Knowledge Production and Knowledge Transmission. The interaction between research and teaching at universities

Abstract

Even though the interaction between teaching and research at universities is a well-studied topic, it is difficult on the basis of available studies to draw any definite conclusions concerning the character of this relationship. This study, which is based on survey data, as well as interviews, shows that university faculty believe that their research influences their teaching and that their teaching activities have a positive effect on their teaching. They find, however, that research is more important for teaching than vice versa. The characteristics of the interaction vary between teaching on various levels and between disciplines. In general, the interaction is stronger at a graduate than at an undergraduate level. At an undergraduate level the relationship is stronger in the humanities and the social sciences than in other fields of learning, while there are no such differences at a graduate level. The findings are discussed on the basis of differences between disciplines and types of teaching.

The balance between teaching and research in Dutch and English universities in the context of university governance reforms

“…Research indicates that academics have a common belief that teaching and research are positively correlated (e.g., Smeby 1998). Smeby (1998) adds that academics also believe that research is more important for teaching than the other way round. According to Geiger (1985, pp.…”

Diferencias y evolución del impacto académico en los perfiles de Google Scholar Citations: Una aplicación de árboles de decisión

“…Como en el caso de los puestos acadé-micos, es posible que estas diferencias temáticas sean debidas a fenómenos de crecimiento donde los investigadores con una pequeña actividad incrementen más rápido su impacto científico que los autores con una gran producción. En cierto modo, se podría afirmar que los Profesores Asistentes de Ciencias de la Vida y Ciencias de la Salud consiguen la madurez científica más temprano que sus colegas de Arte y Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales; y la rápida ralentización en la actividad de los investigadores de Ciencias de la Vida y Ciencias de la Salud puede ser entendido como un signo de estabilidad, mientras que los Profesores Asistentes de Arte y Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales están aún desarrollando sus carreras (Smeby, 1998). En este sentido se podría sugerir que el esfuerzo en consolidar una carrera in Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades podría ser mayor que en el resto de áreas de investigación.…”

Relating academics' ways of integrating research and teaching to their students' perceptions

“…skills, including modules in which only research methods are taught (Durning and Jenkins 2005). Several authors mention the student level as a serious influence on the potential relationships; at graduate level the ties are usually closer than at undergraduate level (Durning and Jenkins 2005;Neumann 1992;Smeby 1998;Zamorski 2002). However, on the basis of observations, Colbeck (1998) found that the purpose of teaching -i.e.…”

“…Additionally, the discipline is important. In undergraduate education in the social sciences and humanities the link is easier to realise, as the degree of specialisation and the rate of knowledge development are lower than in the natural sciences (Smeby 1998). A last factor that academics consider relevant is class size (Shore, Pinker, and Bates 1990).…”