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Academics’ Societal Engagement in Diverse European Binary Higher Education Systems: A Cross-Country Comparative Analysis

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This article aims to investigate whether national differences in the institutionalization of the binary divide between universities and Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS) lead to different outcomes in performing Academics’ Societal Engagement (ASE). Two institutional theory-based core differences of European binary higher education (HE) systems were used to select a theory-led purposeful sample: First, the sequence of UAS-institutionalization and ASE-policy emphasis and second the political drive for a practically oriented research drift. Based on the Finnish, German and Portuguese survey data provided by the cross-country study “Academic Profession in Knowledge Society,” three dimensions of ASE are derived: techno-commercial ASE, dissemination ASE and training-related ASE. These ASE-dimensions cover the diversity of ASE across different disciplinary fields. Survey results of the Finnish sample show that all three ASE-dimensions are more strongly performed by UAS-academics than by university-academics. In Germany, robust stronger correlations of research (productivity) and all three ASE-dimensions for UAS-academics, compared to university-academics, were observed. In Portugal, convergence of ASE performed by UAS-academics and university-academics was indicated. Thus, core country-differences in the institutionalization of ASE in binary HE-systems are reflected in the results.

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Acknowledgements

The research in this article was supported in Germany by the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (grant number M522200); in Portugal by the project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-029427- funded by FEDER, through COMPETE2020 - Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI), and by national funds (OE), through FCT/MCTES; and, in Finland by University of Lapland.

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  1. International Centre for Higher Education Research Kassel, University of Kassel, Moenchebergstr. 17, 34109, Kassel, Germany

    Nicolai Götze

  2. University of Aveiro and CIPES, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-183, Aveiro, Portugal

    Teresa Carvalho

  3. Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Lapland, Yliopistonkatu 8, 96100, Rovaniemi, Finland

    Timo Aarrevaara

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Götze, N., Carvalho, T. & Aarrevaara, T. Academics’ Societal Engagement in Diverse European Binary Higher Education Systems: A Cross-Country Comparative Analysis. High Educ Policy 34, 88–109 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41307-020-00222-w

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