scholarly journals What sparks academic engagement with society? A comparison of incentives appealing to motives

2021 ◽  
pp. 095042222199406
Author(s):  
Eva Sormani ◽  
Thomas Baaken ◽  
Peter van der Sijde

The pressure on higher education institutions (HEIs) to realize third mission activities continues to grow, intensifying the search for incentives to motivate academics to engage with stakeholders outside their HEI. Previous studies have found limitations in intrinsically motivating academic engagement; therefore, this study investigates the extrinsic regulation of motivations via incentives. The authors identified a broad range of incentives for third mission activities, belonging to four motivation categories: pecuniary incentives, career advancement, appreciation and research support. Drawing on self-determination theory, incentives (nudges and rewards) are empirically compared in a between-subject design with a sample of 324 academics from the business and economics disciplines. The analysis showed that nudges affect business and economics academics’ intention to engage with society in a joint research project. Furthermore, these academics responded well to incentives concerned with the research support motivation category. The findings contribute to the literature by highlighting the relevance of marginal incentives—nudges—in implementing appropriate incentives in HEIs.

Author(s):  
Ellen Boeren

This chapter explores the author's experiences with blended learning, both as a tutor and as a student at a British Russell Group University. The chapter starts from the importance of encouraging an autonomy supporting learning environment, featured within self-determination theory (Ryan & Deci, 2000). In the first part of the chapter, definitions of blended learning will be briefly reviewed. Secondly, the role of the learning environment will be explained, drawing upon previous research on learning environments undertaken by Darkenwald and Valentine (1986), mentioning the importance of the learning environment within motivational theories. Thirdly, results of a critical analysis on the own teaching and learning practice will be conducted, comparing the perspective of being a tutor and being a student. Finally, recommendations for future teaching practice will be discussed, before concluding this chapter.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sayeda Zeenat Maryam ◽  
Fouzia Ali ◽  
Mehvish Rizvi ◽  
Sadia Farooq

PurposeThis paper aims to demonstrate the turnover intentions (TIs) among the academic faculty of higher education institutions (HEIs) in Pakistan through their motivation and commitment toward the concerned institution. It inspects the relationship of dimensions of motivation including an absence of motivation (AM), extrinsic motivation (ExM) and intrinsic motivation (InM) with the dimensions of commitment including affective commitment (AC), continuous commitment (CC) and normative commitment (NC) and finally the academic's TIs.Design/methodology/approachThe paper used the self-determination theory (SDT), the theory of organizational commitment (OC) and the theory of planned behavior (TPB) for its proposed model. A sample of 500 academics, working under higher education commission recognized public and private universities in Punjab Pakistan. A structural equation modeling (SEM) conducted for analysis using an algorithm, bootstrapping and blindfolding techniques.FindingsThe outcomes of the research are attention-grabbing, as no direct relationship has been observed between the dimensions of motivation and TIs except InM. The dimensions of commitments are mediating the relationship between motivation and TIs with high significance value. The results reveal a significant adverse effect on TIs through two dimensions of commitment.Research limitations/implicationsAs it is the case of a developing country like Pakistan therefore the finding cannot generalize to developed countries.Practical implicationsThe findings of this research may lead the policymakers and practitioners of HEIs and controlling body to retain their competent teachers.Social implicationsThis research can help the private sector to develop strategies about the retention of their competent teachers within the institutions that not just value the institution but also will be much beneficial for the students and society.Originality/valueThis paper is identifying how motivation is related to TIs and the role of commitment in it at HEIs. Still, no research has been conducted considering this avenue of SDT, OC and TPB


Author(s):  
Emma Wright ◽  
◽  
Rosi Smith ◽  
Melissa Vernon ◽  
Robyn Wall ◽  
...  

Co-creation of curriculum content is a growing priority across Higher Education and, while many projects stress the market benefits to institutions and students, this research instead focussed on promoting inclusion, social justice and anti-oppressive practice, with theoretical underpinnings in the social model of disability. This joint research project between staff and students at De Montfort University (DMU), Leicester, led to the co-creation of a Level 6 SEND module on the BA Education Studies programme. The co-designed research explores how the experiences of neurodivergent people, those with SEND, their families and practitioners, can inform teaching practices and module specifications at undergraduate level in Education Studies. Qualitative data, collected via questionnaires, focus groups and interviews with students, parents, practitioners and academics, revealed rich, diverse perspectives on the knowledge and understanding that future educators need, as well as the most inclusive methods for teaching and assessing that knowledge. The practice-based implications of the research included co-creation of a Level 6 SEND module which recognises value in ‘non-professional’ voices and embeds anti-oppressive practice in its design, delivery and assessment.


1992 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 69-82
Author(s):  
Ian G. Malcolm

A joint research project between Edith Cowan University and the Guangzhou Foreign Language University, China, is seeking to find out whether university students achieve greater proficiency than otherwise when instruction is given intensively or by immersion approaches. This paper situates the research in the context of research on intensive and immersion language education at University level, particularly in the U.S.A. and Canada, outlines some principles and problems associated with the research and reports on the progress of the first phase of the project.


Author(s):  
Katie Ervin

This chapter will discuss the motivation of remote adjunct faculty members by utilizing the theoretical framework of self-determination theory. This will assist institutions in understanding why these faculty members teach, and understanding their motivation will assist institutions in recruiting, hiring, developing, and retaining qualified remote adjunct faculty members. As online programs in higher education continue to grow, there is a persistent increase in the usage of remote adjunct faculty. If an organization has strong, qualified adjunct faculty members but does not take care of them, the adjunct faculty member will go elsewhere to teach. People typically make job decisions based on money, but job retention decisions typically rest on autonomy and culture. With the growth in the number of adjunct faculty members, universities may be challenged to find qualified instructors, which makes retention even more critical.


Author(s):  
Frans Kamsteeg

South Africa’s post–apartheid governments have taken far–reaching policy measures to transform the system of higher education, do away with its strongly segregated character, and develop an efficient and internationally recognised system that provides equal chances for all ethnic groups. Since 2002 higher education has become the explicit target of a government policy, geared to cultural development and intervention, including the enforcement of a series of mergers between traditionally white and black universities and former technikons (currently universities of technology). This process has caused intense debate at the level of leadership and among policy makers in these institutions, but little is known of how this ideological battle over educational development has affected daily academic practice. This paper gives a first, somewhat tentative discussion on the current effects of the changes in higher education in South Africa, and in particular at one of the institutions affected: the newly merged North-West University (NWU). The article is based on documentary research and three personal visits to the university; in the process a joint research project was initiated between the VU University of Amsterdam (VUUA) and NWU. This paper attempts to shed some early light on how efficiency and social equity goals are met within NWU’s institutional merger, beginning from a cultural perspective that focuses on the construction of ‘merger narratives’. The paper also gives a voice to critical reactions, narratives of resistance that have emerged from the university shop floor.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leigh Ann Vaughn

The need-support model bridges regulatory focus theory and self-determination theory. Research on this model has shown that support of needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness (key constructs in self-determination theory) is higher in experiences of pursuing hopes versus duties (key constructs in regulatory focus theory). The current research used LIWC 2015’s standard dictionary to examine differences between descriptions of high and low support of these needs (N = 941), descriptions of pursuing hopes and duties (N = 1,047), high need support and hopes, and low need support and duties. As expected, descriptions of high need support and hopes were more emotionally positive than low need support and duties, whereas high need support and duties showed more attention to social relationships than low need support and hopes. These and additional findings of this research support the need-support model’s proposal that regulatory focus and need support do not reduce to each other.


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