Phenomenon and Value Dominants of the Higher Education in a Foreign Language in China during the period from 1978 to 2010

Abstract

Background. Since the beginning of the reforms in 1978, higher education institutions in China have undergone profound transformations: by July 2022, the number of joint foreign language higher education programmes exceeded 1,400, engaging more than 46.5 million students and over 1.8 million teachers. Against this background, identifying the value orientations and national priorities of foreign language education seems significant.

Objective. The purpose of the study is to establish the phenomenon and value dominants of foreign language higher education in the PRC during the period 1978–2010, as well as to determine the priorities of the programmes and identify patterns of resource distribution.

Methods. The comparative method was used to analyse the stages of development and models of foreign language education. The methods also involved content analysis of official reporting materials of the Ministry of Education of the PRC and UNESCO publications; historical and logical approach to reconstruct the chronology of reforms; systemic and structural analysis of the components of educational programmes. Statistical analysis of the dynamics in the number of programmes, as well as students and teaching staff based on the data of Gaokao and China Statistical Yearbook was applied.

Results. The dynamics of admission according to Gaokao showed an increase from 402,000 in 1978 to 600,000 in 1989, a subsequent rise to 1,596,800 in 1999 and to 6,617,600 in 2010. The number of joint programmes increased from 71 in 1995 to 102 bilingual courses in 2010. The following value dominants were identified: aspiration for international competitiveness, integration of world educational practices with national traditions and development of intercultural dialogue. Territorial disproportions have been recorded: in central municipalities, the average number of teachers per bilingual department reaches 12, while in a number of autonomous regions it is only 5–7.

Conclusions. It has been confirmed that the combination of global practices and national priorities accelerates the international integration of universities in China, though provoking uneven distribution of teaching potential. The discovered imbalance between the center and the periphery requires the development of regional measures to support staffing and the development of uniform methodological standards.