scholarly journals ACADEMIC RETENTION, RESEARCH CAPACITY, AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 79-91
Author(s):  
Saheed Rufai ◽  
Hafsah Olatunji ◽  
Bello Musa
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Capacity Development ◽  
Research Capacity ◽  
Historical Method ◽  
Retention System ◽  
Antecedent Variable ◽  
Development Orientation ◽  
Academic Retention ◽  
Research Capacity Development

There is a shift of interest towards the current pace of development in Africa especially with regard to science and technology. The rate at which advancements are being recorded in this and other sectors has not been encouraging, as evident from official records. Scholars and researchers in various disciplines have correlated development to education and identified close associations between the level of performance of any citizenry or manpower, and the quality of its education. Accordingly, the quality of life and experience on the African continent has, to an appreciable extent, been characterised as the output variable and the quality of education including that of the teachers, as the input variable. The antecedent variable, too, which in this context is the totality of experience that informs educational directions in Africa, is arguably a product of the input variable.  Consequently, the tertiary educational level especially the university system, unlike both the primary and the secondary, may be more strongly associated with the quality of performance. This may be explained through the dominant thinking that the tertiary system is primarily concerned with the production of manpower for various sectors. While there is evidence of research into this question, there is insufficient evidence of research into the interplay of the academic retention system and research capacity development orientation in African universities. This paper is an attempt to investigate that hitherto underrepresented dimension. The study employs a combination of the historical method and analytic philosophy. Its significance lies in its potential to expose, with evidence, the association between the dominant academic retention system and research capacity development orientation in African universities, as well as the implication of such an association for sustainable development in Africa. The study ultimately offers an ameliorative proposal for revitalizing an outcome-oriented research capacity development system in African universities.

Building research capacity and capabilities in Fiji: are we there yet?

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 265-271
Author(s):  
Jyotishna Mudaliar ◽  
Bridget Kool ◽  
Janice Natasha ◽  
Judith McCool
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Research Capacity ◽  
Research Knowledge ◽  
Research Skills ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Access And Quality ◽  
The University ◽  
Local Investigator ◽  
Research Capacity Development

Introduction: A barrier to local investigator-led research in low income settings, is the limited availability of personnel with appropriate research skills or qualifications to conduct the type of research required for evidence-informed policy making to improve access and quality of health care. In response to this, Fiji National University’s College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences in Fiji, collaborated with academics based at the University of Auckland, New Zealand to deliver a series of research capacity development workshops in Fiji. Methods: Participants who attended any of the nine workshops (n=123) were contacted via email to take part in a brief survey regarding their perceptions of the effectiveness of the research capacity building workshops. Of the possible 123 participants, 80% (n=76) completed the questionnaire.  Results: Findings demonstrate that the majority of participants reported that they had gained research skills from the workshops (75%) including proposal development skills (68%) and knowledge of appropriate research methods (59%). Furthermore, 70% agreed that the workshops built their research confidence.  Since attending a workshop, 18% of respondents had successfully applied and received funding for research grants and/or fellowships.  Barriers to conduct research included workload (75%), lack of research knowledge, experience or skills (51%), and lack of institutional support (41%). Suggestions for future workshops included: more focus on data analysis, regular courses rather than ‘one offs’, and preparation of research findings (e.g. publications). Conclusion: Our findings indicate that research workshops of this nature may increase individual research capabilities but sustained, locally led initiatives, backed by institutional and supplementary technical support are essential.

