Western Perspectives on Chinese Higher Education: A Model for Cross-cultural InquiryDrawing on the two theories' strengths while avoiding their weaknesses, the book proposes realist constructivism as a general epistemic model for one area of inquiry - cross-cultural studies, defined as studies involving scholars from one society or culture studying another. The model has a descriptive and a normative dimension. Descriptively, realist constructivism maintains that a scholarly study of another society does reveal and is constrained by the studied society's social reality while being thoroughly shaped by factors involving the scholar and his society, whereas normatively it urges that a cross-cultural study should reveal and be constrained by the studied society's relevant social reality while being thoroughly shaped by a host of factors involving the scholar and his society. |
Contents
Acknowledgments | 9 |
Approaches Statements and Assumptions | 37 |
Emphases and Silences | 51 |
Copyright | |
6 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
academic according adequate alternative American analysts applied approaches aspects associations assumptions aware become called Cambridge changes chapter China Chinese education Chinese higher education Comparative concept concerning consider constructed contemporary context countries criteria criticism cross-cultural inquiry cross-cultural studies Cultural Revolution discussion documents economic edited empirical English evaluation examination example existence explanation explicit foreign four given Hayhoe human identifies important instance institutions interests International interpretation issues knowledge limited London Marxism materials meaning methodological mode nature notes official period perspective Philosophy points of view political practice present problems protagonists question reader realist constructivism reality reasons refers reform relations relevant reveal Review Rhetoric scholarly scholars schools selection sense social reality social sciences specific statements strategies studied society suggest teachers theory translation understanding University Press values various versus Western World writing York