February 26, 2006

“The strongest policy claim that derives from meta analysis is that universities need to set as a mission goal the improvement of nexus between research and teaching. The goal should not be publish or perish, or teach or impeach, but we beseech you to publish and teach effectively. The aim is to increase the circumstances in which teaching and research have occasion to meet, and to provide rewards not only for better teaching or for better research but for demonstrations of the integration between teaching and research.” J. Hattie and H.W. Marsh, The Relationship between teaching and research: A meta-analysis.

A good teacher can also be a good researcher and vice versa. Although the relationship between research and teaching is complex, both are complimentary in nature. The debate on seeking a logical link between teaching and research is not new but there exists some confusion in academia about

using scientific methods of investigation in the process of teaching. The basis of that confusion may be questionable

but if an investigation is carried out

on the reasons why some teachers

are not doing research it becomes

clear that there exists some reluctance on the part of such teachers to strengthen their lectures by embarking on

in-depth research. If they were to do proper research, it would aid their teaching.

Teaching and research can be a good combination because expression of information and knowledge is only going to be possible when the person doing the expressing is engaged in research. Similarly, a researcher has an edge over others because he or she can use the vast reservoir created as a result of sustained reading and the transformation of that reading in his or her teaching. Since a researcher has developed sound writing skills such a capability can be effectively used in delivering thoughts in an effective manner. If a researcher can properly communicate ideas before an audience and a teacher can be tempted to do substantive research on a topic which he or she has been teaching then it is quite possible for a teacher to be a good researcher and vice versa.

But in real life academia we do not often see teachers who can do research or researchers who are interested in teaching. This happens because of a lack of interest or skills on the part of either. There are some societies where from the grassroots level the focus is on motivating students to participate in class discussion and in facilitating the development of their analytical skills. In such a situation it is easier to find people who want to carry out research.

Those students who do decide to conduct research do not merely concentrate on carrying out their various investigations they also keep themselves busy disseminating their ideas and thoughts to students and fellow researchers/faculty through lectures or presentations. The education system in the developed world places a premium on research. Promotions and other incentives are denied to university teachers if they do not produce quality research or do not bring funds through their research projects. Courses on research and methodology are compulsory in good universities so that students get training in how to write a research article for submission to an indexed journal. This can serve them well in the future, especially for those who decide to become teachers themselves.

This also ensures that future faculty already has prior exposure to basic research and writing techniques. The end result of this kind of system — found in all good universities — is that one gets an individual who is a solid researcher as well as a good teacher. Such a combination is achieved because clear and effective communication skills, both in speaking and writing, are developed in that student through a process of interactive discussions, class assignments, term papers, books reviews, writing of monographs, research papers and dissertations.

There can be no short cut as far as seeking excellence in teaching and research is concerned. This is because such expertise is achieved only when the person concerned has an aptitude for both teaching and research and has the ability to disseminate his or her views and thoughts to a wide audience through class lectures, academic presentations, magazine and newspaper articles and research publications.

Of course, this is not to say that at the individual level there are no limitations. A teacher may only have a passion for teaching and may not be interested in writing and research. The reason for that may not necessarily be a reluctance to present one’s ideas and opinions for peer review but that the individual may simply be reluctant to transform his or her thoughts through research. Those researchers who are not able to effectively communicate face this problem because they may be shy or fear criticism. They may even be good at expressing themselves but the moment they feel that they have to face an audience they become hesitant to express themselves.

The way out is to get maximum confidence both in teaching and research through a rigorous process of learning. Realistically speaking, it is not possible for a researcher who has passed the bulk of his or her academic career just producing research papers to achieve excellence in verbal communication particularly when that researcher is reluctant to communicate before an audience. Similarly, a teacher cannot become a successful and brilliant researcher if he has not passed through a process of rigorous investigation of his ideas, opinions and knowledge.

In Pakistan the situation is quite depressing as far as the combination of research and teaching is concerned. The reasons for this are a poor educational system, lack of motivation and opportunity and the failure to ensure freedom of speech and writing. Without a fully functioning democratic political process, it becomes difficult to produce teachers and researchers who can combine both verbal and written communication skills for creating awareness among people to bring about social, economic and political change.

The quality of education, particularly in state-owned schools, colleges and universities is poor; whereas students who pass out from private institutions either go abroad for higher studies or join fields which do not permit them to have much of a wider impact on society. As long as government-owned educational institutions fail to teachers with good communication and research skills things will not change.

The presence of an environment in higher education that is often hostile to research is also not good. To add to this, most institutions of higher education, especially the colleges, do not require their faculty members to engage in research. At the university level, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) has now announced incentives for university teachers to carry out research but such a policy has come under criticism by a section of Pakistani academia for being guided more by favouritism than anything else.

The success of developed societies has much to do with the merger of teaching and research because the issues and problems that they face are addressed not in isolation but through the efforts of teachers who also happen to be researchers. Pakistan needs to create a research-friendly environment. This can be done not only by — as is being done by the HEC — giving incentives for research but also by institutionalizing linkages between teaching and research.

The writer teaches international relations at the University of Karachi. Email: amoonis@hotmail.com

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