Factors That Shape University Students’ Attitudes Towards Academic Research

Students almost always hold different attitudes toward academic research. In order to describe that phenomenon and find out the factors which affected and caused students’ different attitudes toward academic research, the researchers investigated Wenzhou-Kean University (WKU) students’ attitudes towards the support from the university, research training environment, and their future academic career directions. This descriptive-quantitative study also considered students’ attitudes as a variable to measure respondents’ understanding and knowledge of academic research, and personal experiences. The sample size of 227 undergraduates represented the cross sectional respondents of the four colleges. Based on data collected by online questionnaires, results showed that most WKU students held positive attitudes toward academic research and are aware of its significance. WKU students did not have enough personal experiences in undertaking research studies. Generally, WKU students realized and acknowledged the significance of academic research in cultivating their inquiry mind and gain better understanding of the research course content. All of the three factors could affect students’ attitudes and motivations toward academic research. Faculty mentoring in the research training environment has the strongest influence while on-campus related activities in the support from the university has the lightest influence on WKU undergraduates’ attitudes towards research.Echiverri, LL.; Chen, W.; Wang, X. (2020). Factors That Shape University Students’ Attitudes Towards Academic Research. En 6th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd'20). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. (30-05-2020):919-927. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAd20.2020.11175OCS91992730-05-202

Exploring the relationship between research funding and social media: disciplinary analysis of the distribution of funding acknowledgements and Twitter mention in scientific publications

This article presents an exploratory analysis of which disciplines acknowledge more financial support (through funding acknowledgments - FA) and those whose publications attract more attention on Twitter. We argue that such combined approach can provide interesting information for both funding bodies and policy makers about how funding activities and the attention in social media of scientific research relate to each other

INSTRUMENTS OF SUPPORT FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FUNDED BY LEADING DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATIONS

Introduction: one of the key aspects of the knowledge economy development is the growing significance of the results of research and development. The education and basic research play a key role in this process. Funding for education and fundamental science is carried out mainly at the expense of the state resources, including a system of foundations for scientific, engineering and innovation activities in Russia. The purpose of this article is to present recommendations for improving the tools of domestic foundations in funding fundamental research and development, including education and training. The propositions are made with a comparative analysis of the domestic and foreign science foun dations’ activities. Materials and Methods: the authors used analysis, comparison, induction, deduction, graphical analysis, generalisation and other scientific methods during the study. Results: the lack of comparability between domestic and foreign scientific funds in the volume of funding allocated for basic research and development is revealed. This situation affects the scientific research. The foreign foundations have a wide range of instruments to support research projects at all stages of the life cycle of grants for education and training prior to release of an innovative product to market (the use of “innovation elevator” system). The Russian national scientific foundations have no such possibilities. The authors guess that the Russian organisations ignore some of the instruments for supporting research and development. Use of these tools could enhance the effectiveness of research projects. According to the study of domestic and foreign experience in supporting research and development, the authors proposed a matrix composed of instruments for support in the fields of basic scientific researches and education with such phases of the project life cycle as “research” and “development”. Discussion and Conclusions: the foreign science foundations use a broader spectrum of the tools to support research and development than the domestic organisations. The authors pinpoint a number of functional instruments to support research and development and advice to Russian science-supporting institutions to use the modern tools in the activities for enhancing the ef fectiveness of researches

Evaluation of Brazilian research output in education : confronting international and national contexts

Scientific production has increased considerably in the last two decades in Brazil, placing the country as an emerging scientific power. In the field of Education, the same can be observed, with a significant growth in the number of articles published by Brazilian researchers in the recent past. In this article we evaluate Brazilian research output in Education from 2007 to 2016, with the intent to understand how national evaluation standards compare with international parameters dictated by bibliometric indicators. We confront the citation impact of Brazilian publications in the period with their classification in an expert-based journal evaluation system called QUALIS. We used Scopus’ SNIP bibliometric indicator for this analysis. The study was carried out using data about 40,825 articles published in 2719 different journals. Results showed that only a small percentage of these articles featured in Scopus indexed journals (13.28%), and most of these journals were published in Brazil (66%). The citation impact of the Scopus indexed publications had a significant growth in the period, but journals with dissimilar citation impact were not distinctively distributed in separate QUALIS categories. These findings show a certain publishing pattern that is likely to be related to the association of the Brazilian research evaluation and funding systems. In addition, they raise questions about how the establishment of evaluation criteria that is mainly subjective and does not include specific metrics may hinder the visibility of research output from a global perspective

