Fri, Jun 27, 2025
[Archive]
Volume 5, Issue 4 (DECEMBER ISSUE 2024)
johepal 2024, 5(4): 27-46 |
Back to browse issues page
Download citation:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
AL Mandhari B R S. (2024). A Pragmatic Lens on Quality: Shifting Paradigms in Higher Education. johepal. 5(4), 27-46. doi:10.61186/johepal.5.4.27
URL: http://johepal.com/article-1-979-en.html
URL: http://johepal.com/article-1-979-en.html
Abstract: (1121 Views)
This paper explores the intersection of pragmatism and quality assurance in higher education, adopting an exploratory approach to understand how pragmatist principles can inspire more adaptive, inclusive, and context-sensitive educational practices. By delving into the historical roots of pragmatism, particularly through the works of Charles Sanders Peirce, William James, and John Dewey, the study examines how this philosophical tradition critiques and reimagines traditional metrics and models of educational quality. The analysis focuses on key themes, including the decentralization of governance, the creation of responsive and adaptive learning environments, and the broader implications of fostering continuous reflection and improvement within institutions. Pragmatism’s dynamic and evolving framework challenges conventional notions of quality assurance by emphasizing critical thinking, problem-solving, and adaptability as core tenets of educational excellence. However, the paper also critically addresses significant challenges, such as balancing local relevance with global competitiveness, avoiding an overemphasis on immediate practical outcomes at the expense of long-term educational goals, and ensuring that equity and rigor remain central to quality assurance practices. By embracing pragmatism, this study argues, higher education institutions can cultivate a more holistic, student-centered learning environment that responds effectively to the complex and evolving demands of contemporary society and the global workforce.
Keywords: Higher Education, Pragmatism, Quality Assurance, Adaptability, Decentralization, Innovation
Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2024/09/29 | Accepted: 2024/12/14 | Published: 2024/12/31
Received: 2024/09/29 | Accepted: 2024/12/14 | Published: 2024/12/31
References
1. Arnove, R. F. (2007). Introduction: Reframing comparative education: The dialectic of the global and the local. In R. F. Arnove & C. A. Torres (Eds.), Comparative education: The dialectic of the global and the local (3rd ed., pp. 1-20). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
2. Ball, S. J. (2012). Global Education Inc.: New policy networks and the neoliberal imaginary. Routledge.
3. Basnet, M. (2024). Cultural diversity and curriculum. Panauti Journal, 2(1), 1-9. [DOI]
4. Biesta, G. (2010). Pragmatism and the philosophical foundations of mixed methods research. In A. Tashakkori & C. Teddlie (Eds.), Sage handbook of mixed methods in social & behavioral research (2nd ed., pp. 95-118). SAGE Publications, Inc.
5. Biesta, G. J. J., & Burbules, N. C. (2003). Pragmatism and educational research. Rowman & Littlefield.
6. Boud, D., & Soler, R. (2016). Sustainable assessment revisited. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 41(3), 400-413. [DOI]
7. Bray, M. (2007). Control of education: Issues and tensions in centralization and decentralization. In R. F. Arnove & C. A. Torres (Eds.), Comparative education: The dialectic of the global and the local (3rd ed., pp. 175-196). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
8. Brown, R., & Carasso, H. (2013). Everything for sale? The marketisation of UK higher education. Routledge.
9. Burbules, N. C., & Berk, R. (1999). Critical thinking and critical pedagogy: Relations, differences, and limits. In T. S. Popkewitz & L. Fendler (Eds.), Critical theories in education: Changing terrains of knowledge and politics (pp. 45-66). Routledge.
10. Cendon, E. (2018). Lifelong learning at universities: Future perspectives for teaching and learning. Journal of New Approaches in Educational Research, 7(2), 81-87. [DOI]
11. Cochran-Smith, M., Carney, M. C., Keefe, E. S., Burton, S., Chang, W.-C., Fernández, M. B., Miller, A. F., Sánchez, J. G., & Baker, M. (2018). Reclaiming accountability in teacher education. Teachers College Press.
12. Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and education. Free Press.
13. Dewey, J. (2018). Democracy and education by John Dewey: With a critical introduction by Patricia H. Hinchey. Myers Education Press.
14. Elassy, N. (2015). The concepts of quality, quality assurance and quality enhancement. Quality Assurance in Education, 23(3), 250-261. [DOI]
15. Elken, M., & Stensaker, B. (2018). Conceptualising ‘quality work’ in higher education. Quality in Higher Education, 24(3), 189-202. [DOI]
16. Fesmire, S. (2014). Dewey. Routledge.
17. Garrison, J. (1994). Realism, Deweyan pragmatism, and educational research. Educational Researcher, 23(1), 5-14. [DOI]
18. Green, D. (1994). What is quality in higher education? Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE).
19. Hanson, E. (1998). Strategies of educational decentralization: key questions and core issues. Journal of Educational Administration, 36, 9-25.
