The uptake of doctoral thesis research in Ghana
| dc.contributor.advisor | Mouton, Johann | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.author | Andoh, Harris Francis | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.other | Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology. | en_ZA |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2017-02-20T12:01:06Z | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2017-03-29T11:31:46Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2017-02-20T12:01:06Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2017-03-29T11:31:46Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2017-03 | |
| dc.description | Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2017. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | ENGLISH SUMMARY: Doctoral studies are a big resource to contribute to knowledge which by extension assists in creating new product development, new professional practice and the development of new technologies. Across selected countries in Africa, the number of PhD holders has increased immensely over the last decade with no sign of it decreasing yet not much of the findings from these researches have been implemented. This study is concerned with the uptake of doctoral research findings in the Environmental and Natural Resource sciences at universities in Ghana. The overarching aim of the study was to determine the uptake of PhD research conducted in Ghana amongst PhD holders in Ghana in the field of ENRS, during and after PhD studies. This is a descriptive study which integrated different methods including content analysis of completed theses, a CV-analysis of the authors, bibliometric studies of publications that ensued from the doctoral theses and finally in-depth interviews with the authors of the theses. Twenty PhD authors were interviewed for the study. The results of the study found that most students who undertook doctoral studies had two main motives why they undertook PhD studies: improving their horizon and employment motives. Their motivation was not to add new knowledge. Interviewees who believed they had produced new knowledge from their studies pushed for the uptake of their findings and recommendations. Interviewees published a reasonable number of journal articles but fewer book chapters and policy briefs. The study found that some interviewees were motivated to publish by their supervisors, others because by the practices and requirement of their university they were required to publish. Interviewees who are in academe and research jobs published because they believed it was a requirement for their evaluation for promotion in their career. However, whilst it is good for supervisors and universities to encourage their PhD students and staff respectively to publish not all these publications were good. We discovered that a significant proportion of the journal articles actually appeared in predatory journals. The results of the interviews did find that research uptake can effectively be optimized through co-operation and collaboration with stakeholders. The major factor that warranted the above was by interviewee working in the same field as he or she did during the PhD and continuous collaboration with institutions that he or she collaborated with during PhD and afterwards. The results discussed in this chapter show amongst others that there is no systematic attempt on the part of researchers to monitor the uptake and citation impact of their research findings. The study concludes that there is little awareness and appreciation of the need for uptake of research findings to policy and practice. There also seems to be the view that researchers must produce new knowledge but not necessarily be the ones that should attempt to optimize the uptake of their findings beyond the expectation of proper communication of results through presentations and publications. The study recommends that Universities should not pay lip service to the importance doctoral education play in their research system. Doctoral education should be well defined including creating appropriate platform and well defined mechanisms for the communicating and possible uptake of their findings. Systems should be put in place in universities and research institutions to engage stakeholders constantly on research findings. Research accountability should be a concern for all universities to ensure possible uptake of research findings and recommendations. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | AFRIKAANS OPSOMMING: Doktorale studies is ‘n beduidende hulpbron in die produksie van kennis en by implikasie in die skep van nuwe produkte, nuwe professionele praktyke en nuwe tegnologieë. Verskeie lande in Afrika het oor die afgelope dekade ‘n buitegewone toename in die getal doktorale kandidate en tesisse beleef. Hierdie studie fokus op die mate waartoe doktorale resultate benut word en wel op die terrein van navorsing oor omgewingsake en natuurlike hulpbronne in Ghana. Die oorkoepelende doel van die studie was om te bepaal wat die aard en omvang van die benutting van doktorale studies was vir ‘n steekproef van doktorale studente wat hul tesisse in hierdie twee terreine sedert 2000 voltooi het. Die studie was grotendeels beskrywend maar het verskeie metodes geĭntegreer, naamlik ‘n inhoudsontleding van tesisse, ‘n CV-ontleding van die outeurs, bibliometriese analises van die navorsingsuitsette van die kandidate en ten slotte, in-diepte onderhoude met twintig van die kandidate. Die studie het ondermeer bevind dat doktorale kandidate hul studies onderneem het met twee motiverings: eerstens, om hul verwysingsraamwerke te verbreed; en tweedens, om hul werksituasie te verbeter. Weinig van hulle het aangedui dat die produksie van nuwe kennis ‘n groot oorweging was om doktorale studies te doen. Die kandidate wat in die studie ingesluit is, het ‘n redelike getal tydskrifartikels, boekhoofstukke en beleidsdokumente geproduseer. Sommige respondente het in die onderhoude aangedui dat hul deur hul studieleiers aangemoedig is om te publiseer; andere het dit gedoen omdat dit ‘n vereiste van hul universiteit of werkplek is. Oor die algemeen het oorwegings rondom loopbaanbevordering en prestasie-evaluasie ook ‘n rol gespeel. Ongelukkig het dit geblyk dat nie al die publikasiies wat geproduseer is in “outentieke” wetenskaplike joernale verskyn het nie. ‘n Beduidende proporsie (21%) van al die artikels wat geproduseer is, het in “roofjoernale” (predatory journals) verskyn. Hierdie joernale is nie legitieme joernale nie, maar bestaan bloot om geld te maak uit akademici en graduandi. Die studie het ook bevind dat navorsingsbenutting verbeter wanneer daar samewerking met verskeie belanghebbendes in die navorsingsproses is. Onder meer het geblyk dat kandidate wat na die voltooiing van die PhD in dieselfde veld werk as die onderwerp van hul studies, oor beter netwerke en samewerkings beskik. Hierdie feit het vervolgens gelei tot meer geleenthede tot benutting van die PhD resultate. Maar die studie het ook bevind dat die meeste van die kandidate geen sistematiese pogings aangewend het om die bevinding en aanbevelings van hul studies doelbewus te benut of benut te kry nie. Hierdie bevinding korreleer ook met ‘n ander bevinding van die studie: weinig van die doktorale graduandi moniteer of hul PhD of enige publikasies wat uit die PhD gevloei het, deur ander akademici of wetenskaplikes aangehaal word. Om die waarheid te sê het dit geblyk dat die meeste van die kandidate nie eers bewus is hoe om sitasie-platforms te gebruik nie. Opsommenderwys kan gestel word dat die studie bevind het dat daar weinig bewustheid en waardering is van die nodigheid om navorsingsbevindings te benut vir beleid of die praktyk. Inteendeel, die meeste van die kandidate huldig die siening dat hul verantwoordelikheid hoogstens is om die bevindinge te kommunikeer en dat die benutting en moontlik impak daarvan oorgelaat moet word aan ander akteurs. | af_ZA |
| dc.format.extent | xx, 143 pages ; illustrations | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/100793 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_ZA | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.rights.holder | Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Research uptake -- Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | UCTD | |
| dc.subject | Doctoral students -- Ghana | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Education, Higher -- Research -- Ghana | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Doctoral research -- Impact -- Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | New knowledge -- Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.title | The uptake of doctoral thesis research in Ghana | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_ZA |