Prêmio Capes de Tese : análise do perfil e da produção científica dos candidatos e premiados

As premiações científicas estão se consolidando na comunidade científica como prática de valorização de pesquisadores e identificação de talentos. O Brasil, por meio de políticas públicas, tem o desafio de formar doutores nas diversas áreas do conhecimento com qualidade, pois esse capital humano é considerado fundamental para o desenvolvimento social, cultural e tecnológico de um país, principalmente referente à produção de conhecimento novo e crítico. Diante disso, esta tese é uma análise documental das candidaturas e premiações do Prêmio Capes de Tese (PCT), programa institucional da Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), vinculada ao Ministério da Educação. A amostra consiste dos autores inscritos e premiados do programa nos anos de 2011 a 2014, de 4 áreas de avaliação, inicialmente com os inscritos das áreas de Ciências Biológicas II e Ensino, e em seguida dos premiados das áreas Ciências Biológicas II, Educação Física, Engenharias III e Ensino. A coleta das informações foi realizada em 2015, por meio da extração de informação do sistema Prêmio Capes de Tese, o qual é responsável por compilar as inscrições do programa. O estudo, de cunho quantitativo e qualitativo, tem como objetivo identificar a diferença entre as áreas de avaliação no PCT a partir da produção científica decorrente da tese de doutorado dos autores inscritos e premiados, assim como, definir o perfil dos autores participantes do programa, dos orientadores e dos Programas de Pós-Graduação. Tais abordagens têm como finalidade servir como subsídio para as políticas públicas educacionais, como práticas a serem utilizadas como instrumento de reflexão e aperfeiçoamento do sistema. Entre os resultados, destacam-se a tipologia própria das premiações científicas, a valorização das bolsas de estudo na pós-graduação e a qualidade das redes de formação dos autores premiados.Scientific Scientific awards are being consolidated within the scientific community as a practice that values researchers and identify talents. Brasil, through public policies has the challenge of graduating doctors in the most diverse knowledge areas with quality, as this human capital is considered fundamental for the social, culture, and technological development of a country, especially regarding the production of new and critical knowledge. With that in mind, this thesis is a documental analysis of candidacies and awards from the CAPES Thesis Awards (PCT in the Brazilian Portuguese acronym), an institutional program by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES), under the Ministry of Education. The sample consists of authors nominated and awarded in the program between the years 2011 and 2014, in 4 areas of evaluation, initially with the nominees of the Biological Sciences II and Learning, and further on with the scientists awarded in the areas of Biological Sciences, Physical Education, Engineering III and Learning. The information gathering took place in 2015, through the extraction of data from the CAPES Thesis Awards system, which is responsible for the compilation of the nominees of the program. The study, being both qualitative and quantitative, aims at identifying the differences among the PCT evaluation areas, as the scientific production coming from the doctorate thesis by the nominated and awarded scientists, as well as defining the profile of authors, counselors and Post Graduation Programs participating in the awards. Such approaches aim at the possibility of being used as inputs for educational public policies as practices to be regarded as reflection and improvement instruments for the system. Among the results we highlight the own typology of the scientific awards, the qualification of fellowships in post graduation programs, and the quality of learning networks of the awarded authors

Análise da produção científica sobre o caratê em língua portuguesa

The aim of this study was to analyze the scientific production on Karate in Portuguese language published in journals indexed in SciELO and BIREME, through a bibliometric analysis. Searches were carried out in SciELO and BVS-Bireme databases, associated with a manual search in Google Scholar, using the following keywords: “Karatê”, “Caratê”, “Artes Marciais”, “Karateca” and “Carateca”. Full articles published in Portuguese language in peer-reviewed journals were included in this study. Three categories were selected for the bibliometric analysis: journals, authors and themes. The search resulted in 318 records, of which 25 were included in this review and were published between 1984 and 2017 in journals classified in different strata of Qualis Capes, ranging from C to A2. In relation to the authors, the largest concentration of research groups that publish on Karate is found in the South and Southeast regions of Brazil. Regarding the themes, there is a predominance of those related to biomechanics (analysis of reaction time and movement speed during execution of kicks and punches, and manual grip strength) and exercise physiology (analysis of blood lactate and heart rate, energy expenditure, sweating rate and subjective perception of exertion during training and/or competition sessions). The scientific production about Karate in portuguese language allowed us to concluded that there is a predominance of studies in the biomechanical and exercises research areas, which included adults of different technical levels, mainly men advanced level

