From October 18 to 20, 2024, the 8th World Comparative Education Forum and International Symposium on Educational Transformation and Human Development was held at Beijing Normal University. With the theme Social Transformation and the Future of Education, the symposium featured 12 keynote speeches, 2 roundtable discussions, and 54 parallel forums. Associate Professors Yan Wenle, Song Jia, Bian Cui, and Zhang Huafeng, foreign professor Jordan Naidoo, PhD student Ye Tong, and Master's student Shen Qiuyu from our institute delivered reports.
Associate Professor Yan Wenle attended the Symposium on the Construction of an Independent Knowledge System for the Discipline of Comparative Education and the Launch Ceremony of Comparative Education (6th Edition). On behalf of Professor Zhang Minxuan and all colleagues of our institute, he extended sincere congratulations to Mr. Gu Mingyuan and expressed sincere respect to the author team for their revision and compilation work.
Associate Professor Song Jia delivered a report entitled How to Better Attract American Students to Study in China: An Analysis Based on Data on International Mobility of American Students in the 21st Century at a sub-forum. The report analyzed the international landscape, main characteristics, behavioral inertia, and mechanism of action of global mobility of students from American colleges and universities since the 21st century. From the perspective of the push-pull theory, it explored the international higher education landscape and policy changes that affect China's efforts to attract American students. Additionally, Associate Professor Song Jia served as a commentator for the sub-forum Educational Internationalization Strategies and Global Competence Cultivation, providing comments on each presentation in the group.
Associate Professor Bian Cui gave a report titled Why France Does Not Develop Professional Doctoral Education. The report analyzed and elaborated on issues such as France's national logic behind choosing not to develop professional doctoral education, its responses to problems in traditional doctoral education, and practices in the classified training of doctoral students. Based on an analysis of reforms and practices in French doctoral education, it reflected on the core issues that China must pay attention to in the development of professional doctoral education.
Starting from the practical needs of our institute and the Centre in dispatching international teacher volunteers, Associate Professor Zhang Huafeng delivered a report entitled How to Carry Out International Educational Assistance: A Critical Analysis and Enlightenment from the U.S. Peace Corps Program. The report analyzed the origin and development history, operational mechanisms and methods, achievements, and controversies of the U.S. Peace Corps program, and put forward ideas for China to expand the implementation of overseas educational volunteer programs. Professor Zhang also served as a commentator for the session, providing analysis and comments on the overall group and individual studies.
Ye Tong, a 2024 PhD student, chaired the sub-forum Population Changes and Teacher Team Building and delivered a themed report entitled An Analysis of the Motivation, Development Process and Current Status of Japan's Re-employment System for Retired Teachers. The report analyzed the background and practical implementation of Japan's re-employment system for retired teachers, and put forward suggestions for further implementation and improvement based on the current situation of China's Silver-Haired Teachers Lecturing Program.
Shen Qiuyu, a 2024 Master's student, delivered a themed report entitled Problems and Effective Paths of Interdisciplinary Talent Development — A Case Study Based on American Universities. The report explored how interdisciplinary education can become an effective path to solve problems in the current complex global environment from four aspects: background, theoretical connection between system theory and interdisciplinary education, analysis of specific practical cases of interdisciplinary education, and conclusions and prospects.
With the theme Social Transformation and the Future of Education, this conference brought scholars together to discuss new ideas, policies, and practices related to social transformation and the future of education, yielding fruitful results.
