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Background: A paucity of qualitative research on sensitive topics that focuses on participants with intellectual disabilities leaves their views unexplored. This scoping review mainly aimed to provide an overview of qualitative data collection methods used in research involving participants with intellectual disabilities to explore death and dying. Method: A scoping review of primary research and methodological papers published between January 2008 and March 2022 was conducted. The PRISMA-ScR checklist was followed. Results: We identified 25 articles utilising four data collection methods: interviews, focus groups, the Nominal Group Technique, and participant observation. Data collection trends were identified, including accommodations for participants with intellectual disabilities, visual media used as a facilitator, and reporting of distress protocols. Most participants had mild to moderate intellectual disabilities. Conclusions: The included studies demonstrate a flexible approach that relies on the use of multiple methods. Future research must adequately report study characteristics to ensure transparency and reliability.

Over the past three decades, various efforts have been made to develop special education policies and services in Syria. However, to guarantee the improvement of special education services and to develop sustainable national enhancements during both the emergency and reconstruction phases of the Syrian Civil War, it is necessary to continue to address the intersectional ways by which people with disabilities have been disproportionately impacted. This paper provides an update on disability and special education in Syria, including a brief account of the historical development of, impact of the civil war on, and major current challenges for the field of special education. These challenges include, but are not limited to, inadequate financial resources, a scarcity of integration programs, negative social attitudes because of a lack of knowledge, limited accessibility to services, and barriers to appropriate disability programmes. Recommendations for action are also offered. Further, we provide suggestions to improve special-education services for people with disabilities in Syria, as well as to develop sustainable national improvements for them.

The South African government announcement on revisiting the Policy for the Recognition of Higher Education Institutional Types has caused anxiety and ambivalence among Universities of Technology (UoTs), institutions that lack a solid foundation for conducting leading research. Most underperforming UoTs feared a possible downgrade or de-classification from being universities to becoming university colleges by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), potentially triggering attrition of experienced academic staff and students to prominent research-intensive universities. Paradoxically, this ambivalence has also stimulated renewed public interest and discourse on the constitution of research excellence and productivity for greater impact and their significance in UoTs contexts, as universities compete for academic existence, space and relevance amid highly demanding multiple stakeholders in the global community. Addressing specific aspects of research excellence and productivity, this conceptual paper employs Institutional Theory, secondary data of research productivity and the researcher's reflective insights to locate specific disciplinary areas where one UoT (hereinafter called 'Protea University') demonstrated formidable strength and research excellence areas it downplayed that require improvement. The study also proposes concrete strategies for transitioning this university to become a world-class leading research university in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) world. The study proposes differentiated academic promotion criteria, research impact-lead international collaborations, benchmarking of the research practices and habits of research-intensive universities, innovation and consultancy-driven third-stream income generation and advancement of science communication as areas this UoT can build on to promote its image, reputation and drive of becoming a leading university on the African continent.

Despite relatively recent, higher education has evolved into a consolidated field of study. This paper examines how this field evolved in Portugal. The goal was to understand when it first appeared, how it evolved over time, which scientific areas was it associated with, and what have been its main objects of study. Tight's classification of objects of study was used to inspire content analysis, which was used to systematise information on doctoral theses in higher education held or recognised in Portugal between 1970 and 2019. Descriptive statistics completed this analysis in accordance with the study objectives. The study findings reveal that the number of theses on higher education-related themes or subthemes has increased over time, particularly in the last decade. Two major clusters of objects of study were also identified, one more relevant, focusing on "Teaching" and "Learning" and Students and the other, less representative, focusing on "System Policies", "Quality", "Institutional Management", and "Academics". Moreover, findings suggest that research in higher education in Portugal is focused on the 'usual' scientific areas, namely social sciences, and education. Despite some limitations, the study adds significantly to the understanding of higher education as a field of study, opening-up new avenues for future research.

The need to include indigenous perspectives in curricula is a challenge facing education internationally. In the context of higher education, decolonising practices and processes are the responsibility not just of institutions but also individual academics. Despite individual aspirations to decolonise teaching, it can be difficult to know where to start. Our aim is to guide others to engage in teaching practices that seek to decolonise. To do this we outline our respective teaching and research experiences that are united by our use of critical autoethnography in workshops we have designed for our respective teaching in different institutions. Our paper describes different ways to bring into focus the lived experience and nuanced views of groups who, through the process of colonisation, have not previously been given space or voice in higher education. Enabling the inclusion of indigenous enquiry within classroom settings provides a valuable decolonisation tool for groups such as the indigenous Maori population in Aotearoa New Zealand. Our practices seek to create space to prioritise storytelling, the sharing of researcher positionality, and personal identity in a way that centralises indigenous perspectives. We argue that these autoethnographic practices help teachers and students to hold hegemonic systems to account, explore strengths-based solutions and express aspirations for the future.

