CERCular: No.1 of 1998

CERC Publications


CERC Studies in Comparative Education

Comparative Higher Education: Knowledge, the University, and Development

Philip G. Altbach
Publisher: CERC, The University of Hong Kong
1998, 303 pp. ISBN 962 8093 88 6, Price: HK$180/US$30

CERC is pleased to announce the third volume in the series CERC Studies in Comparative Education. It is by Philip G. Altbach, and entitled Comparative Higher Education: Knowledge, the University, and Development.

This book addresses a domain which is increasingly international. The issues that affect universities in any single country are important globally. Comparative Higher Education explores links between universities, noting the roles of foreign students, the impact of Western higher education ideas, and patterns of inequality among academic systems. Teachers and students are at the heart of the academic enterprise. The book discusses the roles of professors and students in a comparative framework. It concludes with a discussion of higher education development in the newly industrialising countries.

Comparative Higher Education reflects over three decades of the author's research, and places key elements of the globalization of higher education in a conceptual framework. Worldwide examples are used to illustrate analyses of international exchanges, trends in university development, and the complex relationships among academic systems in industrialised and less developed countries.

Philip Altbach is Monan Professor of Higher Education at Boston College, USA, and is also one of CERC's four distinguished Associate Members.

A parallel edition of the book is published in the USA by Ablex. CERC acknowledges and expresses appreciation to Ablex for permission to include the book in the CERC series.

Order from Comparative Education Research Centre (CERC), The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China. Fax: (852) 2517-4737.

The Chinese Learner

In 1996, CERC published a book entitled The Chinese Learner, edited by CERC members David Watkins and John Biggs.

We have been very pleased with the response to this book from the academic and professional communities. Here are some quotations from reviews:

  • "For many years, the Chinese have been described as rote learners and the Chinese way of learning has been considered as inferior to the Western way.... This book is the first to challenge (such) misconceptions with sound empirical evidence and forceful arguments." Wen Qiufang, Comparative Education, 33 (3), 1997.
  • "This book is well worth buying for a number of reasons. First, it contains a wealth of empirical research data and fills an important gap in the existing literature on learning theories. Secondly, existing theories and assumptions are questioned, re-examined, and in some cases debunked. Thirdly, there is excellent cross-referencing between various chapters, which adds coherence to the book. The editors are to be congratulated for having assembled an impressive collection of research findings. The book has not only provided answers to some vital questions but also raised key ques-tions for further research." Jason Tan, International Review of Education, 43 (4), 1997.
  • "The Chinese Learner lives up to its title as it provides the reader with insights into Chinese students from the various perspectives of the investigator, the tutors of Chinese students, as well as the students themselves." Katherine Yip, Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 18 (1) 1998.
The book is still available from CERC. Details are as follows: Watkins, David A. & Biggs, John B. (eds.) (1996): The Chinese Learner: Cultural Psychological and Contextual Influences. Hong Kong: Comparative Education Research Centre, The University of Hong Kong. 288 pp. ISBN 0 86431 1 182 6. Local price including postage: HK$175. Overseas price including sea-mail postage: US$29.90. Add US$5 for air-mail.

Conceptions and Choices: A Comparative Study on Student Financial Support Policies (in Chinese)

Zhang Minxuan

Publisher: People's Education Press, Beijing
1997, 427 pp. ISBN 7 107 12260 6, Price: HK$25/US$5

The world has witnessed profound reforms in student financial support policies during the last two decades. These reforms are continuing and incomplete, and are the focus of this book.

The book begins with historical observations about the origin of the reform movements. It identifies changing conceptions of equity in different societies, and notes the ways in which the changes have impacted on policies for the financing of higher education. The book then analyses a range of models for student financing, noting particularly the scale of fees and the nature of various grant and loan schemes. Case studies are taken from Australia, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, UK, and the USA. The book is the first of its type available in Chinese.

Zhang Minxuan is a CERC member whose research focuses on concepts of equity and efficiency in higher education financing. The book is available from commercial outlets and also from CERC.

Order from Comparative Education Research Centre (CERC), The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China. Fax: (852) 2517-4737.

Traditional Confucianism and Modern Education in China and Japan (in Chinese)

Gui Qin

Publisher: Hubei Education Press 1997, 150 pp. ISBN 7 5351 1507 1, Price: HK$25/US$5

Although both China and Japan have Confucian heritages, their developmental paths have been very different. This book discusses the relationship between Confucianism and education in the two countries.

The book begins by outlining changing views towards junzi (true gentlemen) and shengren (sages). The author points out that in China, the civil service examination was shaped on the thought "Study, and if excellent, serve". In contrast, in Japan during the Edo period, the dominant doctrine was "Serve, and if excellent, study".

The book also argues that in Japan independence of individuals was sought during the Meiji period, but that the chief aim of education later changed to cultivation of nationalism and militarism. In China, by contrast, education at the end of the Qing dynasty was dominated by Westernisation and by a view of human resources which attached great importance to practicality.

The book sheds valuable light on cultural traditions and their implications for education. The two countries make an excellent pair for comparison because of their differences as well as their similarities.

Gui Qin is a postdoctoral fellow in CERC, and is continuing her research on culture and values in education. The book is available from commercial outlets and also from CERC.

Order from Comparative Education Research Centre (CERC), The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China. Fax: (852) 2517-4737.

