Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Teaching, Research, and Service Activities and Preferences in the Work Lives of New Zealand Early Career Academics

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Early Career Academics in New Zealand: Challenges and Prospects in Comparative Perspective

Abstract

From the reforms to the University of New Zealand in the 1960s, to the neoliberal marketisation of New Zealand universities in the 1990s, through to the performance-based funding era of the 2000s, New Zealand academics have increased both their teaching and their research activities and productivity. This chapter outlines the activities early career academics in New Zealand universities are engaging in on a daily basis, and asks about their preferences in terms of the core activities of a twenty-first century academic. It compares those findings with what early career academics elsewhere are doing, and also outlines the New Zealand early career academics’ confidence levels. It concludes with a questioning of the influence of performance-based funding.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. 1.

    I asked respondents the following question: “Generally speaking, what percentage of the time you spend on academic work goes to each of the following activities? Please make sure that your three entries add up to 100% overall.” Supervision was included under research, while service and administration were either to the institution or the community, but related to their role as academics.

  2. 2.

    Go8 is a coalition of research-intensive Australian universities: University of Adelaide, Australian National University, University of Melbourne, Monash University, University of New South Wales, University of Queensland, University of Sydney, and University of Western Australia.

  3. 3.

    The full list can be found in the appendix to Chap. 8.

  4. 4.

    The question was, “From your experience working with early career academics, how would you rate the impact that the PBRF has had on their academic experience?”

References

  • Ashcroft, C. (2006). Academics’ experiences of Performance-Based Research Funding (PBRF): Governmentality and subjection. PhD thesis. Dunedin: University of Otago.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ashcroft, C. (2007). Constituting academics as neo-liberal subjects: Research assessment in a New Zealand context. New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies, 42(1/2), 77–93.

    Google Scholar 

  • Austin, A. (2002). Preparing the next generation of faculty: Graduate school as socialization to the academic career. The Journal of Higher Education, 73(1), 94–122.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Austin, A. (2003). Creating a bridge to the future: Preparing new faculty to face changing expectations in a shifting context. The Review of Higher Education, 26(2), 119–144.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baker, M. (2010). Career confidence and gendered expectations of academic promotion. Journal of Sociology, 46(3), 317–334.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baruch, Y., & Hall, D. (2004). The academic career: A model for future careers in other sectors? Journal of Vocational Behavior, 64(2), 241–262.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bennion, A., & Locke, W. (2010). The early career paths and employment conditions of the academic profession in 17 countries. European Review, 18(S1), S7–S33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bentley, P. J., Goedegebuure, L., & Meek, V. L. (2014). Australian academics, teaching and research: History, vexed issues and potential changes. In J. C. Shin, A. Arimoto, W. K. Cummings, & U. Teichler (Eds.), Teaching and research in contemporary higher education: Systems, activities and rewards (pp. 357–377). Dordrecht: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Boyd, S., & Wylie, C. (1994). Workload and stress in New Zealand universities. Wellington: New Zealand Council for Educational Research and Association of University Staff of New Zealand.

    Google Scholar 

  • Butler, P., & Mulgan, R. (2013). Can academic freedom survive performance based research funding? Victoria University of Wellington Law Review, 44(3/4), 487–519.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clegg, S., & Rowland, S. (2010). Kindness in pedagogical practice and academic life. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 31(6), 719–735.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coates, H., Dobson, I., Edwards, D., Friedman, T., Goedegebuure, L., & Meek, L. (2009). The attractiveness of the Australian academic profession: A comparative analysis. LH Martin Institute, University of Melbourne & Australian Council for Educational Research & Educational Policy Institute. http://hdl.handle.net/11343/28921. Accessed 6 Apr 2017.

  • Crawford, R. (2016). History of tertiary education reforms in New Zealand. Research Note. New Zealand Productivity Commission. http://www.productivity.govt.nz/sites/default/files/nzpc-rn-2016-1-history-of-tertiary-education-reforms.pdf. Accessed 6 Apr 2017.

