Predictors of outside funding for research among AASCU institutions: A reanalysis

Muffo and Coccari (1982) analyzed data pertaining to the causes of variation in the number and amount of external funds for research. Unfortunately, their analysis is methodologically flawed by the presence of multicollinearity and has led them to conclusions unsupported by their data. By using LISREL, which treats highly correlated manifest variables as indicators of underlying latent factors, this reanalysis shows that the only significant indicators of funding are past success in securing funds and an emphasis on graduate education.I am grateful to John Muffo and Ronald Coccari for their generosity and help in sharing with me their data.     

The rankings of research funding among universities in Taiwan

With the current trend that universities around the world have gradually stepped into higher education systems of popularization, there has been more diversity in universities; hence it has become necessary to increase the transparency of university governance. Since that university classification or university ranking is a powerful mechanism to demonstrate the diversity of an institute, the rankings of research funding have become desirable and also of great value. The main purpose of this study is to analyze the rankings of research funding among universities in Taiwan, and make relevant suggestions based on the findings. A secondary data analysis was conducted on the data obtained from the database of National Science Council, in order to develop the rankings of research funding among 164 universities in Taiwan. Based on the results, the conclusions are as follows： （1） The top three universities which won the funding of the National Science Council Research Project with the best overall strength were National Taiwan University, National Cheng Gung University, and National Chiao Tung University; （2） The top three universities which won the funding of the National Science Council Research Project with the best average faculty strength were National Tsing Hua University, National Chiao Tung University, and National Taiwan University. It is suggested that, when rating the strength of a university to win the research funding, both overall strength and average faculty strength should be considered to avoid the unfairness towards universities of smaller scale.     

Predictors of funding in academic fields

This study assesses the relative salience of various predictors of funding in different academic fields. Predictors of funding include the various dimensions of past research performance: articles, articles in leading journals and books. Articles predict quite accurately funding decisions in chemistry (r=0.58; p<.001). Books, on the other hand, are not the dominant predictor of funding in either the social or physical sciences. The implications of these findings for higher education are discussed and elaborated.     

高等学校筹资对策分析

经费不足是高等教育发展面临的普遍问题。因此,如何采取有效措施增加学校经费收入,是高校领导者普遍关心的事情。根据目前高校经费来源格局以及国家现行拨款政策,高等学校不能仅靠国家投入,要靠自身的条件与努力去拓宽收入渠道,有效增加收入。要解放思想、转变观念,积极采取对策,充分利用国家各种支持教育发展的政策,充分利用高校自身的各种资源优势,不断提高自筹经费的能力。     

Developing communities of practice within and outside higher education institutions

Higher education institutions (HEIs) are largely built on the assumption that learning is an individual process best encouraged by explicit teaching that is, on the whole, separated from social engagement with those outside the university community. This perspective has been theoretically challenged by those who argue for a social constructivist learning theory and a more collaborative approach to learning. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) afford lecturers and students an opportunity for extending the boundaries of a learning experience, not merely beyond the lone individual, but beyond the limits of discipline boundaries within a specific university community and beyond the institution into the local community. This paper illustrates how a collaborative effort between lecturers and students from the Computer Science and Education Departments at Rhodes University, teachers from the local community, the provincial Department of Education and a non-governmental organisation developed into an unfolding virtual and physical community of practice which enabled ICT take-up in a number of schools in the Grahamstown District, South Africa. This discussion of what has become known as the e-Yethu project provides an example of how ICTs, underpinned by the insights of social constructivism, the notion of 'community of practice' and in particular Hoadley and Kilner's C4P Framework for Communities of Practice, can serve to help HEIs understand ways in which ICTs can provide opportunities for developing collaborative learning within HEIs, and between the HEI and the local community.     

公共科研平台事业编制与非事业编制人员趋同管理的实践与思考

公共科研平台的技术队伍建设与人员管理是影响大型仪器设备使用效率、支撑能力、服务水平的关键因素,然而遗留的计划经济体制下的事业编制"铁饭碗"与现行的非事业编制聘用制并存,成为了抑制公共科研平台发展活力的重要因素。通过对清华大学生命学科校级科研平台在事业编制与非事业编制人员趋同管理工作方面的实践,力求探寻适合公共科研平台发展的人员管理之路。     

Some new approaches to research and development funding

Some new approaches to research and development funding, adopted by the United Kingdom's National Development Programme in Computer Assisted Learning are described. The five-year, £2.5 million National Programme, sponsored by seven Government departments, was set up in 1973 at a time of widespread concern about government R & D funding. The funding strategy of the Programme is described in the hope that it might apply to the funding of other educational innovations. Four unusual features are discussed in detail, the aim of the Programme; the role of the Programme directorate in cooperative funding; the approach to evaluation; and the emphasis on project management.The main aim of the Programme, from which all other policy and management decisions derived, was the institutionalisation of innovation. The Programme directorate, by contrast to the central staff of research councils, was active and interventive in the formulation of policy, the design and selection of projects, and their evaluation. A cooperative approach to funding was adopted which permitted projects to combine national and local interests, in an effort to avoid the over-centralisation of some of the large schools curriculum development projects in the UK and the USA, and the parochialism of some higher education research funding. A major evaluation device used in the National Programme was the midterm evaluation of projects. Projects were step-funded for one or two years in the first instance, with continued funding dependent on the outcome of the midterm evaluation. A further novel feature of the evaluation was the existence of independent educational and financial evaluation. Project management skills were considered important in the Programme, and various techniques were adopted, such as virement, to improve project management and control.     