Interações entre grupos de pesquisa das Ciências da Saúde de São Paulo e seus parceiros : uma análise a partir das proximidades geográfica e organizacional

Analisar as colaborações científicas e como elas se formam passou a ser uma tarefa essencial para o entendimento dos processos de aprendizagem, geração e difusão do conhecimento dentro de uma rede de interações. O debate sobre proximidades multidimensional no campo teórico da geografia econômica consiste em estrutura analítica chave para a compreensão dos processos colaborativos entre os atores. Neste contexto, a presente dissertação teve como objetivo analisar os efeitos das proximidade geográfica e organizacional nas interações dos grupos de pesquisa das ciências da saúde do estado de São Paulo com seus parceiros. A área da saúde é setor chave para a agenda do desenvolvimento de um país, pois além da sua relevância social, o setor tem significativa importância na geração, no uso e na difusão de inovações. Suas características sistêmica e multidisciplinar reforçam o entendimento que o fluxo de geração de conhecimento neste campo do saber calca-se nas interações de atores diversos, e essas são fundamentais para o sucesso das atividades inovativas. A escolha de analisar os grupos de pesquisa de São Paulo justifica-se pelo fato desse ser o estado com maior relevância em pesquisa na área das ciências da saúde no Brasil. A dissertação utilizou dados do Censo de 2016 do Diretório de Grupos de Pesquisa do Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (DGP/CNPq). O modelo empírico adotado se baseia na distribuição Conway-Maxwell-Poisson. O uso do modelo COM-Poisson permite lidar com a subdispersão existente na variável dependente adotada no trabalho, apresentando uma estimação mais robusta com as características da base. Os principais resultados obtidos indicam que tanto a proximidade geográfica como a proximidade organizacional influenciam positivamente o estabelecimento das interações dos grupos de pesquisa da área das ciências da saúde com seus parceiros. Porém, a proximidade organizacional apresentou um efeito maior do que a proximidade geográfica na formação das interações, indicando que a proximidade geográfica pode desempenhar um papel mais indireto na transferência do conhecimento, fortalecendo as outras dimensões de proximidade. Observa-se ainda que os grupos de pesquisa ora analisados estabelecem parcerias majoritariamente com universidades.Analyzing scientific collaborations and how they are formed has become an essential task for understanding the processes of learning, generation and dissemination of knowledge within a network of interactions. The debate on multidimensional proximities in the theoretical field of economic geography is a key analytical framework for understanding the collaborative processes between actors. In this context, the present dissertation aimed to analyze the effects of geographic and organizational proximity in the interactions of research groups in the health sciences of the state of São Paulo with their partners. The health area is key to a country's development agenda, because in addition to its social relevance, the sector has significant importance in the generation, use and diffusion of innovations. Its systemic and multidisciplinary characteristics reinforce the understanding that the flow of knowledge generation in this field of knowledge is based on the interactions of different actors, and these are fundamental for the success of innovative activities. The choice to analyze the research groups in São Paulo is justified by the fact that this is the state with the greatest relevance in research in the area of health sciences in Brazil. The dissertation used data from the 2016 Census from the Directory of Research Groups of the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (DGP/CNPq). The empirical model adopted is based on the Conway-Maxwell-Poisson distribution. The use of the COM Poisson model allows dealing with the subdispersion existing in the dependent variable adopted in the work, presenting a more robust estimation with the characteristics of the base. The main results obtained indicate that both geographic proximity and organizational proximity positively influence the establishment of interactions between research groups in the area of health sciences with their partners. However, organizational proximity had a greater effect than geographic proximity on the formation of interactions, indicating that geographic proximity may play a more indirect role in knowledge transfer, strengthening the other dimensions of proximity. It is also observed that the research groups analyzed here mainly establish partnerships with universities

Impacto de las políticas brasileñas de Ciencia y Tecnología en la actividad investigadora de las universidades federales: Un estudio cienciométrico del período 2003-2015

