Patience Capital in the Cultivation of Top Innovative Undergraduate Talents: A Four-Dimensional Analytical Framework

Main Article Content

Wang Bingxue
Li Xuefeng

Abstract

The cultivation of top innovative talents has become the strategic core of building a powerful country through higher education in the new era. However, the efficiency paradox between resource input and talent output has long plagued educational practice, whose deep root lies in the absence of a patience logic in the training system. As an economic concept, patience capital emphasizes long-term investment, risk tolerance, and strategic commitment, which is highly consistent with the growth law of top innovative talents. Using the conceptual research method, this study introduces patience capital into the field of education, defines the concept of patience capital in the context of top innovative talent cultivation, and constructs a four-dimensional analytical framework consisting of temporal resources, error-tolerant resources, relational resources, and cultural resources. Applying this framework to examine the current situation of top innovative talent cultivation in China, we can see dilemmas such as accelerationism squeezing the cultivation cycle, performatism dispelling the spirit of exploration, instrumentalization of teacher-student relationships, and superficial coating of growth culture. To solve these dilemmas, we can systematically reconstruct the system from four dimensions: time perspective, evaluation perspective, teacher-student perspective, and resource perspective, promoting the shift of talent cultivation from a hot money logic to a patience logic and moving toward a nurturing cultivation model. For University Administrators Substantially promote flexible schooling reform and extend the evaluation cycle to the whole undergraduate period. Establish a “valuable failure” identification mechanism to provide institutional tolerance for high-risk exploration. Invest in teacher-student relationship construction, reduce supervisors’ burdens, and create non-utilitarian dialogue space.

Article Details

How to Cite
Bingxue, W., & Xuefeng, L. (2026). Patience Capital in the Cultivation of Top Innovative Undergraduate Talents: A Four-Dimensional Analytical Framework. Journal of the Association of Researchers, 31(3), 77–98. retrieved from https://so04.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/jar/article/view/289332
Section
Research Articles

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