The Polish Academic Profession: What We Know, What We Do Not Know, and What We Would Like to Know – from a European Comparative Perspective (original) (raw)
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Studies in Higher Education, 2015
This paper focuses on a generational change taking place in the Polish academic profession: a change in behaviors and attitudes between two groups of academics. One was socialized to academia under the communist regime (1945-1989) and the other entered the profession in the post-1989 transition period. Academics of all age groups are beginning to learn how tough the competition for research funding is, but young academics ('academics under 40'), being the target of recent policy initiatives, need to learn faster. Current reforms present a clear preferred image for a new generation of Polish academics: highly motivated, embedded in international research networks, publishing mostly internationally, and heavily involved in the competition for academic recognition and research funding. In the long run, without such a radical approach, any international competition between young Polish academics (with a low research orientation and high teaching hours) and their young Western European colleagues (with a high research orientation and low teaching hours) seems inconceivable, as our data on the average academic productivity clearly demonstrate. The quantitative background of this paper comes from 3704 returned questionnaires and the qualitative background from 60 semi-structured in-depth interviews. The paper takes a European comparative approach and contrasts Poland with 10 Western European countries (using 17,211 returned questionnaires).
The Internationalization of the Polish Academic Profession
Zeitschrift fuer Paedagogik. 2014. Vol. 60, No. 5. 681-695. , 2014
The internationalization of the Polish academic profession is studied quan- titatively in a comparative European context. A micro-level (individual) approach rely- ing on primary data collected in a consistent, internationally comparable format is used (N = 17 211 cases). The individual academic is the unit of analysis, rather than a national higher education system or an individual institution. Our study shows that research pro- ductivity of Polish academics (consistent with European patterns) is strongly correlated with international collaboration: the average productivity of Polish academics involved in international collaboration ("internationalists") is consistently higher than that of Polish "lo- cals" in all academic fields. Polish academics are less internationalized in research than the European average but the research productivity of Polish "internationalists" is much higher than that of Polish "locals". The impact of international ...
The internationalization of the Polish academic profession is studied in a comparative quantitative European context. Our study shows that research productivity of Polish academics (following European patterns) is strongly correlated with international collaboration: the average productivity of Polish academics involved in international collaboration ("internationalists") is consistently higher than the rate of Polish "locals" in all academic fields. The impact of international collaboration on average productivity is much higher in Poland than in other European countries studied, with important policy implications.
Developing the Academic Careers of Foreign Scholars in Poland: The Case of Krakow
This article discusses the professional careers of foreign scholars in Krakow, one of the leading academic centres in Poland and a regional 'silicon valley' (toutes proportions gardées). Central and Eastern Europe is understudied as an immigration region for highly skilled migrants (HSMs). To bridge this gap, we concentrate on three interrelated topics: (a) the perception of Polish science and its infrastructure ; (b) careers of international staff employed in Polish academia; and (c) their perception of their achievements in Poland. Foreign scholars come to Poland for various reasons. Two of the most important are the cultural proximity between Poland and their country of origin, and research interests focused directly in Poland. Our findings show that Poland attracts first and foremost scholars with average scientific achievements. We discuss major problems they encounter (e.g., shortage of funds, uncomfortable office space, restricted access to books and papers) and their expectations of life in a semi-periphery country. The paper is mainly based on in-depth interviews with 23 foreign scholars working full time at four universities in Krakow and, as a secondary source, on the analysis of websites of these universities.
The Academic Profession in 12 European Countries – The Approach of the Comparative Study
The Work Situation of the Academic Profession in Europe: Findings of a Survey in Twelve Countries, 2013
Higher education increasingly has become a topic of attention-both in the public discourse and in research activities. Systematic knowledge is becoming a more and more important resource for technological progress, economic growth, societal well-being and cultural enhancement. Higher education is the core institutional sector for the generation and dissemination of systematic knowledge and for training persons to handle knowledge in all sectors of society. As a consequence, attention is paid notably to the quantitative and structural development of higher education, to research, teaching and learning as well as to governance, organisation and funding of higher education (cf. various overviews in Clark and Neave 1992 ; Forest and Altbach 2006). The academic profession, i.e. the persons responsible for the core functions at higher education institutions and possibly at neighbour institutions (e.g. public research institutions and other tertiary education institutions), has not been in the limelight of discussion and analysis as often as other various key developments and activities of higher education. But the academic profession needs to be addressed as it has been become clear that the situation, the views and activities of the academic profession deserve special attention. In general debates about the characteristics of the academic profession, four issues tend to be underscored. First, the process of becoming a regular member of the academic profession clearly differs from that of other professions in that the
Media - Culture - Social Communication, 2023
This paper discusses the central assumptions as well as the organisation of studies into scholarly communication as seen through the eyes of early career researchers, which have been conducted for several years in eight countries, i.e. the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Malaysia, China, Russia and Poland. The research projects carried out between 2016 and 2022 (funded by Publishing Research Consortium, CIBER Research Ltd. and Sloan Fundation) involved conducting longitudinal interviews with scholars representing the fields of engineering and technology, medical and health sciences, science and life sciences, as well as social sciences. On the other hand, 2023 (National Science Centre project no. 2022/45/B/HS2/00041) saw the introduction of interviews with Polish early career researchers from previously unanalysed fields, namely the humanities, theological sciences and the fields of arts.
This is an empirical quantitative analysis of the official data coming from the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education. The foreign scholars in Poland at the beginning of the 21st century are presented in the context of the global “brain circulation” or migration of highly qualified specialists. The second context is the present Polish academic system. In this paper we discuss characteristics of the analysed data base, universities and colleges where the foreign scholars are usually employed, the academic disciplines they represent, the relations between the number of foreign scholars and the institutional prestige of schools employing them, and conclusions on what we can and cannot learn from the data set analysed here.
