© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2018 1
J. Jung et al. (eds.), Researching Higher Education in Asia, Higher Education in
Asia: Quality, Excellence and Governance, DOI 10.1007/978-981-10-4989-7_
Chapter 1
Introduction: Higher Education Research
as a Field of Study in Asia
Jisun Jung, Hugo Horta, and Akiyoshi Yonezawa
Abstract Higher education research in Asia is undergoing significant changes, but
limited yet in terms of research community, active researchers, research themes and
methodologies. This chapter introduces the book Researching Higher Education in
Asia: History, Development and Future, which aims to explore the evolution of
higher education research as a field of study in Asia using a historical, theoretical
and empirical approach. It further aims to extend the research scope beyond the
more studied East Asian countries to incorporate Southeast Asian, South Asian and
Central Asian countries. An overarching framework that relates to main issues under
discussion in the region in terms of higher education research is presented in the
introduction, followed by 14 country cases from different Asia regions describing
the dynamics of higher education research in each individual country.
Introduction
Higher education research has been expanding worldwide over the past few decades
(Sadlak and Altbach 1997 ; Teichler 1996 ; Tight 2004 ). This is reflected in the increas-
ing number of academic degree programmes (Blackwell and Blackmore 2003 ;
Altbach et al. 2006 ) and publications specialising in higher education (Volkwein
et al. 1988 ; Altbach and Engberg 2001 ; Hutchinson and Lovell 2004 ). As Tight
( 2004 ) has noted, higher education research has become a more respectable and
attractive field. There are several reasons for the wide increase in higher education
research. Above all, massification has caused increasing attention regarding higher
education among supranational institutions, governments, institutional policymakers
and other stakeholders (Brennan and Shah 2000 ). This change has in turn led to fund-
ing support for evaluative research projects to better understand the ongoing changes
J. Jung (*) • H. Horta
Division of Policy, Administration and Social Sciences Education, Faculty of Education,
The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SCR, China
e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]
A. Yonezawa
The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
e-mail: [email protected]