Research-teaching nexus in Mozambican higher education curricula. The case study of Eduardo Mondlane University

Abstract

This study was concerned with the nexus of research and teaching in higher education through four curriculum designs: research-based, research-tutored, research-oriented or research-led and the teaching practices at UEM as a result of these curricula. The purpose of the study was to examine the four curriculum designs mentioned earlier and their teaching methods and learning approaches in order to link research and teaching effectively in higher education. In this context, the study was guided by specific objectives as follow: • To identify, analyse, compare and contrast the curriculum designs used by the teaching staff to link research and teaching in the EELC of the Faculty of Education and the CELC of the Faculty of Engineering at UEM. • To relate the curriculum designs to teaching methods and learning approaches used to link research and teaching in the EELC of the Faculty of Education and the CELC of the Faculty of Engineering at UEM. • To identify, analyse and evaluate the types of teaching and learning activities, classroom interactions between the lecturer and students and/or the types of classroom interactions between students themselves as well as the role of the lecturer and the role of the students in the process of teaching and learning in the EELC of the Faculty of Education and the CELC of the Faculty of Engineering at UEM. The study employed a case study as a research design and involved a sequence of research methods, namely qualitative semi-structured interviews with lecturers and students in the EELC and CELC, qualitative documentary analysis of curriculum designs from the EELC and CELC, quantitative structured observation of one stream in the EELC and another stream in the CELC and quantitative questionnaires for lecturers and students in the EELC and CELC. The Qualitative and quantitative research methods were used in the sense that they could complement one another in data collection, analysis and interpretation of findings in order to give quality and validity to the study. In this context, the data were analysed both qualitatively and quantitatively. xviThe study was based on the broader framework of the concept of the research- teaching nexus in higher education. The study analysed four dimensions (variables) of the concept of the research-teaching nexus: research-based, research-tutored, research-oriented or research-led and their respective indicators as well as teaching methods and learning approaches in attempt to link teaching and research in higher education. The findings generated by this study revealed that the EELC of the Faculty of Education and the CELC of the Faculty of Engineering at UEM predominantly used a research-led curriculum in which the main indicators comprise learning about others‟ research, lectures and traditional written tests and examinations. Furthermore, the research-led curriculum is associated with the lecturer-focused method (information transmission) in which the lecturer plays an active role of knowledge transmitter through lectures and students plays a passive role of knowledge receiver leading to surface or strategic approach to learning. As a consequence, this weakens the integration of research and teaching in the EELC of the Faculty of Education and the CELC of the Faculty of Engineering at UEM. The study contributes to the understanding of the state of the research-teaching nexus in the EELC of the Faculty of Education and the CELC of the Faculty of Engineering at UEM in the scope of curriculum designs, specifically research-based, research- tutored, research oriented or research-led and teaching practices. In this view, the study may raise awareness on curriculum designs and teaching practices as well as teaching methods and learning approaches that may weaken or strengthen the link between research and teaching in higher education.