ABSTRACT

Academic training is the initial step for junior scientists to learn to develop into independent scientists. This study investigates how supervisors decide to employ different approaches of early-career research training, and how these approaches influence the degree of trainees’ independence in their later careers. Drawing on survey and bibliometric data of life scientists in Japanese universities, this study presents the following findings. First, if scientists are allowed higher autonomy in upstream research functions in early-career training, they later tend to attain greater organizational independence with higher organizational ranks. Second, if scientists are encouraged to deviate from conventional research topics during early-career training, they later tend to achieve greater cognitive independence by producing original research output. Third, the differences in the training approaches chosen by individual supervisors are influenced by the training that they had received in their early-career training. Overall, the study suggests that training approaches and independence of scientists are socialized in the local training context and passed down from one generation to the next.

摘要

学术培训是初级科学家学习发展成为独立科学家的第一步。本研究调查了主管如何决定采用不同的职业生涯早期研究培训方法，以及这些方法如何影响受训者在以后职业生涯中的独立程度。本研究利用日本大学生命科学家的调查和文献计量数据，得出以下发现。首先，如果科学家在早期职业培训中被允许在上游研究职能中拥有更高的自主权，那么他们以后往往会以更高的组织级别获得更大的组织独立性。其次，如果鼓励科学家在早期职业培训期间偏离常规研究课题，他们以后往往会通过产生原创研究成果来实现更大的认知独立性。第三，个别主管选择的培训方法的差异受到他们在早期职业培训中接受的培训的影响。总体而言，该研究表明，科学家的培训方法和独立性在当地培训环境中社会化，并代代相传。