The Value Structure of Higher Education Policy——An Empirical Analysis Based on Policy Text

The purpose of this paper is to present value structure of higher education policy. The author constructs a value system of higher education policy, and discusses relation through analyzing values of 533 higher education policy texts from 1979-1998. The authors draw conclusions as follows: entity value (including economic value, power value, knowledge value, technique value and welfare value) and symbol value (including special titles, reputation, ideology, and expected goals) constitute value structure of higher education policy. The basic value contradiction of higher education policy is contradiction between economic value and knowledge value. To a large extent, symbol value not only decides scope and degree of entity value but also realizes and influences allocation and discourse expression of entity value. In policy texts, implicit value unspoken decides expression of explicit value spoken. Implicit value derives mainly from the silent compulsions of market and core authority of national political system.