  • Crothers, C. (2013). Neo-liberalism and the changing New Zealand social science research situation. New Zealand Sociology, 28(1), 3–17.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ćulum, B. (2015). Academics and service to the community: An international (European) perspective. In W. K. Cummings & U. Teichler (Eds.), The relevance of academic work in comparative perspective (pp. 139–162). Dordrecht: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cummings, W. K., & Finkelstein, M. J. (2012). The balance between teaching and research in the work life of American academics. In W. K. Cummings & M. J. Finkelstein (Eds.), Scholars in the changing American academy (pp. 27–50). Dordrecht: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Cummings, W. K., & Shin, J. C. (2014). Teaching and research in contemporary higher education: An overview. In J. C. Shin, A. Arimoto, W. K. Cummings, & U. Teichler (Eds.), Teaching and research in contemporary higher education: Systems, activities and rewards (pp. 1–11). Dordrecht: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cupples, J., & Pawson, E. (2012). Giving an account of oneself: The PBRF and the neoliberal university. New Zealand Geographer, 68(1), 14–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Curtis, B. (2007). Academic life: Commodification, continuity, collegiality, confusion and the performance based research fund. New Zealand Journal of Employment Relations, 32(2), 2–17.

    Google Scholar 

  • Curtis, B. (2008). The performance-based research fund: Research assessment and funding in New Zealand. Globalisation, Societies and Education, 6(2), 179–194.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Curtis, B. (2016). The performance-based research fund, gender and a cultural cringe. Globalisation, Societies and Education, 14(1), 87–109.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Curtis, B., & Matthewman, S. (2005). The managed university: The PBRF, its impacts and staff attitudes. New Zealand Journal of Employment Relations, 30(2), 1–17.

    Google Scholar 

  • Doyle, S., Wylie, C., Hodgen, E., & Else, A. (2004). Gender and academic promotion: A case study of Massey University. New Zealand Council for Educational Research. http://www.nzcer.org.nz/system/files/14033.pdf. Accessed 6 Apr 2017.

  • Eagan, M. K., & Garvey, J. C. (2015). Stressing out: Connecting race, gender, and stress with faculty productivity. The Journal of Higher Education, 86(6), 923–954.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eden, D. (2016). Women’s participation in academic conferences in Israel. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 38(4), 406–421.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Enders, J., & de Weert, E. (2009). The changing face of academic life: Analytical and comparative perspectives. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Enders, J., & Kaulisch, M. (2006). The binding and unbinding of academic careers. In U. Teichler (Ed.), The formative years of scholars (pp. 85–95). London: Portland Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goastellec, G., & Pekari, N. (2013). Gender differences and inequalities in academia: Findings in Europe. In U. Teichler & E. A. Höhle (Eds.), The work situation of the academic profession in Europe: Findings of a survey in twelve countries (pp. 55–78). Dordrecht: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Grant, B. M., & Elizabeth, V. (2015). Unpredictable feelings: Academic women under research audit. British Educational Research Journal, 41(2), 287–302.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hair Jr., J. F., Anderson, R. E., Tatham, R. L., & Black, W. C. (1995). Multivariate data analysis: With readings (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harland, T., Tidswell, T., Everett, D., Hale, L., & Pickering, N. (2010). Neoliberalism and the academic as critic and conscience of society. Teaching in Higher Education, 15(1), 85–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hazeldine, T., & Kurniawan, C. (2005). Efficiency of New Zealand universities and the impact of the performance based research fund. New Zealand Economic Papers, 39(2), 153–179.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heinrich, E. (2013). Recommendations to university managers for facilitating engagement of academics with teaching. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 35(5), 458–470.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hemmings, B., & Kay, R. (2010). University lecturer publication output: Qualifications, time and confidence count. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 32(2), 185–197.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Henkel, M. (2005). Academic identity and autonomy in a changing policy environment. Higher Education, 49(1–2), 155–176.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Henkel, M. (2017). Gender equality in academic career progression: A matter of time? In H. Eggins (Ed.), The changing role of women in higher education (pp. 195–207). Cham: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Hitchcock, M. A., Bland, C. J., Hekelman, F. P., & Blumenthal, M. G. (1995). Professional networks: The influence of colleagues on the academic success of faculty. Academic Medicine, 70(12), 1108–1116.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Joyce, S. (2014). Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the Performance Based Research Fund: Report to the Cabinet Social Policy Committee from the Office of the Minister of Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment. Ministry of Education. http://www.education.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Further-education/Policies-and-strategies/Performance-based-research-fund/PBRFCabinetPaper.pdf. Accessed 6 Apr 2017.

