned to universities in 35 top patent application Chinese universities from 2002 to 2012. The empirical study correlates types of patent assignment to invention characteristics, university intellectual eminence and licensing policies, and illustrates that patent assignment changes depending on the research field, that university assignment is positively related to patent claims but negatively related to patent validity, patent maintenance time, and number of co-inventors, and that university intellectual eminence has a weak impact. Through controlling the influence of inventor characteristics, university royalty and equality policies play different roles in faculty patent assignment. This paper provides new insights as well as operational policy implications for China’s university policy makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fierce, ever-increasing competition has prompted universities to pay more attention to their academic brand. Since the 1980s, top Chinese universities have begun to register trademarks and manage academic brands. After more than 20 years of hard work, what have they achieved? This paper, which conducts research based on big data on the trademarks and litigation of the 42 first-class universities, is the first systematic analysis of the trademark practices and strategies of Chinese universities. Our data show the following dimensions of top Chinese universities: the timing of the first trademark application, core trademark, non-core trademarks, trademark elements, distribution of trademarks in the Nice Classification, number of trademarks, legal status, and trademark litigation. Additionally, several typical universities, offering both positive and negative examples, were studied. Through the above analysis, we found that the application has some blind spots, there is a lack of initiative in trademark litigation, and the trademark management systems in universities are not considered relevant. To solve these problems, a range of suggestions from macro to micro is offered to help universities formulate a systematic and reasonable trademark protection strategy, strengthen the legal protection of their trademark rights, and improve their internal trademark management system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As development and operation of the massive open online courses (MOOCs) involve multiple stakeholders to work in cooperation, this paper inquired two key stakeholders in the MOOC development, teaching, and operation: administrators and faculty in 50 higher education institutions in China. We sought the experiences and expectations from MOOC administrators and faculty. The result showed that the government and institutions held either sole or joint leadership in MOOC development and operation. Although colleges and universities in China have established certain mechanisms to develop and operate MOOCs, they faced challenges and issues such as insufficient technical support, inadequate curriculum/instructional design training, and a lack of national curriculum/instructional design and development standards as well as platform standards. In the end, the paper provided some suggestions for improving the development and operation of MOOCs in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International student education in China has been continuously changing in response to the rapid social transition since the People’s Republic of China was established in 1949. Adopting a historical perspective, this scholarly paper begins with an analysis of characteristics of international student education in China in terms of rationales, role of government, and international students. Several challenges are then identified and this paper concludes with observations on future trends of international student education development, with a special focus on the implications of “the Belt and Road”. This paper contributes to a better understanding of China’s role as an emerging host nation of international students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on the findings of a qualitative study which investigated a group of English as a second language (ESL) university students' perceptions of their global identities in intercultural English as a lingua franca (ELF) communication at an international university in Hong Kong. Drawing on data collected via in-depth interviews and elicited journals, the paper found that these students shared a number of similarities in how they perceived and characterized their global identities in ELF contexts on campus. The analysis revealed that the expression of their global identities involved not only identification with the wider global community, but also acceptance of linguistic variation in the global use of English, display of communicative competence to ensure mutual understanding in lingua franca communication, and positive orientations toward hybrid linguistic practices in ELF settings. The findings reported in this paper will contribute to our understanding of the linguistic and cultural dimensions in the expression of global identities among ESL university students in ELF communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper draws on findings from a case study which explored factors influencing students' decision-making of postgraduate (PG) education at G University in China. Both questionnaires and follow-up interviews were used for data collection. This paper reports the main reasons for students' choices of subject and institution for PG education, and the influences of families and teachers, and of guanxi in their decision-making. The findings show that both families and teachers play important roles in shaping students' decision-making about PG education. It provides insights into students' decision-making about higher education embedded in the Chinese culture of Confucianism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper documents the structure and operations of student governments in contemporary Chinese higher education and their effect on college students' political trust and party membership. We first investigate the structure and power distribution within student governments in Chinese universities, specifically focusing on the autonomy of student governments and the degree to which they represent students. Second, using a large sample of college students, we examine how participating in student government affects their political trust and party membership. Our results show that student government in Chinese higher education possesses a complex, hierarchical matrix structure with two main parallel systems—the student union and the Chinese Communist Party system. We found that power distribution within student governments is rather uneven, and student organisations that are affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party have an unequal share of power. In addition, we found that students' cadre experience is highly appreciated in student cadre elections, and being a student cadre significantly affects their political trust and party membership during college. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theoretical ideas about globalization and internationalization of higher education emphasize the tension among different ideologies of higher education. According to literature, a competition among states, economy, knowledge, and status generates this tension to drive higher education development. This theoretical understanding not only shapes our global imaginations but also permeates the organizational behavior of universities. In this paper, we focus on the institutional logics that motivate universities in Kazakhstan to engage with China's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). We investigate the ways that Kazakhstani higher education interprets and responds to China's vision of a global order. Based on interviews conducted at 10 higher education institutions (HEIs) in Kazakhstan, we argue that Kazakhstan's engagement with the BRI circumvents the cultural connectivity and global cooperation that are embraced by Chinese policy discourse and perpetuated by academic literature. Rather, institutional leaders in Kazakhstan operate with a utilitarian logic that seeks revenue generation, links with industry, and opportunities for students in employment and further education. The pursuit of these strategic outcomes demonstrates a bilateral engagement with China rather than the multilateral cooperation envisioned by policymakers. In a higher education system dominated by the state, the institutions in our study exhibit partial agency to accrue pragmatic benefits rather than concede to isomorphic pressures or mimic internationalization from neoliberal contexts. The discrepancy between policy discourse from China and policy reception in Kazakhstan raises questions about the rhetoric of a multipolar global order and the realities of international cooperation in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and hypothesis: Urinary incontinence (UI) is prevalent among women, including young women (18–30 years old). This article aims to explore the prevalence of UI, as well as toileting behaviors and other factors that are associated with UI, in female college students in central China. Methods: We used convenience sampling to recruit 1000 students from five institutions of higher education. We distributed pencil-and-paper questionnaires to obtain demographic, environmental, and general health information, including whether UI was present or not, and information regarding toileting behaviors used by the respondents. Results: Most students, n = 929, responded to the questionnaire. Their ages ranged from 18 to 26 years old (average: 20.5 ± 1.6); 23.6% of these respondents reported UI, 52.7% often/always worried about public toilet cleanliness, and 25.3% often/always delayed emptying their bladder when they were busy. Respondents who were between 21 and 26 years old had a lower probability of UI (odds ratio [OR] = 0.867 and 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.771–0.975) than younger respondents (18–21 years old). Respondents who reported constipation (OR = 2.395, 95% CI = 1.494–3.839), drank alcohol (OR = 1.763, 95% CI = 1.114–2.792), often/always delayed urination (OR = 1.738, 95% CI = 1.306–2.313), and/or often/always strained to urinate (OR = 1.433, 95% CI = 1.111–1.849) had greater odds of having UI than respondents who did not have constipation or engage in these behaviors. Conclusions: UI is prevalent in young Chinese women who are attending college. These women should be asked and given culturally appropriate information about UI and associated factors that include toileting behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the measurement of policies issued at ministerial and provincial levels in China, this research studied the effect of the university–industry collaboration policy (UIC policy) on universities' knowledge innovation and achievement transformations. Using the panel data from universities in 30 provinces from 2000 to 2013, we examined the effects of UIC policy on two sources' R&D input (enterprise–university collaboration input and government–university collaboration input), knowledge output and the achievement of transformation at different stages of the innovation chain. The results showed that the UIC policy had a significantly positive effect on both enterprise–university collaboration input and government–university collaboration input. The relationship between the UIC policy and the knowledge output, and the relationship between the UIC policy and the achievement transformation, were an inverted U-shape. For universities that were mainly engaged in enterprise–university collaboration actives, the UIC policy had a threshold effect on the interactive relationship between government–university collaboration input and enterprise–university collaboration input. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on the stimulus-organism-response theory, the present study aims to investigate the mediating role of environmental self-identity on the relationship of collectivism-organizational culture and green empowerment with employee's workplace green behavior. By adopting procedural remedy and purposive sampling approach, data was collected from 207 administrative employees in higher education institutions of China. Response rate in this study is 41.40%. The authors employed partial least square -structural equation modelling to validate the proposed hypotheses. The current empirical findings confirmed the direct effect of collectivism-organizational culture and green empowerment on employee's environmental self-identity. It is also proven that environmental self-identity significantly and positively influence employee's workplace green behavior. This study concludes with significant positive indirect impact of collectivism-organizational culture and green empowerment on the employees WGB