To advance the development of the Institute of Education and the construction of first-class disciplines in education, in March 2022, the Institute of Education, based on its original research institutes and advantageous disciplines, reorganized and established four academic unites, namely the Theory and History of Education, the Educational Development and Governance, the Curriculum Teaching and Educational Psychology, and the Comparative and International Education. These four academic units have become an important part of the Institute of Education of Xiamen University, including its national key discipline (Higher Education), the Ministry of Education’s Key Research Base for Humanities and Social Sciences (Xiamen University Higher Education Development Research Center), and the innovation platforms of Xiamen University’s "211 Project" and "985 Project". They shoulder the fundamental task and historical mission of fostering virtue through education, cultivating talents for the Party and the country, and helping to build Xiamen University’s education discipline into a world-class discipline.
The profiles of each research institute are as follows:
The Theory and History of Education
The Theory and History of Education was established in March 2022 through the merger of the former " Educational Theory" and "Educational History". Mr. Pan Maoyuan, the founder of China's higher education discipline, has always attached great importance to the research on higher education theory and history. His thoughts on higher education have exerted a significant impact on promoting the research of China's higher education and the development of China's higher education cause.
Building on the strengths of the Institute of Education of Xiamen University in the research on basic theories of higher education and the history of higher education, the academic unit conducts in-depth studies on major issues in the process of China’s higher education modernization. It emphasizes ideological guidance and the integration of historical research with theoretical analysis, and is committed to promoting theoretical innovation and policy innovation. The academic unit has achieved outstanding research results in such fields as basic theories of higher education, higher education policies, modern university system, the relocation of Chinese universities, and the development of university faculty.
In the future, this academic unit will focus on advancing in-depth research in the following areas: the construction of an independent knowledge system for higher education disciplines, the development of a powerful nation in higher education, theories and policies on the popularization of higher education, theories and practices of the "Double First-Class" initiative, the legal foundation of higher education and the system of laws and policies, as well as the research on university history and culture. It aims to build a high-level base for theoretical and policy research in higher education.
This academic unit boasts a strong, broad-visioned, well-structured teaching and research team with significant academic influence. The team includes one member of the Social Science Committee of the Ministry of Education, two recipients of the Ministry of Education's "Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University", one Distinguished Professor of the Minjiang Scholars Program, and one high-level talent (Category A) of Fujian Province.
[Unit Members]
Director: Chen Bin
Members: Wu Daguang, Zhao Tingting, Qin Hongxia, Chen Xingde, Zhou Ying, Xiao Tong
The Educational Development and Governance
Established in March 2022, the Education Development and Governance traces its roots to the Educational Economics and Management with a 40-year development history. (Xiamen University set up the Higher Education Management Research Office in 1987; in December 2009, Xiamen University approved the establishment of the Educational Economics and Management.)
The Education Development and Governance conducts scientific research and talent cultivation focusing on issues such as education development policies and systems, educational leadership and governance, and education quality and evaluation. Currently, it mainly focuses on three research directions: research on the national high-quality education system, higher education policies and educational equity, and research on the reform and development of graduate education. It has produced a large number of influential and high-visibility research results, and has played an important think tank role in improving various national higher education policies.
"Education Development and Governance" is a highly comprehensive interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research field with broad prospects, which is also aligned with the development trend of education disciplines in world-class universities. In the future, the unit will continue to strive to provide disciplinary research support for the scientificization of the university's management decisions, offer consulting services for national higher education policies, and demonstrate the characteristics of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research.
The academic unit currently has five professors and five associate professors. With young and middle-aged teachers as the main member, "double-hatted" scholars (who take both academic and administrative roles) as the backbone, and Chinese and foreign doctoral talents as the core force, it has formed a teaching and research team with a broad international perspective and rich management experience. The team includes two recipients of the Ministry of Education's "Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University", one recipient of the Special Government Allowance of the State Council, one Leading Talent in Fujian Provincial Universities, two recipients of Fujian Province's "Program for New Century Excellent Talents", two High-Level Talents of Fujian Province, and one Key Talent of Xiamen City.