Asian Higher Education: An International Handbook and Reference Guide

Edited by Gerard A. Postiglione & Grace C. L. Mak

Publisher: Greenwood Press, Westport, Conn., USA
1997, 436 pp. ISBN 0 313 28901 8, Price: US$95.

Asia is home to the majority of the world's population. As the West engages in greater interaction with the East, developments in Asia have greater significance throughout the world. Higher education is central to the tremendous expansion of Asia. This reference book surveys the state of higher education in 20 Asian countries. Countries profiled include advanced industrial nations, such as Japan and Singapore, as well as more impoverished lands, such as Bangladesh. An introductory essay overviews the nature of higher education in Asia, and an extensive bibliography concludes the work.

Gerard A. Postiglione is a CERC member at the University of Hong Kong. Grace C. L. Mak is an Associate Professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. This book is available from commercial outlets.

Examination Systems in Small States: Comparative Perspectives on Policies, Models and Operations

Edited by Mark Bray & Lucy Steward

Publisher: The Commonwealth Secretariat, London
1998, 292 pp. ISBN 0 85002 5290

The 1990s have brought increasing attention to the education systems of the world's small states. Studies have shown that small states are not merely scaled-down versions of larger states. Rather, they have ecologies of their own, with distinctive features and with particular kinds of strategies to address challenges and constraints.

This book is the latest in the Commonwealth Secretariat series entitled The Challenge of Scale. It is the result of a project initiated in 1994 which involved participants from all regions of the world.

The book has 18 chapters, each of which has been written by a specialist closely involved with the countries and examination systems addressed. Three chapters focus on African countries (Botswana, Mauritius and Namibia), three on Asia-Pacific countries (Bhutan, Maldives and Samoa), three on the Caribbean (Bahamas, Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago), and one on Europe (Malta). Other chapters focus on regional and metropolitan bodies, including the Caribbean Examinations Council, the South Pacific Board for Educational Assessment, the West African Examinations Council, and the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate. The concluding chapters identify the lessons for conceptual understanding and the implications for policy and practice.

The book is obtainable from CERC or from the Commonwealth Secretariat's Distributors: Vale Packaging Ltd., 420 Vale Road, Tonbridge, Kent TN9 1TD, UK. Fax: (44) 1732 770620. Price £12.99 + £2.50 postage (US$21 + US$4).

Values in Education: Social Capital Formation in Asia and the Pacific

Edited by John Montgomery

Hollis Publishing Co.
1997, 199 pp. ISBN 1 884 186 07 6

In January 1997, CERC hosted a symposium on Values and Education in Asia and the Pacific. The symposium was organised jointly by CERC and the Pacific Basin Research Center (PBRC) of the Soka University of America.

CERC congratulates PBRC on the publication of a book based on the symposium. It is edited by John Montgomery, Director of PBRC and Ford Foundation Professor of International Studies Emeritus at Harvard University. The book contains chapters by CERC members Cheng Kai Ming and Lee Wing On. Other contributors are William K. Cummings, Nathan Glazer, Ruth Hayhoe, John M. Heffron, and Alex Inkeles.

Order from: Hollis Publishing Co., 95 Runnells Bridge Road, Hollis, NH 03049-6535, USA. Price: US$29.95 plus US$4 postage.

Hong Kong's Reunion with China: The Global Dimensions

Edited by Gerard A. Postiglione & James T.H. Tang

Publisher: M.E. Sharpe, New York and Hong Kong
University Press, 1997, 320 pp. ISBN 962 209 448 1
Price: HK$178/US$26

As Hong Kong transforms from a colonial dependent territory to a Chinese special administrative region, its international status will be increasingly connected to China's position in the world. The nature of Hong Kong global linkages is shifting as the political identities of Hong Kong people inevitably become more nationalised. But a mix of pragmatic nationalism and globalism is likely to continue to characterise Hong Kong's outlook as the China-Hong Kong reunion takes place. A Hong Kong which is part of China, but with its global linkages intact could be a great asset to both China and the world. It is therefore not in China's interest to turn Hong Kong into just another Chinese city, or to discourage the international community from recognising the SAR's special international status. In the final analysis, Hong Kong must rise to the enormous challenge the reunion brings.

Gerard Postiglione is a CERC member, and James Tang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Politics & Public Administration of the University of Hong Kong.

Order from Hong Kong University Press , The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China. Fax: (852) 2857-0734. E-mail: hkupress@hkucc.hku.hk. Website: http://www.hkupress.org

Higher Education in Post-Mao China

Edited by Michael Agelasto & Bob Adamson

Publisher: Hong Kong University Press
1998, 512 pp. ISBN: 962 209 450 3
Price: HK$240/US$31

This book examines China's reform of higher education since 1976 within its broader historical, social, political and economic contexts. Whilst not underestimating the successes already made by reforms, the chapter authors take a critical and analytical view of the gaps between planning and reality at the grassroots. The book draws emergent themes together and attempts to identify what the reforms have actually achieved. Have there been any unintended outcomes? What is left to be accomplished? What are the major obstacles expected to be faced?

Michael Agelasto conducted his doctoral research at the University of Hong Kong and was a CERC member. Bob Adamson is a current CERC member who teaches in the Department of Curriculum Studies at the University of Hong Kong.

Order from Hong Kong University Press , The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China. Fax: (852) 2857-0734. E-mail: hkupress@hkucc.hku.hk. Website: http://www.hkupress.org
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