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20 September 2020, Volume 38 Issue 9 Previous Issue    Next Issue

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Laws of Education and their Researches Yuan Zhengguo 2020, 38 (9):  1-15.  doi: 10.16382/j.cnki.1000-5560.2020.09.001 Abstract ( 484 )   HTML ( 660 )   PDF (696KB) ( 818 )   Save This article starts with the philosophical questions of whether there are laws, whether laws can be understood and and how to understand them. It first presents a historical review of First Philosophy sought by ancient philosophers, the success of empirical science and rationalism, the challenges posed by irrationalism and phenomenology. Then it argues that rules are the unity of certainty and probability, of universality and specificity, of free will and group choice. Pavlov’s research on learning, Dewey’s educational experiments from man-made situation to real-life situation and Piaget’s research on genetic epistemology, show that understanding laws of education is a process of progressive improvement. A deeper understanding of laws of education results from the interaction between ideas and evidence, as well as the breakthrough of empirical research methodology. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Empirical Education Research in China(2015—2019): Characteristics, Trends and Prospects Zhu Junwen, Ma Yinqi 2020, 38 (9):  16-35.  doi: 10.16382/j.cnki.1000-5560.2020.09.002 Abstract ( 784 )   HTML ( 472 )   PDF (1407KB) ( 1187 )   Save Since the establishment and organization of the National Educational Empirical Research Forum for five consecutive years, the number of participants has been growing. Does the prosperity of academic exchanges mean that empirical methods are more and more widely used in educational research in China? Which institutions, scholars and fields is empirical research more widely used in? In response to the above questions, the study selected 15 high-level educational journals as samples based on the empirical research on clearly defined education, and conducted a bibliometric analysis of 3808 papers published between 2015 and 2019.The result shows that in the past five years, empirical research on education in China continues to grow and is more widely used. However, there is still a huge gap compared with the universal use in developed countries. The number of empirical research papers published by normal universities is larger than that of other institutions, and the proportion of empirical research papers in the total number is growing rapidly, but it is at the lowest level of different types of institutions. In the empirical studies on education, more than half of the papers were co-completed by multiple institutions, and the proportion of papers published independently decreased from 63.4% to 57.8%, while the proportion of co-published papers increased by 5.6 percentage. The core authors of the empirical study on education are getting younger. More than half of the core authors of empirical studies on education in the past five years have interdisciplinary backgrounds other than pedagogy. From the perspective of the changes in the professional background distribution of the annual core authors, the proportion of interdisciplinary authors continues to rise. In the past five years, the subjects of empirical research on education have been rich and diverse, with obvious differences among different types of institutions. For the future development of empirical research on education in China, we believe that in view of the dominant position of normal universities in education research, the acceleration of empirical transformation will fundamentally change the paradigm of education research in China. Collaborative research across disciplines and institutions will continue to grow and advance empirical research in education. Young scholars' preference for empirical research on education will become the endogenous driving force to promote empirical transformation. Comprehensively promoting international cooperation in scientific research will help accelerate the transformation of empirical research on education in China. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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The Quantitative Methods in Education Empirical Research in China: A Review on Five Years’ Application Lyu Jing 2020, 38 (9):  36-55.  doi: 10.16382/j.cnki.1000-5560.2020.09.003 Abstract ( 697 )   HTML ( 312 )   PDF (1070KB) ( 2473 )   Save Since the “National Educational Empirical Research Forum” was first held in 2015, the application of quantitative methods in the field of education science in China has been popular. However, due to the limitation of research level and research environment, investigating the methodology of quantitative methods and applying quantitative methods in quantitative or mixed research are still a weak point in educational research in China. The academic community has not formed a comprehensive and objective understanding of the application of quantitative methods in education empirical research. Even though some scholars review the application of quantitative methods in education empirical research in China, they only describe and summarize the statistical data, and there is limited analysis on the specific problems with the application. Moreover, there is no correction for the misuse of quantitative methods, which cannot help the applicators effectively. Therefore, efforts to analyze the practical application of quantitative methods in China and give more specific suggestions on its shortcomings are of great significance for the development of quantitative methods in China. This paper examined the articles published in 11 comprehensive education journals included in the Chinese Social Science Citation Index (CSSCI) from 2015 to 2019 as the objects. It summarized the application of quantitative methods in educational empirical research in China in the past five years, and provided suggested solutions to some specific issues. Also, it presented the misuse of some widely used quantitative methods, and made the correct application suggestions; analyzed the future trend of applying quantitative methods in educational empirical research in China. