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1、Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference of Teaching and Learning (ICTL 2009)INTI University College, MalaysiaRELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TEACHING AND RESEARCH: CONFLICT OR HARMONY? WITH SPECIAL FOCUS ON GUILAN UNIVERSITY (FACULTY OF HUMANITIES), IRANAbbas SadeghiGuilan University, Iran (asadeghi_20
2、03)ABSTRACTThis paper reports a case study conducted by an experienced writer at Guilan University (Faculty of Humanities) on the relationship between research and teaching. It explored even though, there are some contradictions and conflicts in dynamic higher education, and apparently no deep and r
3、eal conflict is present between research and teaching theoretically. Practically, there is much financial constraints in research for Iran compared to the western countries. And also, teaching assessment is more difficult than research; it is assumed that research is in higher status than teaching.
4、The paper concluded that closer relationship between research and teaching could provide the basis for a program to improve the quality of teaching. Such a program is underpinned by the view that students understandings should be taken seriously. INTRODUCTIONThe main aims of this paper are, to ident
5、ify a possible understanding and to achieve a better understanding of the relationship between teaching and research in higher education with focus on Guilan University (Faculty of Humanities). The Oxford English dictionary defines university as the whole body of teachers and students at a particula
6、r pace, the higher branches of learning. The problem of whether teaching and research in higher education institutions support each other or conflict with one another has become a matter of urgent public importance. Elton (1986) emphasized that the university grants has decided to be selective in it
7、s research funding to universities. Sutherland (1994) pointed out that the role of academic staff is changing. The idea of what counts as university lacks clear criteria and abrupt swings of government policy had affected the expansion of universities. It seems, one of the most important factor, whi
8、ch universities are challenging with, is the linkage between teaching and research. This factor particularly affects student learning especially deep learning, which is the most crucial for all educational systems as a matter of quality.GUILAN UNIVERSITY (FACULTY OF HUMANITIES)Guilan Province is loc
9、ated in the North of Iran, near the Caspian Sea. It has several state and private universities such as Guilan University, Open Universities (Azad) in several cities, Distance University (Payam Noor) in several cities and also some Scientific, Applied Comprehensive Universities. Guilan University whi
10、ch has nearly 7000 students was founded in 1975. There are 6 faculties in the University namely Pure Science, Agricultural, Technical and Engineering, Physical Education, Natural Resources in the city of Someh Sara and Humanities.Humanities Faculty with nearly 2000 students has 10 departments such a
11、s Law, Management (Trade and Industrial), Educational Sciences (Counseling), Social Sciences, Percale Literature, English Literature, Psychology, Islamic Education, and Arab Literature in undergraduates Guilan studies department and also Social Sciences, Persian Literature, Psychology and Industrial
12、 Management in postgraduate (M.A) level. This Faculty has almost 80 teaching and research academic staffs who do their research programs through faculty research affairs committee and the Guilan studies department.DEFINITIONS OF RESEARCH AND TEACHINGResearchResearch, in the content of the university
13、s assertion that the quality of teaching rests on sound and relevant research, encompass the different matters. Some of them are as follow: Discovering, dissemination and interpretation of new knowledge: The application of principles from existing bodies of knowledge to modeling and design; The use
14、of existing knowledge in experimental development to produce new or substantially improved material, devices, products or process. Also, according to Woodhouse (1998) research is an intellectually controlled investigation, which leads to advances in knowledge through discovery and codification of ne
15、w information or the development of further understanding about existing information and practice.TeachingThere are many definitions for teaching, which sometimes cause problem on the concentration of the process precisely. As Newton (1981) mentioned, it has been argued that one of the primary obsta
16、cles to the improvement of teaching has been the failure to define good teaching, its components and identifications. The writer of this paper brings only one definition of teaching, which is implied, to learning directly. UTDC (1998) indicated that teaching is a multidimensional activity that seeks
17、 to promote the quality of learning through a student-centered introduction between the teacher and also student and curriculum.TEACHING VERSUS RESEARCH?Dynamic Higher EducationAccording to Clark (1983), Baurdieu (1988), Becher and Kogan (1992), higher education institutions maybe described in vario
18、us ways. We may identify a number of tensions and contributions felt almost daily in the university. These contradictions can be defined in different forms such as teachers versus students, administration versus academic, hard versus soft disciplines, permanent versus temporary positions, younger ve
19、rsus older generations, males versus females, and also teaching versus research.Vammila (1995) and Henkel (2000) pointed out that there are a number of studies, which show that academics feel strongly about the problems caused by the desire/wish to do research and to teach. Also, Henkel (2000) impli
20、ed that, these indicates not only that normally, academics would like to conduct research and produce new knowledge but also that teaching is often felt as a duty that hinders research. However, according to Bleiklie and et al (2000) the combination of teaching and research belongs to the traditiona
21、l basic tasks of modern universities and the idea of the unity of teaching and research. One of the reasons, why this should be so, may lie in the fact that they are like archaeological strata lying below the surfaces of present universities. One of the main challenges here is finding a way to make
22、the relationship between teaching and research a fruitful and reciprocal one. Which One Has a Higher Status, Teaching or Research in Higher Education?According to Ball (1989) the saying “education is easy and research is difficult” does not mean that education is easy to do and research is practical
23、ly difficult to do. In his point of view research has been the soft option and education is the challenge. There are so many answers for this question. The most important of them are related to the financial problem and difficulty of teaching assessment.Financial ProblemPart of the answer to the abo
24、ve-mentioned questions is related to financial problem. Rowland (1996) believed that the recent arrangement for funding teaching and research in some countries such as U.K were generally held to favor rather than to consider teaching measures as being the more significant determinant of further fund