Objectives: The contribution of African authors to the biomedical literature is small. We evaluated the African and non-African scientific production published in the international literature on the COVID-19 in Africa during the first year of the epidemic (2020)., Methods: Papers on COVID-19 in Africa were extracted from the Medline (PubMed) database for bibliometric analysis including the proportions of three leading and last authors by study type, study country, authors' and laboratories/institutions' countries of affiliation and journal ranking., Results: A total of 160 articles fulfilling the inclusion criteria were analysed. The majority (91.3%) was produced by half (53.7%) of African countries, with important regional disparities, and generally without sources of funding mentioned. The majority (>85.0) of authors in lead positions (first, second, third and last authors) were Africans. Only a small number (8.7%) of studies on COVID-19 in Africa were carried out by laboratories not on the African continent (mainly Europe, USA and China) and generally received funding. The last and first authors were more frequently of non-African origin in journals with an Impact Factor ranking ≥1, and more frequently of African origin in journals with a lower ranking (< 1). The first and last non-African authors tended to report their studies in high ranking ≥1 journals., Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that the emergence of promising African research capable of publishing in indexed but low-impact factor medical journals and reveals the persistence of a North-South asymmetry in international cooperation in biomedical research with Africa., (© 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide scholars with a robust, easy-to-follow structural model for crafting compelling academic publications. Recognizing the diversity of research methodologies and genres, the paper proposes the symmetry of specificity framework as a guide to maintaining coherence, depth and relevance across different sections of an academic paper. Design/methodology/approach: This paper presents a theoretical framework – "symmetry of specificity" – through an iterative approach inspired by supervision and examination of theses, writing and reviewing research papers and editorial work. The framework builds upon the established IMRAD model and uses the concept of symmetry to explain the structural elements of academic publications. Its unique contribution lies in elucidating the two-dimensional funneling process that takes place within academic writing, and providing a nuanced understanding of how to maintain balance between different sections. Findings: The symmetry of specificity framework introduces a novel perspective on academic writing, emphasizing the concept of "symmetry in specificity". It shows how maintaining a balance in detail and focus across different sections of a research paper can significantly enhance its coherence and relevance. By elucidating the interaction between theory and data in research writing, it provides valuable insights into the nuances of crafting a compelling academic paper. Research limitations/implications: While the proposed symmetry of specificity framework may not be universally applicable across all types of research, it provides a solid foundation for the development of alternate structures tailored to specific research paradigms. There is ample opportunity for future research to explore adaptations of this model for various types of academic writing, offering a fresh perspective on structuring academic publications and potentially sparking new discussions and innovations in this realm. Practical implications: This framework can aid both novice and experienced scholars in structuring their research papers effectively. By offering a conceptual roadmap, it guides the writer through the complex process of academic writing, from crafting the methodology and analysis sections to articulating compelling conclusions. Thus, it serves as a useful tool in enhancing the quality and impact of research communication. Originality/value: This paper presents a unique approach to structuring academic publications that goes beyond the conventional IMRAD model. By offering a theory-based structural model, it contributes to an underexplored area in academic writing and opens up new avenues for pedagogy and practice in research communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the conceptual framework for positioning a government-funded higher education institution (HEI)in the Philippines as a regenerative university. It grounds the notion that academia should rethink and redefine Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through regenerative development and futures thinking. While Davao Oriental is home to a rich biological, social, and cultural heritage, this paper outlines how an academic institution can contribute to its protection, conservation, management, and regeneration. The end goal is to mainstream regenerative futures in the university's four-fold functions: instruction, research, extension, and production. Consequently, the paradigm shift aims to influence local communities to engage in a shared regenerative future that would equally benefit the environment and human societies.

