11 -  Creativity Within Limits: Does the South African PhD Facilitate Creativity in Research?

Judy Backhouse

doi:10.57054/jhea.v7i1-2.1610

Issue

Vol. 7 No. 1-2 (2009): Journal of Higher Education in Africa

Issue Published : November 19, 2008

11 - Creativity Within Limits: Does the South African PhD Facilitate Creativity in Research?

https://doi.org/10.57054/jhea.v7i1-2.1610

Judy Backhouse

Researcher, School of Education University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa.

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6269-7910

Corresponding Author(s) : Judy Backhouse

backhouse@unu.edu

Journal of Higher Education in Africa, Vol. 7 No. 1-2 (2009): Journal of Higher Education in Africa
Article Published : July 20, 2009

Abstract

One view of the PhD student is that of the independent scholar, with the thesis being an original work that contributes to the body of knowledge. National plans make much of the notion that graduating doctoral students will increase the degree of innovation in the country and make new ideas available for economic benefit. At the same time, the process of completing a PhD takes place within frameworks of institutional and disciplinary tradition; student and supervisor expectations, practi- cal resource limitations and, increasingly, national and international quality stan- dards – all of which place boundaries on what can be studied and how it can be studied.

Based on interviews with doctoral students at South African universities, this paper explores the extent to which they experience themselves as independent scholars and the role of creativity in their PhD studies. It explores the boundaries that limit creativity in doctoral programmes and whether PhD candidates experience these boundaries as restrictive or not. It asks whether innovation can realistically be expected to result from doctoral programmes.

Keywords

Creativity South African Research

Judy Backhouse. (2009). 11 - Creativity Within Limits: Does the South African PhD Facilitate Creativity in Research?. Journal of Higher Education in Africa, 7(1-2), 265–288. https://doi.org/10.57054/jhea.v7i1-2.1610

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References

Amabile, T.M., 1996, Creativity in Context: Update to the Social Psychology of Creativity. Boulder, CO: Westview.
Ambrose, D., 2006, Large-Scale Contextual Influences on Creativity: Evolving Academic Disciplines and Global Value Systems, Creativity Research Journal, Vol. 18, pp. 75–85.
Bakradze, L., Glonti, L. and Jgerenaia, E., 2005, Main Directions and Action Plan for Implementing the Bologna Process in Georgia Until 2010. Tbilisi, Georgia.
Becher, T. and Trowler, P.R., 2001, Academic Tribes and Territories. Buckingham, UK: Society for Research into Higher Education.
Belay, K., 2004, Postgraduate Training in Agricultural Sciences in Ethiopia: Achievements and Challenges, Higher Education Policy, Vol. 17, pp. 49–70.
Benneh, G., 2002, Research Management in Africa, Higher Education Policy, Vol. 15, No. 3, pp. 249–262.
Boden, M., 1995, Creativity and Unpredictability, Stanford Humanities Review, Vol. 4, p. 15.
Boden, M.A., 1994, Précis of The Creative Mind: Myths and Mechanisms. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson 1990 (Expanded edn, London: Abacus, 1991), Behav- ioral and Brain Sciences, Vol. 17, pp. 519–570.
Christiansen, I.M. and Slammert, L., 2005, A Multi-faceted Approach to Research Development (I): Addressing the Myths, South African Journal of Higher Edu- cation, Vol. 19, No. 6, pp. 1047–1061.
Cooper, R.B. and Jayatilaka, B., 2006, Group Creativity: The Effects of Extrinsic, Intrinsic, and Obligation Motivations, Creativity Research Journal, Vol. 18, pp. 153–172.
Cropley, A., 2006, Dimensions of Creativity, Roeper Review, Vol. 28, pp. 125–130. Csikszentmihalyi, M., 1999, Implication of a Systems Perspective for the Study of Creativity, in Sternberg, R.J., ed., Handbook of Creativity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 313–335.
Davenport, T.H. and Prusak, L., 1998, Working Knowledge. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
Department of Education, 1997, Programme for the Transformation of Higher Edu- cation: Education White Paper 3. Government Gazette No. 18207, 15 August 1997, 3-54.
Department of Education, 2007,. The Higher Education Qualifications Framework (HEQF). Government Gazette No. 508, 3-29.
Department of Science and Technology, 2002, South Africa’s National Research and Development Strategy, 2002.
Dietz, A.J., Jansen, J.D. and Wadee, A.A., 2006, Effective PhD Supervision and Mentorship: A Workbook Based on Experiences from South Africa and the Netherlands. Pretoria & Amsterdam: UNISA Press & Rozenberg Publishers.
Gibbons, M., Limoges, C., Nowotny, H., Schwartzman, S., Scott, P. and Trow, M., 1994, The New Production of Knowledge: The Dynamics of Science and Research in Contemporary Societies. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Golde, C.M. and Dore, T.M., 2001, At Cross Purposes: What the Experiences of Doctoral Students Reveal about Doctoral Education. Philadelphia, PA: The Pew Charitable Trusts.
Haring-Smith, T., 2006, Creativity Research Review: Some Lessons for Higher Education, Peer Review, Vol. 8, pp. 23–27.
Huisman, J. and Bartelse, J., eds, 2001, Academic Careers: A Comparative Perspective. Enschede: Universiteit Twente Center for Higher Education Policy Studies (CHEPS). Kaufmann, G., 2004, Two Kinds of Creativity – But Which Ones?, Creativity and Innovation Management, Vol. 13, pp. 154–165.
Kirton, M.J., 1987, Adapters and Innovators: Styles of Creativity and Problem Solving, in Isaksen, S.G., ed., Frontiers of Creativity Research: Beyond the Basics. Buffalo, NY: Beady Limited, pp. 282–308.
Leonard, D., 2001, A Woman’s Guide to Doctoral Studies. Buckingham, UK: Open University Press.
Miettinen, R., 2006, The Sources of Novelty: A Cultural and Systemic View of Distributed Creativity, Creativity and Innovation Management, Vol. 15, pp. 173– 181.
Mouton, J., 2001, How to Succeed in your Master’s and Doctoral Studies: A South African Guide and Resource Book. Pretoria: Van Schaik.
Nyström, H., 2000, The Postmodern Challenge – From Economic to Creative Management, Creativity and Innovation Management, Vol. 9, pp. 109–114.
Park, C., 2005, New Variant PhD: The Changing Nature of the Doctorate in the UK, Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, Vol. 27, No. 2, pp. 189– 207.
Pestre, D., 2003, Regimes of Knowledge Production in Society: Towards a More Political and Social Reading, Minerva, Vol. 41, pp. 245–261.
Sadlak, J., ed., 2004, Doctoral Studies and Qualifications in Europe and the United States: Status and Prospects. Bucharest: UNESCO.
Samuel, M., 2000, About Tarbrushing and Feathering: Developing Institutional Ca- pacity for Postgraduate Research within a ‘Historically Disadvantaged Institu- tion’, South African Journal of Higher Education, Vol. 14, No. 3, pp. 63–76.
Schweizer, T.S., 2006, The Psychology of Novelty-seeking, Creativity and Innovation: Neurocognitive Aspects within a Work-psychological Perspective, Cre- ativity and Innovation Management, Vol. 15, pp. 164–172.
Sternberg, R.J., 2006, The Nature of Creativity, Creativity Research Journal, Vol. 18,pp. 87–98.
Sternberg, R.J. and Lubart, T.I., 1991, An Investment Theory of Creativity and its Development, Human Development, Vol. 34, pp. 1–31.
Szanton, D.L. and Manyika, S., 2002, PhD Programs in African Universities: Current Status and Future Prospects. Berkeley: University of California Institute of International Studies and Center for African Studies.
Wits, 2005, Wits 2010: A University to Call Our Own. Johannesburg: University of the Witwatersrand, 16 June.

