Chinese academic wisdom continues to inspire global universities

Chinese educational wisdom rooted in the nation's traditional culture could bring profound inspirations for global universities and make a difference in the current world, said a notable Canadian educator.

Ruth Hayhoe, a profoundly influential and highly respected comparative educator and expert in Chinese education studies at the University of Toronto, made the remarks during the recent 11th Forum on Empirical Education Research hosted by the East China Normal University in Shanghai.

Hayhoe particularly highlighted the concept of "harmony without conformity" or "unity in diversity" in China's higher education system, and its practical value for the world.

Following the idea, she called for a focus on the public good and a global knowledge society rather than a global knowledge economy and emphasized on regional and global collaborations to strengthen diverse civilizational roots.

In addition, she proposed more programs that enable faculty and students to serve as peacemakers in cross-cultural interactions and to care for all living things on earth.

Starting as a young teacher in Hong Kong in 1967, Hayhoe's career integrates multiple identities as a scholar, diplomat and university administrator, endowing her research with deep cultural insight, a broad global perspective and strong practical concern. She is one of the few Western scholars capable of deeply understanding and bridging Chinese and Western educational philosophy and history, promoting deep dialogue and mutual learning among civilizations.

During the forum, she was honored with the Global Award for Innovation in Education Research Methods by the Faculty of Education of East China Normal University. The award recognized her groundbreaking contribution through her "dialogue among civilizations" research paradigm, transcending binary oppositions and requiring deep immersion into other culture's history, philosophy and values. She creatively proposed the "Chinese university model", which breaks the hegemony of a singular Western paradigm and supporting educational autonomy in non-Western societies.

Inaugurated last year as the world's first, the award was designed to recognize breakthroughs in global education research methodology and foster international exchange of ideas. Together with Hayhoe, four distinguished scholars from across the world were also honored with the award, namely Stephen Raudenbush from the University of Chicago, Manabu Sato from the University of Tokyo, Wang Shanmai from Beijing Normal University, and Rupert Wegerif from the University of Cambridge.

"We hope to take this award as a starting point, focus on innovations in education research methods, actively participate in promoting new developments in global education research, and guide China's empirical education research to better engage with the world," said Yuan Zhenguo, head of the Faculty of Education at East China Normal University and a key planner of the award.