Universities have increasingly been subjected to policy- and industry demands to produce multi- and interdisciplinary knowledge. This paper explores the extent to which different higher education policy instruments are used to promote interdisciplinarity in teaching and research at universities in the German higher education system comparing them across different federal states. Based on a manifest content analysis of higher education laws and performance agreements with universities in the 16 German states, we were able to distinguish between three types of states: Those a) with a general use of policy instruments aimed at all universities in a state, whereas considerable differences could be observed with regard to the degree of coercion (enabling versus prescriptive provisions) and scope (teaching or research), b) a directed use of policy instrument, targeting specific universities, and c) a hybrid use of policy instruments using both general and directed elements. This paper provides a novel mapping of the promotion of interdisciplinarity in German higher education policies through a variety of policy instruments and hereby contributes to the extant literature on interdisciplinarity in higher education.

Background: The gap between research and practical implementation remains a major challenge for policymakers. Research co-creation, involving researchers co-designing and co-producing research with industry, government and civil society, can support improved end user uptake and better research implementation. Aims and objectives: This Practice Paper introduces a process of research co-creation based in implementation science and integrated knowledge translation theories. It details the development of the Infrastructure Engagement Excellence Standards (IEE), a framework of 10 Standards defining the qualities of community engagement for optimal infrastructure planning and delivery. The paper details a research co-creation process applicable across a variety of industries and policy settings. Key conclusions: The Practice Paper introduces a theory-based method for research co-production and discusses strengths and weaknesses of the co-creation approach used to develop the IEE Standards. Implementation science and integrated knowledge translation theory offer important insights to support more successful research co-design and co-production. Research that incorporates these theories is better positioned to achieve implementation. The creation of the IEE Standards offers one helpful example of how researchers, policymakers and practitioners can begin to close the research-implementation gap.

The replication crisis in the social, behavioural and life sciences has spurred a reform movement aimed at increasing the credibility of scientific studies. Many of these credibility-enhancing reforms focus, appropriately, on specific research and publication practices. A less often mentioned aspect of credibility is the need for intellectual humility or being transparent about and owning the limitations of our work. Although intellectual humility is presented as a widely accepted scientific norm, we argue that current research practice does not incentivize intellectual humility. We provide a set of recommendations on how to increase intellectual humility in research articles and highlight the central role peer reviewers can play in incentivizing authors to foreground the flaws and uncertainty in their work, thus enabling full and transparent evaluation of the validity of research., (© 2021. Springer Nature Limited.)

It is reported that engineering for play-based settings is a new body of knowledge under debate and contradictory. Many studies show how play-based settings are full of engineering possibilities for young children, whilst others have identified missed engineering teaching possibilities. In order to better understand the research, this paper answers the questions, 'How is engineering knowledge being constructed through research into play-based settings?', and 'What do the results show for practice and future engineering research for preschool settings?' To answer these questions, a critique of those studies which focused on engineering education in play-based settings was undertaken. By examining existing studies in relation to the study designs and the results, this paper reports on how categories of engineering knowledge were established and how knowledge was constructed for engineering education for play-based settings. Using cultural-historical theory, the results show that studies of play-based setting have primarily been guided by practices from only some engineering professions, knowledge construction is based on both pre-defined and emergent categories, and research has tended to focus mostly on constructing (e.g. blocks). Gendered engineering knowledge was also identified, suggesting only partial understandings of engineering education evident. The critique not only identified knowledge construction that positively contributes to scholarship but also found gaps in what was being studied, thereby contributing to research by cautioning against full acceptance of the existing analytical concepts in the literature and suggesting that the building of a broader set of analytical categories for future research is needed.

Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, digital learning has become the most efficient learning and teaching technique adopted across the world. The pervasiveness of Personalized and Adaptive Context-Aware Mobile Learning (PACAML) technologies is improving the academic performances of learners by providing an efficient learning platform that supports social interactivity, context sensitivity, connectivity, and individuality in a ubiquitous manner. Several studies have demonstrated the efficacy of PACAML in a modern and innovative educational environment. Based on the recent studies and development of mobile learning technologies, there is clearly a gap in the research that provides a comprehensive body of knowledge on PACAML. In this paper, a review has been conducted on the existing PACAML, analyzing the recent research and development progress using Kitchenham et al. (2009) for systematic reviews. The review was conducted on 25 papers which were selected using the PRISMA technique to put forward the quality criteria that are based on the research aims, objectives and knowledge relevant to the study of PACAML. The results identified the contextual information used in the PACAML studies, the infrastructural requirements of PACAML, the application of PACAML in functional educational settings and the major methodological approaches applied in the studies of PACAML. Finally, the paper presents challenges and future directions that will be of interest to researchers in the educational technologies in the context of PACAML.

