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    Building a Leading Country in Education
  • Building a Leading Country in Education
    Classification Standard and System Construction of Research Universities: Based on the Perspective of Carnegie Classification of American Universities 2025 Edition
    ZHANG Wei1,2
    2026, 42(2): 1-9. https://doi.org/10.16298/j.cnki.1004-3667.2026.02.01
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    Research universities are an important component of the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education in the United States, and its classification method has been continuously improved and refined in various updates. Before the 2021 edition, the classification of research universities was included in the basic category; the 2025 edition renamed the Basic Classification as the 2025 Institutional Classification, while adjusting the classification of research universities to a separate category of Research Activity Designations, with corresponding optimizations and adjustments to the classification methods and standards. The new classification, while retaining the two core indicators of “number of research doctorates awarded” and “research expenditure” to distinguish three types of research universities, has dozens of additional indicators, helping to accurately present the actual development status of each research university from multiple perspectives. It is recommended to scientifically plan the development scale of China’s research universities, thoroughly evaluate the feasibility of core classification indicators such as the number of doctoral degrees awarded and research expenditures, objectively establish basic standards for independent classification, and set up several observation indicators to build a multi-dimensional research university classification system with Chinese characteristics.
  • Building a Leading Country in Education
    Classified Evaluation of Postgraduate Education in the Context of Powerful Nation Construction: Underlying Logic, Theoretical Framework and Practical Pathways
    LIN Mengquan1,2; LIAO Jinglin1; WANG Peng1; CHEN Yan3
    2026, 42(2): 10-19. https://doi.org/10.16298/j.cnki.1004-3667.2026.02.02
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    Educational evaluation is pivotal to building a strong nation in education, and classification framework holds strategic significance for comprehensive reform. China’s graduate education classification evaluation has undertaken valuable explorations but still faces challenges such as blurred classification ontologies and mismatched functions. This study constructs an “Adaptive-Ecological Classification”(AEC) Framework for Evaluation, grounded in systems thinking and the foundational logic of “ontology-driven, goal-oriented, and institutionally coordinated” classification evaluation. It proposes a practical pathway comprising macro-level ecological planning, meso-level value-oriented guidance, and micro-level standard system construction, providing theoretical underpinnings and practical guidance for building an autonomous classification evaluation ecosystem.
    • The Learning and Development of Undergraduates
  • The Learning and Development of Undergraduates
    The Impact of Generative AI on Undergraduate Innovative Thinking: A Study of the Underlying Mechanisms
    LI Liang1; ZHANG Lanwen2; SHI Jinghuan2
    2026, 42(2): 20-27. https://doi.org/10.16298/j.cnki.1004-3667.2026.02.03
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    Based on large-scale student survey data, this study explores the underlying mechanisms by which AI influences college students’innovative thinking within curricular environments characterized by varying levels of “challenge” and “support”. The findings reveal that learning engagement acts as a bridge in enabling AI to foster innovative thinking. Specifically, AI exerts its effects indirectly primarily by stimulating deep cognitive and emotional engagement, and its efficacy is shaped by the curricular environment. The curricular environment exhibits a dual moderating logic of “amplification” and “substitution”: a “high challenge–high support” environment strengthens the “amplification” pathway mediated by learning engagement, whereas environments deficient in either challenge or support highlight the “substitution” pathway. The educational value of AI is not an intrinsic attribute but is co-constructed by the curricular environment through the synergy of challenge and support.
  • The Learning and Development of Undergraduates
    A Study on the Impact of Critical AI Literacy on College Students’ Innovative Behavior from the Perspective of Knowledge Management
    ZHANG Luo
    2026, 42(2): 28-35. https://doi.org/10.16298/j.cnki.1004-3667.2026.02.04
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    In the intelligent era, cultivating critical AI literacy is of great significance for college students to promote innovative behaviors. Based on survey data from 1?062 college students, this study empirically analyzes how critical AI literacy influences college students’ innovative behaviors from the perspective of knowledge management theory. The results show that critical AI literacy exerts a significant positive impact on college students’ innovative behaviors, and this conclusion remains valid after a series of robustness tests including the instrumental variable method. In terms of the mechanism of action, critical AI literacy improves the level of innovative behaviors through the chain path of reconstructing the quantity of reflective knowledge and then reconstructing the structure of reflective knowledge; it also affects innovative behaviors through the independent mediating role of reflective knowledge structure reconstruction. Moreover, knowledge sharing can further strengthen the positive effect of critical AI literacy on reflective knowledge structure reconstruction. On this basis, this study puts forward implications such as cultivating college students’ critical AI literacy, encouraging them to reflect on and reconstruct their own knowledge with the help of AI, and building intelligent knowledge sharing platforms.
