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The profile and innovation outcomes of South African doctoral graduates in STEM, 2000–2018: A mixed methods study
Thesis (DPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2023.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2023
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| _version_ | 1867614008777900032 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Albertyn, Charl Hofmeyr |
| author2 | Prozesky, Heidi Eileen |
| author_browse | Albertyn, Charl Hofmeyr Prozesky, Heidi Eileen |
| author_facet | Prozesky, Heidi Eileen Albertyn, Charl Hofmeyr |
| author_sort | Albertyn, Charl Hofmeyr |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (DPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2023. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/128781 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:45:13.015Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| publishDateRange | 2023 |
| publishDateSort | 2023 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/128781 The profile and innovation outcomes of South African doctoral graduates in STEM, 2000–2018: A mixed methods study Albertyn, Charl Hofmeyr Prozesky, Heidi Eileen Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Center for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology (CREST) Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education Society STEM Doctoral students Education, Higher -- South Africa Universities and colleges -- South Africa UCTD Thesis (DPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2023. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In South African policy discourse, doctoral graduates are viewed as important producers of the innovation that would form the foundation of South Africa’s innovation-driven economic development, and the use of public funds to incentivise the production of doctoral graduates is extensive. Nevertheless, little is known about the innovation produced by these doctoral graduates, and evidence on the factors that facilitate and impede their innovation is lacking. A review of the global literature showed that even internationally, relatively little evidence has been produced in this regard. This study addresses these gaps, and is the first to describe, on a national scale, South African doctoral graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects (abbreviated with the acronym “STEM”), their innovation, and the factors that facilitate their innovation. A mixed methods study was conducted of doctoral graduates who received their doctorates in STEM subjects at a South African university in the period 2000–2018. The study involved the analysis of a subset of 2 225 responses collected through a national survey, whereafter semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 purposively selected survey respondents. In this study, roughly a third of all the doctoral graduates in STEM reported significant innovation, and it identified a range of systemic factors that facilitated this innovation. Products of the doctorate that are relevant to the business sector, such as patents, were found to be most facilitative of the significant innovation that graduates produced. However, most solutions produced from the doctorate were oriented towards academic use, and too underdeveloped for direct use by the business sector. Proximity and collaborative networks between the producers and business-sector users of new solutions were also found to be important facilitators of uptake and further development of these solutions. In terms of demographics, male doctoral graduates were found to be more likely than their female counterparts to produce significant innovation, which is associated by many interviewed graduates with the burden of childcare. Doctoral graduates who were older than the median age at graduation were more likely to produce significant innovation. This, as per interviewed graduates, is linked to their greater degree of work experience and knowledge of users’ requirements for innovative solutions. As for factors pertaining to the South African national system of innovation (NSI) as a whole, existing expertise and regulatory factors in certain industries were associated with significant innovation, as elucidated in the interviews. The study provides an evidence-based framework, namely the “STEM Bedrock framework”, whereby the factors that facilitate the innovation of South African doctoral graduates in STEM subjects can be understood. Lastly, this study makes several recommendations to funders, policymakers, stakeholders in higher education and research practitioners in this field. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In Suid-Afrikaanse beleidsdiskoers word doktorale gegradueerdes beskou as belangrike skeppers van die innovasie wat die grondslag van Suid-Afrika se innovasiegedrewe ekonomiese ontwikkeling sou vorm, en daar word ʼn groot mate gebruik gemaak van openbare fondse om die produksie van doktorale gegradueerdes aan te spoor. Nietemin is min bekend oor die innovasie wat deur hierdie doktorale gegradueerdes gelewer word. Bewyse oor die faktore wat hul innovasie fasiliteer en belemmer, ontbreek tans. ʼn Oorsig van die globale literatuur het getoon dat betreklik min bewyse, selfs internasionaal, in hierdie verband bestaan. Hierdie ondersoek spreek hierdie gapings aan, en is die eerste ondersoek wat, op nasionale skaal, Suid-Afrikaanse doktorale gegradueerdes in wetenskap, tegnologie, ingenieurswese en wiskunde (afgekort met die akroniem “STEM”), hul innovasie, en die faktore wat hul innovasie fasiliteer, beskryf. ʼn Gemengde-metodes-ondersoek is uitgevoer onder doktorale gegradueerdes wat in die tydperk 2000–2018 hul doktorsgrade in STEM aan ʼn Suid-Afrikaanse universiteit ontvang het. Die ondersoek het die ontleding behels van 2 225 response wat deur ʼn nasionale opname ingesamel is, waarna semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude met 30 doelgeriggeselekteerde opname-respondente gevoer is. Hierdie ondersoek het bevind dat ongeveer ʼn derde van al die doktorale gegradueerdes in STEM beduidende innovasie gerapporteer het, en dit het ʼn reeks sistemiese faktore geïdentifiseer wat hierdie innovasie gefasiliteer het. Daar is bevind dat produkte van die doktorsgraad wat relevant vir die sakesektor is, soos patente, die mees fasiliterende was van die beduidende innovasie wat deur gegradueerdes geproduseer is. Die meeste oplossings wat uit die doktorsgraad geskep is, was op akademiese gebruik gemik, en was nie gepas vir direkte gebruik deur die sakesektor nie. Daar is ook bevind dat nabyheid en samewerkende netwerke tussen die vervaardigers en sakesektorgebruikers van nuwe oplossings belangrike fasiliteerders was vir die opneem en verdere ontwikkeling van hierdie oplossings. Wat demografie betref, is bevind dat manlike doktorale gegradueerdes meer geneig is as hul vroulike eweknieë om beduidende innovasie te produseer, wat vele van die onderhouddeelnemers met die las van kindersorg geassosieer het. Dit was meer waarskynlik dat doktorale gegradueerdes wat ten tyde van graduering ouer as die mediaan-ouderdom was, was meer geneig om betekenisvolle innovasie te produseer. Volgens onderhouddeelnemers word dit gekoppel aan hul groter mate van werkservaring en kennis van gebruikers se vereistes ten opsigte van nuwe oplossings. Wat faktore betref wat met Suid Afrika se nasionale innovasiestelsel in die geheel verband hou, is bestaande kundigheid en regulasies in sekere bedrywe met beduidende innovasie geassosieer, soos onderhoude met deelnemers duidelik getoon het. Die ondersoek lewer ʼn bewysgebaseerde raamwerk, naamlik die “STEM Bedrock Framework”, waardeur die faktore wat die innovasie van Suid-Afrikaanse doktorale gegradueerdes in STEM fasiliteer, verstaan kan word. Laastens doen hierdie ondersoek verskeie aanbevelings aan befondsers, beleidmakers, belanghebbendes in hoër onderwys, en navorsingspraktisyns op hierdie gebied. Doctoral 2023-11-27T02:16:10Z 2024-01-08T10:56:18Z 2023-11-27T02:16:10Z 2024-01-08T10:56:18Z 2023-12 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/128781 en Stellenbosch University xiii, 276 pages : illustrations application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education Society STEM Doctoral students Education, Higher -- South Africa Universities and colleges -- South Africa UCTD Albertyn, Charl Hofmeyr The profile and innovation outcomes of South African doctoral graduates in STEM, 2000–2018: A mixed methods study |
| title | The profile and innovation outcomes of South African doctoral graduates in STEM, 2000–2018: A mixed methods study |
| title_full | The profile and innovation outcomes of South African doctoral graduates in STEM, 2000–2018: A mixed methods study |
| title_fullStr | The profile and innovation outcomes of South African doctoral graduates in STEM, 2000–2018: A mixed methods study |
| title_full_unstemmed | The profile and innovation outcomes of South African doctoral graduates in STEM, 2000–2018: A mixed methods study |
| title_short | The profile and innovation outcomes of South African doctoral graduates in STEM, 2000–2018: A mixed methods study |
| title_sort | profile and innovation outcomes of south african doctoral graduates in stem 2000 2018 a mixed methods study |
| topic | Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education Society STEM Doctoral students Education, Higher -- South Africa Universities and colleges -- South Africa UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/128781 |
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