TY - JOUR
T1 - Medical Educators' Perceptions of Research Culture in a Faculty of Health Sciences
T2 - A South African Study
AU - Adefuye, Anthonio Oladele
AU - Coetzee, Lauren
AU - Janse van Vuuren, Corlia
AU - Busari, Jamiu O.
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding has been viewed as one of the main determinants of engaging in research activities, and one of the most critical factors for research success is securing funding. In this study, the majority of participants from the SAHP, SoM, and SoN indicated that they had insufficient knowledge of applying for research funding, implying that within these departments, staff members failed to conduct enough research to impact research culture positively. This concern was evident when participants’ highlighted a lack of funding as one of the organizational factors influencing their workplace research culture. The high level of competitiveness for grants among academics has made the odds of winning a grant or fellowship very slim in the current funding environment. Still, networking and collaboration play a significant role in enhancing researchers’ propensity to obtain research funding. It is possible that the limited collaborative research networks among staffs in the SoM (35%) and SAHP (54%) could be responsible for their insufficient knowledge of grant application and hinder their chances of securing research grants.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
PY - 2021/10/20
Y1 - 2021/10/20
N2 - Phenomenon: In South Africa, as with many other developing countries, a call has been made for institutions of higher learning to participate in more research and set the pace for societal transformation. At the Faculty of Health Sciences (FoHS), University of the Free State (UFS), numerous strategic efforts are focused on supporting and stimulating research. An essential prerequisite for the success of these vital efforts is to be aware of the research culture within the academic faculties. A peculiarity of medical colleges in South Africa is that medical faculties are in partnership with the government through the academic training hospitals; hence, staff appointment occurs through a joint structure with both the provincial Department of Health and the National Health Laboratory Services. So far, no known study has investigated research culture in this context (joint staff appointment). Approach: This study included elements of case study evaluation and improvement-oriented evaluation. We distributed to 242 educators a structured questionnaire to obtain perceptions of aspects of research, research processes, and existing research culture in the FoHS, UFS. Suggestions on how to improve the research culture also were obtained. The structured questionnaire was self-administered, consisted of closed and open-ended questions grouped into five main sections, and was distributed electronically and manually (hard copy) to participants. Findings: One-hundred-eleven questionnaires were returned (46% response rate). Motivation to do research varied by school and included career advancement (77%, School of Allied Health Professions); change the situation (80%, Academic support); develop individual skillset (67%, School of Nursing) and improve patient care (62%, School of Medicine). Perceived factors affecting research culture included limited funding and allocated time for research, minimal leadership support for research, and absence of research-related support structures as well as minimal teamwork/collaboration. Frustration was the most reported (negative) emotion (25%). Participants suggested that encouraging teamwork among staff, reducing workload to allow time for research, establishing a mentorship program, providing training on deficient skills, and more support from leadership would improve research culture. Insights: This present study reveals some of the factors that impact negatively on research, research culture, and productivity in a medical college in a resource-limited setting. While the benefits of joint staff appointment cannot be overemphasized, our findings highlight that the complex interplay between employers/stakeholders result in poorly executed joint appointment scheme/models (i.e., competitive approach) and creates numerous challenges that negatively impact research productivity and research culture. Recommendations suggested herein can be implemented by the FoHS and other medical colleges in similar contexts to improve research productivity and foster an enabling research culture.
AB - Phenomenon: In South Africa, as with many other developing countries, a call has been made for institutions of higher learning to participate in more research and set the pace for societal transformation. At the Faculty of Health Sciences (FoHS), University of the Free State (UFS), numerous strategic efforts are focused on supporting and stimulating research. An essential prerequisite for the success of these vital efforts is to be aware of the research culture within the academic faculties. A peculiarity of medical colleges in South Africa is that medical faculties are in partnership with the government through the academic training hospitals; hence, staff appointment occurs through a joint structure with both the provincial Department of Health and the National Health Laboratory Services. So far, no known study has investigated research culture in this context (joint staff appointment). Approach: This study included elements of case study evaluation and improvement-oriented evaluation. We distributed to 242 educators a structured questionnaire to obtain perceptions of aspects of research, research processes, and existing research culture in the FoHS, UFS. Suggestions on how to improve the research culture also were obtained. The structured questionnaire was self-administered, consisted of closed and open-ended questions grouped into five main sections, and was distributed electronically and manually (hard copy) to participants. Findings: One-hundred-eleven questionnaires were returned (46% response rate). Motivation to do research varied by school and included career advancement (77%, School of Allied Health Professions); change the situation (80%, Academic support); develop individual skillset (67%, School of Nursing) and improve patient care (62%, School of Medicine). Perceived factors affecting research culture included limited funding and allocated time for research, minimal leadership support for research, and absence of research-related support structures as well as minimal teamwork/collaboration. Frustration was the most reported (negative) emotion (25%). Participants suggested that encouraging teamwork among staff, reducing workload to allow time for research, establishing a mentorship program, providing training on deficient skills, and more support from leadership would improve research culture. Insights: This present study reveals some of the factors that impact negatively on research, research culture, and productivity in a medical college in a resource-limited setting. While the benefits of joint staff appointment cannot be overemphasized, our findings highlight that the complex interplay between employers/stakeholders result in poorly executed joint appointment scheme/models (i.e., competitive approach) and creates numerous challenges that negatively impact research productivity and research culture. Recommendations suggested herein can be implemented by the FoHS and other medical colleges in similar contexts to improve research productivity and foster an enabling research culture.
KW - Research culture
KW - research
KW - faculty of health sciences
KW - University of the Free State
KW - UNIVERSITY-RESEARCH
KW - DEPARTMENTS
KW - POLICY
U2 - 10.1080/10401334.2020.1847653
DO - 10.1080/10401334.2020.1847653
M3 - Article
C2 - 33272044
SN - 1040-1334
VL - 33
SP - 509
EP - 524
JO - Teaching and Learning in Medicine
JF - Teaching and Learning in Medicine
IS - 5
ER -