The conceptualization of academic duties by university teachers in the Chinese mainland: Case studies on two research universities.

摘要

Academics in Chinese research universities are confronted by the dilemma of balancing research and teaching in their work. China's pursuit of excellence in higher education through such endeavors as Projects 211 & 985, has led to policies that facilitate the construction of research universities. However, the emphasis on research and quantity has undermined the quality of teaching. It has also drawn academics away from their commitment to teaching. This has become a major issue to be addressed by policy, such as the "Programs of improving teaching quality".This study focuses on the conceptualization of "academic duties" by university teachers and on the factors that mediate their duty implementation. It explores the academics' experiences at two research universities which have different focuses and developmental goals. Data were collected through interviews with 50 participants in the case universities. In addition, university documents and data collected through observations were also analyzed. The analysis has yielded findings as stated in the following paragraphs.Firstly, characteristics of academics at research universities in China differ from that proposed by Kennedy (1997). The differences are: (1) most academics believe that the duty "to mentor" is accomplished once they accept the appointment of a position for tutoring. (2) Their conception of research is closely related to the quantity of research output, which means that they perceive their duty "to discover" and "to tell the truth" is equivalent to the duty "to publish" and "to get research grants". (3) The definition of "service" is unclear for most of the academics. (4) They are not been "to assist new staff in their teaching role" and "to nurture a new generation of scholars".Secondly, the conception of "scholarship" and the relationship between teaching and research are changing in Chinese research universities. (1) The academics' views on knowledge include the four types of "scholarship", as proposed by Boyer (1990), these views are hardly sufficient for the construction of "academic communities of practice". (2) Most academics have changed their initial attitude of separating teaching and research in their conception of "academic duties" by accepting the view that teaching and research should be synergized.Thirdly, the most powerful force which affects the teachers' opinions and performance towards academic duties is the promotion and evaluation system of the universities. Teachers' opinions are also influenced by age, position, discipline, etc., and their opinions can be grouped into four categories by their understanding and reaction to the evaluation system.The study offers the following recommendations: (1) a free atmosphere with proper competition should be built into the system of academic development of the universities (2) policy on teaching should focus on improving the level of intrinsic motivation, the assimilation of values, and the satisfaction of three basic needs such as autonomy, competence, and relatedness (3) through building a commonly shared value system in the university, institutional regulations and rules can be transformed into a force that supports the building of institutional ethics and (4) the adoption of a moral rationality which is based on substantive rationality should help academics to confront a distorted realities in the system.