Sustainable Research Capacity Building of the Next Generation of Academics: A Grounded Theory Approach

Carlo Daniels; Zacharais Louw De Beer

doi:10.25159/2312-3540/20594

Authors

Carlo Daniels University of South Africa (UNISA) https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4003-6185
Zacharais Louw De Beer North West University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25159/2312-3540/20594

Keywords:

sustainable research capacity building, postgraduate students, research, next generation of academics

Abstract

Sustainable research capacity building (SRCB) in doctoral education is crucial for cultivating a long-term culture of research excellence and innovation. It equips future scholars with the necessary skills and resources to undertake high-quality research, ensuring a continuous influx of new knowledge and solutions to societal challenges. Sustainable research capacity building has been widely acknowledged as essential for strengthening higher education systems. However, there is limited scholarly literature exploring the expertise, motivation, and opportunities that doctoral programmes employ to cultivate research capacity in sustainable ways. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how South African higher education institutions (HEIs) foster SRCB in their doctoral programmes. To achieve the objectives of this study, systematic document analysis and semi-structured interviews grounded in a postmodern research paradigm, guided by the principles of grounded theory, were conducted. The findings revealed that South African HEIs foster SRCB by encouraging participation in conferences and writing retreats, providing mentorship, availing research assistant jobs, offering training for supervisors, providing access to writing coaches and a writing centre, and promoting workshops and colloquia. With the element of sustainability in mind, it is essential to ensure that supervisors, workshops, and writing centres are well-equipped to cater to a diverse range of students. In addition, providing equal access to participate in conferences and ensuring writing coaches receive ongoing training has the potential to enhance the sustainability of research capacity building practices in doctoral education.

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