A Survey of the Tutorial System for Young Teachers at Independent Colleges in China: A Case Study of Jiangsu University Jingjiang College

Abstract

The quality of higher education is decided by the quality of college teachers, among whom young teachers undertake a vital role for its sustainable development. Taken this into consideration, this paper aims to reveal the current situations of the tutorial system for young teachers at independent colleges in China through SPSS analyses to verify the necessity and efficacy of applying such a tutorial system, resolve the problem of “insufficient experience in teaching though having a fair understanding of theories” among young teachers, and promote the healthy development of young teachers at tertiary-level education. Results indicate that the tutorial system encounters three difficulties: (1) the young teachers do not recognize the value of and lack of initiatives for participating the tutorial system, (2) their tutors do not function effectively mainly due to the short of collaborations among tutors, and (3) the system itself lacks of professional evaluations. As counter-measures, the paper proposes that the college administration should (1) foster a culture for teacher professional development and expand the influence of the tutorial system for young teachers, (2) provide concrete supportive measures and monitor the whole process of implementing the tutorial system; (3) perfect the evaluation of the tutorial system and highlight formative evaluations from the tutors; (4) offer more thorough plans to direct the development of the tutorial system; and (5) perfect the make-up of the tutors and utilize modern information technologies for the tutorial system.