ERIC Number: EJ1151706
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0729-4360
EISSN: N/A
Spanish and UK Post-PhD Researchers: Writing Perceptions, Well-Being and Productivity
Castelló, Montserrat; McAlpine, Lynn; Pyhältö, Kirsi
Higher Education Research and Development, v36 n6 p1108-1122 2017
Post-PhD researchers working at universities are contributors to a country's productivity and competitiveness mostly through writing, which becomes a means to establish their scholarly identity as they contribute to knowledge. However, little is known about researchers' writing perceptions, and their interrelations with engagement in research, productivity and the influence of workplace climate, which, if negative, can result in burnout and abandonment intentions. In this paper, we explore these issues for the first time. Using a cross-sectional design, 282 postdoctoral researchers answered a cross-cultural questionnaire focusing on "engagement," scientific "writing," researcher "community" and "burnout," and socio-demographic variables. Data analysis included "exploratory factor analysis," "T-test," "ANOVA" or "Mann-Whitney U" (SPSS, v.22). Results showed that "adaptive perceptions of writing" were related to higher levels of "engagement," lower levels of burnout and productivity; "maladaptive perceptions of writing" were related to "burnout" experiences. The consideration of research writing as a developmental process that can take many years beyond the PhD is discussed. Critical to understanding such development is the extent to which a shift in perception of writing to knowledge creation may be a precursor to more adaptive functional behaviours. Educational insights related to constraints in writing, publication processes and related research conditions are also considered.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Comparative Education, Postdoctoral Education, Graduate Students, Student Research, Writing Attitudes, Well Being, Productivity, Burnout, Academic Persistence, Questionnaires, Learner Engagement, Scientific and Technical Information, Demography, Factor Analysis, Statistical Analysis, Correlation, Writing for Publication
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Spain; United Kingdom
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A