Using comparable legal information, and empirical data from over 2000 members of the UK's University and College Union and 2000 staff in universities of the European states, gathered by means of similar surveys, this paper is a comparative assessment of the "de jure" protection for, and the "de facto" levels of, academic freedom enjoyed by academic staff in the UK, when compared to their EU counterparts. The paper examines the legal and constitutional protection for academic freedom and the current levels of, and changes to, the two substantive elements (freedom to teach and freedom to research) and three supportive components (autonomy, governance and tenure) of academic freedom. The study reveals that UK academic staff believe that there is a low level of protection for academic freedom and that it has declined, both in general, and with respect to the two substantive elements and three supportive components of academic freedom. Similar trends are evident in the EU states, but statistical tests reveal that for every measure utilised, the decline in academic freedom is significantly greater in the UK than in the EU states.

The aim of this study was to compare bibliometric indicators of scientific productivity in physical activity (PA) in children and adolescents with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and Down syndrome (DS) in the PubMed database. A bibliometric study was conducted for the last 5 years (2017 to 2021). The data collected for each article were: year of publication, language of publication, country, journal name, and type of paper. The results showed that there was higher scientific productivity in the population with DS (20 studies) relative to their counterparts with ASD (31 studies). The language of publication in both cases was English. There were 10 countries that published on PA in ASD and 14 countries that published on DS. Overall, the greatest interest in publishing on PA in children and adolescents with ASD was in North America (6 studies), followed by Asia (5 studies) and Europe (4 studies). In the DS population it was in Europe (13 studies), North America (9 studies) and South America (4 studies). Nineteen journals were identified that published in the ASD population and 29 journals in DS. Six experimental studies were identified in ASD and 7 in DS. There was a higher scientific productivity with original studies. There was a positive trend of increasing scientific productivity over the years in both populations. We suggest the need to promote research on PA in both populations, regardless of the type of study, as it is an indicator of overall health status.

During the past decade, responsible research assessment (RRA) has become a major science policy goal to advance responsible research and innovation and open science. Starting with the DORA declaration in 2012, common understanding of the needs and demands of RRA has been shaped by a growing number of initiatives, culminating in a European Commission supported Agreement on reforming research assessment published in July 2022. In this paper, we outline and investigate the normative framework for RRA, ranging from binding legal norms (hard law), rules of conduct which, in principle, have no legally binding force but which nevertheless may have practical effects' (soft law) to self-regulation in supranational (the European Union) and one national (Italy) context. As shown by our analysis of hard and soft legal sources for RRA, apart from constitutional and legal provisions regarding freedom of research, autonomy of universities and non-discrimination and gender equality, the legal foundation for RRA rests mainly on soft law and policy norms. In the discussion we relate the normative framework for RRA to research integrity guidelines and consider the challenges of ensuring coherent RRA implementation across countries and research funding and performing institutions. We conclude that self-regulation and soft law are good starting points and may pave the way for hard law down the line: this can be seen as the optimum mix of regulatory mechanisms to mainstream RRAs.

Compared to previous studies that generally detect scientific breakthroughs based on citation patterns, this article proposes a knowledge entity‐based disruption indicator by quantifying the change of knowledge directly created and inspired by scientific breakthroughs to their evolutionary trajectories. Two groups of analytic units, including MeSH terms and their co‐occurrences, are employed independently by the indicator to measure the change of knowledge. The effectiveness of the proposed indicators was evaluated against the four datasets of scientific breakthroughs derived from four recognition trials. In terms of identifying scientific breakthroughs, the proposed disruption indicator based on MeSH co‐occurrences outperforms that based on MeSH terms and three earlier citation‐based disruption indicators. It is also shown that in our indicator, measuring the change of knowledge inspired by the focal paper in its evolutionary trajectory is a larger contributor than measuring the change created by the focal paper. Our study not only offers empirical insights into conceptual understanding of scientific breakthroughs but also provides practical disruption indicator for scientists and science management agencies searching for valuable research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the interrelations between academic disciplines and society beyond academia by the case of sociology in Norway. For that purpose, this paper introduces the concept of disciplines' societal territories, which refer to bounded societal spaces that are shaped by the knowledge of a discipline, premised on the linkages between the discipline and its audience. By mapping sociologists' reported contributions to societal changes beyond academia, the paper firstly shows how societal territories are established by sociologists' recurring engagement with certain topics and research users. Secondly, it traces the interactions between researchers and their users, and identifies four ideal typical pathways by which the cognitive territory of Norwegian sociology is transformed into societal territories. A key observation is that the establishment of societal territories is co-determined by the structures of research use among its audience. As for the case of sociology in Norway, questions therefore arise over the interdependency between sociologists as knowledge 'suppliers' and the 'demand side' for research, and the autonomy of the sociological discipline in selecting its focus of attention.

