Reflection And Construction On The Research Method For Classifying Higher Education Institutions Of China

Methods and results are the possible breakthroughes to researchers on classification of higher education institutions, and it is under the guidance of methods that results could be proposed. Chinese researchers take classification results so seriously and put forward so many classification frameworks, they pursuit of and build "recognized" and "scientific" classification system without applying appropriate methods, for this reason, it's inevitable for researchers to disagree with each other's classification results. Thus reconstructing on classification methods is undoubtedly important mission for Chinese researchers. Allowing for this topic, the study addresses the following two questions:First, why and how to classify higher education institutions? Second, compared with foreign countries, what's the difficulty Chinese classfiers confronted with and how to resolve it? Focused on these questions, this study begins with analysising the practical and theoretical difficulties in development based on classification framework of higher education learnings, in concordance with the step of "reflection-criticize-construction-rethinking", makes a systematic reduction on present types and paradigms of classification studies on higher eduction institutions, puts forward and applies the framework of "three-step classification" for Chinese practical and theoretical dilemma, systematically studies the research method for classifying Chinese higher education institutions through "ideal type", historical research, quantitative research.Starting point of this study is reflecting on types and basic paradigms of classifying for higher learning institutions. The results show that classification studies can generally be divided into three types according to different classification purpose:official planning mode, scholars'describe model and social hierarchical mode; classification studies could be made from pluralistic perspectives under two basic paradigm of taxonomy and typology, mixed-paradigm based on which is the common path in relative studies.Study on classifying higher education institutions in China has its own special practical background, since the period of "colleges adjustment" established the structure of colleges and universities the principal feature of Chinese higher education system is to build and administer colleges and universities by categories. However, with further reform in the administerial system and diversified demands of the society for higher education, the original higher education system has gradually diversified, so it become necessary and urgent in practice to rebuild the institutional classification framework. Under this background and focused on constructing classification framework, relative studies lauch in many fields from inistituional position to higher educational structure. But research is still divorced from practice, few classification results have obtained recognition by researchers, the reason for which is the generalization of study topic and misused research methods.The purpose of criticism is for further construction. In essence, study on classifying for colleges and universities in China belongs to the research field of higher education structure, aimed at building future-oriented planning classification framework, which is similar to establishing of colleges and universities. For this kind of dynamic structure study, this Ph.D thesis introduces a "three-step classification " form "idea" to future:The first step is to create the "ideal type" of colleges and universities. Through the analysis of ideal flow on univeristy, it concludes that knowledge and education are the dimension of inistutional characteristics, divided by the former is of academic and applied institutions, by the latter of elite and mass-based institutions, they constitute ideal type of higher education learnings.The second step is the experiencal research on the institutinal type in reality. Through mutltidimensional and comprehensive classifying colleges and universities in Hubei Province, it found that campared with "ideal type" institutional types in reality have the characteristics of identity and hierarchies, with unbalanced disciplinary structure and alienated traditional values of higher education.The third step is to establish planning institutional type. Such framework should serve for restructuring higher education in the future, meet the diverse social needs for institutions, follow the internal logic of knowledge division and reorganization within higher learnings, be gradual improvement system of real institutional types. This study attempts to divide colleges and universities into universities with graduate school, universities, colleges and postsecondary specialised colleges according to the existing establishment policy on colleges and universities, these instution could be further classified according to function and orientation, subject and education characteristics with reference to ideal types and problems in real institutional types."Three-step classification" is expected to be a research method for classifying institutions in China, but its applicability, methodology, characteristics, research result is also worthy of reflection. Meanwhile, in practice, optimizing higher education structure is far from developing institutional classification framework, which requires the participation of government, colleges and society, this is an ever ongoing process not only in the past but also in the future.