A bibliometric analysis of Chinese higher education policy in the past two decades: Sustainable development and internationalization

Paisan Sukjairungwattana, Zhengying Luo, Haiyang Hu, Wen Liu, Wei Xu

Article ID: 6597
Vol 9, Issue 1, 2025

VIEWS - 1478 (Abstract)

Abstract


This study aims to explore the research on Chinese higher education policy from 2005 to 2024 through a bibliometric analysis. It is revealed that a continuous growth trend and sustained academic interest in this field. Mainland China leads in publication quantity, showcasing the active involvement of Chinese scholars in higher education policy research. Institutions like Peking University, the University of Hong Kong, and Beijing Normal University play significant roles in this research domain. The focus of research has shifted from student attitudes to international students, teachers, innovation models, changing demands, and urban education development, reflecting a growing emphasis on sustainability and internationalization. The study highlights the positive development trajectory of Chinese higher education policy research, with expanding research focuses and deepening concerns for sustainability and internationalization.


Keywords


higher education; bibliometric analysis; sustainability; internationalization; policy

Full Text:

PDF


References

  1. Aleixo, A. M., Leal, S., & Azeiteiro, U. M. (2018). Conceptualization of sustainable higher education institutions, roles, barriers, and challenges for sustainability: An exploratory study in Portugal. Journal of Cleaner Production, 172, 1664–1673. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.11.010
  2. Aria, M., & Cuccurullo, C. (2017). bibliometrix : An R-tool for comprehensive science mapping analysis. Journal of Informetrics, 11(4), 959–975. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joi.2017.08.007
  3. Braun Střelcová, A., Cai, Y., & Shen, W. (2022). The Experience of European Researchers in China: A Comparative Capital Advantage Perspective. Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 14(3), 2663–2691. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-022-00982-3
  4. Buturlina, O., Dovhal, S., Hryhorov, H., et al. (2021). STEM Education in Ukraine in the Context of Sustainable Development. European Journal of Sustainable Development, 10(1), 323. https://doi.org/10.14207/ejsd.2021.v10n1p323
  5. Cobo, M. J., López-Herrera, A. G., Herrera-Viedma, E., et al. (2011). An approach for detecting, quantifying, and visualizing the evolution of a research field: A practical application to the Fuzzy Sets Theory field. Journal of Informetrics, 5(1), 146–166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joi.2010.10.002
  6. Cobo, M. J., López‐Herrera, A. G., Herrera‐Viedma, E., et al. (2012). SciMAT: A new science mapping analysis software tool. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 63(8), 1609–1630. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.22688
  7. Dong, Y., Yu, N., Hong, T., et al. (2022). City Administrative Level and Tertiary Educational Opportunities: Evidence From China’s Higher Education Expansion Policy. SAGE Open, 12(2), 215824402210899. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440221089931
  8. Ferencz, V., Hrehová, D., & Seňová, A. (2020). Higher education require adaptation of students study abroad programs. SHS Web of Conferences, 74, 02003. https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/20207402003
  9. Filho, W. L. (2011). About the Role of Universities and Their Contribution to Sustainable Development. Higher Education Policy, 24(4), 427–438. https://doi.org/10.1057/hep.2011.16
  10. Garfield, E. (1955). Citation Indexes for Science. Science, 122(3159), 108–111. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.122.3159.108
  11. Garfield, E. (1979). Is citation analysis a legitimate evaluation tool? Scientometrics, 1(4), 359–375. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf02019306
  12. Ge, N., Wang, E., & Li, Y. (2023). Foreign Language Education for Sustainable Development in China: A Case Study of German Language Education. Sustainability, 15(8), 6340. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15086340
  13. Gil, N., & Ulitsky, I. (2019). Regulation of gene expression by cis-acting long non-coding RNAs. Nature Reviews Genetics, 21(2), 102–117. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41576-019-0184-5
  14. He, R., Xu, W., Dong, D., et al. (2024). A Meta-Analysis of the Effect of Interactive Technologies on Language Education. International Journal of Adult Education and Technology, 15(1), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.4018/ijaet.340933
  15. Herrera-Viedma, E., López-Robles, J.-R., Guallar, J., et al. (2020). Global trends in coronavirus research at the time of Covid-19: A general bibliometric approach and content analysis using SciMAT. El Profesional de La Información, 29(3). https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2020.may.22
  16. Hu, H., Li, F., & Luo, Z. (2024). The evolution of China’s English education policy and challenges in higher education: analysis based on LDA and Word2Vec. Frontiers in Education, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1385602
  17. Huang, Y., Xu, W., Sukjairungwattana, P., et al. (2024). Learners’ continuance intention in multimodal language learning education: An innovative multiple linear regression model. Heliyon, 10(6), e28104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e28104
  18. Karpan, I., Chernikova, N., Motuz, T., et al. (2020). Conceptual Principles of Education for Sustainable Development. European Journal of Sustainable Development, 9(2), 99–114. https://doi.org/10.14207/ejsd.2020.v9n2p99
  19. Katayama, J., Örnektekin, S., & Demir, S. S. (2017). Policy into practice on sustainable development related teaching in higher education in Turkey. Environmental Education Research, 24(7), 1017–1030. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2017.1360843
  20. Kretschmann, J., Pevneva, I., Ivanova, S., et al. (2020). Integration and Innovation Determinants of Modern Mining Higher Education Development. E3S Web of Conferences, 174, 04035. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202017404035
