A comparative multi-level investigation into the research productivity of South African academics in different university contexts: An interpretivist approach

A comparative case study methodology with multiple-stakeholder groups. The focus was to interrogate the research function at two different public universities to determine the conditions for improved research performance within the South African public higher education sector. Typically, Science and Technology Studies(STS) view science in terms of a social system and/or practice[s] and as such, the study embarked on examining aspects relating to research capacity, as well as the production and dissemination of research as influencing factors to research performance at multiple levels of analysis, namely, at individual and institutional levels. In addition, the investigation also scrutinized two national incentive schemes as social interventions from a program evaluation view in order to obtain a systemic view

Supervisor: Prof. Jan Botha