through environmental self-identity. This study enriches the literature on sustainable development by examining the integrated relationship of collectivism-organizational culture, green empowerment, self-identity and green behavior. The limitations and implications have been elaborated at the end of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tendencies to marketization and privatization in higher education, along with other factors, have challenged the idea of higher education as a public good in many countries over the years. China has experienced this situation to some extent. During the last 20 years, this has triggered various discussions on higher education and public good(s) in China. Drawing on qualitative data from 24 semi-structured interviews in both government departments and universities, this study defines and explores public and common good(s) in relation to higher education in China. As the first empirical study on this theme in the country, it is argued that this study makes a significant and original contribution to knowledge with international relevance. This paper identifies the complex nature of higher education in China and proposes that it may be better described in relation to common good(s). Also, as a common good, higher education in China contributes to the (global) common good and generates (global) common goods in many aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The search continues for a Chinese research university model that can balance quality and quantity in research and teaching. This paper argues that finding one depends upon deepening internationalization, defining educational sovereignty, and expanding university autonomy. The paper does this by examining selected aspects in the development of the research university systems of the Chinese mainland and China's Hong Kong, particularly with respect to the governance of research and teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's rapidly expanding university system aims to balance quantity and quality through a variety of measures, including internationalization. This paper employs data from a survey of 1264 students from 39 higher education institutions in order to understand students' view on institutional approaches to internationalization. The data show that 'the Project 985' universities (elite research universities in China) have used internationalization to sustain two objectives: elite education and innovative research for quality, because there are high levels of agreement on three indicators with internationalization of these universities: student and faculty mobility, internationalizing curriculum and program, and international research collaboration and partnership. In 'the Project 211' universities (second-tier research universities), the data show that internationalization activities are highly related to curriculum reforms and faculty mobility. While the other degree-offering universities provide less opportunity for internationalization, the non-degree-offering institutions find their distinct way for institutional internationalization by providing more 'international internship' opportunities. Our analysis also indicates that institutional internationalization is disciplinary oriented. In disciplines like law and art, students do not think that many activities are taken for internationalization by their institutions, while such disciplines as economics, management, and education have a higher level of internationalization. The paper will explain these findings in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the learning analytics on the initial stages of a large-scale, government-funded project which inducts university students in Hong Kong into consideration of academic integrity and ethics through mobile Augmented Reality (AR) learning trails-Trails of Integrity and Ethics (TIEs)-accessed on smart devices. The trails immerse students in collaborative problem solving tasks centred on ethical dilemmas, addressed in real, actual locations where such dilemmas might arise, with contextually appropriate digital advice and information available on hand. Students play out the consequences of their decisions which help reinforce the links between the theoretical concept of academic integrity and ethics and the practical application in everyday contexts. To evaluate the effectiveness of the TIEs, triangulation of different sets of data is adopted and these datasets include user experience surveys, qualitative feedback, clickstream data, and text mining of pre-/post-trail discussion. Thousands of students' responses and related data gathered are analysed to ascertain the effectiveness of these mobile learning trails in enhancing students' awareness of AIE issues. The positive learning outcome of the TIEs suggests that this approach can be adopted and applied to a wider scope of the academic curriculum and co-curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the West, China exhibits a proactive attitude and conservative actions to developing entrepreneurial universities. This article deconstructs such a paradoxical approach by analysing the scholarly literature, policy discourses, and empirical data and their various perceptions of entrepreneurial universities in the Greater Bay Area (GBA). We conducted 71 interviews in four case universities to obtain empirical data for triangulation with the literature and policies. Our main research findings include the following: (1) there is a desire to introduce the concept of entrepreneurial universities from the West, along with their characteristics and aims; (2) China's policy discourse of excellence and pragmatism affects entrepreneurship education and technology transfer; and (3) an emerging identity of entrepreneurial universities is constrained by attitudes and barriers at the institutional level. China's perceptions and practices reflect a lack of sustainability of and fragmented approach to developing entrepreneurial universities, with strong implications for establishing entrepreneurial universities elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines gender differences in risk aversion among Chinese university students. Chinese females are proposed to be more risk averse and require a higher risk premium when faced with a gamble option in the gain-domain frame as compared to Chinese males. Two groups of 100 participants each (male = 100 and female = 100 in total) were recruited to fill up questionnaires