Higher Education Development in East Asian Countries Focusing on Cultural Tradition and Economic Systems

Abstract

Higher education (HE) developed rapidly in East Asian countries in the 1990s and 2000s. In particular, enrollment growth in the countries with a Confucian tradition has drawn international comparisons. Scholars also began to consider HE development in the region from within a theoretical framework, even while differing in their academic research approach to HE development in East Asian countries. Philip Altbach (1989), for exam-ple, has focused on the historical roots of Asian HE in a well-cited special issue of the international journal, Higher Education, noting how East Asian HE has integrated Western ideas in its overall development.