En las últimas décadas Brasil se ha convertido en un país que a pesar de sus carencias supo salir adelante y hacer uso de sus recursos para expandirse y acrecentar su presencia en la esfera internacional. Por su dimensión geográfica, población y el peso de su economía, juega un papel fundamental especialmente en la región de América del Sur. Desde que se considera parte del grupo de países BRICS al ser una potencia emergente, ya se han ofrecido diversos marcos teóricos que buscan explicar este fenómeno. Han sido largos años de definición de programas y estrategias orientadas a transformar el país, para que hoy en día sea posible decir que ha logrado captar y retener el interés de la comunidad internacional. El delineamiento de sus políticas públicas para la ciencia, tecnología e innovación han influido sobre todo en la promoción de la investigación científica, en el desarrollo tecnológico y en los procesos de democratización de acceso y de internacionalización de la educación superior brasileña. En este contexto, la presente tesis doctoral se presenta como un estudio cienciométrico cuyo objetivo es analizar el impacto de tres de estas políticas públicas (Programa de Apoyo a los Planes de Reestructuración y Expansión de las universidades Federales, Programa Ciencia sin Fronteras y la Ley de la Innovación Tecnológica de 2004) en la actividad investigadora del sistema universitario brasileño, entre los años 2003-2015. Por ser un sistema heterogéneo, diversificado y segmentado, se profundiza en el caso de las 63 universidades federales. Para desarrollar el estudio se han analizado las políticas mencionadas para identificar sus objetivos y definir sus puntos comunes. Seguidamente se ha elaborado un marco analítico que permitió delimitar tres dimensiones: CRECIMIENTO, CALIDAD e INTERNACIONALIZACIÓN de la actividad científica, para cuya operacionalización se ha construido una matriz de indicadores de inputs y de outputs. Utilizando fuentes de información oficiales y bases de datos bibliográficas, en cada una de las dimensiones abordadas se han identificado las variables más relevantes utilizando test estadísticos descriptivos y multivariantes. Si bien el mayor aporte de la presente tesis es el desarrollo conceptual y metodológico, los resultados obtenidos permiten observar que el crecimiento y la intensidad de la actividad de las universidades federales, durante el período estudiado, ha sido exponencial (en términos de número de alumnos, becas de investigación, profesorado, instituciones creadas), al igual que su producción científica y tecnológica (publicaciones y patentes). En cuanto a la calidad, esta es creciente especialmente en la formación de recursos humanos, pero no tanto en su producción. Por su parte, el notable impulso a la internacionalización, también ha tenido resultados positivos en diferentes aspectos como la colaboración científica junto a centros extranjeros. Estos resultados evidencian que Brasil, y especialmente las universidades federales, han hecho un esfuerzo importante en pos de la mejora y actualización del sistema universitario que está empezando a dar sus frutos. Como conclusiones se puede apreciar que la expansión del sistema universitario brasileño y su entrada en la comunidad internacional ya se han producido, pero queda aún por dar un paso más hacia la mejora de la calidad.In recent decades, Brazil has become a country that, despite its shortcomings, has managed to move forward and make use of its resources to expand and increase its presence in the international sphere. Due to its geographical dimension, population and the weight of its economy, it plays a fundamental role especially in the South American region. Since it is considered part of the group of BRICS countries to be an emerging power, various theoretical frameworks that seek to explain this phenomenon have already been developed. There were long years of defining programs and strategies aimed at transforming the country, so that today it is possible to say that it has managed to capture and retain the interest of the international community. The delineation of its public policies for science, technology and innovation influenced, above all, the promotion of scientific research, technological development and the processes of democratization of access and internationalization of Brazilian higher education. In this context, the present doctoral thesis is presented as a scientometric study whose objective is to analyze the impact of three of these public policies (Program to Support the Restructuring and Expansion Plans of the Federal Universities, Science Without Borders Program and the Law of Technological Innovation of 2004) in the research activity of the Brazilian university system, between the years 2003-2015. As it is a heterogeneous, diversified and segmented system, the case of the 63 federal universities is detailed. The aforementioned policies were analyzed to identify their objectives and define their common points. Next, an analytical framework was elaborated that allowed to delimit three