that included items relating to objective probability lotteries. Within each group, it was found that Chinese males and females did not differ in their risk aversion. However, results show that Chinese males tend to react more readily to rising risk premium by taking up options with higher expected values when compared to Chinese females. Current findings will have useful implications to marketers (particularly, promoters of gambling products) and problem gambling counselors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teachers' professional identity has an important impact on the career development of university teachers. The returnee teachers have both domestic and overseas study experience, so they show particularity in professional identity in China. This study adopted the mixed-methods approach to investigate returnee teachers' professional identity and the influencing factors. In the quantitative part, it took some returnee teachers from universities in China as samples, and in the qualitative part, it carried out one-to-one interviews with 8 returnee teachers. The results showed that the overall level of professional identity of returnee teachers was relatively high. Specifically, returnee teachers had the highest degree of identity in professional behavior inclination and the lowest degree of identity in the sense of occupational belonging. Besides, we found the professional identity of returnee teachers was affected by professional emotion, professional ability, professional expectation, professional environment and material conditions. Among them, material conditions and professional environment have greater influence on the professional identity level of returned teachers. We discuss the implications of these findings for research and practice in an educational context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study we examined the resource-research relationship at China's research universities. The stochastic frontier production function was employed in analyses of a panel data set on a group of the most research-intensive universities in China from 2000 to 2010. Results suggested overall tight relationships between various resources (including human resources, research expenditures, and research equipment) and research publications. Distinct patterns emerged when research publications were disaggregated by fields [i.e., science and engineering (SE) vs. non-science and engineering (non-SE)] and publishing venues (i.e., domestic vs. international journals). Research publications in SE, especially those published in international journals, depended heavily on all three resources, while research in non-SE depended more on human resources. In addition, results suggested that research in SE had shifted its focus from domestic to international publications during this period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the Republican era, when China faced internal and external difficulties and was impoverished, social education was considered crucial to revive and strengthen the country. After social education was introduced to China from the West, many universities participated in social education and became the main promoters and implementers of social education, giving it localized characteristics. Thus far, there remains a void in the social education of Chinese universities in the English-speaking world. The present study explores the historical motivations for universities in the Republic of China (ROC) to join the wave of social education development from 1912 to 1949. Herein, Yenching University, Jiangsu Provincial College of Education, National Sun Yat-Sen University, and National North-West United University were selected for case studies to demonstrate the methods and achievements of social work, literacy, political, and life education through the establishment of rural experimental areas. The "university experimental area" model of education created by universities differs from other models and reflects a close relationship between the university and the state and society. This model makes up for the shortage of foreignization, aristocracy, and urbanization of school education within the specific time and space. Moreover, the model enriches the connotation of " education throughout society". In addition, the social education experiences of universities in ROC provide a valuable solution for exploring rural education, rural renewal, social construction, and national governance. Furthermore, it is one of the historical preludes of China's rural revitalization strategy in the new era as well as a practical reference for countries in the world with similar problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although studies have been conducted on educators' perceptions of assessment practices, few studies explored students' perceptions of the ethical issues in classroom assessment. A mixed design research method was used to examine factors associated with students' perceptions of the ethicality of classroom assessment practices. A sample of 1996 undergraduate students enrolled in 177 colleges and universities in China participated in the quantitative phase of the study to complete a survey measuring students' perceptions regarding the ethicality of classroom assessment. In the qualitative phase, 579 participants responded to the open-ended questions concerning their justification of the ethicality of the individual assessment situations. Quantitative analyses indicated that students' gender, grade level, major, and program were associated with their perceptions of the ethicality of multiple assessment practices (i.e., multiple assessment, surprise items, considering effort and attendance in grading, and giving feedback). Qualitative analyses showed that conflicting needs of different stakeholders in classroom assessment (i.e., student needs vs. assessment needs, teacher needs vs. assessment needs, student needs vs. student needs) were associated with their perceptions. Findings of the current study offer insights for teachers regarding how to make classroom assessment practices ethical based on diverse needs of stakeholders involved in assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2010s witnessed unparalleled policymaking and development in international higher education in China. Whilst research has shed light on the broader historical spectrum of China's international higher education policies, few studies have focused exclusively on those