New Developments in Higher Education Research in China · 2003

Author: Xie Anbang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-03-01
Features:
(1) The Value of Higher Education
The value of higher education refers to the utility relationship between the attributes of higher education meeting societal needs and the needs of society being met by higher education. The social value of higher education is manifested in the following three aspects:
First, the value of social democracy.
Second, the value of material practice. That is, through the "products" of higher education—universities—utilizing resources and technology to produce education services beneficial to individuals and society to meet public demands.
Third, the value of social culture. Universities influence society through their unique cultural styles. [Chen Qiuping, 2003(3,4)]
(2) The Pluralism of Higher Education Value
Higher education activities involve four basic social actors: universities, the state, society, and individuals. Each has its own independent value claims, forming a pluralistic value subject in higher education. The value pursuits of different actors are reflected in four dimensions:
The university dimension is an academic dimension, where it evaluates its own value based on the quality of academic standards, particularly emphasizing internal evaluations within disciplines.
The state dimension measures the value of university activities based on the contribution of university research outcomes to national strength and the number of competent officials it cultivates. It particularly focuses on the role of universities in safeguarding national security and social political stability.
The social dimension measures the value of universities based on how many skilled laborers they train and how many development-worthy and market-potential outcomes they produce, especially valuing universities' adaptability to labor market changes.
The individual dimension measures the value of universities based on the attractiveness of the courses they offer and their ability to secure good job positions, paying particular attention to whether universities can meet their aspirations for personal growth.
There are differences in values and conflicts of interest among the state, universities, society, and individuals, creating a certain tension. This tension is the intrinsic driving force for the development of higher education. At different stages of higher education development, their relative positions also change, leading to different characteristics in higher education. [Wang Hongcai, 2003(1)]
(3) The Internal Relationship of Higher Education Value
Among the four dimensions of value orientations of different participants in higher education activities—the university dimension, the state dimension, the social dimension, and the individual dimension—there exist both intersecting, parallel, and overlapping relationships, as well as competitive and conflicting relationships. Among these, intersecting and overlapping are the dominant modes of existence.
Intersection provides common ground for interests; parallelism ensures mutual independence; overlap enables all parties to take completely consistent actions; competition highlights the dominance of certain values; and conflict necessitates adjustments in relationships.
If there is only parallelism without intersection, universities would find it difficult to obtain the material conditions necessary for survival from the state, society, and individuals. However, whether respecting national interests, the interests of social groups, or individual interests, must be based on a full respect for the exploratory interests of scholars.
Parallelism is another very important relationship, as it is the foundation for the independence of all parties. Competitive and conflicting relationships also exist due to parallelism, involving issues of who holds the dominant position in higher education activities and how resources are allocated. In a state of extremely scarce resources, competitive relationships may evolve into conflicting relationships. Under normal circumstances