  • Jung, J. (2015). Gender differences in research scholarship among academics: An international comparative perspective. In W. K. Cumming & U. Teichler (Eds.), The relevance of academic work in comparative perspective (pp. 163–178). Cham: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kessler, S. R., Spector, P. E., & Gavin, M. B. (2014). A critical look at ourselves: Do male and female professors respond the same to environment characteristics? Research in Higher Education, 55(4), 351–369.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kezar, A., & Lester, J. (2009). Supporting faculty grassroots leadership. Research in Higher Education, 50(7), 715–740.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kidman, J. (1999). A people torn in twain: Colonial and indigenous contexts of university education in New Zealand. Interchange, 30(1), 73–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Larner, W., & Le Heron, R. (2005). Neo-liberalizing spaces and subjectivities: Reinventing New Zealand universities. Organization, 12(6), 843–862.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laudel, G., & Gläser, J. (2008). From apprentice to colleague: The metamorphosis of early career researchers. Higher Education, 55, 387–406.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leemann, R. J. (2010). Gender inequalities in transnational academic mobility and the ideal type of academic entrepreneur. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 31(5), 605–625.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leišytė, L. (2016). New public management and research productivity – A precarious state of affairs of academic work in the Netherlands. Studies in Higher Education, 45(5), 828–846.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leišytė, L., & Dee, J. R. (2012). Understanding academic work in a changing institutional environment. In J. C. Smart & M. B. Paulsen (Eds.), Higher education: Handbook of theory and research (pp. 123–206). Dordrecht: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leišytė, L., & Hosch-Dayican, B. (2017). Gender and academic work at a Dutch university. In H. Eggins (Ed.), The changing role of women in higher education (pp. 95–117). Cham: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, J. (2013). Academic governance: Disciplines and policy. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lynch, K. (2010). Carelessness: A hidden doxa of higher education. Arts and Humanities in Higher Education, 9(1), 54–67.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lynch, K., Lyons, M., & Cantillon, S. (2007). Breaking silence: Educating citizens for love, care and solidarity. International Studies in Sociology of Education, 17(1–2), 1–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Malcolm, W., & Tarling, N. (2007). Crisis of identity: The mission and management of universities in New Zealand. Wellington: Dunmore.

    Google Scholar 

  • Matthews, K., Lodge, J., & Bosanquet, A. (2014). Early career academic perceptions, attitudes and professional development activities: Questioning the teaching and research gap to further academic development. International Journal for Academic Development, 19(2), 112–124.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Middleton, S. (2009). Becoming PBRF-able: Research assessment and education in New Zealand. In T. Besley (Ed.), Assessing the quality of educational research in higher education: International perspectives (pp. 193–208). Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Musselin, C., & Becquet, V. (2008). Academic work and academic identities: A comparison between four disciplines. In J. Välimaa & O. Ylijoki (Eds.), Cultural perspectives on higher education (pp. 91–107). Dordrecht: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Opie, B. (2004). Tertiary education and research in New Zealand. Minerva: A Review of Science, Learning & Policy, 42(3), 299–307.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parker, J. (2008). Comparing research and teaching in university promotion criteria. Higher Education Quarterly, 62(3), 237–251.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Phibbs, S., & Curtis, B. (2006). Gender, nursing and the PBRF. Nursing Praxis in New Zealand, 22(2), 4–11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pollock, K. (n.d.). “Tertiary education”. Encyclopedia entry. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/tertiary-education. Accessed 6 Apr 2017.

  • Postiglione, G. A., & Jung, J. (2015). Congeniality and research productivity in state-professional-market driven systems of mass higher education. In W. K. Cummings & U. Teichler (Eds.), The relevance of academic work in comparative perspective (pp. 107–120). Cham: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Probert, B. (2005). ‘I just couldn’t fit it in’: Gender and unequal outcomes in academic careers. Gender, Work & Organization, 12(1), 50–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Probert, B. (2013). Teaching-focused academic appointments in Australian universities: Recognition, specialisation, or stratification? Discussion Paper 1. OLT report. Australian Policy Online. http://apo.org.au/node/35663. Accessed 6 Apr 2017.

