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Abstract As a pivotal engine driving technological innovation in higher education, enhancing national competitiveness and fostering social progress, the significance of disciplinary development in universities is self-evident. While existing research has extensively explored the theoretical foundations of disciplinary growth, the influence of key elements such as academic teams—particularly the postdoctoral cohort—remains underexplored due to limited data availability. In response, this study leverages data on postdoctoral researchers and disciplinary development from a “Double First-Class” initiative university between 2010 and 2020. It examines the complex impact of postdoctoral training on disciplinary advancement through the dual lenses of human capital accumulation and signaling effects, focusing on both the quality and scale of such training. The main findings are as follows:
(1) The quality of postdoctoral training exerts a significant positive effect on disciplinary development. Meanwhile, the relationship between the scale of postdoctoral researchers and disciplinary progress exhibits a nuanced inverted U-shaped pattern. Specifically, within an appropriate range, an increase in postdoctoral numbers catalyzes disciplinary advancement; however, beyond a certain threshold, the marginal contribution diminishes. These findings remain robust across multiple sensitivity checks.
(2) Heterogeneity analysis reveals notable disciplinary variations in the impact of postdoctoral training. In non-humanities disciplines, improvements in the quality of postdoctoral training significantly promote disciplinary development, whereas in humanities disciplines, such effects are relatively limited.
(3) Moderating effect analysis indicates that both the size and quality of the faculty significantly enhance the positive influence of postdoctoral training on disciplinary growth.
The contributions of this study are threefold. First, it broadens the perspective on disciplinary development research. Existing studies have largely focused on macro-level factors such as policy environments, knowledge systems, or disciplinary structures, with limited attention paid to key academic groups like postdoctoral researchers. By integrating postdoctoral scholars into the analytical framework of disciplinary development, this paper elucidates their role as high-level research reserves, thereby enriching the talent-driven perspective in this field. Second, it provides empirical evidence. Drawing on data from a “Double First-Class” university, this research examines the effects of postdoctoral training quality and scale on disciplinary development, addressing a gap in the existing literature. Third, by incorporating disciplinary heterogeneity and faculty-related factors, the study reveals the differential impacts of postdoctoral training across disciplines and confirms the moderating role of faculty size and quality in the relationship between postdoctoral training and disciplinary progress. This deepens the understanding of the mechanisms and conditions under which postdoctoral training influences disciplinary advancement.
In sum, this research enriches the scholarly discourse on disciplinary development and postdoctoral training, while also offering practical insights for optimizing the postdoctoral system in universities and promoting high-quality disciplinary growth.
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Published: 02 April 2026
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