[Unit Members]
Director: Li Chengfeng
Deputy Director: Guo Yirong
Members: Shi Qiuheng, Zheng Ruoling, Xu Lan, Wang Shutao, Bao Wei, Zhang Tong, Li Guoqiang, Wen Jing
The Curriculum Teaching and Educational Psychology
Established in March 2022, the Curriculum Teaching and Educational Psychology was jointly established on the basis of the former academic unit of Educational Psychology, integrating outstanding faculty members of the "Curriculum and Instruction" discipline.
Curriculum and Instructional Theory and Educational Psychology are two traditional dominant disciplines of the Institute of Education at Xiamen University. When the Higher Education Research Office of Xiamen University was founded by Mr. Pan Maoyuan in 1978, he took college curriculum and instruction as the main research direction. Over the past more than 40 years, the Institute of Education at Xiamen University has cultivated a large number of experts and scholars in the field of Curriculum and Instructional Theory, who are still active in various fields of China's higher education sector and playing an important role. The Institute of Education is the earliest institution specializing in Educational Psychology research among domestic university education research institutions. It has achieved a series of important research results over the past more than 20 years and has exerted significant influence.
The main research directions of the academic unit include curriculum theory and implementation, instructional design and innovation, curriculum and teaching evaluation, college students' learning and development, graduate education, institutional research, teacher development, and smart education. Adhering to the principle of integrating "teaching, learning, and research", the unit conducts research in the process of teaching, promotes scientific research through teaching, and in turn feeds back teaching with scientific research. Through this synchronous resonance, it strives to build a highland of teaching and scientific research. In the future, it will focus on important issues in the fields of college curriculum and teaching as well as educational psychology, aiming to achieve breakthroughs and innovations in talent cultivation, scientific research, and social services. This effort is intended to advance the research on higher education theory with Chinese characteristics and provide policy guidance for the reform and practice of higher education in China.
The academic unit currently has two professors, three associate professors, and three assistant professors. Its research team includes one Vice Chairman of the Higher Education Professional Committee of the China Association of Higher Education, three High-Level Talent of Fujian Province, and one National Vocational Qualification Trainer for Psychological Counseling.
[Unit Members]
Director: Guo Jianpeng
Members: Liu Zhentian, Qiao Lianquan, Hong Zhizhong, Lin Min, Huang Yifan, Yang Zi, Wang Zhaoxuan
The Comparative and International Education
The Comparative and International Education is one of the earliest major disciplinary fields developed after the restoration and development of education studies at Xiamen University. In 1984, the Institute of Higher Education Science of Xiamen University established the Foreign Education Research Office, which mainly conducted research on higher education in countries and regions such as the United States, Japan, and Southeast Asia. In 2009, the academic unit of Comparative Education of the Institute of Education at Xiamen University was founded. In April 2022, to meet the needs of building a first-class discipline of education studies, the Institute of Comparative and International Education was established.
The academic unit focuses on comparative research on national higher education, as well as research on the development of international and global higher education. Its main research directions include: comparative higher education, international higher education, higher education in Europe and America, and higher education in Southeast Asia. Currently, the key research areas and themes of the unit include research on the popularization and development of global higher education, comparative research on university curriculum and teaching, comparative research on higher education equity, comparative research on Sino-foreign cooperative education, and comparative research on the development of university teachers.
The academic unit undertakes the mission of comparative and international education research. It will continue to uphold the fine traditions of the Institute, take fostering virtue through education as its fundamental task and the development of a first-class discipline as its goal, and focus on cultivating high-quality master's and doctoral students. Emphasizing innovation and foresight, it pays close attention to the close integration of theory and practice. The unit will keep actively organizing international academic exchange activities, strengthens academic cooperation and exchanges with relevant research institutions and peers at home and abroad, and serves the Institute in advancing its internationalization process.
The academic unit currently has two professors, two associate professors, and five assistant professors. Most of its researchers have experience studying or conducting academic visits at prestigious overseas universities, forming a teaching and research team dominated by young and middle-aged teachers, who possess broad international perspectives and strong international communication capabilities.
[Unit Members]
Director: Wu Wei
Deputy Director: Wang Pu
Members: Bie Dunrong, Lian Jinjun, Cai Xiuying, Yu Jingran, Cao Xuemeng, Yi Mengchun, Sun Xiujuan
(Updated in September 2025)