This article discusses some implications of working supportively with art and design students who manage mental health conditions in a postgraduate environment in a New Zealand University. The paper begins with a discussion of contesting research that considers relationships between highly creative thinkers and certain mental health conditions. It then proposes that, irrespective of arguments around correlations, supervisors are able to make a significant contribution to supporting candidates who combine autobiographically sourced knowledge with artistic inquiries into the experience of living with a mental health condition. In considering this proposition, the paper employs two case studies that illustrate certain strategies that proved useful when seeking to maximise the chances of successful and productive thesis completions. Working in tandem with wider institutional and therapeutic support, these strategies functioned alongside each candidate's research journey. Eight of these approaches are discussed in relation to a pedagogically responsive, informed and creatively supportive environment in which the students were able to develop complex and insightful research projects.

In 2015, Willem Halffman and Hans Radder published in "Minerva" a paper, in which they diagnosed that our universities are colonized by "The Wolf of management." Using the example of the reforms afflicting the Polish academic world, I show that this colonization has intensified, and apart from the processes described in the aforementioned paper, it brought consequences that have changed academic culture: research is subjected to publication policy, many academic activities are treated as a hobby, researchers must be in a stand-by mode to react quickly to new regulations, and responsibility for the institutional prestige is collective. I argue that the attempts to reduce research results into numbers and algorithms stem from a quest for objectivity and a mistrust of academics' (and the Wolf's) ability to pass fair judgments. The Wolf tries to realize a utopian dream: the building of a structure that by necessity secures the productivity of research, which in turn brings the prestige of institutions, ultimately measured by rankings. Yet, prestige is not an epistemic but rather a political value, and when academics are forced to aim at prestige, vital academic values are endangered. Any efficient resistance to the Wolf requires grassroots work on the part of academics. By reconsidering the nature of research and education as well as their role in society, academics might be able to develop viable alternatives to the "productivist university." This requires cooperation with broader society. As such, the alternative of either remaining in the ivory tower or submitting to the Wolf is a false dilemma. [For Halfmann and Radder's 2015 article, see EJ1064958.]

This paper discusses the precariousness of an academic profession in contemporary Slovakia and Poland. Although some of the patterns have been previously studied, this analysis sheds new light on the problems of Polish and Slovak academia as seen by foreigners, who, according to official policy, are expected to contribute to the excellence of Polish academia. In reality, low wages and underfinanced universities often make their work very difficult. The analysis is focused mainly on the issues related to low salaries and ways that allow foreign-born employees to secure extra income necessary to maintain the desired standard of living. Even if, for some interviewees, local salary is sufficient to live in CEE, other academics have higher demands because of their family situation (e.g., "international children"), extra travel expenses for private purposes, or spending on bilingual education in Poland or Slovakia. Foreign-born academics living in Poland and Slovakia compensate for low salaries in three distinct ways discussed in the paper -- by taking various academic and non-academic extra jobs, acquiring external funding from their home country's government, or relying on family economic resources.

