22. Research in Higher Education
Paper
Discourses on Social Sciences and Humanities in Higher Education. Findings from a science mapping and from a discourse analysis perspective
Antonia Schokmann1, Sabine Wollscheid2, Henrik Karlstrøm2, Cecilie Hviid1, Ditte Graversgaard Hansen1, Maria Simonsen1
1Aalborg University, Denmark; 2NIFU Nordic Institute for Studies of Innovation, Research and Education, Oslo, Norway
Presenting Author: Schokmann, Antonia
Writing about the relevance, position and contribution of research and teaching in the humanities and, to a growing degree, the social sciences also, seems to reach back at least 200 years, if not into the Middle Ages (e.g., Gengnagel & Hamann, 2014). However, also in younger times, academic publications have not shied away to problematize this topic, and disciplines and faculties on the social sciences and humanities (SSH) spectrum are consistently being argued to face an uncertain future and are experiencing increasing pressure to justify their relevance and contribution towards universities and society (e.g., Barnett & Nixon, 2012; Biesta, 2015; Nussbaum, 2016).
The wealth of publications about SSH seems to be growing, and the corpus of writings can only be described as diverse. Authors have both underpinned and challenged notions of whether SSH is in crisis in terms of students and graduates (e.g., Roberts, 2021); others have added nuance through differentiating sites and arenas of the debate (e.g., Meranze, 2015). Also, notable efforts have been made to propose and implement evaluation and performance measurement systems that cater to the specific attributes of SSH knowledge production and dissemination (e.g., Johansson et al., 2020). However, what has not been noted in detail so far is that these writings, produced by the scholarly community, themselves can be seen as interpretations of the situation of SSH, thus contributing to and shaping the discourse around SSH’s future. Moreover, they must be understood as a reaction to political decisions, economic rationalities, and societal expectations, thus shifting and evolving over time.
It must be acknowledged that discourses on SSH have unfolded in different parts of the world over the last fifty years. Notably, a strong North American tradition can be traced, with publications specifically diving into the role and relevance of the US college systems and the integration of liberal arts (e.g., Franke, 2009; Harpham, 2005). The heavy debates in some of the American publications around declining student numbers in SSH programs can furthermore be interpreted as an effect of a heavily monetized private university sector (e.g., Meranze, 2015). In contrast, the European perspective seems to be influenced more by the interplay between universities and the welfare state as their primary source of economic revenue, and the European Union as the supranational funding source to the higher education sector. Concomitantly, other topics have come to the fore, such as the measurement of impact and relevance of SSH for society (e.g., Sivertsen, 2016) or the contribution SSH can make to the progress of innovation in Europe (e.g., Felt, 2014). For analytical clarity, we are focusing our analyses on academic writings originating in and/or elaborating about SSH in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA).
Against this backdrop, the current paper reports on two studies aimed providing insights into the state, development, and topicality of the academic discourse on the role, relevance and organization of social sciences and humanities over the last 50 years, as expressed in academic writings.
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedMethodologically, study 1 combined the use of a scoping review technique (Grant & Booth, 2009) with the more novel approaches science mapping (Kunisch et al., 2023) and bibliographic analysis (Donthu et al., 2021), hence a methodology relatively novel to educational research, by scrutinizing a relatively broad and internationally visible corpus of materials. Materials were retrieved through search in the two complementary databases Web of Science Core (WoS) Collection (1975-present) and the Scopus citation index, released by the world’s largest scholarly publisher, Elsevier. Analysis procedures applied to this material were first a screening of the material, narrowing down an initial n=5243 records to n=145 papers included in the review. Second, the science mapping procedures of bibliographic coupling, co-occurrence analysis and co-word analysis were applied, as well as an automatic content analysis in the program Leximancer (Crofts & Bisman, 2010). The analysis was focused specifically on gaining insights on indicators on the communities forming through publication and citation practices as well as disciplinary affiliation, on topical positionings and on shifts in these attributes over time, as well as on emergent discursive fields within the SSH literature.
