Enhancing quality and capacity for educational research
Abstract
This chapter examines how developing countries are meeting the challenge to build capacity in higher education as well as how United Kingdom institutions are assisting in meeting these challenges via academic links and development projects. The underlying needs for higher education capacity building in developing country contexts are explored and in particular the chapter focuses on research capacity building in the area of education. As a practical example the chapter provides a case study of the activities and outcomes from a pilot research project carried out in China as part of the British Council/Department for International Development (BC/DfID) funded academic link between the Graduate School of Education, University of Bristol and China National Institute for Educational Research, Beijing. The link focused specifically on innovation in school evaluation and strategies to improve the quality of schooling. Drawing on lessons learnt from BC/DfID funded links as well as other evidence, five challenges to building capacity in teaching, research, and community development work are outlined. Finally, the chapter concludes with some future perspectives on higher education capacity building.
Citation
In: Stevens, D. (Ed), Higher education and international capacity building: twenty-five years of higher education links (2010) Series: Bristol papers in education, Symposium Books, Oxford, UK, ISBN 9781873927229, pp. 55-71