The divergence of teaching quality assurance systems between vocational and ordinary undergraduate education: An institutional logics perspective
Xiaobing Li
School of Construction Engineering, Shenzhen Polytechnic University
Hong Chen
School of Construction Engineering, Shenzhen Polytechnic University
Yubao Chu
School of Construction Engineering, Shenzhen Polytechnic University
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59429/bam.v7i4.12405
Keywords: institutional logics; vocational undergraduate education; ordinary undergraduate education; teaching quality assurance system; categorized evaluation; industry-education integration
Abstract
Promoting categorized development in undergraduate education and establishing differentiated quality assurance systems are crucial for optimizing the structure of higher education in China. As distinct types of education, the differences between vocational undergraduate and ordinary undergraduate programs are rooted in their divergent underlying institutional logics. Based on the institutional logics theory, this paper constructs a three-dimensional analytical framework—"policy regulation, field norms, and professional cognition"— to systematically compare their teaching quality assurance systems. The study finds that: in terms of policy regulation, vocational undergraduate education follows an "industry-education integration" logic, emphasizing the incorporation of industry standards, while ordinary undergraduate education adheres to a "disciplineoriented" logic, focusing on unified academic norms; regarding field norms, vocational undergraduate education relies on the networked governance of "industry-university collaboration," whereas ordinary undergraduate education depends on the peer review of the "academic community"; in terms of professional cognition, teachers in vocational undergraduate education uphold the identity of "practice experts," while their counterparts in ordinary undergraduate education maintain the identity of "scholars." By clarifying the institutional roots of these divergences, this research provides a theoretical basis for constructing categorized evaluation and characteristic development of quality assurance systems, and offers targeted policy implications for helping both educational types avoid the risk of "homogenization."
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