Research technology as a barrier to research

Abstract

There appears to be considerable concern regarding the progress which masters and doctoral students make in their studies and the underlying causes are thought to relate to the absence of a suitable research climate on campuses. The aim of this study was to identify factors which relate to the research output of tutors. With this in mind a questionnaire was developed and handed to 120 tutors in the human sciences for completion. The means and variances of the variables in the questionnaire were computed/ the variables were intercorrelated and subjected to a principal factor analysis. Four factors were extracted and identified as: knowledge of research technology research output/ knowledge of research methodology and ability to conduct research, and teaching experience in research methodology Two regression analyses were done. The first against a "soft" criterion (perceived ability to conduct empirical research) and the second against a "hard" criterion (the real research output of tutors). Multiple correlation coefficients of 0,7257 and 0/5824 respectively, were obtained.

Opsomming
Die vordering van magister en doktorale studente skyn aansienlike kommer te wek, en die oorsake daarvan word in die afwesigheid van 'n gepaste navorsingsklimaat op kampusse, gesoek. Die doel van hierdie studie was om faktore te identifiseer wat verband hou met die navorsingsuitset van dosente. Met die oog hierop is 'n vraelys opgestel en aan 120 dosente in die geesteswetenskappe vir voltooiing oorhandig. Die gemiddeldes en variansies van die veranderlikes is bereken, die veranderlikes is gemterkorreleer en aan 'n hooffaktorontleding onderwerp. Vier faktore is onttrek en geidentifiseer as: kennis van navorsingstegnologie, navorsingsuitset, kennis van navor-singsmetodologie en die vermoe om navorsing te doen, en onderrigervaring m navorsingsmetodologie. Twee prcgressie-ontledings is gedoen. Die eerste teen 'n "sagte" kriterium (persepsie van dosente van hul vermoe om empiriese navorsing te doen) en die tweede teen 'n "harde" kriterium (die werklike navorsingsuitset van dosente). Meervoudige korrelasies van 0,7257 en 0,5824, onderskeidelik, is verkry.