Rate My Professor Hongzhi Zhang

Dr. Hongzhi Zhang is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Education Culture and Society, Faculty of Education at Monash University. He earned his PhD in Education from Monash University. His scholarship lies at the intersection of cultural studies, curriculum studies, and education policy, emphasizing cultural perspectives in education rooted in Asian philosophies and traditions. Zhang challenges Western epistemologies by advocating for 'Asia as Method,' an approach utilizing Asian intellectual resources to rethink educational theory, research, and practice. His co-edited book Asia as Method in Education Studies: A Defiant Research Imagination (Routledge, 2015) serves as a landmark contribution fostering discussions on cultural pluralism and epistemic justice in global education studies. Additionally, his book Equity Issues in Chinese Higher Education Policy: A Case Study of the Enrolment Expansion Policy (Routledge, 2023) analyzes how China's higher education expansion influences access, inequality, market-oriented reforms, meritocracy, and inclusion. Zhang's research interests encompass sociology, history, and philosophy of education; education policy; higher education; international education; curriculum and pedagogy; Asia study; educational equity; and comparative education.

Dr. Zhang leads the Asian Cultural Community-Engaged Pedagogy for Teaching (ACCEPT) project, collaborating with local councils, museums, cultural organizations, and schools to develop community-engaged pedagogical resources for the Australian Curriculum's Cross-Curriculum Priority of Asia and Australia's Engagement with Asia. Since 2017, he has led professional development programs for school leaders and teacher educators from China's Zhejiang Provincial Department of Education, hosted by Monash University's Faculty of Education. He serves as Editor-in-Chief of the International Education Journal: Comparative Perspectives (2023-2025) and is a member of the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (2023). Zhang has received the Dean's Award for Teaching and Learning (2023, shared), Dean's ECR Project Award (2017), and Monash Warwick Alliance Activation Award (2023, shared). Notable publications include 'Asia as method: understanding teachers’ emotion and well-being in China' (2025), 'Conceptualizing student wellbeing in secondary education: a qualitative systematic literature review' (2025), and 'Comparative analysis of planning with community resources across learning areas in the Australian Curriculum: impacts, strategies, and challenges' (2024). He accepts PhD students and contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to quality education and reduced inequalities.