References

Amabile, T.M., 1996, Creativity in Context: Update to the Social Psychology of Creativity. Boulder, CO: Westview.

Ambrose, D., 2006, Large-Scale Contextual Influences on Creativity: Evolving Academic Disciplines and Global Value Systems, Creativity Research Journal, Vol. 18, pp. 75–85.

Bakradze, L., Glonti, L. and Jgerenaia, E., 2005, Main Directions and Action Plan for Implementing the Bologna Process in Georgia Until 2010. Tbilisi, Georgia.

Becher, T. and Trowler, P.R., 2001, Academic Tribes and Territories. Buckingham, UK: Society for Research into Higher Education.

Belay, K., 2004, Postgraduate Training in Agricultural Sciences in Ethiopia: Achievements and Challenges, Higher Education Policy, Vol. 17, pp. 49–70.

Benneh, G., 2002, Research Management in Africa, Higher Education Policy, Vol. 15, No. 3, pp. 249–262.

Boden, M., 1995, Creativity and Unpredictability, Stanford Humanities Review, Vol. 4, p. 15.

Boden, M.A., 1994, Précis of The Creative Mind: Myths and Mechanisms. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson 1990 (Expanded edn, London: Abacus, 1991), Behav- ioral and Brain Sciences, Vol. 17, pp. 519–570.

Christiansen, I.M. and Slammert, L., 2005, A Multi-faceted Approach to Research Development (I): Addressing the Myths, South African Journal of Higher Edu- cation, Vol. 19, No. 6, pp. 1047–1061.

Cooper, R.B. and Jayatilaka, B., 2006, Group Creativity: The Effects of Extrinsic, Intrinsic, and Obligation Motivations, Creativity Research Journal, Vol. 18, pp. 153–172.

Cropley, A., 2006, Dimensions of Creativity, Roeper Review, Vol. 28, pp. 125–130. Csikszentmihalyi, M., 1999, Implication of a Systems Perspective for the Study of Creativity, in Sternberg, R.J., ed., Handbook of Creativity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 313–335.

