This article focuses on the double role of the academic action researcher working as facilitator and researcher in democratic professional development projects. The inquiry is based on three partnership projects: "research circles" in Sweden, "dialogue conferences" in Norway and "tailored professional development" in…

Walking has long been associated with thinking. Anecdotal evidence from philosophers, writers, researchers, artists, business leaders and so forth testify to the powers of walking-for-thinking. This study explores walking-for-thinking among nine academics in Norway, four university professors, two research and development professionals, two…

Access to current research materials, pedagogical best practices, and relevant knowledge has become problematic as journal subscription costs have increased. Increasing delays in the traditional publication timeline, coupled with high subscription costs, have resulted in a diminished ability for IS faculty and their students to access the most…

This study analyzed whether research collaboration patterns differ across higher education systems based on maturity of the systems, their language, and their geographical region. This study found that collaboration patterns differ across higher education systems: academics in developed systems are more collaborative than their colleagues in…

This article distinguishes between six tasks related to the academic researcher role: (1) networking; (2) collaboration; (3) managing research; (4) doing research; (5) publishing research; and (6) evaluation of research. Data drawn from surveys of academic staff, conducted in Norwegian universities over three decades, provide evidence that the…

The idea of having a "Compare" Forum focusing on the above title was first discussed with one of the Editors of "Compare" during a PhD defence in Oslo in 2011. The PhD dissertation itself was linked to a larger project in which researchers from the North (Norway) and the South (South Africa) had been collaborating in…

In some international contexts, for example in South Africa, Norway, Australia and New Zealand, teacher education has recently shifted into the academy. Concurrently research performance funding measures have been introduced. Both changes have placed pressure on teacher educators to become "research active". The literature indicates that…

Internationally, as the twenty-first century unfolds, there is a burgeoning literature that documents the changing nature of academic work and workplaces. One recurring theme in this literature is the extent to which academic freedom and autonomy are being threatened in higher education settings. In this article, the nature of this ominous threat…

The article examines whether the increase in international contacts among university researchers is an impact of a general globalisation trend, or whether it is an effect of policy initiatives on national and supranational levels such as EU research programmes. The present study demonstrates that the sheer volume of international contacts among…

A study of Norwegian researchers revealed substantially different patterns in age and research productivity in the social sciences, humanities, medicine, and natural sciences. It is suggested that discrepancies arise from differences in the development of scientific disciplines, particularly the speed of knowledge production and technological…

The science of education in Norway covers a wide field, including child psychology and the psychology of adolescents, educational psychology, educational methods, philosophy of education, and the history of the school system. Educational research has had a relatively short period of development in Norway. Empirical research, with a view to…