of the 2010s. This study builds upon the theoretical perspectives of wenjian zhengzhi and institutional logics to offer a timely and comprehensive analysis of the dynamics between Chinese policies on international higher education, practices of higher education institutions, and macro-societal orders. It examines two research questions through in-depth analysis of policy documents and scholarly literature: what institutional logics underpin China's international higher education policies of the 2010s? How have Chinese higher education institutions negotiated multiple and sometimes competing institutional logics in response to these policies? Findings show the ways that the state, market, corporation, profession, and community logics are embedded in the international higher education policies of the 2010s. Two specific areas of HEI practices are discussed to illustrate how higher education institutions blend and negotiate the competing logics in a search for compatibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To respond to an increasing emphasis placed on research capability and productivity, universities in China are reforming their policies regarding faculty's performance evaluation and promotion criteria. Faculties are motivated to invest in research, and those without a PhD degree are strongly encouraged to enroll in doctoral programs. From the perspective of the theory of planned behavior, we conducted a qualitative study to explore the factors underpinning the intention to pursue a PhD degree among female teachers in a Chinese university. From data collected via semi-structured interviews, we found that participants were evaluating their pursuit of a doctoral degree in the clashes between the entrenched social-cultural beliefs of women's role and the institutional expectation of a fully devoted scholar. Accordingly, theoretical and practical implications of our findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here we report the results of a speeded relative quantity task with Chinese participants. On each trial a single numeral (the probe) was presented and the instructions were to respond as to whether it signified a quantity less than or greater than five (the standard). In separate blocks of trials, the numerals were presented either in Mandarin or in Arabic number formats. In addition to the standard influence of numerical distance, a significant predictor of performance was the degree of physical similarity between the probe and the standard as depicted in Mandarin. Additionally, competing effects of physical similarity, defined in terms of the Arabic number format, were also found. Critically the size of these different effects of physical similarity varied systematically across individuals such that larger effects of one compensated for smaller effects of the other. It is argued that the data favor accounts of processing that assume that different number formats access different format-specific representations of quantities. Moreover, for Chinese participants the default is to translate numerals into a Mandarin format prior to accessing quantity information. The efficacy of this translation process is itself influenced by a competing tendency to carry out a translation into Arabic format. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we examine how the concept of world-class universities has emerged in Chinese higher education at both the sectoral and institutional level. We examine policy decisions related to creating world-class universities on China's mainland and institutional responses to these policies. We then read these policies through "cultural scripts"—an analytic approach focused on visible and hidden cultural properties (Tan 2012, 2015) that may inform policy direction. First, we examine the intersection of Confucian values and Communist history in China as they relate to higher education. Second, we critically analyze the role of neoliberalism in higher education development worldwide and specifically in China. Third, we investigate utilitarianism as a feature of higher education in China. Finally, we draw critical conclusions about the emergence of world-class universities in China and their overall impact on the higher education sector there. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing body of research has investigated the vital effects of urban greening. However, the green space on campus, also recognized as an important element of urban greening and providing many benefits to college students, has gained very limited attention. In developing China, after nearly 20 years of campus construction climax, the speed of expansion has dropped significantly and the focus of a sustainable and optimized green campus has emerged. Improving the accessibility, availability, and attractiveness is a control determining if the green spaces can realize their values. Therefore, this study, taking a case, aims to explore and better understand students' usage conditions, perceptions, and demands about campus green spaces. On Yijin campus in Hangzhou, China, through the questionnaire among 590 students, and accessibility analysis based on Space syntax theory, we have revealed that the negative usage condition of green spaces: most students rarely or occasionally visit the green space, and the visit time is concentrated in the afternoon and after class but rarely in the morning. Besides, students' gender and growth surroundings have little influence on the perception of campus green space, but the plant configuration, seasonal color richness, and facilities required at different spaces will affect. In addition, the ranking of accessibility analyzed by Space syntax theory is similar to campus convenience considered by students. In the conclusions, suggestions are made about how to fulfill students' requirements and improve the attractiveness and accessibility of campus green spaces so that they may inform to the growth of emerging colleges and universities in other cities and countries undergoing campus construction climax. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anastomotic leakage (AL) is a serious complication of colorectal surgery as it greatly increases morbidity and mortality and has been associated with augmented local recurrence and diminished survival. Many risk factors have been identified to date, but sizable studies on AL after colorectal resection are lacking. This study aimed to identify the risk factors and postoperative complications of AL after colorectal surgery in the first affiliated hospital of Sun Yat-sen University. One thousand two hundred seventy-five patients who underwent colorectal cancer surgery between January 2010 and June 2013 were retrospectively studied. Twelve preoperative, 17 operative, and 11 postoperative variables were examined by the chi-square test or Fisher's exact test for univariate analysis and were then further examined by multivariate logistic regression analysis, among which one operative and three postoperative variables were examined in 426 rectal cancer surgeries. Additionally, eight postoperative complications and short-term prognostic variables were also examined by the chi-square test or a Fisher's exact test. AL was identified in 60/1158 (5.2%) total patients, 20/732 (2.7%), and 40/426 (9.4%) of whom had colonic and rectal cancer, respectively. Univariate analysis identified preoperative variables: sex (p = 0.012), preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level (p < 0.001), and hemoglobin level (p = 0.089); operative variables: surgical time (p = 0.009), anastomotic methods (p = 0.003), surgical staging (p = 0.016), and operative sites (p < 0.001); and postoperative pathologic variables: distance from tumor to distal incisional margin (p < 0.001). For rectal cancer, the variables included rectal procedures (p = 0.022), rectal segments (p = 0.010), distance from the tumor to the dentate line (p = 0.011) and total mesorectal excision (TME) (p = 0.046). All of these variables were included in the multivariate analysis, which identified the surgical time (p = 0.021), preoperative CEA level ≥ 41 μg/L (p < 0.001), and double-stapled anastomosis (p = 0.007); for rectal cancer, the middle or lower rectal segment (p = 0.008, 0.005, respectively) was included as an independent predictive factor for AL. Of the eight postoperative complications or short-term prognostic variables, postoperative hospital stay, abdominal infection, urologic infection, and incisional infection were considered significant. The rate of AL after rectal cancer is much higher than that of colon cancer. Surgical time, tumor biomarkers, anastomotic methods, and rectal segments may have the potential to increase the occurrence of AL. Additionally, AL may increase patients' hospital costs, length of stay and other relevant complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The historical debate between a liberal orientation of university education and a university education with a more practical orientation has been reproduced by defenders and detractors of the course that is being adopted by the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). Instead of resorting to a dichotomous view of these two arguments, this article employs an anthropocosmic worldview to look at the university by examining the past and present of Chinese higher education, in contrast to the philosophy and reality of the European university within the framework of the EHEA. The anthropocosmic view is central to Confucian holistic humanism, which asserts that humanity is part of a continuum consisting of community, Earth and Heaven. With the self as a 'centre of relationships', the individual is interconnected with an ever-expanding network of human relatedness, extending from the self to the family, the community, the country, the world and beyond. The authors argue that despite being based on a European model, the Chinese university, in fact, boasts a unique Chinese character that can be traced back to its Confucian learning tradition, which itself reflects this anthropocosmic worldview. In our world today, a world of unprecedented globalisation, an anthropocentric view of higher education is no longer sufficient. Instead, to address the challenges humanity faces, a Chinese model of the university based on anthropocosmism presents a potential new pathway for the global university of the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Institutional differentiation and diversity in higher education have now become an important policy issue. To tackle this issue requires sound methods to measure systemic diversity in higher education, i.e., the number of institutional types, distribution across all types, as well as between-group heterogeneity. The current methods may well measure distribution of institutions across all types or concentration of certain types, yet they are not effective in assessing the degree of within-group homogeneity and between-group heterogeneity. This study proposes to cluster three different (but related) methods to measure diversity in higher education, which are then applied to data of Chinese universities in 1998 (438 in total at dawn of the enrolment expansion) and 2011 (617 altogether when the massification movement started turning to a new page). The results show a high degree of consistency, and all indicate an increase of systemic diversity in Chinese university sector as a consequence of the aggregate expansion since the late 1990s, which in turn have explicit policy implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internationalization is an integral part of the strategies of leading Chinese universities to strive for world-class standing. It has left its marks on the academic life of China’s social scientists. This article explores the impact of internationalization on the academic life of Chinese social scientists using Tsinghua University as an example. Emphasis is placed on the transformation of their academic life in the process of internationalization. Employing a qualitative case study method, this research draws on approximately two thirds of the faculty members in the Department of Sociology to present in-depth insights into the dynamics and ecosystems of their academic life. The findings show that internationalization promotes the adoption of internationalized criteria in faculty recruitment and promotion mechanisms, stimulates enthusiasm for international activities, and strengthens internationally oriented (largely North American) norms and practices in research, teaching, and discipline development. In discussing these dimensions, this article argues that Tsinghua social scientists experience both benefits and costs as the university works hard to pursue world-class status, echoing their peers in China’s other top institutions of higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this exploratory study, we developed a portrait of the challenges and