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Scrutinizing “Qi”, Seeking “Dao” and Transforming Knowledge into Wisdom: Critical Systematic Review of Qualitative Education Research in 2015—2019 and Mission Prospects of the Chinese Scholarly Community Chen Shuangye, Wang Yiting 2020, 38 (9):  56-77.  doi: 10.16382/j.cnki.1000-5560.2020.09.004 Abstract ( 358 )   HTML ( 138 )   PDF (2007KB) ( 511 )   Save The number of qualitative education research has mounted since the mid of 1990’s when Professor Chen Xiangming at Peking University introduced it into China. In 2015, the Faculty of Education of East China Normal University launched a national “Educational Empirical Research Forum”, which accelerated the development of qualitative research and mixed research with qualitative design. This paper first draws on the Chinese traditional concepts of “Dao” and “Qi” to distinguish the scientific pursuit of the scholarly community and the forms of qualitative research, and proposes to revisit the “scientific” mission of the Chinese education research. Then, this paper scrutinizes the qualitative research papers published in the 37 key Chinese education journals in 2015—2019, focusing on the research design, sampling method, qualitative data source, qualitative data analysis, credibility and ethics. By comparing those qualitative research papers published in 2004—2014 with English qualitative papers published in 2015—2019 in four top education journals in the United Kingdom, the United States and Europe, this review reveals the patterns and features of the qualitative education research in China in the past five years. Finally, this paper concludes by encouraging the Chinese scholarly community to consolidate their consensus and further the internationalization, localization and diversification of Chinese education research. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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A Systematic Literature Review of the Empirical Research into Pre-service Teacher Education in China (2015—2019) Song Huan, Tian Shixu, Wu Yuchen 2020, 38 (9):  78-102.  doi: 10.16382/j.cnki.1000-5560.2020.09.005 Abstract ( 798 )   HTML ( 205 )   PDF (1389KB) ( 1336 )   Save Pre-service teacher education is a core issue in the field of teacher education policy, practice and research. In China, with the transition of teacher education, the gradual diversification of paradigms in the field of education research, and the focus on evidence-based policy decision-making and educational practice, the research outcomes of pre-service teacher education are gradually enriched. Based on the analysis framework of “teacher education research as a social practice”, this study comprehensively reviewed the empirical studies on pre-service teacher education published in Chinese journals during 2015—2019. It summarized explicit content of pre-service teacher education research, including research participants, research methods, researcher identity, research topics, research findings, etc. And the study further analyzes the underlying assumptions, logic of argument, micropolitics, quality of evidence and assumed implications in the researches. As revealed, in the past five year, the empirical research on pre-service teacher education and policy reform in China has relatively been fragmented, and there is a lack of response to changes in the social, political and economic environment and the demand for educational reform. On the whole, although the current research on pre-service teacher education highlights “practice”, it also suffers from an insufficiency in the theoretical teacher education curriculum. The existing research has the limits of repetitive research content, insufficient localised exploration and varied research quality. For example, apart from the weak standard of designs, the prominent single method and insufficient ethical concern, the logic of argument needs to be strengthened. In the future, we should enrich the topics of pre-service teacher education research, expand the team of researchers, and broaden the types of research methods. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Empirical Research on Rural Education for Scientific Decision Making Liu Shanhuai, Zhang Xue, Zhu Xiuhong, Huo Ming 2020, 38 (9):  103-118.  doi: 10.16382/j.cnki.1000-5560.2020.09.006 Abstract ( 296 )   HTML ( 122 )   PDF (957KB) ( 610 )   Save In the past five years, empirical research has become more and more important in the field of rural education with the growing number and enhancing standardization of empirical studies. Driven by public decision-making issues, empirical research on rural education has formed the basic paradigms of large-scale investigation, relational research, intervention experiment research, predictive research and constructive research. For rural education researches, these research paradigms enrich the methodology, expand the problem domain, promote the theoretical development, and respond in a scientific way to major decision-making issues in rural education, such as the allocation of rural education resources, the construction of rural teachers and the development of rural students. In the future, the shift in rural education research issues, the rise of “causal inference”, the use of educational big data and the urgent need for theoretical development will continue to promote the transformation and upgrading of rural education empirical research paradigms, and further promote the scientific public decision-making of rural education. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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From Philosophical Research to Empirical Research: Paradigm Shift in Education Equity Research Huang Zhongjing, Sun Xiaoxue, Wang Qian 2020, 38 (9):  119-136.  doi: 10.16382/j.cnki.1000-5560.2020.09.007 Abstract ( 427 )   HTML ( 123 )   PDF (1102KB) ( 1414 )   Save This paper analyzes 932 academic papers published in CSSCI databank and explores the development of educational equity research in China in recent ten years and analyzes the transformation of educational equity research paradigm through content analysis and coding research. Research findings: (1) the research topics of education equity shift from macro-equity research to micro-equity research; (2) the research method of education equity shift from philosophical research to empirical research; (3) looking at the correlation between research topics and methods, empirical research is strongly related to resources distribution in input equity, context factors in access equity, curriculum and pedagogical materials in process equity, and individual output in education output equity. The new education equity research methods include experimental economics, geographic information system, educational ethnography, and information technology in education, etc. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Opening the Black Box of Educational Production: The Retrospect and Prospect of Educational Production Function Li Bo, Huang Bin 2020, 38 (9):  137-161.  doi: 10.16382/j.cnki.1000-5560.2020.09.008 Abstract ( 445 )   HTML ( 119 )   PDF (1149KB) ( 965 )   Save Educational production activities are interrelated. Educational output is affected by many input factors, such as families and schools, among which the relationship among input factors is complex. There is always a gap between theoretical construction and practical observation in educational production and the empirical research methods and conclusions are quite controversial. The impact of educational input on educational output is a “black box” that hasn’t been solved for a long time in the research of economics of education. The study of educational production function perfectly integrates the theories and methods of economics and pedagogy. It is the core topic of education economics to discuss the relationship between the allocation of scarce educational resources and the output of human educational activities, and it is also a useful and powerful tool to crack the “black box” of educational production. This study examines the empirical research on education production function and introduces the types of education production function. It then analyzes the empirical research results of family input and school input education production function, summarizes and rethinks the basic trend and existing problems of the empirical research on education production function in the past five years. Finally, it puts forward the prospects of the future empirical research on educational production function. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Exploring the Mysteries of Learning: A Review of Empirical Research on Learning Sciences in Recent Five Years in China Shang Junjie, Wang Yuru, He Yilin 2020, 38 (9):  162-178.  doi: 10.16382/j.cnki.1000-5560.2020.09.009 Abstract ( 582 )   HTML ( 120 )   PDF (895KB) ( 1100 )   Save This paper presents a comprehensive research and systematic analysis on the empirical research literature of learning sciences in the mainland of China in the past five years. It points out that learning sciences have attracted researchers of cognitive science, educational psychology, educational technology and other disciplines in the past few years. Scholars have made great achievements in the research of basic learning mechanism, learning environment design and learning analysis technology, and also made a keen exploration in terms of research methods. However, the depth and breadth of research and the understanding of learning sciences need to be strengthened. The research work of learning sciences needs to be comprehensively promoted in the future, especially the research topics, such as study on neural mechanism: influencing factors and cultivation strategies of cognition and learning for infants, children and adolescents; dialogue analysis, teacher-student interaction, learning evaluation and other learning analysis research based on classroom teaching; study on cognitive tool design based on simulation, emulation, game, VR/AR and other new technologies; study on intelligent learning environment design; and study on online learning and hybrid learning; etc. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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The Empirical Research into College Students’ Learning and Development in China (2015—2019): Themes, Methods and Commentary Yin Hongbiao, Shi Lian, Yang Liu 2020, 38 (9):  179-199.  