Abstract
The purpose of this article is to explore the perceptions of faculty members regarding research capacity building in the field of Education. It particularly seeks to identify the challenges and opportunities associated with this practice from the perspectives of these members. The study adopted a qualitative research design, using focus group interviews to collect data from a sample of faculty members in the College of Education at a national university in Oman. The results revealed the existence of some challenges that hampered educational research, including time constraints, the lack of a collaborative research culture, the lack of research training, and the absence of a clear research agenda. The analysis also identified a number of capacity building opportunities such as a research-supportive environment, the availability of research funding, and the role of research groups. The study concludes with some recommendations to improve educational research capacity both in Oman and in the Arab region in general.
Highlights
Over the past 15 years or so, there has been an ongoing global debate over the quality and relevance of existing educational research and the need to develop solid and more relevant knowledge bases that can significantly impact educational policy and practice (Barrett et al, 2011; Cain & Allan, 2017; Gogolin, 2016; Leitch, 2009; Lysenko et al, 2014)
The participants were encouraged to talk about the challenges associated with research capacity in their institution. Their comments demonstrated that while they were generally positive about OMU as a research environment, many of them were concerned about the value of the research produced and its ability to influence educational policy-making in Oman
Drawing on qualitative data collected from a sample of faculty members in the College of education at a national university in Oman, the study explored how these members perceived the challenges and opportunities associated with research capacity building in their institution
Summary
Over the past 15 years or so, there has been an ongoing global debate over the quality and relevance of existing educational research and the need to develop solid and more relevant knowledge bases that can significantly impact educational policy and practice (Barrett et al, 2011; Cain & Allan, 2017; Gogolin, 2016; Leitch, 2009; Lysenko et al, 2014). The challenge is even more persistent in countries of the Global South where educational research and education systems in general are facing more severe problems, with low research capacity and a lack of connection between research and educational policy formation being major factors (see Hallinger, 2020; Jonbekova, 2020; Tikly & Barrett, 2013).
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