True-belief, pragmatism or alienation: a study of HE academics’ response orientations to metrics-based evaluations

Abstract

ABSTRACT While much has been written about the impact of metrics in higher education, less is known about the variety of response orientations that individual academics may adopt in reaction to the increasing metricization of academia. Taking the English higher education sector as a case study, this research surveyed the views of academics from Education and Economics departments in England regarding the impact of teaching and research metrics on their academic identity and practice. Based on a hierarchical cluster analysis of their survey and interview responses, we proposed three distinct response orientations which we called true-belief, pragmatism or alienation, based on how they negotiated or accommodated their academic practices in response to metrics-based evaluation. This heterogeneity of academics’ responses to metrics-based evaluation, proposed by our research, suggests the need for a leadership culture which acknowledges a more varied set of attitudes and challenges resulting from that evaluation. The findings of our study also make the case for a more inclusive approach to deciding the institutional response to metrics; allowing all individuals within an institution to make meaningful contributions which are better aligned to their academic identities and professional values.