Perspective on Research and Teaching in Psychology: Enrichment or Burden?

Abstract

In Germany, most PhD psychology students are engaged in research and teach as well. As a result, they may experience both synergy and competition between these two activities. How do PhD psychology students themselves perceive the relationship between research and teaching? And how does this perception depend on their conceptions of research and teaching? The present study assessed conceptions of teaching (student vs teacher-focused, ATI-R), conceptions of research (CoRI) and the perceived relationship between research and teaching (open-ended question) as far as 63 PhD students in psychology were concerned. The perceived relationship was represented in terms of Compatibility (Commonality vs Dissimilarity) and Valence (Enrichment vs Burden). Results showed that conceptions of teaching were decisive for the research-teaching relationship. A teacher-focused conception of teaching was associated positively with the perceived Commonality of research and teaching, but negatively with perceived Enrichment. It is concluded that conceptions of teaching provide a promising approach for studying the research-teaching relationship. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Subjective Perceptions of the Teaching–Research Nexus and Occupational Stress at Universities

“…Essentially, this is also in accord with the works published by Neumann (1992), Coate et al (2001), as well as Jucks and Hillbrink (2017). Moreover, it extends the current state of research by demonstrating a clear separation between the two types of perceptions.…”

“…At this point it is important to note that, in this study, we are only considering perceptions of positive valence. The studies conducted by Jucks and Hillbrink (2017), as well as Coate et al (2001), also identified negatively perceived relationships, e.g., regarding their dissimilarity or negative effects of teaching on research. It can well be assumed that such effects are present in ordinary, commonplace university activities, for example, due to the double burden of teaching and research combined with the shortage of resources (such as time).…”

Pictures of Research and Teaching in Psychology: A Comparison of Early-Career Academics' and Students' Perspectives

“…The early-career academics treated research and teaching as being more independent of each other, which could be interpreted as a sign of more clear-cut, mutually exclusive conceptions of research and teaching that they might have acquired during their doctoral work, as they participate in both practices. The dissimilarity of research and teaching was also one type of research-teaching relationship that has been described previously by psychology doctoral students (Jucks & Hillbrink, 2017), meaning that research and teaching were experienced as unalike and distinct from each other.…”

“…This knowledge gap might result from the fact that one's development as a teacher is often addressed separately from one's development as a researcher (Åkerlind, 2011). Accordingly, studies that focus on both research and teaching as fields of (early-career) academic work are rare (see, for example, Jucks & Hillbrink, 2017 for conceptions of research and of teaching). However, professional roles do not operate in isolation, but are likely to interact in various ways (Stryker & Burke, 2000).…”

Generating Civically-Engaged Undergraduate Student Scientists in General Education Classrooms

“…Historically, teaching and research have been closely intertwined in academic settings (e.g., Brown and McCartney, 1998; Deakin, 2006; Harland, 2016; Jucks and Hillbrink, 2017). Because the pressure to be both an excellent lecturer and a renowned researcher can lead faculty to perceive teaching or research as a burden, several approaches to linking teaching and scholarship have been empirically investigated (e.g., Freestone and Wood, 2006; Dexter and Seden, 2012; Pan et al, 2014; Harland, 2016; Jucks and Hillbrink, 2017). This “teaching-research nexus” (Neumann, 1994) connection can assume many forms (Brew, 2010).…”