  • The Learning and Development of Undergraduates
    The Typology Generation and Institutional Logic of Academic Trajectory Differentiation among Outstanding Undergraduate Students in Basic Sciences
    SUN Xiaoxiao
    2026, 42(2): 36-43. https://doi.org/10.16298/j.cnki.1004-3667.2026.02.05
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    The cultivation of top-notch innovative talents, as the core reserve force for national strategies, is crucial to the long-term development of society. Based on a qualitative case study of outstanding undergraduate students in basic sciences from two “Double First-Class” universities, six ideal types of undergraduate career development can be summarized. The academic career differentiation of these top-tier students presents two layers of misalignment: on the explicit level, it is manifested in the highly convergent choice of further education, where “continuing further studies is the preferred path” has become the default consensus; on the implicit level, it reflects the ongoing differentiation of individual academic interests and the negotiation of meaning. This finding reveals the deep tension between institutional educational demands and individual developmental needs, which externalizes as the “captive vs. free-range” paradox, rooted in the inherent conflict between efficiency and the promise of freedom in the narrative of educational meritocracy. Therefore, it is necessary to actively construct an institutional ecosystem that accommodates differences and encourages the emergence of innovation, responding to the ideal educational vision of cultivating “excellence with soul” within bounded freedom.
    • Teacher Education
  • Teacher Education
    Time Pressure on Young Faculty in Research Universities: Generative Logics and Response Strategies
    LI Tianfeng1; CHEN Ronggeng2; ZHOU Fujun3
    2026, 42(2): 44-52. https://doi.org/10.16298/j.cnki.1004-3667.2026.02.06
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    The time pressure faced by young faculty in research universities is not only a matter of individual career development but also significantly impacts national scientific innovation and the quality of talent cultivation. Its underlying mechanisms urgently require systematic explanation. From an organizational perspective, using grounded theory methodology, this study reveals that the identity of early-career faculty in research universities is embedded within three overlapping organizational fields: the educational bureaucratic organization, the functionally generalized organization, and the academic community. Their time pressure arises from the combined effects of complying with bureaucratic management rules, responding to external demands, and meeting the evaluation standards of the academic community. To cope with this time pressure, the majority of early-career faculty adopt a differential prioritization strategy centered on research, which leads them into a disordered predicament characterized by fragmented time allocation and blurred boundaries. The time pressure experienced by early-career faculty in research universities is deeply rooted in the functioning of organizational systems and represents a form of pressure constructed by their organizational identity. To alleviate this time pressure, future efforts can focus on promoting systematical organization reforms, including improving the administrative support system to better serve research and teaching, clarifying the boundaries of faculty responsibilities while strengthening professional support, and reforming academic evaluation and resource allocation mechanisms.
  • Teacher Education
    Research on the Influence Mechanism of Performance Pressure under the Tenure-Track System on the Academic Ability Development of Young Faculty in Universities
    ZHANG Xin1; CHI Jingming2
    2026, 42(2): 53-60. https://doi.org/10.16298/j.cnki.1004-3667.2026.02.07
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    Whether performance pressure generated by the tenure-track system can effectively promote the academic ability development of young faculty constitutes an important criterion for evaluating the effectiveness of its implementation. To clarify the logic and mechanisms involved, this study conducted in-depth interviews and grounded theory analysis with 25 pre-tenured young faculty members from 20 universities across 11 provinces (municipalities) in China. The findings reveal that pre-tenured young faculty’s cognitive appraisal and coping strategies are critical transmission factors in the process by which performance pressure affects academic ability development. Faculty who emphasize challenge opportunities, driven by growth needs and promotion motivation, tend to adopt promotion-focused job crafting strategies to pursue positive gains, thereby achieving refinement and advancement in academic ability development. In contrast, faculty who focus on potential threats, driven by security needs and avoidance motivation, tend to adopt prevention-focused job crafting strategies to avoid punitive consequences; however, such strategies often neglect and impede substantive improvements in academic ability development. The incentive effectiveness of the tenure-track system therefore needs to be supported by performance rules grounded in scientific judgment. Excessively intensive performance requirements that disregard the stress tolerance and career growth patterns of young faculty are likely to induce risks of academic utilitarianism.
