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The Association between Researchers’ Conceptions of Research and Their Strategic Research Agendas

João M. Santos
João M. Santos
 y 
Hugo Horta
Hugo Horta
   | 21 nov 2020
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Article Category: Research Paper
Publicado en línea: 21 nov 2020
Páginas: 56 - 74
Recibido: 09 ene 2020
Aceptado: 20 jul 2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jdis-2020-0032
Palabras clave
© 2020 João M. Santos et al., published by Sciendo
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

j.jdis-2020-0032.apptab.001.w2aab3b7c31b1b6b1ab2b3ab3Aa

Strongly disagreeDisagreeNeither agree nor disagreeAgreeStrongly agreeN/A
Solving1The main purpose of research is to identify problems that need to be solved.
Truth1Research is fundamentally about finding out the truth.
Misc3Research is about collecting data back your argument.
Misc1If followed correctly, research procedures will always yield positive results.
Insight3Research extends current concepts to obtain a deeper understanding.
Re1Research means looking for what previous research has failed to uncover.
Solving3Research is about finding solutions to problems.
Re3Research is a systematic investigation to find out if there are facts that were left out by previous researchers.
Insight1Research means an in-depth study of a particular topic.
Truth3Research is done in order to determine the truth about something.
Re4Research means finding out more information about something previously researched.
Re2Research is there to challenge research that has been done before.
Misc2Good research specifically gathers data that will support the researcher's preconceived ideas.
Insight4In answering or understanding something, new ideas present themselves for further investigation.
Insight2Research stimulates further interest or work in a particular topic.
Truth2Research is about revealing the truth.
Misc4For some activity to be called “research” it must involve experimentation.
Solving4Research means collecting data to help solve a particular problem.
Truth4Research is a process for establishing what is true about something.
Solving2Research is basically about solving problems.

Descriptive statistics.

Quantitative VariablesMSD
MDRAI-R dimensions (Dependent variables)Scientific Ambition5.0730.946
Divergence5.0670.918
Collaboration5.1890.826
Mentor Influence2.9061.407
TTLF4.2101.339
Discovery5.5050.922
Academia Driven4.0311.040
Society Driven4.0661.121
CoRI dimensionsTruth-seeking, research as3.8720.982
Misconceptions about research2.6580.949
Problem-solving, research as3.8040.728
Re-research, research as3.5430.743
Insightful process, research as4.3020.530
Control VariablesAge50.75112.034
Years Since PhD18.12912.533
Qualitative VariablesN%
Gender
  Male5,69166.52%
  Female2,86433.47%
Field of Science (FoS)
  Natural & Agricultural Sciences2,49929.21%
  Engineering and Technology1,76120.58%
  Medical and Health Sciences1,98723.23%
  Social Sciences2,04923.95%
  Humanities2593.02%
Research University (top 500)
  Yes1,83821.48%
  No6,71778.51%
Career internationalization
  Yes6,42375.08%
  No2,13224.92%

j.jdis-2020-0032.apptab.002.w2aab3b7c31b1b6b1ab2b3b1b5Aa

Completely disagreeStrongly disagreeDisagreeNeither agree nor disagreeAgreeStrongly agreeCompletely agreeN/A
A1I aim to one day be one of the most respected experts in my field.
A2Being a highly regarded expert is one of my career goals.
A3I aim to be recognized by my peers.
A5I feel the need to constantly publish new and interesting papers.
A6I am constantly striving to publish new papers.
A7I am driven to publish papers.
DV1I look forward to diversifying into other fields.
DV2I would be interested in pursuing research in other fields.
DV4I would like to publish in different fields.
DV5I enjoy multi-disciplinary research more than single-disciplinary research.
DV6Multi-disciplinary research is more interesting than single-disciplinary research.
DV8I prefer to work with multi-disciplinary rather than single-disciplinary teams.
COL2My publications are enhanced by collaboration with other authors.
COL4I often seek peers with whom I can collaborate on publications.
COL5I enjoy conducting collaborative research with my peers.
COL7My peers often seek to collaborate with me in their publications.
COL8I am often invited to collaborate with my peers.
COL12I am frequently invited to participate in research collaborations due to my reputation.
M2Part of my work is largely due to my PhD mentor.
M3My research choices are highly influenced by my PhD mentor's opinion.
M4My PhD mentor is responsible for a large part of my work.
M6My PhD mentor largely determines my research topics.
TTLF1Limited funding does not constrain my choice of topic.
TTLF2Highly limited funding does not constrain my choice of topic.
TTLF3The availability of research funding for a certain topic does not influence my decision to conduct research on that topic.
TTLF4I am not discouraged by the lack of funding on a certain topic.
D2I would rather conduct revolutionary research with little chance of success than replicate research with a high probability of success.
D3I prefer “innovative” research to “safe” research, even when the odds of success are much lower.
D4I would rather engage in new research endeavors, even when success is unlikely, than safe research that contributes little to the field.
D9I am driven by innovative research.
O1My choice of topics is determined by my field community.
O9I often decide my research agenda in collaboration with my field community.
O6I adjust my research agenda based on my institution's demands.
O7My research agenda is aligned with my institution's research strategies.
S1I decide my research topic based on societal challenges.
S4Societal challenges drive my research choices.
S5I often strive to engage in issues that address societal challenges.
S2I choose my research topics based on my interactions with my non-academic peers.
S3I consider my research topics myself, but this consideration often occurs after I hear what my non-academic peers have to say about these topics.
S6I consider the opinions of my non-academic peers when I choose my research topics.

