On The Functional Maladjustment And Modulation Of Higher Education

The function of higher education, which always brings about new dispute and contemplation in each period either of important reforms or of historical transitions, is a problem not only about fundamental theories, but also of practical significance. At present, higher education in China is confronted with great transformation caused by social transition. Thorough changes have taken place in both its internal and external environment, and a series of conflicts and problems have arisen. Even a crisis of confidence in higher education has been evoked. All those problems and crisis essentially result from higher education's failure of undertaking its due historical tasks and the maladjustment of its function, for example, deviation, obstruction, and loss of functions. We need to both implement reform and introspect over those problems theoretically in order to find a way out. Therefore, it is undoubtedly of great practical significance to strengthen researches on the function of higher education, make an in-depth analysis in its maladjustment and the causes, and inquire into rational ways to modulating the function.This thesis centers around such a theme as the maladjustment of functions of higher education and the modulation and discusses from the theoretical research, review of the past, trend of developing, inspection on maladjustment, to optimal modulation. Besides the introduction, it includes three parts.The first part, which is the second chapter, discusses related theories about researches on the functions of higher education. At present, confusion and misunderstanding about such two concepts as function and obligation still exist in the course of doing research on higher education, what result into indefinite objects and inconsistent scope of researching. Therefore, this chapter analyzes some basic concepts related to the research, and focuses on differentiating the functions of higher education and obligations of colleges and universities and displaying their connections. I hold that the functions refer to the objective abilities and effects brought about by the interaction in a certain way among internal factors in the higher education system and between the system and society. They are spontaneous and objective and their development results from the deepening of people's cognition; while the obligations refer to duties that the society endows with colleges and universities. They are grantable and subjective and their development results from people's approval and the expansion of duties endowed. The functions of higher education are internal ground of the existence of colleges and universities, and logical starting point and basis of their obligations; while the obligations are expressive forms and existing statement as well as the institutionalization of the functions. Specifically speaking, the obligations include fostering talents, developing science and serving for the society; while the functions contain individual functions (such as socialization of individuals and functions of individuation), partial social functions (such as cultural functions, political functions and economic functions), and whole social functions (such as social selection, social flowing and social status division). Next, my thesis summarizes system theory, structural functionalism theory, educational pathology and its enlightenment to researches of function, probes into the logical starting point of researches on higher education's functions, and holds that person, knowledge (culture) and society are three subjects of functions. According to various expectations of the three sides, higher education adopts different functional orientations and behaviors that have different effects. Moreover, the process of realizing such functions is restricted by both internal and external factors, such as individual demands, improvement and evolvement of knowledge, social development and demands, consciousness and responsibilities of the government, foundations and resources of higher education, etc. Therefore, the mode of analyzing "from process of realizing the functions to influencing factors" should be applied to researches on the functions of higher education. However, maladjustment and modulation always exist between realization of the functions and expectations of the subjects. Furthermore, in different developing period, the maladjustment will have different nature and form, and we can modulate in different ways and to different extent. The more rapid and thorough the society changes, the more possible the maladjustment will be, so that we need to carry out the modulation in a more forcefully and extensively way.The second part, which is the third chapter, inspects the history of higher education' functions maladjustment and its evolvement. Firstly, according to the natural consequence and historical consequence, the evolvement of higher education can be divided into four periods, namely, the period of traditional higher education, the period of primary establishment and split of modern higher education, the period of higher education's transformation and integration, and the period of higher education's restoration and development. In different period, higher education has different characteristics in the orientation, behavior, and effects of its functions. The change of its functions results from the continuous modulation of higher education as the society progresses. In that process, maladjustment and modulation always go together, while the internal factors interacts with the external factors, of which the latter has much greater impact, and the government plays a decisive role. Secondly, through analyzing the decline and crisis of the traditional higher education of Europe in 17th and 18th century, higher education of Japan and Germany in 1930s and 1940s, higher education of China in 1960s and 1970s and higher education in Soviet Union in 1970s and 1980s, we can draw a conclusion that the crisis of higher education originates from the maladjustment of its functions and the prerequisite for avoiding the maladjustment is to follow the fundamental law of higher education's development. Therefore, to higher education, we must put talent cultivation first, properly handle the relationship between higher education and social factors, such as politics, economy, culture, etc, and ensure the relative independence of higher education and academic freedom. Confronted with the external challenges as knowledge-based economy and social transition, and the internal changes as popularization, internationalization, lifelong tenure and networking, higher education have to advance with times, be modulated in due course, balanced and integrated in its functional orientation, enriched and increased in value of its behaviors, and intensified and expanded in its effects.The third part, which consists of the forth and fifth chapter, inspects the maladjustment and modulation of higher education's functions in reality. In the aspect of functional orientation, excessive emphasis has been given to social orientation, while inadequate emphasis to cultural orientation and talent cultivation orientation; in the aspect of functional behavior, deviation and ineffectiveness occur in the behavior of teaching, scientific researches and social service; and in the aspect of functional effects, more importance has been attached to social functions while less to individual functions. Moreover, inside the social functions, more attention has been paid to social integration while less to proper split; more attention to social adaptation while less to social guidance; more attention to political and economic functions while less to cultural, scientific and technological function. Functional maladjustment derives from the restriction of political structure, economic environment and cultural thought in the society, the defects in the educational management of the government, and the deficiency of higher education in the aspects of thought and structure. Functional maladjustment of higher education will do harm to all sectors of society: in the field of higher teaching, it will lead to the belittlement of students' development, the decline in the quality of talent, students' lacking of the sense of independence and criticism, and then the destruction of students' whole image and crisis of their development; in academic circles, it will result into the decline of morals, anomie of learning and deterioration of academic environment; in social sphere, it will cause rampancy of utilitarianism, loss of humanities, unequal social distribution, blocked social flow, and then limited level of development due to the shortage of developing motivation. In view of existing situation, I hold that we should begin with such three sides of society, government and higher education, adjust social demands and enlarge people's participation; coordinate the relationship between government and colleges and universities, and perfect the macro control; intensify the construction of higher education system from the aspects of thought, action, resource, structure and mechanism, thus realize the optimization and modulation of higher education's functions.Receiving education is the most fervent expectation of human beings. Through researching on functional maladjustment of higher education in China, I hope my thesis can inspire people to think and survey the great-leap-forward development of Chinese higher education in a more rational way, help it return to its essence and take on its historic undertakings, and thus become the center of the society.