    • Research and Exploration
  • Research and Exploration
    The Typology Method and Its Application in Educational Research
    HAN Shuangmiao; ZHANG Yingqiang
    2026, 42(2): 61-67. https://doi.org/10.16298/j.cnki.1004-3667.2026.02.08
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    The typology method is grounded in Weber’s ideal type paradigm, constructing concepts to generate typologies that facilitate empirical analysis and comparison, thereby achieving the goal of explanatory understanding of social actions and their cultural meanings. This method is particularly well-suited to educational research, which is characterized by its humanistic objectives, heterogeneous subjects, and complex contexts. However, typology method is frequently misapplied in current educational studies. This paper systematically examines the paradigmatic tradition of Weberian ideal types, the typology method derived from it and its distinction form taxonomy. It proposes two distinct analytical approaches of typology: “typology as understanding” and “typology as explanation”. The conceptual features, technical procedures, and practical applications of these approaches are thoroughly discussed. The study aims to provide methodological guidance for the application of typology in educational research, offering an analytical pathway that balances theoretical advancement with real-world complexity. It seeks to enhance methodological reflexivity in Chinese educational research while providing robust conceptual tools for the explanatory understanding of educational phenomena and practices, promoting the research of iconic concepts and original theories in China’s educational research.
  • Research and Exploration
    The Logical Mechanism and Path Optimization of Promoting International Scientific and Technological Cooperation in Universities with Institutional Opening-Up
    PENG Delei; XIE Diyang
    2026, 42(2): 68-74. https://doi.org/10.16298/j.cnki.1004-3667.2026.02.09
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    International cooperation in science and technology (S&T) is facing new challenges under changes unseen in a century. Universities should give full play to the advantages of system innovation and better serve the “Trinity” strategic deployment of education, S&T and talents. Promoting the cross-border flow of innovation elements, gathering global talents, and optimizing the international cooperation platform through institutional openness can effectively promote the international S&T cooperation of universities, and promote the construction of important talent centers and innovation highlands in the world. At present, there are still institutional obstacles in the international S&T cooperation of universities in China, especially in the cross-border flow of innovation factors. There is a lack of institutional guarantee for the international exchange of talents. The support of the international S&T cooperation platform is limited. It is suggested to take the opportunity of promoting high-level institutional opening-up, remove the institutional barriers to the cross-border flow of innovation factors, optimize the two-way mechanism of researchers and international S&T cooperation platforms, give full play to the strategic function of universities as the international innovation center, and help China achieve S&T self-reliance and self-improvement.
    • Comparative Education
  • Comparative Education
    Institutional Construction and Pathways for Implementation in the Effectiveness of UK Vocational Skill Assessments
    WANG Jiaxin
    2026, 42(2): 75-82. https://doi.org/10.16298/j.cnki.1004-3667.2026.02.10
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    “Certified incompetence” is a core chronic problem that has long constrained the quality of vocational education talent cultivation and the credibility of vocational qualification certificates in the world. Behind it lies a deep-seated structural contradiction of insufficient effectiveness in skill assessment. As one of the paradigms of deep integration between vocational education and industry, the apprenticeship system in the UK has established a “three-tier quality assurance” evaluation management system. It utilizes the End Point Assessment plan as the primary means to conduct comprehensive vocational skill assessments for apprentices, thereby constructing a credible skill certification ecosystem centered on employer credit endorsement, employing evidence-based governance and pursuing dynamic adaptation to the industrial system. Based on this,we should establish an evaluation credit system of “industry-set tasks and diversified solutions”, promote an intelligent skill assessment paradigm based on evidence chain and establish a “data-driven, continuous iteration” quality assurance closed-loop system in the vocational skill assessment work in China.
