The relationship of research and teaching from the perspective of internationalization – an analysis of Finnish university strategies

Author(s):

Suvi Jokila(presenting / submitting)Reeta Lehto(presenting)

Conference:

ECER 2013

Network:

21. Emerging Researchers' Group (for presentation at Emerging Researchers' Conference)

Format:

Paper

Session Information

ERG SES D 04, Higher Education and Research in Education

Paper Session

Time:

2013-09-09

13:30-15:00

Room:

A-104

Chair:

Meinert Arnd Meyer

Contribution

Research and teaching are the core functions of today’s universities. However, according to recent studies, academics often experience that the economic and time related resources are inadequate for equally maintain both of these functions. The lower appreciation for teaching work compared to research has also been recognized by the academics and has created colliding and contradictory role expectations. (Nixon 1996; Henkel 2005; Delanty 2008; Rinne et al. 2012.) Earlier the relationship of teaching and research has been studied from the historical and institutional; as well as, from the academics, students and academic identity perspectives (Deem & Lucas 2007; Laiho & Jauhiainen 2012). In this paper, we explore the relationship of teaching and research from the aspect of internationalization.

Internationalization is widely discussed topic in the field of higher education. Policymakers, university administrators among others are discussing the future internationalization plans and strategies in universities. Internationalization aims are manifested in the Ministry of Education´s plans and strategies for internationalization of higher education. These aims are further supported by the fact that internationalization is monitored in the university strategies and also in the allocation of funding. (MOE 2009; MOE 2012.) In the world of growing global competition, the spotlight of research has turned into publishing in international journals and applying international research funding, and in the field of teaching the focus is in developing international degree programmes (see Mäkinen in progress). Internationalization of higher education can be divided into two broad: ‘internationalization abroad’ and ‘internationalization at home’. Basically, ‘internationalization abroad’ refers to activities taking place abroad and ‘internationalization at home’ to the international activities occurring in the home universities. (Knight 2004.)

Despite the extensive number of studies in internationalization of higher education, limited number of studies focus on the internationalization in general university strategies. Our aim is to analyze the universities’ official aims for teaching and research regarding the internationalization of higher education. The focus is especially on how the different modes of internationalization are emphasized in relation to research and teaching.

This paper is based on our ongoing PhD studies which are linked to larger research projects ‘To be a teacher at the 21^st century’ (Jauhiainen et al. 2012) and a pilot project of international Master´s degree programmes in Finland (Kallo & Mikkilä-Erdmann 2010).

Method

The research data consists of university strategies of Finnish universities (n=13). The university strategies provide an interesting scope for the study because they are the first official strategies written after the new Finnish Universities Act (2009). Along with the new Universities Act, the strategies had for the first time a partial effect on universities’ funding. For instance, the state funding for the university institution is mainly directed to certain profile fields in research that have been stressed in the strategy (MOE 2009b). Therefore the strategies are not only expressing the goals but are additionally functioning as tools for economic governance. The data is analyzed with content analysis and as a prerequisite the findings are categorized into four dimensions. In the horizontal dimension there are research and teaching, and in the vertical dimension internationalization abroad and internationalization at home. Thus the analysis is driven by theory and earlier research and is also based on the data.

Expected Outcomes

By analyzing the university strategy texts, the aim is to explore how the internationalization aims are emphasized in relation to different functions of research and teaching and modes of internationalization abroad and internationalization at home. The findings were categorized at vertical dimension (internationalization abroad and internationalization at home) and at horizontal dimension (research and teaching); four fields were formulated on the basis of the analysis. Namely, ‘international learning environment’, ‘international research environment’, ‘international researcher mobility’ and ‘mobility of teaching staff and the new modes of internationalization’. In addition, ‘international networking’ was located at the interface of international research environment and international researcher mobility. Our results indicate that internationalization aims regarding teaching were more local by nature compared to research. However, there are also signs of new modes of internationalization which are especially linked to the teaching work abroad. Interaction among research and teaching was not considerably emphasized in the aims of internationalization of higher education. The findings are discussed in the framework of previous academic work and internationalization studies.

References

Deem, R. & Lucas, L. 2007. Research and teaching cultures in two contrasting UK policy contexts: Academic life in Education Departments in five English and Scottish universities. Higher education 54 (1), 115-133. Delanty, G. 2008. Academic identities and institutional change. In R. Barnett & R. Di Napoli (Eds.) Changing identities in higher education. Voicing perspectives. London: Routledge, 124–133. Henkel, M. 2005. Academic identity and autonomy in a changing policy environment. Higher Education 49, 155–176. Jauhiainen, A(rto)., Jauhiainen, A(nnukka)., Laiho, A., Lehto, R. & Kuusela, S. (2012) To be (or not to be) a teacher in the 21st century university. Paper presented in the European conference on educational research (EERA) 2012 –conference. Cadiz, Spain, 18-21 September, 2012. Knight, J. (2004). Internationalization remodelled: Definition, approaches, and rationales. Journal of Studies in International Education 8, 5-31. Laiho, A. & Jauhiainen, A. 2012. Kohti post-humboldtilaista yliopistoa – opetus-tutkimusyhteys uusliberalistisessa yliopistossa. In J. Kivirauma, A. Jauhiainen, P. Seppänen & T. Kaunisto (edit.). Koulutuksen yhteiskunnallinen ymmärrys. Social Perspectives on Education. Suomen kasvatustieteellisen seuran Kasvatusalan tutkimuksia – Research in Educational Sciences 59. Jyväskylä. Finnish educational research association, 62-88. Kallo, J. & Mikkilä-Erdmann, M. (2010). Developing international master's degree programmes at Turku University, Finland (Research plan). MOE. (2009). Strategy for internationalisation of higher education institutions in 2009-2015. MOE (2009b). Yliopistojen ohjaus ja rahoitus vuodesta 2010 alkaen. Opetusministeriö 14.8.2009. MOE. (2012).Yliopistojen uusi rahoitusmalli. Opetusministeriö. Mäkinen, S. (in progress). Working paper in a pilot research project of international degree programmes in Finland. Nixon, J. (1996). Professional identity and the restructuring of higher education. Studies in Higher Education 21 (1), 5–16. Rinne, R., Jauhiainen, A., Simola, H., Lehto, R., Jauhiainen, A. & Laiho, A. 2012. Valta, uusi yliopistopolitiikka ja yliopistotyö Suomessa. Suomen kasvatustieteellisen seuran Kasvatusalan tutkimuksia – Research in Educational Sciences 58. Jyväskylä. Finnish educational research association. Universities Act 24.7.2009/558.

Author Information

Suvi Jokila (presenting / submitting)

University of Turku

Department of Education

Paimio

Reeta Lehto (presenting)

University of Turku, Finland

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