Juggling research with teaching: building capacity in a university research team

Abstract

This chapter utilizes the methodology of narrative inquiry to describe the strategies used to form a research team in a Faculty of Education at an Australian regional university. Although there has been considerable research undertaken on academic life in the university sector (for example, Barlow & Antoniou, 2007; Malcom & Zukas, 2009), little attention has been given to the challenges faced by active early career researchers, who undertake the responsibility of leading a research team. This chapter will examine the formation of a research team to enhance research productivity. The account is from the joint perspective of the team leader (an early career researcher who was newly appointed to the university and as such was initially unaware of the politics and interpersonal connections which would inevitably shape the team's dynamics), and one of the members of the team. The chapter will discuss the types of strategies which were implemented to increase research productivity in the team, describe how intrinsic and extrinsic factors affected the team, and consider the complexities of collaboration along with some of the concerns for active early career researchers, who are required to mentor other researchers. A number of issues will be considered, including academic identity, the complexities of involvement in a collaborative group, the pressure that universities and ultimately academics are facing in relation to raising research productivity, and the types of institutional support that can enhance or hinder such endeavors.