| Foreign faculty in Chinese research universities play a crucial role in advancing the internationalization of higher education. This study, grounded in the theories of protean career and academic culture, offers fresh insights into the adaptability challenges faced by foreign faculty in their academic career development. Through qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews with international faculty and relevant administrators at seven research universities, the study uncovers several key issues: institutional pressures that leave foreign faculty "stuck" or "lying flat", temporal anxieties of "looking forward" and "looking back", discrepancies between an officialdom-centered mindset and a survival-oriented mindset, and language-related distresses of frequent use and difficulty in learning. The underlying mechanisms include the lack of a foundational system, performance-oriented management assumptions, time-bound evaluation systems, and an academic culture oscillating between real and nominal achievements. These factors undermine academic enthusiasm, narrow career development paths, impede assimilation of thinking, and hinder academic collaboration. To foster the academic career development of foreign faculty in China's research universities, this study recommends shifting from a reactive to a proactive system construction approach, establishing a clear and stable direction for university performance evaluation reform, assisting foreign faculty in identifying a professional value orientation framework, and integrating transnational academic culture to mitigate cultural conflicts. |