Purpose: Digital literacy is not the mere ability to use a digital device or know to use various software. It is a domain of exploration for sociology, psychology, education and, of course, technology. This study aims to present a quantitative analysis of the literature on digital literacy using a bibliometric approach. Design/methodology/approach: Using data from the Web of Science database, the importance of the research is evaluated by reviewing 2307 publications and examining the yearly publication, field category productivity, citation structure, most cited resources, documents, most-cited authors, most productive authors, and country in the field of digital literacy. Further, a cluster analysis is conducted to see the most recurrent keywords and emerging trends in this field. At last, the authors analyzed the thematic progression of keywords over these five years based on the normalized citations. Additionally, a graphical representation of the bibliometric data using VOSviewer is presented in the paper. Findings: The results suggest a steady rate of publication in this field, with most of the research published in education and library fields and the USA leading the country in this realm. The emerging themes in this field are 'Fake News', 'Competence', 'Educational Technology', 'Health Literacy', 'Self-Efficacy' and, interestingly, 'COVID-19'. The results also revealed that COVID-19 has been examined and associated with fake news, higher education, social media and information literacy. Originality/value: This paper provides an overall summary of the most recent research work published from 2017 to 2021 on digital literacy in the backdrop of COVID-19. The study presents the thematic progression over the years and particularly the new keywords that emerged in the limelight of the pandemic. It contributes by updating the existing body of knowledge in the field of digital literacy and presents preliminary results related to COVID-19.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has taught everyone that long-term planning and execution, which have always been taken for granted, are not a given. In many contexts, stagnation was the initial outcome of hard lockdowns. As international travel ground to a halt, the lack of mobility seriously hampered scholarly personal interaction as an essential part of the career development of especially early-career researchers. While the focus of this paper is not on the current or future effects of the pandemic, the temporary inaction associated with COVID might be seen as a wake-up call for an active, rigorous effort towards sustainable development. Education faculties and their research entities have a duty towards both early-career and established researchers to develop strategies through which a steady development path can be maintained despite local, national and international disruptions. The notion of sustainable development of researchers' career trajectories implies a long-term approach to incessant growth, expansion and skills improvement, leading to maintained and increased productivity as well as higher-quality research outputs. This paper explores strategies that may be followed by authorities and individuals that focus on a positive career trajectory for both early-career and established researchers. The question to be answered is how continuous development can be facilitated. The answers lie, inter alia, in stimulating a lifelong interest in research during pre-graduate and doctoral students' introduction to research theory and practice, constantly building capacity through increased research skills levels. Mentorship offered by established researchers can also be seen as part of their own prolonged development. In addition, of equal importance is the development of the ability among individual researchers and project groups to take responsibility for their own career trajectory.

The purpose of this review study was to conduct a thematic exploration of prior studies related to the transition between primary and secondary school. The aim of the paper was to discover (1) the extent of earlier research, (2) how earlier research thematises social and emotional issues, and (3) suggestions of those studies concerning how to improve schools. Searches were conducted across four international databases of peer-reviewed research to identify articles published in the last decade on the topic 'transition between primary and secondary school'. Articles related to social and emotional issues were further selected, and thematic analysis was conducted on the selected 29 articles to identify the topical focus. This review study draws attention to the importance of understanding challenges related to the transition between primary and secondary school. Overall, the analysed studies indicate that this is an important focus for educational research. Key issues related to support and wellbeing/bullying have emerged, which clarify the importance of further research in this field. The present study may also contribute to increasing awareness among policy makers and school leaders of the challenges related to the transition between primary and secondary school.

Systematic literature reviews are common in social research for integrating and synthesising existing research. This paper argues that the outcomes of such reviews are affected by the choice of bibliographic databases. It presents evidence of substantial variation across three large electronic databases (Scopus, Web of Science and EBSCO) in a study on employee retention and staff turnover. It considers the specific articles, numbers returned, numbers shared across databases and perceived quality of journals hosting the retrieved articles. Results show that only 130 articles (5.7% of 2267 retrieved) were found common to all three databases, suggesting that decisions on how and where literature is retrieved can substantially affect the results of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. The findings caution against the use of single databases and claiming comprehensiveness. The paper reflects on how additional literature search methods (e.g., contacting experts, citation indices) and their sequence of use can affect systematic review quality.