For study 2, n= 35 highly cited papers from the above corpus are now being analyzed in several iterations of close reading following Gee (2014), focusing on both linguistic properties as well as their situated meaning, sociality, intertextuality and contexts. For each paper included into this analysis, the aim is to describe the narrative that is established around what SSH is and what the field can and does contribute, as well to extract permeating and/or distinguishing discourses between the papers.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsResults of study 1 present discourses on SSH to be fragmented in various aspects: Publication intensity seems to fluctuate over time and research presents as only weakly concentrated in selected outlets. Also, authors engage with a broad variety of angles towards SSH, and we could find only weak interdisciplinary links between the fields of study engaging with the topic. However, as patterns salient throughout the analysis we can see a growing number of publications within the output, impact, and measurement discourse in higher education especially in the UK, a decline of the discourse about universities per see vs. an incline in discourses about funding, evaluation, and students. Finally, the results from study 1 show the emergence of a stand-alone discourse around the label “SSH”.
Preliminary findings from study 2 point towards a predominantly positive positioning towards SSH of the papers under analysis. Within the discourses emergent, the most outstanding is a crisis-discourse which either sees SSH as in crises or contributing to solving the global, economical, or ecological crises in and of society. Furthermore, authors are either proactively arguing for SSH's justification (and future) in itself, or they are adaptively arguing for SSH's justification (and future) by virtue of integration with other scientific fields. Here, a discourse of integration emerges, where interdisciplinarity is being promoted as a response to complex, global problems. Finally, a discourses of value creation becomes obvious from the material, which fundamentally revolves around the question of measurement and valorisation of SSH's research and contributions.
The results of both studies will be elaborated on in the presentation regarding their supplementing insights.
ReferencesBarnett, R., & Nixon, J. (Eds.). (2012). Universities and the common good. In The Future University. Ideas and Possibilities (pp. 141–151). Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
Biesta, G. (2015). Teaching, Teacher Education, and the Humanities: Reconsidering Education as a ‘Geisteswissenschaft’: Teaching, Teacher Education, and the Humanities. Educational Theory, 65(6), 665–679. https://doi.org/10.1111/edth.12141
Crofts, K., & Bisman, J. (2010). Interrogating accountability: An illustration of the use of Leximancer software for qualitative data analysis. Qualitative Research in Accounting & Management, 7(2), 180–207. https://doi.org/10.1108/11766091011050859
Donthu, N., Kumar, S., Mukherjee, D., Pandey, N., & Lim, W. M. (2021). How to conduct a bibliometric analysis: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 133, 285–296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.04.070
Felt, U. (2014). Within, Across and Beyond: Reconsidering the Role of Social Sciences and Humanities in Europe. Science as Culture, 23(3), 384–396. https://doi.org/10.1080/09505431.2014.926146
Franke, R. J. (2009). The power of the humanities & a challenge to humanists. Daedalus, 138(1), 13–23. https://doi.org/10.1162/daed.2009.138.1.13
Gee, J. P. (2014). An introduction to discourse analysis: Theory and method (4. ed). Routledge.
Gengnagel, V., & Hamann, J. (2014). The making and persisting of modern German humanities. Balancing acts between autonomy and social relevance. In R. Bod, T. Weststeijn, & J. Maat (Eds.), The Making of the Humanities (pp. 641–654). Amsterdam University Press.
Grant, M. J., & Booth, A. (2009). A typology of reviews: An analysis of 14 review types and associated methodologies: A typology of reviews, Maria J. Grant & Andrew Booth. Health Information & Libraries Journal, 26(2), 91–108. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-1842.2009.00848.x
Harpham, G. G. (2005). Beneath and beyond the ‘Crisis in the Humanities’. New Literary History, 36(1).
Johansson, L. G., Grønvad, J. F., & Budtz Pedersen, D. (2020). A matter of style: Research production and communication across humanities disciplines in Denmark in the early-twenty-first century. Poetics, 83, 101473. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.poetic.2020.101473
Kunisch, S., Denyer, D., Bartunek, J. M., Menz, M., & Cardinal, L. B. (2023). Review Research as Scientific Inquiry. Organizational Research Methods, 26(1), 3–45. https://doi.org/10.1177/10944281221127292
Meranze, M. (2015). Humanities out of Joint. The American Historical Review, 120(4), 1311–1326. https://doi.org/10.1093/ahr/120.4.1311
Nussbaum, M. C. (2016). Not for profit: Why democracy needs the humanities (Updated edition). Princeton University Press.
