Exploring the internal and external push-pull factors influencing innovation outcomes in Chinese regional universities: a fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis

ABSTRACT

In the current hierarchical system of higher education, regional universities in China face the dilemma of homogenization and marginalization. There is an urgent need to find a high-quality development path that suits their own characteristics. From the theoretical perspective of “academic drift”, this study focuses on the influence that internal and external conditions can have on the development performance of regional universities, whilst also creatively using the research method of fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis to investigate the different development paths of 53 regional universities in China. The study found that the push-pull effect of external conditions, such as location, should be highly valued. For three different development outcome variables, there are various conditional combination development paths. The development paths of universities with different disciplines are not always the same, so it is necessary for them to find a “cut-in point” for running their own university. This study helps clarify the unique path of high-quality development in regional universities and promotes the classified development of higher education systems.

KEYWORDS:

• Regional universities
• development trajectory
• qualitative comparative analysis
• academic drift
• push-pull factors
• innovation outcomes

Disclosure statement

We declare that we do not have any commercial or associative interest that represents a conflict of interest in connection with the work submitted.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by scientific research of higher education from Chongqing Association of Higher Education, named Research on the driving mechanism and policy guarantee of regional innovative universities (CQGJ21B061).

Notes on contributors

Guiping Sun

Guiping Sun received his PhD degree at Zhejiang University in 2019, and now he is the associate professor at Sichuan International Studies University. His current research field is education management and higher education philanthropy.

Boyang Zheng

Boyang Zheng received his PhD degree at Zhejiang University in 2018, and now he is the lecturer at Shaoxing University. His current research field is organizational change and vocational behavior.

Ailin Xiao

Ailin Xiao is now in the master program at Sichuan International Studies University. Her current research field is education management.