The Teaching-Research Nexus: Applying a Framework to University Students' Learning Experiences

Abstract

The question of whether there is a nexus between the teaching and research roles of academics can be an emotive one, but it is one which goes to the heart of academic work. Hence, it is not surprising that commentaries on the teaching-research nexus abound. However, empirical investigations, predominantly survey based, have provided no conclusive evidence for a link between the two roles (Feldman, 1987; Finkelstein, 1984; Friedrich & Michalak, 1983; Jensen, 1988). This paper reports the findings of a study with undergraduate and postgraduate students on their views about their teaching and learning experiences at university and their contact with university research. The aim of the study is to examine the degree to which students are aware of academics' research role and whether the conduct of research, in their view, has any impact on the teaching and learning they experience. This study forms part of a broader investigation on the nature of academic work in Australian universities which examines the perceptions academics hold of their core work roles-teaching, research and scholarship-and the influence of academic and disciplinary cultures in shaping these beliefs. Previous work (Neumann, 1993a, 1993b, 1992) has focused on senior academic administrators-vice-chancellors and their deputies, deans and heads of department-from the humanities, sciences, social sciences and professional areas. These senior academic administrators were from universities with a well-developed research role across a broad range of disciplines. The study takes into account the differing historical backgrounds of the universities and hence other stages are examining the perceptions of senior academic administrators in the newer universities created by the Unified National System, as well as academics from professor to associate lecturer in non-administrative positions. The incorporation of students in the academic spectrum is considered vital to complete the range. The teaching role exists to serve students, and so they are a key source for investigating whether a connection between teaching and research is perceived to exist in the teaching and learning they experience. In previous studies of the teaching-research nexus, investigators have generally focused on surveys of, and to a lesser extent interviews with, academics, in order to correlate work preferences, time usage and perceptions of the reward system (see for example, Adamson, 1980; Bassis & Guskin, 1986; Genn, 1980; Halsey, 1992; Halsey & Trow, 1971; Haneman, 1975; Powell et al., 1983). Student views have been indirectly considered in studies correlating student evaluations of 323