Institutional mechanisms for enhancing the uptake and use of doctoral research outputs from Makerere University

Abstract

Increasing emphasis is currently put on doctoral education as a source of capacity for innovation and socio-economic development worldwide. The purpose of doctoral research has been re-expressed and expanded in terms of not just its academic value, but its wider societal value. As such universities have an obligation to enhance the uptake and use of doctoral research outputs. I was impelled by concerns about the low uptake and use of research outputs and innovations produced by staff and students at Makerere University. I examined the institutional mechanisms for enhancing the uptake and use of doctoral research outputs at Makerere University in regard to the climate for research use, research production, linking research to action and research evaluation using the Research Knowledge Infrastructure framework developed by Ellen et al. (2011) as the analytical lens. I subscribe to the interpretivist world view, as such, I used the qualitative single case study research design. I collected data through interviewing and documents review. I purposively selected 10 doctoral program coordinators, three managers of research and graduate training, and 13 PhD students. I reviewed seven institutional documents pertaining to graduate training in Makerere University; two plans, three policies, one framework, and one guideline. I used thematic data analysis to make sense of the data. The findings reveal that Makerere University aspires to enhance and promote the uptake and use of research outputs and innovations generated by staff and students as one of the key drivers of becoming a researchled university. But, institutional mechanisms for enhancing the uptake and use of doctoral research outputs beyond the scientific community were inadequate. The climate for use of doctoral research outputs was unsupportive, doctoral research production was purely academic, doctoral research outputs were not developed in collaborative contexts limiting the proactive dissemination of research outputs to potential users, there were no clear mechanisms for linking doctoral research to action, and doctoral research evaluation was narrow and purely academic. I conclude that the current institutional policies, frameworks, guidelines, structures, processes and practices of doctoral education are not supportive to enhance the uptake and use of doctoral research outputs. As such, uptake and use of doctoral research outputs at Makerere University was dismal. I recommend that the University should establish and integrate support mechanisms in doctoral research training to enhance the uptake and use of doctoral research outputs beyond the scientific community.