25、ing. However, there are some differences of view about how this would work.Some emphasize that it would feed into the quality, some others express improving the research rating is the most effective way of improving the quality of teaching, because it would draw in extra funds, which could be used t
26、o reduce the size and thus improve learning. Some others think an improvement in research rating would enhance the departments reputation and make it more attractive to students, thereby enabling the department to select a higher quality student intake, which would improve the quality of learning. I
27、n the light of the emphasis within current higher education agendas that include lifelong learning, employability skills and research capability, linking teaching and research is also attracting the attention of funding councils in the U.K. It seems, teaching benefits from research and scholarly act
28、ivities. Conversely teaching contributes to the development of research to exploit this system. Thus the relationship between teaching and research needs to be actively managed.Teaching Assessment The other part of the answer to the question is about the teaching assessment, which is more difficult
29、than research. In one hand, research can be assessed by the traditional methods of peer review leading to publications, although several have criticized on how it works in practice. Teaching, on the other hand is a largely private affair. According to Haslsely and Trow (1971) one of the chief disadv
30、antages of being primarily a teacher is that ones reputation, well, earned is essentially intangible and wide recognition depends on the word of mouth communication of ones colleges. Also, Becher and Kogan (1980) emphasized that teaching has remained in a realm of private, unspoken and armature. The
31、 question is, how desirable would the evaluation process be? In other word, how is the evaluation of teaching to be institutionalized? Boyer (1994) has raised the question about how peer evaluation, student evaluation and self-evaluation have the potential of creating this kind of change and how use
32、ful are the categories of teaching and research?According to Becher (1989) a university is a complex organization of academic staff that comes from widely ranging disciplinary cultures or tribes. However, the question is how useful are the concepts of teaching and research for describing academic st
33、aff practices? Bourdieu (1988) mentioned that such typifications for the roles of academic prevent them from conceptualizing the university field, because they fail to recognize the particular case in all its complexion and survey. In Halsey and Trows view (1971) this is a limitation of wide ranging
34、 surveys and in Elton and Partingtons view (1993) it is a general discussions which in other ways have thrown light on the teaching versus research debate.These difficulties were reflected in much that some academic staff believes, the term of teaching means giving lectures, whereas supervision is s
35、een as an aspect of the academics research. What becomes clear is that although people normally use terms of teaching and research in a relatively unproblematic fashion, once some of them began to think of their academic activity in a more specific detail, the two terms became much more closer to ea
36、ch other. It seems the distinction between teaching and research may owe more to demand for accountability than to logical differences for instance between academic roles.THE LINKS BETWEEN TEACHING AND RESEARCH Research and teaching are the two principal activities in universities. However, they are
37、 often seen as separate. The links between them have been increasingly discussed internationally within higher education. A number of universities notably those that claim to be research led institutions, have given attention to how to ensure that these links are made and incorporated into both unde
38、rgraduate and postgraduate courses. Linking teaching and learning goes beyond involving students in research activities or exposing them to the research of their tutors. Its most comprehensive dimension offers many new opportunities for curriculum development. Becher and Kogan (1980) stressed that t
39、he relationship between the breath of academic pursuit and its disciplinary basis is not fixed. While it was suggested that pure science departments will more naturally practice narrow approaches to research.As we know, universities are dealing with larger numbers of students, arguably with fewer re
40、sources. In this situation, new modes of learning, delivering and assessment will be needed in order to meet the needs of students, staff, institutions and current agendas relating to lifelong and independent learning and personal skills development by students.Linking between teaching and research
41、is essential because this linkage: Recognizes the importance of both and the synergy created by the interrelationship; Gives credibility to the university and its academics; Promotes and supports learning and teaching as a process of intellectual enquiry and discovery rather than as memorizing and r
42、egurgitating bodies of existing knowledge discovered by others; Keeps subjects based on up-to-date research; Stimulates students interest in research and developing their own research skills and areas of interest; Leads to students own research skills and areas of interest; Keeps lecturers and stude
43、nts up-to date with new discoveries and ideas; Generates new ideas as lecturers and students spark off each other; Clarifies ideas and directions; Makes teaching interesting and relevant Builds up a community of scholars enhancing the universitys reputation as a center of excellence and providing op
44、portunities for collaboration among lecturers and students on publications. Enhancing Learning through ResearchAccording to Garnett and Holmes (1995) one obvious way in which research is used in teaching is in underpinning curriculum, especially at postgraduate level. Research can be incorporated in
45、to teaching to enhance learning in a number of other ways: Patrick and Willis (1998) believed, if research findings are disseminated in lectures and tutorials, the intended learning outcomes of the course need to be considered, to ensure that the information is discussed and is useful to the student
46、s. Garnett and Holmes (1995) stated that research can provide teachers with a framework for the development of up-to-date course material and research related projects. Brew and Bound (1995b) stressed that latest research into teaching and learning suggests that actively engaging with content is a w
47、ay of gaining in depth understanding of the contents. An effective way of achieving that is by having students carry out research. Also, according to Garnett and Holmes (1995) learning can be enhanced by being involved in discussion about the ideas and thus increasing the opportunity for inquiry and
48、 critique. Garnett and Holmes (1995) pointed out that having students (specially graduates) engage in research that is relevant to their professional and academic interests in particularly is useful in establishing and maintaining links between theory and practice. This helps to keep both teachers a
49、nd students in touch with industry, professional practice and world affairs.Patrick and Willis (1998) believed that linking between research and teaching in one hand and research and learning in the other hand will engage students and teachers into a collaborative research. This is useful for inducting students into research method
