The research-teaching nexus in the humanities : variations among academics

Doctoral Thesis

Central in this thesis are the various forms the research-teaching nexus can take in the university, especially in the Faculty of Humanities. The importance of a strong relation between research and teaching is advocated by many academics, but debate is going on about the forms this strenghtened relation can take. In this research project various categorisations are developed to describe the various forms of the research-teaching nexus. A categorisation based on ideal images distinghuishes the following five profiles: teach research results, make research known, show what it means to be a researcher, help to conduct research, and provide research experience. In the debate on the nexus we need, among others, to clarify what kind of research we are talking about, what roles we expect the students to have, and what purpose the nexus has. Furthermore, the research project showed that academics__ conceptions of teaching are related to their views on the research-teaching nexus. The...Show moreCentral in this thesis are the various forms the research-teaching nexus can take in the university, especially in the Faculty of Humanities. The importance of a strong relation between research and teaching is advocated by many academics, but debate is going on about the forms this strenghtened relation can take. In this research project various categorisations are developed to describe the various forms of the research-teaching nexus. A categorisation based on ideal images distinghuishes the following five profiles: teach research results, make research known, show what it means to be a researcher, help to conduct research, and provide research experience. In the debate on the nexus we need, among others, to clarify what kind of research we are talking about, what roles we expect the students to have, and what purpose the nexus has. Furthermore, the research project showed that academics__ conceptions of teaching are related to their views on the research-teaching nexus. The disciplinary background, and conceptions of research and knowledge are less important. Regarding the students__ learning experiences in a research-intensive environment, the students primarily reported an acquisition of an academic disposition and an understanding of what research entails.Show less

Research-teaching nexus

Conceptions of teaching

Conceptions of research

Conceptions of knowledge

Disciplinary differences