The dissemination of Flexner's "Modern University Theory"in contemporary China-Visual analysis based on highly cited literature from 2003 to 2021
YANG Wudi WANG Yuyang
(1.School of Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100080,China;
2.School of Education, Beijing Sport University, Beijing 100009,China)
Abstract: This study employed bibliometric methods and CiteSpace software to conduct avisual analysis of the dissemination and acceptance of Flexner's "Modern University Theory"in highly cited journals of China National Knowledge Infirastructure (CNKI) from 2003 to2021. The research found that the dissemination of this classic was centered on the Chinesetranslation published by Zhejiang Education Press in 2001, with core journals such as "HigherEducation Research" as the main battlefield, reaching its peak around 2010. The geographicaldistribution of the dissemination subjects shows a pattern of "more in the south and less inthe north",mainly consisting of researchers from comprehensive and normal universitiesin East China and Central South China. The quoted content is highly concentrated in thechapter "University Philosophy" of the original book. Further analysis reveals that Chinesescholars did not passively accept but adopted four strategic interpretations: "selective citation","symbolic citation","instrumental expansion" and "creative transformation", making their ideasserve to answer the practical questions of "way","technique", "education","responsibility","governance" and "transformation" in modern Chinese universities. This classic "journey toChina" is essentially a vivid example of the "two-way domestication" between foreign theoriesand local practices,providing beneficial inspirations for understanding the construction path ofthe autonomous knowledge system of Chinese pedagogy.
Keywords: "Moder University Theory";Flexner;Knowledge dissemination;Higher education
WeChatHotline