doi: 10.16382/j.cnki.1000-5560.2020.09.010 Abstract ( 1074 )   HTML ( 224 )   PDF (1011KB) ( 990 )   Save Due to the international attention to quality assurance of higher education, the enrollment expansion policy in China, and the global rise of “evidence-based” educational research, there has been a worldwide growth and prosperity of research into college students’ learning and development. This study comprehensively reviewed the empirical studies on college students’ learning and development published in Chinese journals in 2015—2019. It summarized the various themes emerging from these empirical studies, and analyzed the features and defects in their research methodology and design. As revealed, in the past five year, eight themes have emerged from the empirical studies on college students’ learning and development in China and quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods designs have been widely used. Researchers from 15 “Double First-Class” universities take the leading role in the empirical research into college students’ learning and development. Based on these findings, we suggest that the “Pyramid Model” of Chinese college students’ growth should be further enhanced by embedding students’ multi-layer growth into a nested contexts consisting of the individual, instructional, institutional, and policy factors which influence college students’ learning and development. These empirical studies, with varied themes, methods, and scholars’ increasing awareness of methodology, have deepened our understanding. However, some notable defects are also revealed, such as unbalanced application of research methods, unjustified research designs and procedures, lack of accumulations, and insufficient theoretical awareness, etc. These shortcomings point out the directions for future improvement. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Empirical Research on University Governance 2015—2019: Characteristics, Trends and Prospects Zhou Guangli, Guo Hui 2020, 38 (9):  200-227.  doi: 10.16382/j.cnki.1000-5560.2020.09.011 Abstract ( 217 )   HTML ( 98 )   PDF (3082KB) ( 228 )   Save In the five years from 2015 to 2019, driven by the movement of empirical research in education, a field full of theoretical and speculative traditions--university governance--began to attempt evidence-based research. This article examined 77 empirical research papers on university governance from 17 domestic CSSCI educational journals as the research object, and 22 empirical research papers on university governance from 5 foreign SSCI educational journals as the reference object. The multi-dimensional statistical analysis found that in terms of the metrological characteristics in literature, empirical research in China’s university governance research is rising steadily. The co-cited literature reflects that the empirical study of university governance has distinct characteristics of knowledge input. The empirical study of university governance has obvious interdisciplinary characteristics. In terms of the characteristics of knowledge production, the research topic turns from macro to micro, with “university (organization) governance” as the main topic. The research methods adopted are diversified, with qualitative “literature analysis” and “case analysis” as the main methods. The empirical study of university governance takes university as the main unit of analysis. The iterative updating of knowledge production has “policy dependence”. The five years of empirical research on university governance have solved some important problems of governance at the system level, university level and grassroots academic organization level. As the researchers have not fully mastered the methods of empirical research in education, the advantages of this research paradigm in knowledge accumulation have not been brought into play. In the future, it is the mission of university governance researchers to vigorously advocate empirical research paradigm, standardize research methods and improve research quality. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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The Knowledge Production of the Empirical Research and Its Value Guidance for the Development of Preschool Education in China： Based on the Analysis of Sample Papers from 2015 to 2019 Zhang Bin, Cheng Chen, Zhang Shuai, Yu Yongping 2020, 38 (9):  228-250.  doi: 10.16382/j.cnki.1000-5560.2020.09.012 Abstract ( 449 )   HTML ( 120 )   PDF (1242KB) ( 564 )   Save This study selects 124 empirical-research papers published from 2015 to 2019 that focus on the development of preschool education in China and that have a certain academic impact, and compares with non-empirical research papers on similar topics. It offers a quantitative analysis of their quantity distribution, authors, hot topics, research paradigms and methods, theoretical application, influence, etc. Through a content analysis of the core conclusions of the papers, we identify the main knowledge production, and thus reveal the empirical research’s value guidance for the development of preschool education in China and promotion to it. It is found that in recent years, empirical research has produced four kinds of knowledge: description, explanation, improvement and prediction, involving the comprehensive development status of preschool education, resource supply and allocation, teaching staff construction, investment and guarantee, government supervision and administration, quality of nursery and education, etc. Empirical research promotes the development of preschool education by presenting basic facts, proving basic concepts, discovering basic principles and proposing basic strategies. This study also puts forward some suggestions to promote the development of empirical research on preschool education in China. References | Related Articles | Metrics