    • Academic Degree and Graduate Education
  • Academic Degree and Graduate Education
    Role Conflict among Graduate Students in the “National Excellence Program”: Manifestations, Causes, and Adjustments
    BAO Shuimei; LU Guanyu
    2026, 42(2): 83-91. https://doi.org/10.16298/j.cnki.1004-3667.2026.02.11
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    The “National Excellence Program” represents a key institutional innovation in China’s teacher education reform. Graduate students participating in this program are expected to engage in both academic research and teacher professional training, yet they frequently encounter ambiguous role positioning and conflicting expectations. Role conflicts are manifested in three primary forms: between academic researcher and prospective teacher roles, within the prospective teacher role itself, and within the Interdisciplinary learner role. The underlying causes of these conflicts can be attributed to three categories of factors: organizational factors, including the separation between academic and teacher education logics, as well as structural tensions within the training and evaluation systems; interpersonal factors, such as fragmented communication among stakeholders, asymmetrical power relations, and delayed feedback mechanisms; and individual factors, including diversified motivations, divergent value orientations, and uneven competence structures. Accordingly, the study proposes that role conflicts can be alleviated through structural integration of training systems, coordination and communication among role senders, and self-construction at the individual level, thereby promoting role balance and professional development among graduate students in the “National Excellence Program”.
    • Vocational Education
  • Vocational Education
    Theoretical Essence, Practical Dilemmas, and Implementation Approaches of Tacit Knowledge Explicitation in the Development of Digital Teaching Materials for Vocational Education
    MI Jing
    2026, 42(2): 92-100. https://doi.org/10.16298/j.cnki.1004-3667.2026.02.12
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    Against the backdrop of digital transformation in vocational education, the explicitation of tacit knowledge has emerged as a crucial issue for enhancing the quality of skilled talent cultivation. The essence of tacit knowledge explicitation lies in achieving multiple transformations: from tacit knowledge to formalized knowledge, from experiential knowledge to conceptual understanding, and from implicit information to explicit encoding. In practice, tacit knowledge explicitation faces numerous challenges, including epistemological misunderstandings, technical limitations and integration difficulties at the implementation level, fragmentation of meaning construction at the pedagogical transformation level, and institutional and mechanistic barriers at the environmental level. In this regard, it is necessary to construct a digitally-supported multidimensional framework for knowledge identification and extraction, innovate tacit knowledge representation strategies in digital teaching material design, and establish quality assurance and continuous updating mechanisms for digital teaching material development.
  • Vocational Education
    The Dilemma and Solution of Optimizing Government Education Coordination Responsibilities from the Perspective of Sinking High-Quality Vocational Education Resources into County-Level Areas
    PING Heguang
    2026, 42(2): 101-108. https://doi.org/10.16298/j.cnki.1004-3667.2026.02.13
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    Against the strategic background of vigorously promoting the sinking of high-quality vocational education resources in counties, the optimization of government education coordination responsibilities has become a key link in connecting top-level design with grassroots practice. Based on the three-dimensional analysis framework of “structure-process-efficiency”, the study found that the government faces three structural constraints when fulfilling its overall planning responsibilities: at the structural level, there are problems such as vague allocation of rights and responsibilities, fragmented organizational systems, and lagging institutional supply, which restrict the effective play of overall planning functions; At the process level, it is manifested as poor coordination mechanisms, weak resource guarantees, and virtualization of evaluation guidance, which weakens the synergy and sustainability of policy implementation; The efficiency level further reflects deep-seated contradictions such as difficulties in planning implementation, insufficient resource adaptation, and insufficient integration of vocational education and county-level industries. Based on this, a solution strategy is proposed: deepening the reconstruction of rights and responsibilities, organizational restructuring, and institutional restructuring at the structural level; innovating collaborative mechanisms at the process level, strengthen resource guarantees, and reform evaluation systems; and building a monitoring loop at the efficiency level, improve incentive accountability, and innovate digital governance.