Research Performance Assessment Issues: The Case of Kazakhstan

G Alibekova,A Satybaldin,T Medeni,M Bapiyeva,S Özçelik

doi:10.29024/sar.37

Abstract

The study deals with research performance assessment issues as important aspects of research management and research quality. The case of Kazakhstan clearly demonstrates the impact of the prevailing bibliometric-centered approach. The aim of this study is to suggest an inclusive scale of individual research performance assessment. The method used is a quantitative study of the opinions of researchers and academics on the range of research related activities they traditionally carry out. The study expands the knowledge base on academic human resource management, and can be of high relevance for substantiating the criteria of performance assessment of researchers by HR managers of universities and public research institutions. The research results can be helpful for setting and complying with individual and institutional criteria for research performance evaluation. <strong>Policy highlights</strong> <ul><li>A Survey among 264 researchers in Kazakh universities and public research institutions (response rate: 63%) asked them to rate their activities in five groups: supervising activity, professional advancement, publications, public recognition, and scientific & organizational activities.</li><li>The results demonstrate that their priorities correspond to national and international priorities: publishing papers in local and international peer-reviewed journals indexed in WoS and Scopus, and monographs.</li><li>Findings revealed that “Supervising” and “Professional Advancement” activities have the highest importance among all criteria groups.</li><li>Respondents gave the highest preference to participating at overseas and international conferences, seminars and workshops, thus expressing their desire to disseminate their research findings internationally and to build international links.</li><li>Scientific & organizational activities are the core activities which correlate to all other activities. And the role of S&O criteria is definitely underestimated in the performance assessment of researchers.</li><li>The current research performance evaluation system in Kazakhstan is dominantly based on bibliometrics and is one-sided and biased. An inclusive scale of individual research performance assessment needs to be developed, considering researchers’ ideas and preferences.</li></ul>

Highlights

Performance evaluation plays an important role in management
The results demonstrate that their priorities correspond to national and international priorities: publishing papers in local and international peer-reviewed journals indexed in WoS and Scopus, and monographs
According to the survey, Supervising (4.06) is perceived as the most “important” by the respondents. One can question this outcome since 55% respondents come from the university and this cannot be true for researchers of public research institutions (PRI)

Summary

Introduction

Performance evaluation plays an important role in management. Performance evaluation is presented as a process of quantification of the performance and effectiveness of actions (Hansen 2017). It plays a key role in building institutional strategies, funding schemes, recruitment and career promotion issues. Research management is quite a creative process. There are no exact standards that allow an objective and precise assessment of research performance. The assessment of individual researchers remains a deliberately difficult process without a standard solution

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Methods

Results

Conclusion