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An Analysis Of Convergence Of Higher Education Institutions In China

Posted on:2010-12-02Degree:DoctorType:Dissertation
Country:ChinaCandidate:W J ChenFull Text:PDF
GTID:1117360275967370Subject:Principles of Education
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As a developing trend of an organization type in a certain period,organizational convergence deals with the goal,the structure and the behavior of an organization.The phenomena of organizational convergence exist in social organizations,such as enterprises,governments,schools and hospitals.It has been a long-lasting research topic in the field of organizations.In the area of higher education,especially in China,organizational convergence also exists.However,according to the rule of higher education,universities should not be excessive convergent.In other words, every higher education institution should be discrepant and has its own distinguishing feature.It is not desirable for them to imitate from each other aimlessly.From the perspective of international comparison,in higher education advanced countries and regions,universities bear their own characteristics,and the whole tertiary education system has distinct diversification.In all,no matter for individual universities,or for higher education system,it is a basic requirement for sustainable development of higher education to "avoid excessive convergence and develop with individuality".In recent years,the universities in China have nonetheless been advancing with excessive convergence.The majority of colleges have a high convergence in their organizational goals, structures and behaviors.With respect to organizational goals,most colleges aim to be comprehensive,research-oriented and large-scaled;organizational structures,over bureaucracy and centralized power to administrators exist;organizational behaviors,among distinct colleges the pattern of education is similar,the courses and programs are analogous,the teachers administration is nearly the same,and even the financing behaviors are not different.This kind of excessive convergence leads to the outcome that colleges are lack of characteristics,and higher education system is lack of diversification.The phenomena have been not only criticized by mass media and public opinion,but also research frontiers of higher education.Some researchers have explained the phenomena of convergence from the perspective of management and higher education.These explanations have their own rationality,but we cannot accept that it is not necessary to make further research about it.How can we describe and summarize the university convergence? Which theoretical framework can analyze it more suitable and has more explaining power? Which mechanisms of institutional factors lead to convergence? What are the differences of college convergence among different countries and their solutions? What is the positive and negative of college convergence? How do we avoid the excessive convergence? The questions above are to be analyzed and answered in this dissertation.From the perspective of the sociology of organizations,we can find that there are two different kinds of environment facing organizations:technical and institutional.Technical environment requires organizations to seek efficiency while institutional environment requires organizations to seek "legitimacy".These are two organizational surviving patterns with different logic start,and also two different theoretical frameworks explaining convergence.Technical mechanism works well for the organizations with specific goal,as well as those organizations of which population starts,or those belong to non-pubic sectors.Universities in China have the characteristics of vague goals,excessive dependence on governmental resources and a duel power structure.These characteristics restrict the application of technical mechanism in explaining college convergences in China.College convergence in China is an institutional one mainly caused by "legitimacy" seeking of higher education institutions.This is the first major conclusion reached in this research.The institutional environment that Chinese universities face is not a simple single-dimensional existence,but composed by managing system,educational policies,outside assessment and cultural thoughts.These major institutional factors have shaped universities in China,through coercive,mimetic and normative mechanisms.A major outcome is the excessive convergence of Chinese colleges.This is the second major conclusion reached in this dissertation.Compared with the competitive convergence in college convergence in the United States,the college convergence in China is a more institutional one.Therefore,the problems in the U.S could be solved by macro control and general plans,however the problems in China can only be settled by diminishing governmental regulations,enhancing marketing power and positive competition among universities,which is remarkable different from the U.S.This is the third major conclusion reached in this dissertation.Convergence among colleges and universities has its historical necessity.Therefore,the positive implications of moderate convergence and the negative influence of excessive convergence should be taken into account.As for convergence among universities in China,the major solutions are to improve the institutional environment,specifically with respect to managing system,resources configuration patterns,outside assessment and educational thoughts.In addition, colleges and universities themselves must find their ecological niche,avoiding imitating others. This is not only the policy option,but also the fourth major conclusion reached in the dissertation.
Keywords/Search Tags:Convergence of higher education institutions, the sociology of organizations, institutional environment, mechanism of legitimacy
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