In higher education, research courses are an integral part of all academic majors that intend to help students in becoming better readers and/or authors of research. However, there is a paucity in instruments that measure various constructs that are related to research education. The 13-item revised scale of attitudes toward research is one of the…

Doctoral students' ability to understand, use, and build on theory in educational research is a critical aspect of their learning to be successful scholars. Unfortunately, there is a paucity of work that explores the voices of graduate students articulating their experiences as they learn about theory. Using Positioning Theory to frame their work,…

This paper explores students' perceptions of faculty-mentored research by drawing on the experiences of final year undergraduates sampled from a public university in Ghana. Embedded in a qualitative approach, the paper employs the cognitive interest and expectancy value theories, which model interests and satisfaction as predictors of affection…

This paper examines the function of 'expertise' in mediating the student-supervisor relationship in Higher Degree Research (HDR). Prevailing conceptualisations of expertise generally translate as "disciplinary acumen" and reference the supervisor's specialist disciplinary and methodological knowledge. Beyond establishing the disciplinary…

Debate about the defining features of 'doctorateness' or what examiners look for in a PhD thesis is on-going, but hardly any attention has been paid in related literature to Postgraduate Researchers' (PGRs) perceptions of the key attributes that make a PhD thesis excellent. In this study we examine the state of play of the former to then go on to…

Undergraduate research (UR) is regarded as an impactful instructional practice, but implementing it in the curriculum is challenging. Faculty members' approaches to the design of UR are under-explored due to the scarcity of studies that situate practices in both the curricular contexts and the concept of the research-teaching nexus. This…

This conceptual study examines the challenges involved in a new context of postgraduate education that emphasizes timely degree completion, skill development and employability, while still seeking to uphold a commitment to a genuine education ('Bildung'). Findings from two recent empirical studies set the scene for this inquiry since they raise…

The responses of higher education (HE) institutions towards the climate crisis and escalating social inequalities have been researched from either 'top-down' (i.e. institutionally-led) or 'bottom-up' (i.e. student-led) perspectives. As scholars call for enhanced insight into the space between these two poles, this paper provides an…

This article provides an explanation for previously observed gender differences in scientific performance during doctoral studies and the early career. Data is based on doctoral students in science, technology, and medicine at a Swedish university. We collected information on each doctoral student's publication and employment history. We also…

The ongoing implementation of research-based learning (RBL) within the higher education core curriculum leads to a growing number of students who conduct their own research projects during their course of study. Although previous studies have indicated that research-based learning has positive outcomes for students, their causal link remains…

Student research is an important pedagogical feature across the higher education lifecycle. Postgraduate taught (PGT) student research has received limited attention in the context of the diverse nature of the PGT cohort. Using Activity Theory, PGT student research is explored from the perspectives of differently motivated Master's students:…

Past studies on doctoral education have mostly focused on the critical role of supervisors in students' research experience. However, the role of peers has been relatively neglected. It is not clear how both supervisors and peers contribute to doctoral students' research experience. One possibility is that they are additive, which means that both…

In the context of rapidly growing numbers of university students reporting that they have experienced mental health problems, this paper argues that doing research as an undergraduate can contribute to student well-being. Although the benefits of undergraduate research are well documented, underlying reasons for its efficacy on positive student…

The present article reports an empirical quantitative study involving 107 undergraduate students from Entrepreneurship and Innovation courses in a public university. Students were randomly assigned to 3 conditions: structured Research-based learning (RBL), semi structured RBL and control. We hypothesized that studying in a structured RBL condition…

Publish or perish is the cautionary aphorism reminding academics to produce academic work for career longevity. For communities historically excluded from tertiary institutions, this aphorism can also signify a responsibility to ensure their voices are heard. Tertiary institutions recognise the importance of fostering productive writing…