Merit-Based Admissions:On the Decision-Making in Doctoral Admissions in a Top University
Based on an analysis of the doctoral admissions in a top university in China,this study explores the process and the practice-based logic of the decision-making in doctoral admissions under the"application-examination"system.The research results show the following:The doctoral admissions in the top university are a contextual judgment of"excellence"under multiple institutional logics;"excellence"is not only related to applicants'qualities for their academic success,but also related to the organizational goals for doctoral admissions and the preferences and needs of organization members for certain characteristics;the doctoral admissions committee's interpretation of"who should be admitted"and"why"is often based on the practical consideration of multiple factors;the judgment of"excellence"is not purely an intellectual process,and contextual factors such as disciplinary culture,risk avoidance,the efficiency-oriented logic,interpersonal relationships,the identity,and individual preferences have a dynamic effect on the decision-making process and results;and the balance between individual power and collective governance,between diversity and consensus in evaluation criteria,and between rule-based restrictions and discretion constitutes the major tensions behind the decision-making.Despite limitations and contradictions,the admissions committee can still use a pragmatic mechanism for evaluation and decision-making to achieve a relative balance between procedural fairness,the principle of merit-based selection,collective governance and personal will,but the organizational coordination and competitions may result in uncertain and unpredictable admissions.
doctoral admissionsdecision-making in admissionsmultiple institutional logicscontextual judgmentthe coordination of powers
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