  21. Leal Filho, W., Manolas, E., & Pace, P. (2008). Education for sustainable development: current discourses and practices and their relevance to technology education. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 19(2), 149–165. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-008-9079-z
  22. Leydesdorff, L. (2007). On the normalization and visualization of author co‐citation data: Salton’s Cosine versus the Jaccard index. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 59(1), 77–85. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.20732
  23. Li, J., & Xue, E. (2022). A Social Networking Analysis of Education Policies of Creating World-Class Universities for Higher Education Sustainability in China. Sustainability, 14(16), 10243. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141610243
  24. López-Robles, J. R., Cobo, M. J., Gutiérrez-Salcedo, M., et al. (2021). 30th Anniversary of Applied Intelligence: A combination of bibliometrics and thematic analysis using SciMAT. Applied Intelligence, 51(9), 6547–6568. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10489-021-02584-z
  25. Ma, G., Shi, W., & Hou, P. (2022). Exploring University Teacher Construction for Higher Education Sustainability in China: Perspective from Policy Instruments. Sustainability, 15(1), 362. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15010362
  26. Mawarti, S., & Nurlaelah, E. (2020). Social justice in mathematics education for sustainable development. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1521(3), 032094. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1521/3/032094
  27. Nasibulina, A. (2015). Education for Sustainable Development and Environmental Ethics. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 214, 1077–1082. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.11.708
  28. Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., ... & Moher, D. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. bmj, 372. doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71
  29. Ren, J., Xu, W., & Liu, Z. (2024). The Impact of Educational Games on Learning Outcomes. International Journal of Game-Based Learning, 14(1), 1–25. https://doi.org/10.4018/ijgbl.336478
  30. Sart, G. (2022). Impact of Higher Education and Globalization on Sustainable Development in the New EU Member States. Sustainability, 14(19), 11916. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141911916
  31. Strielkowski, W., Grebennikova, V., Razinkina, E., et al. (2021). Relationship between globalization and internationalization of higher education. E3S Web of Conferences, 301, 03006. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202130103006
  32. Tight, M. (2019). Globalization and internationalization as frameworks for higher education research. Research Papers in Education, 36(1), 52–74. https://doi.org/10.1080/02671522.2019.1633560
  33. Wang, Y., Xu, W., Guan, K., et al. (2024). English Teachers’ Post-Pandemic Motivation in Macau’s Higher Education System. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 14(7), 1990–2001. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1407.05
  34. Wen, G. J. (2020). Virtuous globalization, the three-zeros policy, and China’s choice. Journal of Chinese Economic and Business Studies, 19(3), 221–237. https://doi.org/10.1080/14765284.2020.1862637
  35. Xiang-chao, P. (2019). Research on the Predicament and Countermeasures of Sustainable Development Education in Colleges and Universities. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 295(2), 012042. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/295/2/012042
  36. Xie, A., Postiglione, G. A., & Huang Q. (2020). The Greater Bay Area (GBA) Development Strategy and Its Relevance to Higher Education. ECNU Review of Education, 4(1), 210–221. https://doi.org/10.1177/2096531120964466
  37. Xu, W., & Sukjairungwattana, P. (2022). The Study of Macau’s Higher Education 1999–2019. Frontiers in Education, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.898238
  38. Xu, W., Zhang, H., Sukjairungwattana, P., et al. (2022). The roles of motivation, anxiety and learning strategies in online Chinese learning among Thai learners of Chinese as a foreign language. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.962492
  39. Yang, S., Xu, W., Liu, R., et al. (2024). Influencing and moderating variables in informal digital learning of English through a structural equation model. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 1–36. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2023.2280645
  40. Yang, X., & You, Y. (2017). How the World-Class University Project Affects Scientific Productivity? Evidence from a Survey of Faculty Members in China. Higher Education Policy, 31(4), 583–605. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41307-017-0073-5
  41. Yelubayeva, P., Tashkyn, E., & Berkinbayeva, G. (2023). Addressing Challenges in Kazakh Education for Sustainable Development. Sustainability, 15(19), 14311. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151914311
  42. Yu, Z., Xu, W., & Sukjairungwattana, P. (2022). A meta-analysis of eight factors influencing MOOC-based learning outcomes across the world. Interactive Learning Environments, 32(2), 707–726. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2022.2096641
  43. Zhang, L., & Deng, Y. (2023). Toward a High-Quality System: A Critique of Chinese Special Education Policy Development and the Guidelines for the Evaluation of the Quality of Special Education Schools. ECNU Review of Education. https://doi.org/10.1177/20965311231210307
  44. Zhang, L., Tsung, L., & Zhuoma. (2020). Exploring Sustainable Multilingual Language Policy in Minority Higher Education in China: A Case Study of the Tibetan Language. Sustainability, 12(18), 7267. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12187267
  45. Zhang, Y., & Liao, Y. (2021). Higher Education for International Students in China: A Review of Policy From 1978 to 2020. ECNU Review of Education, 4(4), 873–889. https://doi.org/10.1177/2096531120974382


DOI: https://doi.org/10.24294/jipd6597

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2025 Paisan Sukjairungwattana, Zhengying Luo, Haiyang Hu, Wen Liu, Wei Xu

License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.