strategic responses of secondary mathematics teacher educators (MTEs) in Chinese universities. The MTEs reported encountering more challenges when teaching pedagogical courses and supervising student teachers than when teaching college mathematics courses and teaching mathematical problem-solving courses. This finding reflects a key difference between the content, goals, and teaching demands of these 2 elements of mathematics teacher education programs (acting in the role of an MTE versus the role of a mathematics teacher). In this study, we also analyzed the strategies that MTEs use to deal with the challenges that arise in their work and the suggestions they have for the training of future MTEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In heterosexual individuals, attention is automatically captured by physically attractive members of the opposite sex. Although helpful for selecting new mates, attention to attractive relationship alternatives can threaten satisfaction with and commitment to an existing romantic relationship. The current study tested the hypothesis that although a mating prime would increase selective attention to attractive opposite-sex targets (relative to less attractive targets) among single participants, this effect would be reduced among people already committed to a long-term romantic partner. Consistent with hypotheses, whereas single participants responded to a mating prime with greater attentional adhesion to physically attractive opposite-sex targets (relative to less attractive targets), participants in a committed romantic relationship showed no such effect. These findings extend previous research suggesting the presence of relationship maintenance mechanisms that operate at early stages of social cognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chinese university system is one of the world's largest academic research performers and technology transfer is one of the system's central roles. Academic interest in Chinese university technology transfer in both the West and China has increased in parallel. This review aims to outline what is known and evaluate the state of research about university technology transfer in China. To be comprehensive, uniquely this review considers the relevant journal articles in both English and Chinese languages. The major themes and methodologies used by authors are identified. The evolution of the literature, particularly those in Chinese from general discussions often with minimal citations to more empirically rigorous studies is documented. It is also shown that the English and Chinese language literatures have little overlap in terms of citations, thereby indicating that the two research communities are still largely disconnected. It is found that the sources of data have remained quite limited and the quantitative research is based almost entirely upon government statistics collected for administrative purpose. The concluding discussion suggests possible avenues for future progress in terms of developing new data sources and increasing the cross-fertilization of two research communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academic-managers, working at the middle tiers of university management with considerable power and authority, play an increasingly important role in the planning and execution of key university activities. Little attention has been paid to Chinese academic-managers, leaving their work at Chinese universities under-explored. This article, framed by role identity, aims to capture how academic-managers at Chinese universities perceive and internalize their management roles in a dynamic environment fraught with market-led and managerial reforms. Synthesis and analysis of qualitative data obtained through in-depth interviews, field notes, and documents reveal that the three prime role identities that are held by the academic-managers are the 'manager', the 'scholar', and the 'bureaucrat'. Key issues that emerged from our study include the growing tensions that exist amongst the managerial, scholastic, and bureaucratic priorities of their roles. Furthermore, our collected data indicate that the perceived role identities are rooted in structural factors, including neo-liberal and new-managerial ideologies, the disciplinary community, and the officialistic culture embedded in the bureaucratic danwei tradition of Chinese universities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chinese university patenting has gained importance in recent years. Using a comprehensive dataset of university patents by 155 leading Chinese universities from 1991 to 2009, our study pursues two objectives: First, we analyze the quantity and quality of patents filed by leading Chinese universities. Second, we analyze the role of subsidy programs with regard to university patenting in China. With regard to the first objective, our results show that university patents witnessed rapid growth in terms of quantity while patent quality did not increase to a similar degree. Regarding the second objective, we find that a subsidy program to promote research excellence at selected universities is a significant driver of patent quantity and quality. In contrast, a subsidy program that decreases the costs of patent applications seems to enhance patent quantity but not patent quality. We conclude that innovation policies which aim to stimulate patents of higher quality should focus primarily on increasing university R&D, and to a lesser extent on decreasing the costs of university patenting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies on the relationship between digit ratio and risk-taking mainly focused on western subjects. Moreover, no researcher has examined the concurrent effect of digit ratio and illusion of control on gambling behavior. This exploratory study investigates the relationship between digit ratio, illusion of control and risk-taking behavior of Chinese subjects. Sixty-six students from a Chinese university were invited to answer a questionnaire and play a purposefully-designed betting game. The results show that the subjects' risk-taking level, measured in terms of average betting amount, is negatively correlated to their digit ratio but not to their illusion of control score. Moreover, there is no significant association between the subjects' digit ratio and illusion of control score. These preliminary findings will have useful implications to gaming regulators and businesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For long, the research-teaching nexus has maintained the interest of the scholarly community. The present study introduced a process variable-teaching styles-into the investigation of the association between research and teaching. The study adopted a predominantly quantitative-driven, mixed research method design, with a questionnaire survey supplemented by insiders' views. Three hundred and fifty-four academics from 15 institutions in Beijing, P. R. China, responded to the Thinking Styles in Teaching Inventory and reported their research publications for 3 years. The quantitative findings suggested that after key demographics and contextual factors were controlled for, teaching styles were related to research productivity largely in the anticipated directions. Subsequently, four additional academics who met the criteria of possessing expertise in teaching styles and of having experiences as academics in China were invited to explain the quantitative findings concerning the relationships between specific teaching styles and particular types of publications. It was concluded that although the magnitude of the relationship between teaching and research is rather small, the research-teaching nexus does exist. Theoretical significance is discussed and practical implications of the findings are proposed for academics and for university senior managers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although Chinese university students' perceptions of plagiarism have been extensively investigated, those of their teachers have been surprisingly under-researched. This study sought to address this gap by investigating 112 Chinese university English teachers' knowledge of and attitudes towards plagiarism. While 57 participating teachers had overseas academic experience, the remaining ones received all their education in mainland China. They completed a perceptions of plagiarism survey that elicited their knowledge of several common forms of plagiarism in Anglo-American academia, perceptions of various possible causes of plagiarism, and attitudes towards plagiarism induced by different causes and plagiarism in general. The study found that the teachers reported varying knowledge of different types of transgressive textual practices, variegated perceptions of the different causes of plagiarism, but clearly punitive attitudes towards plagiarism. It also revealed significant differences between teachers with and without overseas academic experience in knowledge of and stances on plagiarism. These findings highlight the complexity of plagiarism as an intertextual phenomenon and point to the important role of cultural practices and academic socialisation in shaping perceptions of it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a letter to the editor in which the author agrees with the views of Jie Zhang, President of Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China, who states that universities in China require quality faculty in order to compete internationally.

China has recently become one of the world's largest receiving countries of international students. While China has practiced its open-door policy for the past 30 years, its sociocultural structure and practices may still be mostly unfathomable to the rest of the world. The goal of the present research is to find how international students perceive and identify with the Chinese sociocultural structure. Drawing upon a group of international students' self-reports in China, this article examines what dimensions of the Chinese sociocultural structure international students may most (or least) likely identify with. In contrast to most existing studies on culture learning and intercultural adaptation, this article demonstrates that international students' cultural adaptation is a subjective, sense-making, and culture-specific experience in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study involved whether psychosocial aspects of English classroom environments had associations with the English learning motivation types of Chinese tertiary-level English majors based on a case study of approximate 1,000 English majors in their first 2 years at one of the key universities located in South China. Canonical correlation analysis revealed that students' perceptions of their English classroom psychosocial environments and their motivation types were associated through two pairs of canonical variables. Among these, environment dimensions of Involvement and Task Orientation were found to be predictors of the motivation types of Intrinsic Interest, Social Responsibility and Individual Development, while the environmental dimensions of Teacher Support was found to have positive associations with the motivation types of Immediate Achievement and Information Medium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the implementation of position appointment and contract system in China, faculty become more mobile than before in this emerging academic market, though in terms of mobility frequency and rate, they are still less active than their counterparts in the West. Using the data collected from 50 renowned research universities throughout China, this empirical study probes into the relationship between faculty members' working perception and their mobility intention, aiming at achieving a more comprehensive understanding of the academic profession in China. It proposes (a) to figure out the relationship between faculty members' mobility intention and their satisfaction with the internal environment within a university, and (b) to clarify which is more significant in predicting faculty members' mobility, the internal or external organizational environment factor. Additionally, given the social background of China, we intend to examine whether western-based theories about satisfaction and mobility intentions can provide an adequate account of the phenomenon in this particular context. A most significant finding is that Chinese faculty members' low level of satisfaction with organizational environment is operative as the 'push' factor but often in a potential way and even if when the 'pull' factor, better opportunities for academic development emerges, the 'pull' factor can not necessarily exert apparent influence, because the parameter 'region/city' where one university is located works as a precondition or the most critical cause for their mobility or stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]