London and New York: Routledge, 2019
European academics have been at the centre of ongoing higher education reforms, as changes in university governance and funding have led to changes in academic work and life. Discussing the academic profession, and most importantly, its increasing stratification across Europe, Changing European Academics explores the drivers of these changes as well as their current and expected results. This comparative study of social stratification, work patterns and research productivity: * Examines eleven national, higher education systems across Europe (Austria, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Switzerland and the United Kingdom) * Provides a panoramic view of the European academic profession * Confronts misconceptions of academic work and life with compelling results and detailed analyses * Discusses new dilemmas inherent to the changing social and economic environments of higher education A thoughtful and comprehensive study of the changing academic profession in Europe, this book will be of interest to higher education practitioners, managers and policy makers, both in Europe and globally. Changing European Academics will benefit anyone whose work relates to changing academic institutions and changing academic careers. ................................................................ https://www.routledge.com/Changing-European-Academics-A-Comparative-Study-of-Social-Stratification/Kwiek/p/book/9780815396482..................................................... Table of Contents Series Introduction; Introduction: Changing Career Structures, Award and Recognition Systems, and Work Patterns; Chapter 1. Academic Performance Stratification: Inequality in the Knowledge Production; Chapter 2. Academic Salary Stratification: Productivity and Income; Chapter 3. Academic Power Stratification: Collegiality and University Governance; Chapter 4. International Research Stratification: International Collaboration and Productivity; Chapter 5. Academic Role Stratification: Patterns in Teaching, Research and Productivity across Academic Generations; Chapter 6. Academic Age Stratification: Predictable Careers in Volatile Institutional Environments; Chapter 7. Conclusions and Policy Implications; Statistical Appendices; Bibliography Features Presents a comprehensive, cross-national picture of the changing academic profession in Europe and confronts academics across Europe. Academics from major European systems and beyond can view their own academic trajectories within the mirror of a larger, cross-national story. Discusses new dilemmas inherent to the changing social and economic environments of higher education. Will feed into a range of study programmes within the field of education policy and higher education policy. Relevant at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels and in both in Europe and beyond. Author is highly regarded research and is internationally recognised. Summary European academics have been at the centre of ongoing higher education reforms, as changes in university governance and funding have led to changes in academic work and life. Discussing the academic profession, and most importantly, its increasing stratification across Europe, Changing European Academics explores the drivers of these changes as well as their current and expected results. This comparative study of social stratification, work patterns and research productivity: Examines eleven national, higher education systems across Europe (Austria, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Switzerland and the United Kingdom) Provides a panoramic view of the European academic profession Confronts misconceptions of academic work and life with compelling results and detailed analyses Discusses new dilemmas inherent to the changing social and economic environments of higher education A thoughtful and comprehensive study of the changing academic profession in Europe, this book will be of interest to higher education practitioners, managers and policy makers, both in Europe and globally. Changing European Academics will benefit anyone whose work relates to changing academic institutions and changing academic careers. From the author: The book is needed for several reasons. First, European academics have been at the very centre of ongoing higher education reforms in most European countries. Changes in university governance and funding have led to changes in academic work and life. Traditional theories of social stratification in science do not suffice to explain the directions of ongoing changes as viewed from a cross-European empirical perspective. Academics are in the eye of the storm, and this book shows selected dimensions of the drivers of change and their current and expected results. Second, only in the last decade did it become possible to study the academic profession – their academic attitudes, behaviours and perceptions – from a comparative European perspective. Until recently, it was difficult, if not impossible, to present a comprehensive cross-national picture of the changing academic profession in Europe. Most studies were single-nation, and most published research on the academic profession was country-specific, with chapters being devoted to academics in the context of various aspects of changing university governance and funding. Third, this book is needed because it provides a panoramic view of the European academic profession, specifically the university sector, in eleven national systems (Austria, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Switzerland and the United Kingdom). Until recently, gaining such a perspective was possible only at a very general level. The quantitative background is 17,211 questionnaires returned across Europe, and the qualitative background is 400 semi-structured in-depth interviews conducted across Europe as part of the global CAP and European EUROAC projects on the academic profession (“Changing Academic Profession” and “Academic Profession in Europe: Responses to Societal Challenges”, respectively). Third, this book is needed because it confronts misconceptions of academic work and life with compelling results and detailed analyses performed on large-scale primary empirical material collected across Europe. It asks traditional research questions in new empirical contexts, and it also asks entirely new questions that are pertinent to the changing conditions of academic work. Finally, this book is needed because it confronts academics across Europe with new dilemmas inherent to the changing social and economic environments of higher education, as seen in extensive empirical material. Academics from major European systems and beyond can view their own academic trajectories within the mirror of a larger, cross-national story.
European Educational Research Journal. Vol. 16(5), 645-669, 2017
In a recently changing Polish academic environment-following the large-scale higher education reforms of 2009-2012-different academic generations have to cope with different challenges. Polish academics have been strongly divided generationally, not only in terms of what they think and how they work but also in terms of what is academically expected from them following the reforms. This article explores intra-national cross-generational differences based on a combination of quantitative (surveys, N = 3704) and qualitative (interviews, N = 60) primary empirical evidence used according to the mixed-methods approach methodology and its 'sequential' research design. This article explores the major dimensions of the intergenerational divide between younger and older academic generations (and how they are related to both post-1989 developments and recent reforms). It shows the power of research at a micro-level of individuals, complementing the traditional research at aggregated institutional and national levels. Implications for Central European systems are shown.