ABSTRACT

There is an increasing expectation that early career researchers (ECRs) be active in communicating their research to diverse audiences both within and beyond academia. However, with limited time and an academic environment that disproportionately values certain research outputs over others, ECRs may struggle to build their expertise and confidence in communicating research to a diverse array of audiences. Applying self-efficacy theory as a framework, this study investigates the first-hand experiences of ECRs in research communication, with a specific interest in their perceptions of their own communication skills, how these skills are developed, and how their self-beliefs impact their practices. Through semi-structured interviews with 30 ECRs in Australia and Japan, we found that hands-on engagement is vital for building self-efficacy, but that much more engagement and confidence was reported in communicating to academic audiences, such as through journal articles. While most ECRs expressed a desire to engage more with audiences outside of academia, not all were active, and many reported a lack of self-belief. Barriers identified include a lack of training, experience, opportunity to observe peers, encouragement, and feedback. Further, the potential for negative backlash from online and unknown public audiences is also a concern. We also note that for researchers who may not possess strong English language skills, interactive styles of communication may prove more challenging than more ‘passive’ forms. Our findings suggest that the focus of ECR communication skill development could be broadened, with less emphasis on specific types of outputs, and more emphasis on how to tailor communication to suit different audiences and channels. Providing an encouraging environment, opportunities to observe others, and opportunities to engage directly with support and feedback, may also be effective in building ECRs’ self-efficacy.

摘要

人们越来越期望早期职业研究人员 (ECR) 积极向学术界内外的不同受众交流他们的研究。然而，由于时间有限且学术环境过分重视某些研究成果而不是其他研究成果，ECR 可能难以建立自己的专业知识和信心，将研究成果传达给不同的受众。本研究以自我效能理论为框架，调查 ECR 在研究沟通中的第一手经验，特别关注他们对自己的沟通技巧的看法、这些技能是如何发展的，以及他们的自我信念如何影响他们的沟通能力。实践。通过对澳大利亚和日本的 30 名 ECR 的半结构化访谈，我们发现动手参与对于建立自我效能感至关重要，但据报道，在与学术观众交流时，例如通过期刊文章，更多的参与度和信心。虽然大多数 ECR 表示希望更多地与学术界以外的观众互动，但并非所有人都积极参与，许多人表示缺乏自信。确定的障碍包括缺乏培训、经验、观察同伴的机会、鼓励和反馈。此外，来自在线和未知公众观众的负面反弹的可能性也是一个问题。我们还注意到，对于可能不具备较强英语语言技能的研究人员来说，交互式交流方式可能比更“被动”的形式更具挑战性。我们的研究结果表明，可以扩大 ECR 沟通技能发展的重点，减少对特定类型输出的重视，并且更加强调如何调整沟通以适应不同的受众和渠道。提供令人鼓舞的环境、观察他人的机会以及直接获得支持和反馈的机会，也可能有效地建立 ECR 的自我效能。