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The Paradigm Shift And Its Negotiation Mechanism Research On Higher Education Evaluation In China

Posted on:2011-11-24Degree:DoctorType:Dissertation
Country:ChinaCandidate:Y DuFull Text:PDF
GTID:1117360302464346Subject:Higher Education
Abstract/Summary:PDF Full Text Request
With modern university goes from the edge to the center of society, higher education becomes a focal point of social interests. Diverse stakeholders raised different value demands, educational values tends to be pluralism. In higher education evaluation in China, the mode that a single powerful subject dominates with their own educational value has been no longer as accepted as before. The evaluation activities based on the preordinate or definite values are increasingly controvercial. Values conflict have become a basic problem that current higher education evaluation system is facing. How to coordinate value concerns of different stakeholders and how to organize the evaluation activities based on value-pluralism are challenging the development of higher education evaluation in China. With "value diversity" as its focus, the study attempts to combine with the conflict resolution in realistic higher education evaluation practice, to explore paradigm shift of higher education evaluation, to establish value negotiation mechanism in new evaluation paradigm. And thus, to explore the new evaluation paradigm which is based on value negotiation and value identified and its negotiation mechanism.The study focuses on "value diversity", and explores it step by step with a route of "Review -Rethink and Criticism -Construction and Transcendence -Application"From a historical perspective, the study reviews and summarizes western educational evaluation theories and technology development, describes evaluation methods of so-called first three generations evaluation methods, and analyzes historical critique of them, including their failure to accommodate value-pluralism, a tendency towards managerialism, and the overcommitment to the scientific paradigm of inquiry; and then further points out that the fourth generation evaluation methods can be introduced for their effective response to problems of value-pluralism. The study focuses on the characteristics and ideology of the fourth generation evaluation theory; based on which, the research work investigates the social and cultural foundations of education evaluation theory and technology formation development from the dimension of the evolution of values foundation, the impact of social ideology and methodology conversion.The study includes content of rethinking and criticism about evaluation, focusing on the needs of a new evaluation paradigm. First, the study reviews theoretically since the 1980's, how government has understood the nature of higher education evaluation and how they chose the value in practical evaluation activities after evaluation was introduced into the field of higher education in China as an important means of higher education management, Second, the study analyzes the dilemma of value-pluralism that higher education evaluation is encountering; Third, it investigates and criticizes the contradiction and conflict of the current higher education evaluation from the purposes and functions of evaluation, value choices and evaluation criteria, evaluation standards and evaluation index, information collection and processing of evaluation, the conclusions and functions of evaluation, etc. It further proposes that, in current era, value-pluralism has become an indisputable phenomenon, and the conflict of value has become a fundamental problems that higher education evaluation is facing in China. After that, based on the conflicts theory in sociology and philosophical consensus theory, the work seeks to break out of the value plight of higher education evaluation. Finally the work educes that the value negotiation is a necessary way to solve the conflict of value-pluralism.The current contradictions and conflicts in evaluation practice of higher education have gone beyond levels of focuses on methods and techniques, Formation of the value-pluralism of education has proposed the value foundation of higher education evaluation. Therefore, higher education evaluation should make a change from assumption, values foundation, model reconstruction and technological innovation, which is more in accord with "paradigm" shift features to some extent, so modern higher education evaluation faces the practical needs of paradigm shift. The study summarizes characteristics of higher education evaluation development since the 1980s in China, and summarizes current characteristics of evaluation paradigm Based on some thought of fourth generation education evaluation paradigm and the reality of higher education evaluation in China, the study constructs a theoretical framework for the new evaluation paradigm from following aspects, including assumptions, values foundation, methodology foundation, evaluation criteria, collection of information and the formation of evaluation conclusions.The study summarizes advantages and limitations of some examples of practical application of the value-pluralism based fourth-generation evaluation. Such as American community-university collaboration projects regarding youth, the school level evaluation using fourth generation evaluation in Australian, an evaluation of a Sure Start project of the United Kingdom, etc. The study also comprehensively analyzes experiences gained in the implementation and enlightenment of the value negotiation in these cases from an international perspective, so as to build a suitable new evaluation paradigm and value negotiation mechanisms in the current operating environment of higher education in China. Meanwhile in this way the study can also provide a useful reference and inspiration in the level of operational strategy.The construction of the values negotiation mechanism is the key issue to achieve paradigm shifting of higher education evaluation in China. The study makes a design about the construction of the values negotiation mechanism , discusses the social foundation of establishing negotiation mechanism of higher education evaluation , analyzes the favorable and unfavorable factors, explains in detail the possibility of establishing negotiation mechanisms in China. The study suggests that the effective realization of the value negotiation mechanisms in Chinese higher education needs to establish a standardized evaluation system, to provide participants with an action guide and reference from a rational point of view. The construction of new standardized evaluation system should taken into full consideration of specific socio-political and cultural background and operating context of higher education; and achieve stakeholders' participation and identity. At the same time ethic standards should comply with value expectations of stakeholders, comply with the principles of fairness, justice and respect for the participants, and provide organizational guarantee for the effective negotiation, The value negotiation mechanism also needs to balance and constrain the power, to establish interests expression mechanisms, communication mechanism and the mechanism of interests protection. According to details of value negotiation mechanism in higher education evaluation, the study sets forth the content, procedures and strategies of value negotiation of higher education evaluation in the context of new evaluation paradigm in China.Finally the study analyzes the application of the new evaluation paradigm in China,by selecting various types of institutions evaluation , teacher evaluation and student evaluation. Meanwhile it also put forward some relevant discussions about the concrete application of value negotiation mechanism.
Keywords/Search Tags:higher education evaluation, paradigm shift, values negotiation, negotiation mechanism
PDF Full Text Request
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