Research capacity development and training

2008 ◽  
Vol 13 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 6-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tina Ramkalawan ◽  
Paul Dieppe
Keyword(s):  
Research Training ◽  
Capacity Development ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Research Capacity ◽  
Generic Skills ◽  
Real Value ◽  
Training Programmes ◽  
The Uk ◽  
And Training ◽  
Research Capacity Development

The HSRC was awarded a large core grant specifically for research capacity development and training, with the aim of facilitating future high quality HSR in the UK. This was used to pursue three main areas of activity. First, the provision of small grants to facilitate the development of new work, help create new, multidisciplinary groupings and support junior researchers. Of the various schemes discussed, the research initiation grants (max £6000) and workshop awards (max £3000) appear to have been particularly valuable. Second, appoint cohorts of PhD students to pursue four-year training programmes (rather than the traditional three years), during which they received individualized research training and development opportunities with an emphasis on both multidisciplinary HSR training and generic skills training, as well as pursuing their own research projects. Third, improving research training opportunities by developing networks for research staff at various stages in their careers and organizing workshops and courses in specialist HSR subjects, and for generic skills training. The premature closure of the HSRC prevented us from fully evaluating these initiatives and, arguably, their real value will not be apparent for some years. However, we believe that the programme was successful and that it went some way to helping us break out from the traditional, entrenched approaches to research training, and to helping us think of research capacity development as being as important as doing the research itself. But much more remains to be done.

scholarly journals ‘Capacity for what? Capacity for whom?’ A decolonial deconstruction of research capacity development practices in the Global South and a proposal for a value-centred approach

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 129
Author(s):  
Maru Mormina ◽  
Romina Istratii
Keyword(s):  
Science And Technology Studies ◽  
Capacity Development ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Research Capacity ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Material Resources ◽  
A Value ◽  
Cognitive Justice ◽  
Colonial Legacies ◽  
Research Capacity Development

Whilst North to South knowledge transfer patterns have been extensively problematised by Southern and decolonial perspectives, there is very little reflection on the practice of research capacity development (RCD), still strongly focused on technoscientific solutionism, yet largely uncritical of its underlying normative directions and power asymmetries. Without making transparent these normative and epistemological dimensions, RCD practices will continue to perpetuate approaches that are likely to be narrow, technocratic and unreflexive of colonial legacies, thus failing to achieve the aims of RCD, namely, the equitable and development-oriented production of knowledge in low- and middle-income societies. Informed by the authors’ direct experience of RCD approaches and combining insights from decolonial works and other perspectives from the margins with Science and Technology Studies, the paper undertakes a normative and epistemological deconstruction of RCD mainstream practice. Highlighting asymmetries of power and material resources in knowledge production, the paper’s decolonial lens seeks to aid the planning, implementation and evaluation of RCD interventions. Principles of cognitive justice and epistemic pluralism, accessibility enabled by systems thinking and sustainability grounded on localisation are suggested as the building blocks for more reflexive and equitable policies that promote research capacity for the purpose of creating social value and not solely for the sake of perpetuating technoscience.

scholarly journals A Systems Orientation to Research Capacity Development: A South African Perspective

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gisela Hildegard Van Rensburg ◽  
Sue J Armstrong ◽  
Nelouise Geyer
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Capacity Development ◽  
Research Capacity ◽  
Integrated Framework ◽  
Development Data ◽  
African Perspective ◽  
Point Of Departure ◽  
Research Capacity Development

Research capacity development is essential for quality and cost-effective healthcare, and well-prepared healthcare professionals. This case study used an exploratory design to gain insight into the contributions that a novice researcher programme makes towards research capacity development. Data were collected from reports to the board of a professional organisation acting as custodian of the project and three reflection workshops. The case was deductively analysed using the literature on research capacity development as the point of departure. The Cooke integrated framework for research capacity building in healthcare was used to evaluate the development that took place. The findings of the analysis are described and discussed according to the eight dimensions of the Cooke integrated framework indicating that this novice programme fulfilled all the dimensions of the framework. 

Lessons for research, capacity development and policy in agroforestry for development

2017 ◽  
Vol 91 (5) ◽  
pp. 795-798
Author(s):  
D. Callo-Concha ◽  
M. Denich ◽  
M. M. Ul Hassan ◽  
F. Place ◽  
D. A. Wardell
Keyword(s):  
Capacity Development ◽  
Research Capacity ◽  
Research Capacity Development
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document