This article examines the current narrative of Chineseness in the context of higher education in Southeast Asia. We hypothesise that the concept of Chineseness at the macro-level has shifted beyond historical, ethnic, and cultural to include geopolitical, socio-political and economic considerations. At the meso level, we focus on unpacking…

This study aims at introducing and discussing the concept of 'academic culture,' the Chinese concept of 'talent cultivation', and the influence of 'academic culture' in the process of 'talent cultivation' in the Chinese context. It uses the analysis of some observation notes and relevant literature that examines the issue of 'academic culture'.…

Interpreting modernisation and globalisation in East Asia as processes of Westernisation creates confusion and discomfort among some academics from the region. To illustrate why such discomfort occurs, this article explores the changes in the higher education systems of Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland China in terms of their "Chineseness"…

Purpose: Vietnam is experiencing rapid expansion in the provision of higher education that requires quality assurance appropriate for the Vietnamese-centralised Confucian cultural context. This paper aims to examine the concept of quality from the perspectives of academic leaders, quality assurance members and academics at three higher education…

China began its modern system of higher education with the establishment of the former Peking University in Beijing in 1898. The traditional Confucian philosophy of education has been replaced dramatically by modern western philosophy. However, since the communist party came to power in 1949, the philosophy of higher education has experienced many…

International research has found that while Assessment for Learning (AfL) can positively impact on learning, its implementation in different national contexts presents a number of challenges. The integration of AfL in Confucian influenced settings may be challenged both by traditional beliefs related to the hierarchy of the expert teacher and the…

This paper engages in a critical discussion of the key features delineated by the other authors in this Special Issue thus serving as an end-piece for the issue. In particular it touches on three significant concepts. Firstly, it reinforces the importance of context, particularly cultural context in the conduct of research in Confucian cultural…

The central purpose of China's modern higher education has been to combine Chinese and Western elements at all levels including institutional arrangements, research methodologies, educational ideals and cultural spirit, a combination that brings together aspects of Chinese and Western philosophical heritages. This, however, has not been achieved.…

This article proposes an applied theoretical framework that could assist education reformers in Confucian heritage culture (CHC) countries to adopt Western-developed learning practices successfully. This framework is needed because the literature has recently documented a large number of failures in educational reforms at CHC colleges. The main…

Purpose: To provide an understanding of the ways in which Confucian Heritage students use reflection as a means of learning at university. Design/methodology/approach: The approach is an exploratory qualitative study into the ways in which Confucian Heritage students learn while studying at university. Data are collected by means of…

To avoid the Anglo-Saxon culture mode, which dominates the current study of human communication in all contexts, the concept of communication competence can be examined from the perspective of Chinese culture. The conceptualization and empirical indicators used for the measurement of communication competence strongly reflect a Western cultural…

This paper analyzes the relationship between society and education within the framework of sacred architectural sites, as well as through the more customary vehicle of sacred texts and practices. In particular, the study of sacred architectural sites is a unique and powerful research tool for studying spiritual and cultural meaning and its…

Considering the complicating effect of cultural differences in writing conventions, this study examines discourse tradition as influenced by Confucian/Taoist precepts and those of U.S. academic environments, the latter requiring rational argumentation, justification, and proof. Pedagogical implications of native-speaker and nonnative-speaker…