Towards a Framework for Evaluating the Research Performance of Chinese Double First-Class Universities
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RESEARCH ARTICLE XU Changqing
Towards a Framework for Evaluating the Research Performance of Chinese Double First-Class Universities © Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany 2020 Abstract The study focuses on the research performance of Double First-Class (DFC) universities in China. A theoretical framework based on economic theory and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method for a novel evaluation model is proposed. The model is performed on a sample of 41 participant DFC universities in China. Using data collected from these universities, it was found that there is no consistency between performance ranking, input ranking, and output ranking, with the best ranked universities far from the most efficient. These findings provide empirical evidence of DFC universities’ research performance situation and suggest strategies that the government can use to propel their sustainable development. Keywords Double First-Class (DFC) university, research performance, Double First-Class University Research Performance Evaluation model (DFCuRPE model), evaluation, validation
Introduction Higher education is an essential driving force of a nation’s economy. Establishing world-class research universities is regarded as an investment in the future of the nation (Rhoads, Li, & Ilano, 2014). Just like other countries, building world-class universities has been the goal of the Chinese academic community, government, and policymakers, especially under the rapid economic development of recent years. After the massive expansion beginning in 1999, a steep increase in XU Changqing ( ) Center for Higher Education in International Bay Area, Institute of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao Development Studies, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China E-mail: [email protected]
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XU Changqing
enrollment and expansion of university places has spurred the higher education system forward. Some consequent problems such as quality, funding, facilities, academic staffing, and graduate competencies are now emerging. Meanwhile, the performance of Chinese universities in global rankings is seen as an inadequate manifestation of the international standing of China. Initiatives for building world-class universities were started by the Ministry of Education of China in the 1990s. Two of them, known as Project 211 and Project 985, were established at this time. The two projects have led to Chinese higher education achieving significant progress in world-class university league tables, having a notable effect on the development of higher education in China. They have created a culture of excellence and built an awareness of international competition and competitiveness in Chinese universities. But as time went on, Projects 211 and 985 also aroused major concerns voiced by education experts and the society. Increasingly, these voices called for their reform. In January 2017, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Finance and National Development and Reform Commission (2017) jointly released a document entitled “Implementat
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