Since the introduction of the concept of entrepreneurial university in 1980s, the number of studies has dramatically increased, in particular since 2015. This had made the literature on the entrepreneurial university complex, fragmented and difficult to navigate. This paper provides a comprehensive review of all topics covered in the body of literature on the entrepreneurial university and identifies the most salient topics and papers within this literature, making use of text-mining techniques. Our paper employs topic modelling that reveals the underlying semantic structure of texts to identify the different underlying. Our study systematically analyses 1,110 papers over the period 1983-2020 using the Latent Dirichlet Allocation algorithm. Our analysis shows that the entrepreneurial university is fragmented around different topics that are very diverse. We find a total of 20 differentiated topics. Our study suggests that topics related to the overarching theme of academic entrepreneurship, in particular to commercialisation of research and the triple helix model are very popular within the entrepreneurial university literature. Finally, our analysis reveals that case-study type of research is losing momentum, giving path to nascent topics of research in the areas of entrepreneurial capability and university-industry alliances, which are becoming very popular within the entrepreneurial university literature.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to review empirical research on the measurement of employability, conducted in a 23-year period from 2000 to 2022. Design/methodology/approach: A systematic and extensive search of the literature was conducted to select a set of studies that fit the inclusion criteria and addressed the research questions. These studies were conducted worldwide and published anytime from 2000 to 2022. The process of data extraction involved a tabulation of common themes across the studies. Thereafter, the data from the studies were analysed and interpreted to arrive at the findings. Findings: The findings of this paper show variations in the measures of employability with respect to location, data points, domains and indicators of employability applied. Based on the type of indicators of employability applied, the studies can be categorised as those applying subjective indicators, objective indicators or a combination of the two. Research limitations/implications: The paper observed that there has been a great focus on measuring employability using subjective indicators. However, in order to help individuals face the unpredictability of fractious labour markets, going ahead, this measure will not be sufficient. Empirical research needs to focus on applying holistic measures of employability combining both subjective and objective indicators. Originality/value: This paper presents a detailed categorisation of measures of employability. Thereby, the paper provides useful insights to help practitioners choose a suitable measure of employability for future studies. The paper also makes a case for widening the scope of present measures to apply the construct of employability effectively.

Purpose: This paper aims to examine the possible link among the African Development Bank (AfDB), Results Measurement Framework 2016-2025 and the research published at institutions of higher education on the continent in the last five years. The unregulated commercialisation of higher education in most African countries has been prone to large-scale abuse through wanting curriculum development and processes accruing to competence, skills needy and job market disoriented graduates. Design/methodology/approach: This study took a qualitative literature review analysis where research papers published in the last five years on higher education in Africa were searched. These were from Google and Semantic scholar and these were categorised in a detailed concept matrix. Findings: Findings indicate that there is hardly a connection between the AfDB Group development agenda on the continent and the research conducted and published by institutions of higher learning on the continent. Practical implications: Universities should prioritise a needs-based research agenda in their strategic planning and this implies commitment in terms of funding, human resource competency empowerment and partnerships with development agencies on the continent. African institutions of higher learning have not emphasised applied research practices to tackle pervading knowledge needs on the continent. Just like findings indicate, research in most of these institutions has been donor driven. Originality/value: This study brings to speed the fact that if transforming Africa is going to take a strategic direction in the post-COVID-19 era, then partnerships between higher education institutions and development agencies operating on the continent will be an inevitable venture.

Vaccines and treatments produced during the global coronavirus crisis demonstrated the importance of university research and teaching. There was widespread celebration of university-industry partnerships and collaborations across disciplines and geographical locations. However, simultaneously, higher education institutions in England faced serious financial and organisational challenges throughout the pandemic, which has implications for the relationship between teaching and research, for who undertakes each, and for the students' experience of teaching and learning (some of whom become the next generation of researchers). The rapid movement to online learning created further tensions within an already demoralised, precarious and divided workforce. This paper considers the potential social good of universities' two core missions, research and teaching in a post-pandemic world, exploring the inherently political nature of the link, as well as its encoded inequalities and dysfunctions. Drawing on documentary and secondary data analysis, this paper explores, first, the long-standing sectoral and institutional discrepancies through analysing trends in student recruitment rates and research funding. Second, it investigates how student and staff experiences of the link between research and teaching were changing in the pandemic, pointing to substantive equity issues in how the pandemic response affected access to research opportunities and to research-led teaching. The paper argues that a more equitable and inclusive university that appreciates the research-teaching nexus and is flexible and collaborative in nature is key to contribute to tackling global and local challenges, such as environmental destruction, climate change, conflict and socio-economic inequities.

This paper represents the third in a three-part series intended to challenge the social validity of the services provided by a university-based practicum for addressing the challenging behavior of individuals with disabilities. In this paper, we surveyed referring stakeholders (e.g., parents, teachers) of past service recipients to explore the acceptability of the service model's goals, methods, and outcomes. We probed for tensions resultant from the model's threefold mission (service, training, and research) and explored how conflicts between these goals affected the quality of our services. Generally, results were favorable and appeared to support continued model implementation, but not without qualification. Emergent themes, areas for improvement, and future directions for intervention research are all discussed.