Davenport, T.H. and Prusak, L., 1998, Working Knowledge. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.

Department of Education, 1997, Programme for the Transformation of Higher Edu- cation: Education White Paper 3. Government Gazette No. 18207, 15 August 1997, 3-54.

Department of Education, 2007,. The Higher Education Qualifications Framework (HEQF). Government Gazette No. 508, 3-29.

Department of Science and Technology, 2002, South Africa’s National Research and Development Strategy, 2002.

Dietz, A.J., Jansen, J.D. and Wadee, A.A., 2006, Effective PhD Supervision and Mentorship: A Workbook Based on Experiences from South Africa and the Netherlands. Pretoria & Amsterdam: UNISA Press & Rozenberg Publishers.

Gibbons, M., Limoges, C., Nowotny, H., Schwartzman, S., Scott, P. and Trow, M., 1994, The New Production of Knowledge: The Dynamics of Science and Research in Contemporary Societies. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Golde, C.M. and Dore, T.M., 2001, At Cross Purposes: What the Experiences of Doctoral Students Reveal about Doctoral Education. Philadelphia, PA: The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Haring-Smith, T., 2006, Creativity Research Review: Some Lessons for Higher Education, Peer Review, Vol. 8, pp. 23–27.

Huisman, J. and Bartelse, J., eds, 2001, Academic Careers: A Comparative Perspective. Enschede: Universiteit Twente Center for Higher Education Policy Studies (CHEPS). Kaufmann, G., 2004, Two Kinds of Creativity – But Which Ones?, Creativity and Innovation Management, Vol. 13, pp. 154–165.

Kirton, M.J., 1987, Adapters and Innovators: Styles of Creativity and Problem Solving, in Isaksen, S.G., ed., Frontiers of Creativity Research: Beyond the Basics. Buffalo, NY: Beady Limited, pp. 282–308.

Leonard, D., 2001, A Woman’s Guide to Doctoral Studies. Buckingham, UK: Open University Press.

Miettinen, R., 2006, The Sources of Novelty: A Cultural and Systemic View of Distributed Creativity, Creativity and Innovation Management, Vol. 15, pp. 173– 181.

Mouton, J., 2001, How to Succeed in your Master’s and Doctoral Studies: A South African Guide and Resource Book. Pretoria: Van Schaik.

Nyström, H., 2000, The Postmodern Challenge – From Economic to Creative Management, Creativity and Innovation Management, Vol. 9, pp. 109–114.

Park, C., 2005, New Variant PhD: The Changing Nature of the Doctorate in the UK, Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, Vol. 27, No. 2, pp. 189– 207.

Pestre, D., 2003, Regimes of Knowledge Production in Society: Towards a More Political and Social Reading, Minerva, Vol. 41, pp. 245–261.

Sadlak, J., ed., 2004, Doctoral Studies and Qualifications in Europe and the United States: Status and Prospects. Bucharest: UNESCO.

Samuel, M., 2000, About Tarbrushing and Feathering: Developing Institutional Ca- pacity for Postgraduate Research within a ‘Historically Disadvantaged Institu- tion’, South African Journal of Higher Education, Vol. 14, No. 3, pp. 63–76.

Schweizer, T.S., 2006, The Psychology of Novelty-seeking, Creativity and Innovation: Neurocognitive Aspects within a Work-psychological Perspective, Cre- ativity and Innovation Management, Vol. 15, pp. 164–172.

Sternberg, R.J., 2006, The Nature of Creativity, Creativity Research Journal, Vol. 18,pp. 87–98.

Sternberg, R.J. and Lubart, T.I., 1991, An Investment Theory of Creativity and its Development, Human Development, Vol. 34, pp. 1–31.

Szanton, D.L. and Manyika, S., 2002, PhD Programs in African Universities: Current Status and Future Prospects. Berkeley: University of California Institute of International Studies and Center for African Studies.

Wits, 2005, Wits 2010: A University to Call Our Own. Johannesburg: University of the Witwatersrand, 16 June.

Author Biography

Judy Backhouse, Researcher, School of Education University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa.

Judy Backhouse has experience as both an academic scholar and an information and communications technologies (ICT) practitioner. She is currently a Senior Academic Fellow at UNU-EGOV, after eight years as an Associate professor at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. Her recent research has been into the role of information systems in implementing smart city agendas in the African context. She has researched ICT for development as well as aspects of e-Government. Dr Backhouse has worked in the private and public sectors. In the private sector she worked in technical and management roles over a twelve-year career which began with designing and programming systems and ended with the strategic management of ICT within organisations. She spent two years at the South African Council on Higher Education where she was responsible for monitoring the Higher Education Sector in South Africa and advising the Minister of Higher Education. She also has experience as an entrepreneur, having launched (and closed) a co-working business in Johannesburg.

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