Predicting federal research funding at colleges and universities

The relationships between federal research funding and institutional commitments and characteristics are assumed to be at certain levels, but such assumptions appear to be founded mainly upon subjective observations. This study examined the relationships between federal research funding and the following institutional characteristics: institutional research funds; doctors, masters, first professional, and bachelor's degrees awarded; and graduate, first professional, and undergraduate student headcount. Data was gathered from 60 research performing universities for fiscal year 1975. Multiple regression, simple correlation and partial correlation analyses were used to ascertain the strength of the relationships. Results showed that doctor's degrees awarded and institutional research funds possessed the strongest correlations to federal research funding, with doctorates being the strongest relationship at private institutions and institutional research funds the strongest relationship at public institutions.     

Predictors of depressive symptoms among foster caregivers

OBJECTIVES: The main purposes of this study were to determine (1) the prevalence of depressive symptoms among foster caregivers, (2) the social-demographics, risk factors, and social support predicting depressive symptoms, and (3) whether social support buffered the effects of the risk factors in the Illinois Foster Caregivers Study. METHOD: Telephone interviews were used to collect data from a sample of 189 foster caregivers in the State of Illinois. Interviewers pretested the survey instrument, which included valid and reliable instruments on depressive symptoms and adult report of childhood maltreatment, an important risk factor for depression. Multivariate ordered logistic regression models were estimated. RESULTS: The foster caregivers exhibited few depressive symptoms, with only one respondent scoring in the clinical range. Contrary to past research on the general population, caregivers reporting higher income were at an increased risk of exhibiting depressive symptoms. The three risk factors-experiencing less than excellent or very good health, childhood maltreatment, and insufficient time to carry out responsibilities-were related to higher levels of depressive symptoms. Foster caregivers who perceived their support group as helpful had a decreased risk of reporting depressive symptoms. We found no evidence that social support buffered the effects of the risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that foster caregivers were adequately screened for depression, but suggest that assessing and providing assistance for health problems, trauma from childhood maltreatment, and insufficient time to meet responsibilities might decrease depressive symptoms. Facilitating and enhancing the helpfulness of foster caregiver support groups also might decrease development of depressive symptoms.     

职业教育制度研究综述

目前,关于职业教育制度的各种研究层出不穷,学者们不仅对职业教育制度概念的看法有很大差异,而且对职业教育制度所包含的内容等也各持己见,当然对于新时期职业教育制度的构建更是仁者见仁智者见智了。但归纳起来,关于职业教育制度的研究大致涉及到内涵研究、比较研究、高等职业教育制度研究、农村职业教育制度研究、职业教育公平问题研究、新时期职业教育制度的构建研究等几大方面的内容。     

Building research capacity for African institutions: confronting the research leadership gap and lessons from African research leaders

This study explores the meaning and competencies of ‘research leadership’ in the African context and investigates strategies for developing it. Data for the study were gathered through an online survey that targeted recipients of research grants/support from key research funders to selected African institutions. The recipients of these grants were either research leaders or team members. The study employs a mixed methodology approach with empirical data drawn from focus group discussions and online surveys of English-speaking research leaders and research teams whose research work was supported by the selected funding institutions. In line with literature of leadership styles in Africa, our results suggest that preferred research leadership style for African researchers is different in some ways, especially with its attention to the ‘human touch’. Respondents preferred ‘people/relationship orientated’, ‘task­orientated’ and ‘democratic/participative’ styles of leadership, all of which have strong elements of Ubuntu (humaneness). The study also showed that leadership development for many in Africa involves mostly ‘learning by doing’ and informal mentoring, and less formal training opportunities. We explore policy implications of our findings with reference to research leadership development in African institutions, paying particular attention to challenges faced by female research leaders, and stress that research leadership development in Africa must be seen as a long-term and continuous activity and calls for more formal leadership development opportunities to complement the existing informal approaches.     

英国RAE大学科研评估制度及其对大学科研拨款的影响

随着英国高等教育规模的不断扩张以及政府财政压力的日益增长,为了加强科研拨款的选择性和透明度,提高政府科研拨款的使用效率,英国自1986年开始推行RAE大学科研评估制度。该制度对促进英国大学的科研水平、学科的调整等,起到了积极的作用。我国可考虑建立权威的半官方性质的中介评估机构,加强对科研拨款制度的研究,寻找评估与拨款结合的生长点。