20. Harvey, L., & Green, D. (1993). Defining quality. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 18(1), 9-34. [DOI]
21. Harvey, L., & Stensaker, B. (2008). Quality culture: Understandings, boundaries and linkages. European Journal of Education, 43(4), 427-442. [DOI]
22. Harvey, L., & Williams, J. (2010). Fifteen years of quality in higher education. Quality in Higher Education, 16(1), 3-36. [DOI]
23. Hickman, L. A. (2007). Pragmatism as post-postmodernism: Lessons from John Dewey. Fordham University Press.
24. Hookway, C. (2012). The pragmatic maxim: Essays on Peirce and pragmatism. Oxford University Press.
25. Kendall, N. (2006). Stakeholder collaboration: An imperative for education quality [Working Paper]. U.S. Agency for International Development. [Article]
26. Kezar, A. J. (2018). How colleges change: Understanding, leading, and enacting change (2nd ed.). Routledge.
27. Khanal, P. (2013). Centralization and decentralization reform in school education in Nepal: Tracing the swing of the pendulum. International Journal of Research Studies in Management, 2(2), 53-66. [DOI]
28. Laal, M., & Salamati, P. (2012). Lifelong learning; why do we need it?. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 31, 399-403. [DOI]
29. Lattuca, L. R., & Stark, J. S. (2009). Shaping the college curriculum: Academic plans in context (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass.
30. Laurillard, D. (2013). Rethinking university teaching: A conversational framework for the effective use of learning technologies. Routledge.
31. Leithwood, K., & Menzies, T. (1998). Forms and effects of school-based management: A review. Educational Policy, 12(3), 325-346. [DOI]
32. Lo, W. Y. W. (2010). Decentralization of higher education and its implications for educational autonomy in Taiwan. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 30(2), 127-139. [DOI]
33. Marginson, S. (2007). Global position and position taking: The case of Australia. Journal of Studies in International Education, 11(1), 5-32. [DOI]
34. Marginson, S., & Considine, M. (2000). The enterprise university: Power, governance and reinvention in Australia. Cambridge University Press.
35. Marginson, S., & van der Wende, M. (2007). To rank or to be ranked: The impact of global rankings in higher education. Journal of Studies in International Education, 11(3-4), 306-329. [DOI]
36. Mey, J. L. (2012). Societal pragmatics. In C. A. Chapelle (Ed.), The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics. [DOI]
37. Mok, J. K -h. (2001). From state control to governance: Decentralization and higher education in Guangdong, China. International Review of Education, 47(1), 123-149. [DOI]
38. Newton J. (2010). A tale of two “qualitys”: Reflections on the quality revolution in higher education. Quality in Higher Education, 16(1), 51-53. [DOI]
39. Noddings, N. (2018). Philosophy of education (4th ed.). Routledge.
40. Regmi, K. D. (2015). Lifelong learning: Foundational models, underlying assumptions and critiques. International Review of Education, 61(2), 133-151. [DOI]
41. Ritzer, G. (1983). The "McDonaldization" of society. Journal of American Culture, 6(1), 100-107. [DOI]
42. Ritzer, G. (2013). The McDonaldization of society: 20th anniversary edition. SAGE Publications, Inc.
43. Schwartz, R. (2014). Rethinking pragmatism: From William James to contemporary philosophy. Wiley-Blackwell.
44. Selwyn, N. (2016). Is technology good for education. John Wiley & Sons.
45. Siemens, G. (2005). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 2(1). [Article]
46. Soltis, J. F. (1984). On the nature of educational research. Educational Researcher, 13(10), 5-10. [DOI]
47. Srikanthan, G., & Dalrymple, J. (2003). Developing alternative perspectives for quality in higher education. International Journal of Educational Management, 17(3), 126-136. [DOI]
48. Sullivan, M., & Solove, D. J. (2013). Radical pragmatism. In A. Malachowski (Ed.), The Cambridge companion to pragmatism (pp. 324-344). Cambridge University Press. [DOI]
49. Talisse, R. B., & Aikin, S. F. (2008). Pragmatism: A guide for the perplexed. Continuum.
50. Tight, M. (2019a). Documentary research in the social sciences. SAGE Publications Ltd.
51. Tight, M. (2019b). Higher education research: The developing field. Bloomsbury Academic.
52. Welzant, H., Schindler, L., Puls-Elvidge, S., & Crawford, L. (2015). Definitions of quality in higher education: A synthesis of the literature. Higher Learning Research Communications, 5(3), 3-13. [DOI]
53. Whitty, G. (1997). Creating quasi-markets in education: A review of recent research on parental choice and school autonomy in three countries. Review of Research in Education, 22(1), 3-47. [DOI]
54. Yorke, M. (2011). Summative assessment: dealing with the ‘measurement fallacy’. Studies in Higher Education, 36(3), 251-273. [DOI]
55. Zimmerman, B. J., & Schunk, D. H. (Eds.). (2011). Handbook of self-regulation of learning and performance. Routledge.
| Rights and permissions | |
 |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
