Abstract
In order to improve the quality of undergraduate teaching, the Chinese government has been implementing a scheme of institutional accountability in a bid to ensure the adequacy of university quality assurance measures. This study employed a qualitative method to explore the responses of administrative personnel and the perceptions of academics at a local comprehensive university, which has recently experienced a new round of external review mechanisms. Through in-depth interviews conducted with 23 staff members from four units, we found the university had adopted flexible strategies to respond to the external pressures. The reasons can be categorized under five ‘C’s: the Cause of the institutional review, the Constituents for the university and academics, accountability Control measures, the Content of the external review and the Context of this particular university.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Attride-Stirling, J. (2001) ‘Thematic networks: an analytic tool for qualitative research’, Qualitative Research 1(3): 385–405.
Baer, L.L. (2017) ‘Connecting the dots: Accountability, assessment, analytics, and accreditation’, Planning for Higher Education 46(1): 1–16.
Behnam, M. and MacLean, T.L. (2011) ‘Where is the accountability in international accountability standards? A decoupling perspective’, Business Ethics Quarterly 21(01): 45–72.
Besley, A. and Peters, M.A. (2006) ‘Neoliberalism, performance and the assessment of research quality’, South African Journal of Higher Education 20(6): 814–832.
Boxenbaum, E. and Jonsson, S. (2008) ‘Isomorphism, diffusion and decoupling’, in C. O. Rosyston Greenwood, R. Suddaby, and K. Sahlin (eds.) The Sage Handbook of Organizational Institutionalism, London: SAGE Publications, pp. 78–98.
Brown, J.T. (2017) ‘The seven silos of accountability in higher education: Systematizing multiple logics and fields’, Research and Practice in Assessment 11(1): 41–58.
Christensen, T. and Lægreid, P. (2015) ‘Performance and accountability—A theoretical discussion and an empirical assessment’, Public Organization Review 15(2): 207–225.
Davis, A. (2017) ‘Managerialism and the risky business of quality assurance in universities’, Quality Assurance in Education 25(3): 317–328.
Davis, G.F. and Marquis, C. (2005) ‘Prospects for organization theory in the early twenty-first century: Institutional fields and mechanisms’, Organization Science 16(4): 332–343.
de Wolf, I.F. and Janssens, F.J. (2007) ‘Effects and side effects of inspections and accountability in education: an overview of empirical studies’, Oxford Review of Education 33(3): 379–396.
Findlow, S. (2008) ‘Accountability and innovation in higher education: a disabling tension?’, Studies in Higher Education 33(3): 313–329.
Fiss, P.C. and Zajac, E.J. (2006) ‘The symbolic management of strategic change: Sensegiving via framing and decoupling’, Academy of Management Journal 49(6): 1173–1193.
Garn, G. (2001) ‘Moving from bureaucratic to market accountability: The problem of imperfect information’, Educational Administration Quarterly 37(4): 571–599.
Goldstein, J. (2009) ‘Designing transparent teacher evaluation: The role of oversight panels for professional accountability’, The Teachers College Record 111(4): 893–933.
Jamali, D. (2010) ‘MNCs and international accountability standards through an institutional lens: Evidence of symbolic conformity or decoupling’, Journal of Business Ethics 95(4): 617–640.
Lee, J.C.-K., Huang, Y.X., and Zhong, B. (2012) ‘Friend or foe: the impact of undergraduate teaching evaluation in China’, Higher Education Review 44(2): 5–25.
Liu, S. (2013) ‘Quality assessment of undergraduate education in China: impact on different universities’, Higher Education 66(4): 391–407.
Liu, S. (2015) ‘Higher education quality assessment in China: An impact study’, Higher Education Policy 28(2): 175–195.
Liu, S. and Rosa, M.J. (2008) ‘Quality assessment of undergraduate education in China’, Higher Education Management and Policy 20(3): 1–18.
Liu, S. and Yu, H. (2014) ‘Study of the Impacts of the Quality Assessment of Undergraduate Education Policy in China: Students’ Perceptions’, Higher Education Studies 4(2): 52–60.
MacLean, T.L. and Behnam, M. (2010) ‘The dangers of decoupling: The relationship between compliance programs, legitimacy perceptions, and institutionalized misconduct’, Academy of Management Journal 53(6): 1499–1520.
Massy, W.F. (2011) ‘Managerial and political strategies for handling accountability’, in B. Stensaker and L. Harvey (eds.) Accountability in Higher Education: Global Perspectives on Trust and Power, New York: Routledge, pp. 221–244.
Mattei, P. (2012) ‘Market accountability in schools: policy reforms in England, Germany, France and Italy’, Oxford Review of Education 38(3): 247–266.
Milliken, J. and Colohan, G. (2004) ‘Quality or control? Management in higher education’, Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management 26(3): 381–391.
Murphy, M. (2009) ‘Bureaucracy and its limits: accountability and rationality in higher education’, British Journal of Sociology of Education 30(6): 683–695.
Oliver, C. (1991) ‘Strategic responses to institutional processes’, Academy of Management Review 16(1): 145–179.
Romzek, B.S. (2000) ‘Dynamics of public sector accountability in an era of reform’, International Review of Administrative Sciences 66(1): 21–44.
Shah, M. and Nair, S. (2011) ‘The influence of strategy and external quality audit on university performance: an Australian perspective’, Tertiary Education and Management 17(2): 139–150.
Teelken, C. (2012) ‘Compliance or pragmatism: How do academics deal with managerialism in higher education? A comparative study in three countries’, Studies in Higher Education 37(3): 271–290.
Tolofari, S. (2005) ‘New public management and education’, Policy Futures in Education 3(1): 75–89.
Trow, M. (1996) ‘Trust, markets and accountability in higher education: A comparative perspective’, Higher Education Policy 9(4): 309–324.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Song, J. Strategic Responses to Teaching Quality Accountability: A Case Study of a Regional University in China from a Decoupling Perspective. High Educ Policy 33, 591–609 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41307-018-0113-9
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41307-018-0113-9