Effects of conceptions of research on research agenda setting.

AmbitionDivergenceCollabMentorTTLFDiscoveryAcademiaSociety
Truth0.069*** (0.011)−0.034*** (0.011)−0.008 (0.010)0.021 (0.017)−0.025 (0.016)0.048*** (0.011)−0.026** (0.012)−0.114*** (0.013)
Misconceptions0.056*** (0.013)0.014 (0.013)−0.026** (0.012)0.277*** (0.020)0.078*** (0.019)−0.040*** (0.013)0.165*** (0.014)0.150*** (0.015)
Problem-solving0.064*** (0.016)0.157*** (0.016)0.127*** (0.015)0.034 (0.025)−0.044* (0.024)0.068*** (0.016)0.113*** (0.018)0.310*** (0.019)
Re-research0.104*** (0.016)0.025 (0.016)0.029** (0.014)0.087*** (0.024)0.017 (0.023)−0.020 (0.016)0.085*** (0.017)0.030* (0.018)
Insightful process0.258*** (0.021)0.118*** (0.021)0.241*** (0.019)−0.127*** (0.032)0.085*** (0.030)0.312*** (0.021)−0.030 (0.023)−0.060** (0.024)
Gender (Male)0.091*** (0.022)−0.010 (0.022)0.030 (0.019)0.034 (0.033)0.237*** (0.032)0.101*** (0.022)−0.172*** (0.024)−0.121*** (0.025)
Age−0.020*** (0.002)−0.007*** (0.002)−0.002* (0.001)−0.006** (0.002)0.022*** (0.002)0.001 (0.002)0.000 (0.002)0.016*** (0.002)
Time since PhD0.010*** (0.002)−0.002 (0.002)0.004*** (0.001)−0.024*** (0.002)−0.005** (0.002)0.005*** (0.002)−0.016*** (0.002)−0.021*** (0.002)
Research universities (top 500)0.046* (0.026)0.020 (0.026)0.009 (0.023)0.031 (0.039)−0.053 (0.037)0.054** (0.026)−0.134*** (0.028)−0.080*** (0.030)
FOS (Engineering and Technology)−0.034 (0.028)0.157*** (0.029)−0.078*** (0.025)0.021 (0.043)0.046 (0.041)0.129*** (0.029)0.072** (0.031)0.444*** (0.032)
FOS (Medical and Health sciences)0.075*** (0.028)0.082*** (0.028)0.140*** (0.025)0.142*** (0.043)−0.120*** (0.041)0.015 (0.028)0.154*** (0.031)0.389*** (0.032)
FOS (Social sciences)0.089*** (0.028)−0.061** (0.028)−0.010 (0.025)−0.002 (0.043)0.488*** (0.041)0.067** (0.028)−0.172*** (0.031)0.628*** (0.032)
FOS (Humanities)0.119** (0.059)0.044 (0.060)−0.229*** (0.053)−0.231** (0.090)0.743*** (0.086)0.245*** (0.060)−0.355*** (0.064)0.398*** (0.068)
Career internationalization0.098*** (0.024)0.087*** (0.024)0.017 (0.022)−0.136*** (0.037)0.107*** (0.035)0.137*** (0.024)0.003 (0.026)−0.074*** (0.028)
Country controlsYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
Observations8,5548,5558,5547,9208,5518,5548,5548,551
R-squared0.1470.0790.1080.1720.1030.0890.1630.206
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