Roberts, G. (2021). The Humanities in Modern Britain: Challenges and Opportunities (141; HEPI Report). Higher Education Policy Institute HEPI. https://www.hepi.ac.uk/about-us/
Sivertsen, G. (2016). Patterns of internationalization and criteria for research assessment in the social sciences and humanities. Scientometrics, 107(2), 357–368. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-016-1845-1
22. Research in Higher Education
Paper
Aligning Revenue Diversification: A Comparative Analysis of University Practices, Strategic Planning, and Government Policies in Kazakhstan
Moldir Tazhibekova
Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan
Presenting Author: Tazhibekova, Moldir
This study aims to investigate and compare the strategies employed by Kazakhstani universities in diversifying their revenue streams, with a specific focus on the alignment between these practices, institutional strategic planning, and government policies.
Given this purpose, this study aims to address the following question: To what extent do Kazakhstani universities align their revenue diversification practices with their strategic planning and adhere to government policies, and how does this alignment impact their financial sustainability and overall effectiveness?
This study will employ two theories as a framework: cost-sharing and resource dependence theory (RDT). To apply the cost-sharing theory and resource dependence theory frameworks to this study, we will utilize a comprehensive approach that aligns with the research objectives. The cost-sharing theory, proposed by Johnstone (2002), suggests that higher education costs should be shared among various stakeholders, including students, parents, and the government. In the context of this study, we will examine how Kazakhstani universities distribute financial responsibilities among these key entities and assess the implications of such cost-sharing mechanisms on revenue diversification.
Simultaneously, RDT introduced by Pfeffer and Salancik (2003) posits that organizations must adapt to the requirements of their key resource providers for survival. In the case of universities, these providers include students, government funding, and other external sources. This framework will guide our exploration of how Kazakhstani universities strategically align their revenue diversification practices with external resource dependencies and whether these strategies are in harmony with institutional objectives and governmental policies.
By applying these frameworks in tandem, we aim to unravel the intricate relationships between revenue diversification, strategic planning, and government policies in Kazakhstani universities. This holistic approach will shed light on the effectiveness of current practices, providing valuable insights for both academic research and policymaking in the higher education system of Kazakhstan.
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedThis study will integrate key findings from semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with key findings from document analysis. Semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions will be conducted with university leadership and faculty members. Topics covered include experiences with revenue diversification, perceptions of alignment with strategic plans, challenges faced, and strategies employed. The documents to be analyzed in this research include state programs for higher education development, policies related to the financial autonomy of universities in Kazakhstan, budget strategies, development strategies of universities, and other documents. Thematic analysis will be applied to extract key themes, patterns, and trends from the documents. This process complements the qualitative data, offering a broader contextual backdrop for the study.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsThe findings are expected to yield varied and intricate outcomes.
Alignment Assessment:
The study endeavours to assess the degree of alignment between the revenue diversification strategies implemented by Kazakhstani universities and their institutional strategic plans. Anticipated outcomes include a detailed understanding of the extent to which these practices harmonize, revealing potential gaps or synergies that influence financial sustainability.
Impact on Financial Sustainability:
Consequences of alignment on financial sustainability will be a key aspect of the findings. By exploring how well universities adhere to government policies in their revenue diversification endeavours, the study aims to uncover correlations between alignment and financial effectiveness.
Identification of Challenges and Opportunities:
Expected findings encompass a thorough exploration of the challenges faced by universities in aligning revenue diversification with strategic plans and government policies.
Policy Implications:
The study aims to contribute to policy discourse by offering evidence-based recommendations derived from the analysis of state programs, financial autonomy policies, and university development plans. These insights are expected to inform future policy decisions, fostering an environment conducive to sustainable financial practices in higher education.
Contributions to Academic Discourse:
Beyond the immediate context, the outcomes of this study aspire to enrich academic discourse on the intersection of institutional practices, policies, and financial sustainability. The expected findings are expected to stimulate further research and discussions in the field of higher education management.
ReferencesJohnstone, B. D. (2002). Challenges of financial austerity: Imperatives and limitations of revenue diversification in higher education. The Welsh Journal of Education, 11(1), 18–36. https://doi.org/10.16922/wje.11.1.3
Pfeffer, J., & Salancik, G. R. (2003). The external control of organizations: A resource dependence perspective. Stanford, CA: Stanford Business Books.
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