| Most governments,especially in developing countries,look up to universities to generate knowledge through research and provide solutions to global developmental problems.Despite this high demand for university research,much research has been focused on improving teaching,while little has been done to solve the problem of low engagement in research.Scientific research is crucial in the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals.Enhancing students’ engagement in research will not only help improve the research performance of universities,but it can also lead to the discovery of new knowledge and skills needed to ensure quality education by 2030 and to solve other societal problems.Therefore,this study aimed to examine the impact of research management practices on doctoral students’ engagement in research.The following research questions guided the study: To what extent do human resource management practices influence doctoral students’ engagement in research? To what extent do facility management practices influence doctoral students’ engagement in research? To What extent do research funding practices influence doctoral students’ engagement in research? What do research managers perceive as factors hindering the management of research projects in English-taught universities in Cameroon? What do research managers perceive as factors hindering quality research management in English-taught universities in Cameroon? What factors do doctoral students perceive to be hindering their engagement in research activities? The study was guided by the system theory,social exchange theory,and Maslows ’hierarchy of needs theory.The cross-sectional survey research design was used for this study,adopting quantitative and qualitative methodologies.That is,the convergent mixed-method research design was used for this study.The study population consisted of 753 doctoral students in Cameroon.Purposive sampling was used to select the universities.Only universities with English as the language of instruction were selected for this study.For the quantitative part,a Likert scale structured questionnaire was used for data collection.The questionnaire was subjected to face and content validity.A pilot study was conducted to make sure that the instrument consistently measures what it was designed to measure.The statistical tools used for analysis were;Pearson product-moment correlation,simple linear regression,multiple regressions,t-test,and ANOVA.For the qualitative part,the sample population comprised 65 participants,25 research managers,and 40 doctoral students.A semi-structured interview guide was used to collect qualitative data,which was analyzed thematically.This study found that human resource management practices,facility management practices,and research funding practices are good predictors of doctoral students’ engagement in research.This implies that doctoral students’ engagement in research can be enhanced by improving research management practices such as human resource management,facility management,and funding practices.Furthermore,this study found that factors research managers perceive to be hindering the management of research projects in English-taught universities in Cameroon include;centralization in the management of research projects,mismanagement of resources and lack of accountability,poor communication with project stakeholders,unrealistic deadlines and inadequate funds,inadequate project management skills,and risk management.Moreover,this study found that conflict between research managers and researchers,politics and corruption in research management,inadequate skillful research managers,limited research facilities,inadequate salaries,and lack of extrinsic motivation are key factors hindering quality research managementIn addition,this study found that factors doctoral students perceive to be hindering their engagement in research activities include: Inadequate financial assistance,lack of extrinsic motivation to engage in research and lack of time,inadequate research facilities,lack of support from research supervisors,inadequate research method experts,and research training,lack of interest in research,and negative attitudes toward research.From the system theory perspective,this study reveals that to stimulate students’ engagement in research,the university needs adequate inputs,such as facilities,skillful research managers,students interested in research,university leaders interested in research,and financial resources.Moreover,the university needs quality transformational processes such as research training,performance appraisal,quality human resource management,facility management,project management,funding practices,research activities(continuous research development programs such as research seminars and workshops),motivational strategies,and positive social exchange relationships to stimulate student engagement in research.This implies that if the inputs are carefully selected and the transformational processes are effectively implemented,students are more likely to engage in research activities that produce high-quality research papers,which form the output.This study has made both practical and theoretical contributions.Firstly,this study has made a theoretical contribution by proposing a model that can be used to enhance students’ engagement in research or by researchers interested in university research as a conceptual framework to guide their studies.In addition,this study has made a practical and innovative contribution by formulating recommendations that need to be effectively implemented to enhance doctoral students’ engagement in research and to ensure quality management in universities.Moreover,from the insightful findings,implications are given to enhance doctoral students’ engagement in research... |
PDF Full Text Request