Comparative Analysis of Educational Goals in Higher Education in Kazakhstan and China from the Perspective of Culture and Values
Download PDF
$currentUrl="http://$_SERVER[HTTP_HOST]$_SERVER[REQUEST_URI]"

Keywords

Comparative education
Higher education reform
Educational philosophy
Student development
Cultural identity
Post-Soviet transition
Confucianism

DOI

10.26689/jcer.v9i6.10906

Submitted : 2025-05-31
Accepted : 2025-06-15
Published : 2025-06-30

Abstract

This study explores the cultural and value foundations of the educational goals of higher education in Kazakhstan and China. Based on the historical development and cultural traditions of the two countries, this study compares the similarities and differences of the educational goals of the two countries through qualitative literature content analysis. Both countries have taken “modernization and internationalization” as one of the core development directions of higher education development, but China’s educational philosophy is rooted in Confucianism and socialist core values, emphasizing country and collectivism; while Kazakhstan, based on neoliberal orientation, draws on the European education framework, gradually integrates multicultural concepts, emphasizes national identity and attaches importance to students’ individual development. This study uses Hofstede’s cultural dimensions and postcolonial education theory to explore how different nation-building narratives affect the educational goals of higher education. By comparing value systems, institutional logics, and student training models, it helps to understand how the educational systems of the “Global South” countries seek a balance between international standards and local cultural identity. It provides inspiration for the development of education based on culture and mutual reference under the global education trend, and provides a comparative education perspective for reform localization.

References

Tikly L, 2004, Education and the New Imperialism. Comparative Education, 40(2): 173–198.

Silova I, 2010, Post-Socialism Is Not Dead:(Re) Reading the Global in Comparative Education, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, England.

Tokbolat S, 2023, Higher Education Expansion in Kazakhstan and Regime Stability. Power and Education, 15(2): 227–242.

Hofstede G, 2001, Culture’s Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions and Organizations Across Nations, International Educational and Professional, Sage, US.

Yakavets N, Dzhadrina M, 2014, Educational Reform in Kazakhstan: Entering the World Arena. Educational Reform and Internationalisation: The Case of School Reform in Kazakhstan, 28: 52.

Bektemirova A, 2024, The role of Kazakhstani HEIs and International Academic Publishing in Kazakhstan’s Post-Soviet Nation-Building, dissertation, University of Cambridge.

Zhu X, Li J, 2018, Conceptualizing the Ontology of Higher Education with Chinese Characteristics. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 50(12): 1144–1156.

Gafu G, 2025, Policy, Practice and Skill Development: A Study of Kazakhstan’s Higher Education Landscape. Education+ Training, OnlineFirst.

Zelvys R, Kusainov A, Yessenova K, et al., 2021, Educational Development in a Period of Transition: the Case of Kazakhstan. Central Asian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 7(3): 3–9.

Jilkishieva M, Ebzeeva Y, Janbubekova M, et al., 2019, Reforming the System of Higher Education in the Post-Soviet State: Features and Problems, International Conference on Man-Power-Law-Governance: Interdisciplinary Approaches (MPLG-IA 2019), Atlantis Press, 314–320.

Yixuan G, 2020, From “International Localization” to “Local Internationalization”—Practical Reflections on University Art Education. International Journal of New Developments in Education, 2(1): 39–44.