  • Roa, T., Beggs, J. R., Williams, J., & Moller, H. (2009). New Zealand’s performance based research funding (PBRF) model undermines Māori research. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 39(4), 233–238.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, P. (2007). Neoliberalism, performativity and research. International Review of Education, 53(4), 349–365.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, P. (2012). Scholars, philosophers or performers? The politics of research in contemporary universities. In R. Openshaw & J. Clark (Eds.), Critic and conscience: Essays in memory of John Codd and Roy Nash (pp. 87–104). Wellington: New Zealand Council for Educational Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, P. (2013a). Reconfiguring research in New Zealand: Education, politics and performativity. The Australian Educational Researcher, 40(4), 509–512.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, P. (2013b). Academic dystopia: Knowledge, performativity, and tertiary education. Review of Education, Pedagogy, and Cultural Studies, 35(1), 27–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, P. (2014). Changing scholarly lives: Neoliberalism, discipline(s) and educational research. In A. D. Reid, E. P. Hart, & M. A. Peters (Eds.), A companion to research in education (pp. 41–45). Dordrecht: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Rosser, V. J., & Tabata, L. N. (2010). An examination of faculty work: Conceptual and theoretical frameworks in the literature. In J. C. Smart (Ed.), Higher education: Handbook of theory and research 25 (pp. 449–475). Dordrecht: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Schuster, J. H., & Finkelstein, M. J. (2006). The American faculty: The restructuring of academic work and careers. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shore, C. (2010). Beyond the multiversity: Neoliberalism and the rise of the schizophrenic university. Social Anthropology, 18(1), 15–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smart, W. (2013). Analysis of the impact of the PBRF: Interim findings. Ministry of Education, Education Counts. https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/115890/PBRF-interim-report-Feb-2013.pdf. Accessed 6 Apr 2017.

  • Smeby, J., & Try, S. (2005). Departmental contexts and faculty research activity in Norway. Research in Higher Education, 46(6), 593–619.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, R., & Jesson, J. (Eds.). (2005). Punishing the discipline – The PBRF regime: Evaluating the position of education. Where to from here? Auckland: AUT and the University of Auckland.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, R., & Johnston, P. (2010). The PBRF: Performance-based research fund. In M. Thrupp & R. Irwin (Eds.), Another decade of New Zealand education policy: Where to now? (pp. 167–183). Hamilton: Wilf Malcolm Institute of Educational Research, University of Waikato.

    Google Scholar 

  • Solem, M. N., & Foote, K. E. (2004). Concerns, attitudes, and abilities of early career geography faculty. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 94(4), 889–912.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sommer, J. (2010). 2008 survey of New Zealand scientists and technologists. New Zealand Science Review, 67(1), 1–40.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sutherland, K.A. (1999). Does teaching matter? Reconceptualising teaching, scholarship, and the PhD programme in New Zealand university English departments. Unpublished PhD thesis. Palmerston North: Massey University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sutherland, K. A. (2017). Constructions of success in academia: An early career perspective. Studies in Higher Education, 42(4), 743–759. Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2015.1072150.

    Google Scholar 

  • Teichler, U., Arimoto, A., & Cummings, W. K. (2013). The academic career. In U. Teichler, A. Arimoto, & W. K. Cummings (Eds.), The changing academic profession (pp. 75–116). Dordrecht: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Tower, G., & Ridgewell, B. (2006). Benchmarking: An international comparison. International Business and Economics Research Journal, 5(5), 1–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • University of Waikato (n.d.). Academic workloads guidelines. Resource document. http://www.waikato.ac.nz/official-info/index/docs/academicworkloadsguidelines. Accessed 6 Apr 2017.

  • Valle, M., & Schultz, K. (2010). The etiology of top-tier publications in management: A status attainment perspective on academic career success. Career Development International, 16(3), 220–237.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Waitere, H. J., Wright, J., Tremaine, M., Brown, S., & Pausé, C. J. (2011). Choosing whether to resist or reinforce the new managerialism: The impact of performance-based research funding on academic identity. Higher Education Research & Development, 30(2), 205–217.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wensvoort, M. (2012). The changing structure of the public tertiary education workforce. Ministry of Education, Education Counts. https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/80898/the-changing-structure-of-the-public-tertiary-education-workforce. Accessed 6 Apr 2017.

  • Wright, S., Curtis, B., Lucas, L., & Robinson, S. (2014). Research assessment systems and their impacts on academic work in New Zealand, the UK and Denmark: Summative working paper for URGE work package 5. Copenhagen: Department of Education, Aarhus University.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand

    Kathryn A. Sutherland

Authors
  1. Kathryn A. Sutherland
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Sutherland, K.A. (2018). Teaching, Research, and Service Activities and Preferences in the Work Lives of New Zealand Early Career Academics. In: Early Career Academics in New Zealand: Challenges and Prospects in Comparative Perspective. The Changing Academy – The Changing Academic Profession in International Comparative Perspective, vol 20. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-61830-2_4

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-61830-2_4

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-61829-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-61830-2

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation