Academic staff's perception of valuing and rewarding good teaching: a comparative study

Past researches indicate that good teaching in universities tends to be undervalued, particularly in comparison with research (Ramsden et al., 1995). These studies reveal that academics do not believe their universities really value and encourage good teaching. However, such investigations have largely been undertaken in major western countries, vis-à-vis the dearth in Asia. To fill this gap, a survey was undertaken at Wenzhou University to explore academic staff’s perception towards valuing and rewarding good teaching. The survey questionnaire in the study was adapted from a research commissioned by the Australian Committee for the Advancement of University Teaching. This adaptation allows comparisons to be made between the Chinese and Australian findings. The present study compares and contrasts survey results across the two countries and explores differences in perceptions between the two study groups.