Performance assessment is permeating increasingly diverse domains of higher education, even in areas previously perceived to be too complex and idiosyncratic to quantify. The UK's attempts to assess 'research impact' within the Research Excellence Framework (REF) are illustrative of this trend and are being closely monitored by several other countries. A fundamental rationale for employing narrative case studies to assess impact within REF, rather than taking a (less resource intensive) quantified approach, was that this would allow for the variation, complexity and idiosyncrasy inherent in research impact. This paper considers whether this promise of narrative flexibility has been realised, by analysing a combination of REF impact case study reports and interviews and focus group discussions with actors involved in case study production. Informed by this analysis, our central argument is that the very quality which allows narratives to govern is their ability to standardise performance (albeit whilst retaining a degree of flexibility). The paper proposes that REF impact case studies position narratives of impact as technologies of governance in ways that restrict the 'plot line' and belie the far more complex accounts held by those working to achieve research impact. This is partly because, as research impact becomes institutionalised within universities' measurement infrastructures, higher education institutions become impact gatekeepers, filtering out narratives that are deemed overly complex or insufficiently persuasive, while perpetuating particular approaches to recounting tales of impact that are deemed likely to perform well. Crucially, these narratives not only describe impact but actively construct it as an auditable phenomenon.

Purpose: The paper aims to show the impact of insider/outsider researcher positionality and the lessons from researching the social construction of HIV stigma and sexual health-seeking behaviour within black sub-Sahara African communities (BSSA). Design/methodology/approach: The paper is a reflection on the impact of researcher positionality based on lessons learnt following a research study on the social construction of HIV stigma and sexual health-seeking behaviour within BSSA communities. Findings: Researcher positionality has a direct impact on the quality and nature of study outcomes. Depending on the nature and circumstances of a given research study, the researcher status in terms of position (insider or outsider) can be dynamic and instrumental in the level of participation by research participants. In this paper, the authors consider three important interdependent aspects central to conducting research including researcher identity, research participants and the research topic to assess the impact of researcher status on the quality and nature of the information provided by the research participants. Originality/value: A researcher who is viewed as both an insider/outsider can either positively or negatively influenced the quality and nature of the information given by the research participants.

Purpose: This paper aims to contribute to deepening insights on social media in agricultural research by presenting a case study on how a research and education centre in Mexico connected, communicated, and interacted in a research and education community on Twitter. Design/methodology/approach: By using a Social Network Analysis (SNA) approach, 1585 tweets were analysed. The data was gathered using NodeXL. Afterwards, SNA was performed through the igraph R package. Findings: The dynamic of virtual interaction around an agricultural research and education centre shows that different roles are needed to connect and foster the interaction on Twitter, as well as to spread information broader. While some accounts are functioning as creators of information, others act as consumers and diffusers of it, and a few more accounts play both roles. Practical Implications: To increase the size and strengthen the interaction of a network on Twitter, it is advisable to have the support of other accounts and to promote its use among potential users. This requires capabilities to develop a social media strategy and pro-actively engage new followers. Theoretical Implications: Through a SNA approach, it is possible to understand better the functions of weak and strong ties in virtual settings, i.e. the former to extend the network, and the latter to strengthen it. These ties can enhance information dissemination and enable exchanges on social media. Originality/value: This paper applies SNA as a theoretical and methodological framework to demonstrate that the interactions among users are different when a whole network is analysed, and when it is divided into the mentions and retweets networks. By doing this, hidden patterns are revealed.

Purpose: Program evaluation stands as an evidence-based process that would allow institutions to document and improve the quality of graduate programs and determine how to respond to growing calls for aligning training models to economic realities. This paper aims to present the current state of evaluation in research-based doctoral programs in STEM fields. Design/methodology/approach: To highlight the recent evaluative processes, the authors restricted the initial literature search to papers published in English between 2008 and 2019. As the authors were motivated by the shift at NIH, this review focuses on STEM programs, though papers on broader evaluation efforts were included as long as STEM-specific results could be identified. In total, 137 papers were included in the final review. Findings: Only nine papers presented an evaluation of a full program. Instead, papers focused on evaluating individual components of a graduate program, testing small interventions or examining existing national data sets. The review did not find any documents that focused on the continual monitoring of training quality. Originality/value: This review can serve as a resource, encourage transparency and provide motivation for faculty and administrators to gather and use assessment data to improve training models. By understanding how existing evaluations are conducted and implemented, administrators can apply evidence-based methodologies to ensure the highest quality training to best prepare students.