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Staff and students views about research-teaching
links - a case study
Charles BuckleyAcademic Development Unit, Bangor
University, Gwynedd, Wales UK.
Emergent themes The analysis generated 583
initial codes which were then further abstracted
and organized into three themes. The author
avoided early abstraction of data and attempted
to preserve the essence of in-vivo codes some of
which have been included in here for purposes of
transparency....in vivo is taken to represent a
code based on a verbatim term uncovered in one or
more data sources (Buckley and Waring, 2009,
321). 1. Researching to learn and learning to
research (differing conceptions of research) For
the staff interviewed in this project the term
research tended to be associated with
investigating unanswered questions and generating
new knowledge. Staff vocabulary emphasized the
need for some originality and tackling questions
which had been relatively new or areas which were
unexplored. In addition, research should be able
to move knowledge forward by looking for answers
that fill existing gaps. Student definitions
focused more on personal inquiry for deeper
understanding. Characteristic of many student
answers was the idea that research involved
personal endeavour. Research was thought to only
have real purpose at postgraduate level. In
addition, they sensed that the expectation for
them to conduct independent research was
introduced late in their programme with
insufficient emphasis on a spiralled curriculum
(their terminology). For many of the
staff, there was a sense that students needed to
experience a range of research skills early in
their undergraduate careers to emancipate them
from dependency on staff ...because we need
them to come up with their questions rather than
us, weve got to move away from that
question/answer, question/answer, we have to give
them the confidence to ask their own questions
and theyre quite good, theyre surprisingly
quite good at identifying these things. (Andrew,
4th March, 2008). 2. Helping some
of the tutors with their research There was a
clear indication from students and
acknowledgement by the staff that true ownership
and control of the research process lay with the
tutors. In their responses about opportunities
for research, students would usually make
reference to staff projects and being allowed to
support them. For example Sometimes just
whether wed like to come and help them out if
theyve got something going on (Tim, 28th March,
2008).
Introduction The research-teaching nexus is
central to higher education as well as students
intellectual development. Staff identity can be
developed by departments focussing on the nexus
(Jenkins, Healey and Zetter 2007). In the context
of an increasing interest in developing firmer
relationships between research and teaching,
there has been an acknowledgement that
understanding students experiences of research
and their relationship with staff is fundamental
(Brew 2007). This study set out to investigate
these relationships and explore staff and student
perceptions of research and teaching in the field
of sport studies. The
research-teaching nexus is complicated in the
ways that integration of research and teaching
varies by discipline (Colbeck 2007). Robertson
and Blackler (2006) suggest that students in
different disciplinary areas have varying ideas
about research. Sport Studies and related
subjects is one of the newer curriculum areas and
have seen dramatic expansion in recent times.
Although the term is interpreted slightly
differently, sport studies is a
multi-disciplinary subject area grounded in
theory but with a strong emphasis on practical
application.
Speculations and recommendations This research
highlighted the different perceptions between
staff and students about the meaning of learning
and research and particularly, the limited
involvement students have in the research
process, especially in the early stages of their
undergraduate programme. Ramsden (2001) has
argued that the main hope for realizing a
genuinely student-centred undergraduate education
lies in re-engineering the teaching-research
nexus. Such a nexus need not be led by academics
research interests, the research interests of
students are just as valuable. Some aspects of
the research-teaching nexus need to be given
particular attention throughout the curriculum in
a longitudinal and gradual way. These might
include the development of certain competencies
that are important in research (for example,
learning to work together, communication and
presentation skills). The author acknowledges
that this study was small-scale and investigated
staff and students from Sport Studies courses
which typically borrow from a range of
traditional disciplines such as psychology,
sociology, physiology and education. Future
research in this area might focus on
institutional policies and procedures which
actively promote or interfere with developing the
research-teaching nexus. In addition, there is a
need for further research which explores the
dynamics of staff and student relationships
within settings specifically designed to actively
encourage links between research and teaching in
different disciplines.

