HIGHER EDUCATION QUARTERLY最新文献

China's higher education system has been reshaped by economic globalisation, national development priorities and growing international competition. Guided by Knight's framework of internationalisation and policy transfer theory, this paper employs a systematic literature review to examine the historical evolution, major policies and global implications of internationalisation and transnational higher education (TNHE) in China. The findings highlight a persistent balance between openness to global practices and the safeguarding of sovereignty, security and economic development. Early reforms relied on importing foreign models, while contemporary strategies emphasise selective adaptation and hybridisation, producing a distinctive model of ‘China-led internationalisation’. This model integrates global perspectives into domestic frameworks while extending China's academic and cultural influence internationally. The study contributes to international higher education research by showing that policy transfer in China is not passive imitation but an active process of negotiation and innovation, positioning China as both a recipient and a global influencer.

This study analyses over 4000 publications, including those from 2024, indexed in the Scopus database, aiming to describe the landscape of the growing body of research exploring the role of generative AI in higher education. We followed an inclusive approach to publication formats and languages, incorporating not only traditional peer-reviewed articles but also conference proceedings and preprints. Our analysis focuses on two key dimensions—general characteristics of publications, including publication types, journals, subject areas, countries, languages, and collaboration patterns—and content analysis, covering topics, methodologies, and sentiment. Among the main findings, we identify that the majority of studies focus on individual-level analysis, with a lack of comparative institutional- and national-level perspectives. Clear regional clusters of AI research have emerged, but a significant gap remains in the form of comparative studies. Topic-wise, there is a visible shift from the technical capabilities of AI systems to their practical implementation, ethical concerns, and integration into educational frameworks. Finally, although the field anticipates the use of advanced research methods, most studies still rely on isolated case studies, surveys and simple experimental designs.

In organisations characterised by generational diversity, information and knowledge exchange present both challenges and opportunities. Managing intergenerational relationships among teaching staff at higher education institutions necessitates, among other efforts, a critical review of communication processes. However, few studies have explored the implications of generational diversity for organisational communication, particularly in university settings. This study aimed to examine intergenerational communication in the workplace among teaching staff at Spanish public universities. The Workplace Intergenerational Climate Scale questionnaire was administered to 1,751 Spanish academics. The findings reveal that teaching staff exhibit certain age-related stereotypes that influence communication. When intergenerational communication is perceived as effective, it tends to focus predominantly on academic tasks. Age-related differences and associated beliefs significantly influence the quality, quantity and nature of intergenerational interactions. Additionally, other variables such as gender, institutional size and the intensification of managerial responsibilities play important roles.

Argument-based pedagogies have the potential to help develop knowledge and 21st-century skills in university students. However, our knowledge of the processes and outcomes of argument-based pedagogies in higher education is scattered. To provide an overview of how argumentation is studied and promoted in higher education, a systematic scoping review was conducted across four databases. A total of 129 empirical articles published between 2008 and 2023 were analysed. The results show a growing interest in the field in recent years, with studies distributed around the world, although to a lesser degree in Latin America and Africa, and more studies focusing on “learning to argue” (LTA) than “arguing to learn” (ATL). In terms of activities promoting argumentation, a variety emerged, with a focus on active learning methodologies such as dialogic argumentation instruction, argumentative inquiry, and argument mapping. Other known active learning methods such as structured debate, role-playing, or game-based learning appeared less frequently in our corpus. Moreover, there were observable differences between the LTA and ATL studies, in particular when it comes to the field of study, with the former being more applied in social sciences and the latter more present in sciences. Implications for higher education practices and policies are discussed.

The article examines how heads of academic programmes and departments in Israel and the Czech Republic managed crises in relation to their understanding of higher education policy. Through interviews with 27 Israeli and 26 Czech middle managers across 23 institutions, the study examines their responses, particularly to the COVID-19 crisis. While both groups faced increases in already heavy workloads and exhibited strong commitment, key differences emerged. Israeli managers prioritised student belonging, linking institutional survival to programme continuity and student retention. In contrast, Czech managers emphasised departmental responsibilities in teaching and research, viewing research performance as crucial to institutional success. These differences reflect distinct interpretations of higher education policy and the organisational cultures shaped by them. The study contributes to discussions on academic middle management, leadership and resilience, highlighting how policy frameworks influence managerial priorities and institutional survival strategies across different higher education systems.

Drawing from the Theory of Planned Behaviour and a review of empirical research on enablers and barriers for student sustainable behaviour, we explore business students' future-oriented sustainability expectations and intentions to engage in sustainability behaviour at their Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Using a process of configurational theorising with fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) and data from 239 business students in two countries—the USA and Germany—we identify multiple equifinal configurations that are associated with high and low sustainability behavioural intentions. Our findings show that students' active engagement in HEIs' sustainability transformation depends on diverse configurations of student characteristics and contextual factors, and various configurations can lead to either high or low sustainability intentions, varying across country contexts. By leveraging these findings to derive strategies that foster sustainability transformation at HEIs, we offer new theoretical and empirical insights to scholars and practical implications.

Since 2022, Artificial Intelligence has taken the education field by storm, resulting in a proliferation of research on AI's benefits, challenges, and pitfalls. A particular area of concern and uncertainty centers around AI and its impact on higher-order thinking skills. This qualitative systematic review comprising 31 articles aims to gather and synthesize the impact and influence of AI on higher-order thinking skills, specifically from the perspectives of higher education educators and students. For both groups, the positive experiences outweighed the negatives. Educators cited using AI to design lesson plans, and students described AI as an interactive and experiential learning tool. Collectively, both groups highlighted that AI facilitated interactive and enriching classroom environments. However, depth and complexity in thinking and ethical challenges were raised as concerns. The review discusses these findings within the context of higher-order thinking skills and presents practical implications for educators and students.