Reconciling Teaching and Research Tensions: A Sustainability Framework for Expert Teacher Development in Research Intensive Universities

Yue Huang, Lin Jiang () and Ruirui Zhai
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Yue Huang: School of Humanities, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Beijing 100876, China
Lin Jiang: Center for Teaching and Learning Development, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
Ruirui Zhai: Network Education College, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Beijing 100876, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 15, 1-26

Abstract: The sustainable development of teaching expertise in research-intensive universities remains a critical global challenge. This study investigates the distinctive characteristics of expert teachers—exemplary faculty in research universities—addressing their developmental trajectories and motivational mechanisms within prevailing incentive systems that prioritize research productivity over pedagogical excellence. Employing grounded theory methodology, we conducted iterative coding of 20,000-word interview transcripts from 13 teaching-awarded professors at Chinese “Double First-Class” universities. Key findings reveal the following: (1) Compared to the original K-12 expert teacher model, university-level teaching experts exhibit distinctive disciplinary mastery—characterized by systematic knowledge structuring and cross-disciplinary integration capabilities. (2) Their developmental trajectory transcends linear expertise acquisition, instead manifesting as a problem-solving continuum across four nonlinear phases: career initiation, dilemma adaptation, theoretical consciousness, and leadership expansion. (3) Sustainable teaching excellence relies fundamentally on teachers’ professional passion, sustained through a virtuous cycle of high-quality instructional engagement and external validation (including positive student feedback, institutional recognition, and peer collaboration). Universities must establish comprehensive support systems—including (a) fostering a supportive and flexible learning atmosphere, (b) reforming evaluation mechanisms, and (c) facilitating interdisciplinary collaboration through teaching development communities—to institutionalize this developmental ecosystem.

Keywords: teacher sustainable development; expert teacher; teacher portrait; incentive mechanism; research-intensive university; teaching-research nexus; higher education sustainability; grounded theory (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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