In -vivo codes in the early stages of analysis
reflected the subservient role often played by
the students in the research process Some of
these included Some make us read their
research, used their work, you have to do
what tutors want, doing it for the staff,
helping staff with their research they expect,
but dont give us specifics Ive talked about
her papers and being clear about their areas.
A third year student for example, talking about
opportunities to research a topic for the final
year dissertation stated I know with
psychology, the lecturers and supervisors were
pretty kind of strict about it, saying that if it
wasn't in this particular area, we wouldnt be
able to take you on. (Henry, 21st February,
2008).   These differentials in power relations
were also acknowledged by staff. For example,
Geoff stated others in the department that
are obviously doing their research but I think
their research takes them away from the students,
which interestingly might be it takes them away
from the audience they claim to be helping.
(19th February, 2008).
Staff Students
Investigating unanswered questions and generating new knowledge Personal inquiry for deeper understanding
Originality Personal endeavour
Unexplored areas Only has real purpose at postgraduate level

• References
• Braun, V., and Clarke, V. 2006. Using thematic
  analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in
  Psychology 3, 77-101.
• Brew, A. (2007, April). Research and teaching
  from the students perspective. Paper presented
  at Research and Teaching Closing the Divide.
  Paper presented at the International Colloquium
  in Winchester, England, UK.
• Buckley, C. A., and M. J. Waring. (2009). The
  evolving nature of grounded theory experiential
  reflections on the potential of the method for
  analysing childrens attitudes towards physical
  activity. International Journal of Social
  Research Methodology. 12 (4), 317-334.
• Burr, V. (1995) An Introduction to Social
  Constructionism. London Routledge
• Colbeck, C. (2007, April). A cybernetic systems
  model of teaching and research nexus. Paper
  presented at Research and Teaching Closing the
  Divide. Paper presented at the International
  Colloquium in Winchester, England, UK.
• Jenkins, A., M. Healey, and R. Zetter. (2007).
  Linking teaching and research in disciplines and
  departments. York Higher Education Academy.
• Ramsden, P. (2001). Strategic management of
  teaching and learning. In Improving student
  learning strategically, The proceedings of the
  9th Improving Student Learning symposium, held in
  2001 in Edinburgh. ed. Chris Rust Oxford Oxford
  Centre for Staff and Learning Development.
• Robertson, J. and Blacker, G. (2006). Students
  experiences of learning in a research
  environment. Higher Education Research and
  Development 25 (3), 215-229.

3. Developing our subject skills active inquiry
with the staff A clear preference was apparent
amongst the student group for being active in the
process of research. For example So I think the
way that we did it on the psychology course
worked better because you could go out there and
you could do the research and then kind of
understand better, why you then analyse the data
in this way and why we collected the data in this
way and to look on it that way rather than kind
of sit and get all the theory and then go out and
do it if you see what I mean, I preferred the way
round that we did it, I just found that easier.
(Jenny, 4th March, 2008). Many emergent codes
supported the notion of an action-based approach
and being in the field Prefer to be active
researcher, interacting with others,
integrate with class activity, like to do
stuff, learn on the job and prefer learning
in situ. This is likely influenced by the
subject discipline investigated in this project
and the experiences of most students during their
Sport Studies and Exercise Science courses. A
common thread from both staff and student
responses when discussing meanings associated
with research and learning was that of learning
being most effective when associated with action
and the importance of application of research
findings.
Method Semi-structured interviews were conducted
with a senior member of the sport staff and two
final-year undergraduate students studying a
sport-related degree in seven universities using
purposive sampling between October 2007 and April
2008. Most institutions were post 92
universities, two in Wales, the rest in England.
The sample provided a mix of research-intensive
and teaching-led universities and half of the
staff sample interviewed could be described as
research active. Interviews lasted between 35 and
50 minutes and were transcribed verbatim. The
data were processed using inductive thematic
analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2006). Emergent
latent themes were linked with the data
themselves within a constructionist
epistemological framework (Burr, 1995). The data
analysis involved the following stages

For further information Dr. Charles Buckley,
Academic Development Unit, Deiniol Building,
Deiniol Road, Bangor University, LL57 2UX.. E
mail c.a.buckley_at_bangor.ac.uk Tel 01248
383086 Please note that a version of this has
been accepted for publication in Innovations in
Education and Teaching International.