June 2024
This month’s reports summarizes four articles that in/directly relate to the impact of universities. The first paper is a literature review that looks at the connection between the idea of impact and sustainability within Education research (Torres et al. 2024). The second study issues for training research impact ideas to doctoral students (Suri-Ogilvie, 2024). The third paper explores a 15 year qualitative research project, with a special focus on how team composition can be maintained to facilitate impact (Bednarek et al., 2024). The last piece of looks at tourism research submitted to the UK Research Excellence Framework impact case study assessments, and reflects upon what this means for the impact of the discipline (Tribe & Paddington, 2024).
1) This study investigates the intertwined concepts of research sustainability and research impact in education. By reviewing 47 studies and identifying 98 authors, it reveals that research sustainability is more extensively covered than research impact. The analysis emphasizes the overlap between these concepts, particularly in stressing the importance of the research process over results and the need for long-term benefits. The study advocates for greater community engagement, science communication, and knowledge exchange to bridge gaps between society and research. It also criticizes the reliance on bibliometric measures for assessing impact, arguing that these often prioritize quantity over quality. The study suggests adopting alternative evaluation tools tailored to education, highlighting the need for a shift from publication-centric metrics to criteria reflecting actual stakeholder engagement and practical impact.
Torres, R., Simões, A. R., & Pinto, S. (2024). Research Impact and Sustainability in Education: A Conceptual Literature Review. Education Sciences, 14(2), 147.
2) This study explores the support and barriers for PhD students engaging in impact work at a UK university. It highlights a gap in training and supervisory support for impact activities, despite students' recognition of its value for skill development and career advancement. Clinical science students better understood the direct impacts of their work compared to those in life sciences. Many students experienced limited supervisory guidance on impact activities, revealing a need for enhanced supervisor training. Additionally, the study identifies motivators, such as the desire to make a difference, and barriers, including a lack of structured support. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated these challenges, deprioritizing impact activities. Recommendations include better institutional support structures, mandatory supervisor accountability mechanisms, and integrating impact work into PhD timelines and evaluations. The study underscores the importance of impact work for the broader research community and suggests further research to address these training and support gaps.
Suri-Ogilvie, R. (2024). Research impact training and development support for doctoral students. Journal of Research Management and Administration, 3(1), 202402131-202402131.
3) This paper examines a 15-year qualitative research program on catastrophe insurance and protection gaps amidst escalating climate risks. The research highlights the dynamic nature of team composition and its impact on addressing large-scale societal issues. It proposes a framework for managing long-term impact-oriented qualitative research teams, focusing on team forming, building stickability, performing, and managing flux. Key takeaways include the importance of gradual development of expertise, clear communication of impact expectations, early engagement with empirical problems, collaborative work, and fostering supportive team dynamics. Effective leadership and structured team roles are essential for continuity despite inevitable team flux. The paper underscores the importance of team relationships in achieving research impact, adding to existing literature by shifting focus from researcher-practitioner interactions to intra-team dynamics.
Bednarek, R., Cacciatori, E., Chalkias, K., Gallagher Rodgers, R., Jarzabkowski, P., Kavas, M., & Krull, E. (2024). Delivering impact via the ebb-and-flow of a research team: Reflection on a long-term program of research into a global societal challenge. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 60(1), 194-214.
4) This article emphasizes the importance of translating knowledge and theory development into practical impacts on tourism. Using critical thematic analysis on UK university data, it explores the relationship between research and its impact, identifying key drivers and gaps. The study extends traditional pathways of knowledge to include the impact of research, proposing a model of the tourism impact system. Findings reveal moderate impact from tourism research, with notable interdisciplinary contributions and cultural impacts, yet limited significance and reach, particularly concerning the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The study also highlights the influence of government and university funding, and the role of interest networks, while critiquing the effects of neoliberal policies on academic practice. Limitations include the narrow scope of impact data from the UK REF and the exclusion of broader and non-UK impacts, suggesting future research should address these gaps.
Tribe, J., & Paddison, B. (2024). Paths from knowledge and theory development to impact. Annals of Tourism Research, 104, 103687.