dimensions of the scientific activity: GROWTH, QUALITY and INTERNATIONALIZATION. A matrix of indicators of inputs and outputs was built. Using official information sources and bibliographic databases, in each of the dimensions the most relevant variables were identified using descriptive and multivariate statistical tests. Although the main contribution of this thesis is the conceptual and methodological development, the results obtained allow us to observe that the growth and intensity of the activity of the federal universities, during the period studied, was exponential (in terms of the number of students, research grants, teaching staff, institutions created), as well as its scientific and technological production (publications and patents). In terms of quality, this is growing especially in the training of human resources but not so much in their scientific production. The remarkable impulse to internationalization also had positive results in different aspects such as scientific collaboration with foreign research centers. These results show that Brazil, and especially the federal universities, made an important effort in order to improve and update the university system that is starting to give results. As conclusions can be seen that the expansion of the Brazilian university system and its entry into the international community have already occurred, but there is still one more step towards improving quality.Nas últimas décadas, o Brasil tornou-se um país que, apesar de suas deficiências, conseguiu avançar e fazer uso de seus recursos para expandir e aumentar sua presença na esfera internacional. Dada sua dimensão geográfica, população e peso da sua economia, esse país desempenha um papel fundamental, especialmente na região sul-americana. Desde que foi considerado parte do grupo BRICS de países emergentes, vários quadros teóricos já surgiram para explicar esse fenômeno. Foram longos anos de definição de programas e estratégias voltadas para a transformação do país de modo que, atualmente, é possível dizer que conseguiu-se capturar e reter o interesse da comunidade internacional. O delineamento de suas políticas públicas de ciência, tecnologia e inovação tem influenciado, sobretudo, a promoção da pesquisa científica, o desenvolvimento tecnológico e os processos de democratização do acesso e internacionalização da educação superior brasileira. Nesse contexto, a presente tese de doutorado apresenta-se como um estudo cientométrico cujo objetivo é analisar o impacto de três dessas políticas públicas (Programa de Apoio aos Planos de Reestruturação e Expansão das Universidades Federais, Programa Ciência sem Fronteiras e Lei de Inovação Tecnológica de 2004) na atividade de pesquisa do sistema universitário brasileiro, entre os anos 2003-2015. Por se tratar de um sistema heterogêneo, diversificado e segmentado, detalha-se no caso das 63 universidades federais. Para desenvolver o estudo, as políticas mencionadas foram analisadas para identificar seus objetivos e definir seus pontos comuns. Em seguida, elaborou-se um quadro analítico que permitiu delimitar três dimensões da atividade científica: CRESCIMENTO, QUALIDADE e INTERNACIONALIZAÇÃO. Para operacionalização, construiu-se uma matriz de indicadores de entradas (inputs) e saídas (outputs). Utilizando fontes de informação oficiais e bases de dados bibliográficas, em cada uma das dimensões abordadas, as variáveis mais relevantes foram identificadas por meio de testes estatísticos descritivos e multivariados. Embora a principal contribuição desta tese seja o desenvolvimento conceitual e metodológico, os resultados permitem observar que o crescimento e a intensidade da atividade das universidades federais, no período estudado, tem sido exponencial (em termos de número de alunos , bolsas de pesquisa, corpo docente, novas instituições criadas), bem como sua produção científica e tecnológica (publicações e patentes). Quanto à qualidade, observou-se que está crescendo, especialmente em quanto à formação de recursos humanos, mas não tanto na produção cientifica. Por outro lado, o notável impulso à internacionalização também teve resultados positivos em diferentes aspectos, como na colaboração científica com centros estrangeiros. Esses resultados mostram que o Brasil, e especialmente as universidades federais, fizeram um esforço importante para melhorar e atualizar o sistema universitário que está começando a dar frutos. Em conclusão, ressalta-se que a expansão do sistema universitário brasileiro e sua entrada na comunidade internacional já ocorreram, mas ainda faltam dar alguns passos no sentido de melhorar a qualidade.Esta investigación no habría podido concretarse sin la financiación de la beca de doctorado en el exterior otorgado por la agencia CAPES de Brasil (proceso n. 0846-13-9), y a la beca Iberoamérica Santander investigación 2016/2017.Programa Oficial de Doctorado en Documentación: Archivos y Bibliotecas en el Entorno DigitalPresidente: José Carlos García Zorita.- Secretario: Carlos A. Suárez Balseiro.- Vocal: Leilah Santiago Bufre