Are research and teaching related or not?
In several conversations over the last months we discussed the importance of the relationship between research and teaching. Most academics argue that research and teaching are strongly related. That is, the two are complementary, the two benefit from each other and are strongly linked.
If we want to offer high-quality training programs we should ensure that academics are good at both. Other academics argue that research productivity detracts from teaching quality. For instance, if you spend more time on research, less time is spent on teaching, or vice versa; Hence, the two are independent of each other. Marsh and Hattie, two influential researchers in the domain of higher education, have written a very interesting paper about the relation between research productivity and teaching effectiveness. Based on the data reported in this paper and earlier meta-analyses in which they combined multiple indicators they concluded that the argument that the two are complementary is a myth. The correlation between teaching and research is close to zero. Why?
To explain this zero correlation they argue as follows: “… Some academics are gifted teachers and researchers, but others are substantially better at one than the other, and some are weak as both teachers and researchers …” (page 631). So there is no such relation. In other words, while positive correlations might exist for some subgroups, negative or even close to zero correlations exist for others, resulting in a zero-sum correlation. This is not to say that we should stop investigating how the relationship between research and teaching can be enhanced.
What we should do is investigate the working mechanisms enhancing this relationship. How can we coach and encourage academics to learn from and with each other about teaching and research? How can we ensure a good balance between the two within teams? How can we find a good balance between the two within our institutions and departments? Which kind of institutional support is needed to improve both? How can we equally reward the two?
Marsh, H. W., & Hattie, J. (2002). The relation between research productivity and teaching effectiveness: Complementary, antagonistic, or independent constructs? The Journal of Higher Education, 73(5), 603-641.