Knowledge Production Practices in Higher Institutions of Learning in Zambia: a case of the University of Zambia by Christine Wamunyima Kanyengo Student Number: KNYWAM001 Thesis Presented for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in Library and Information Science (PhD) in the Department of Knowledge and Information Stewardship Supervisor: Dr J. Gretchen Smith UniversityUNIVERSITY ofOF CAPECape TOWN Town SOUTH AFRICA October 2020 The copyright of this thesis vests in the author. No quotation from it or information derived from it is to be published without full acknowledgement of the source. The thesis is to be used for private study or non- commercial research purposes only. Published by the University of Cape Town (UCT) in terms of the non-exclusive license granted to UCT by the author. University of Cape Town Copyright The copyright of this thesis vests in the author. No quotation from it or information derived from it is to be published without full acknowledgement of the source. The thesis is to be used for private study or non-commercial research purposes only. Published by the University of Cape Town (UCT) in terms of the non-exclusive license granted to UCT by the author. i Declaration I, Christine Wamunyima Kanyengo, hereby declare that the work on which this thesis is based is my original work (except where acknowledgements indicate otherwise) and that neither the whole work nor any part of it has been, is being, or is to be submitted for another degree in this or any other university. I authorise the University to reproduce for the purpose of research either the whole or any portion of the contents in any manner whatsoever. Signature:……………………………………. Date: October 19, 2020 ii Dedication This research is dedicated to my parents Ndate Robert Kanyengo Mwangana ni Ma-Inambao Makula Siyumbwa Kanyengo “for enabling me see beyond the horizon, I will eternally be grateful” To the memory of My brother; ‘Dusty’ Martin Siyumbwa Kanyengo “Gone too soon” My Niece Roselyn Mufungulwa Imataa Banda “You were a rising naleli” iii Acknowledgements Ki tabo ni buitumelo, to finally say ‘thank you’ to everyone who contributed in one way or another towards this long and very painful journey. Thanks go to my supervisor Dr J. Gretchen Smith, Prof Jaya Raju and all the staff of the Department of Knowledge and Information Stewardship at UCT for their support rendered to me during my studies: that assistance enabled me to complete this work. This work would not have been possible without the assistance of so many people: Dr Akakandelwa Akakandelwa – for help with statistics. Ms Felicitas N. Moyo - for being the study mate. Thanks also go to the University of Zambia for the support; material and otherwise rendered to me. Milimo Mwiba, for all the shared memories. Bui tumelo to my family members: My beloved late mother who passed on just before I submitted my final thesis; Ma-Inambao Makula Siyumbwa Kanyengo; My Sisters – Gertrude Liyungu Kanyengo Imataa and Brendah (Ma-Lisulo) Kakulwa Kanyengo and all my nieces and nephews. To Yusuf Ahmed, thank you for all the love and support; because of you, I have achieved so much. Thank you for accompanying me on this excruciating journey…….it has been too long. Finally, may I just say: Mulimu, you have blessed me with so much more than I can put in words; thank you. iv Abstract The core business of higher education institutions such as universities is knowledge production. This is achieved by conducting research which results in various research products being produced, as well as through teaching and the production of graduates. The main objective of the study was to explore and describe knowledge production practices and their attributes within a university environment at the University of Zambia. The study’s major contribution to knowledge is that it indicates to what extent this objective is achieved. A mixed methods case study approach that used both quantitative and qualitative research methodology was adopted for the study. The mixed methods analysis framework was based on grounded theory, bibliometric techniques, and concurrent triangulation. The site of investigation was the School of Medicine at the University of Zambia. The sampling technique also adopted a mixed methods approach by using purposive, availability and stratified purposeful sampling to sample the respondents. The PubMed/Medline database, academic staff, key informants and the documents reviewed all served as the key sources of information for the study. Data obtained from PubMed/Medline, questionnaires and semi structured interviews were quantitatively analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software, while the more qualitative information that was gleaned from open-ended questions, semi-structured interviews and documentary sources was analysed thematically. The subject analysis of PubMed/Medline articles was done using the VOSviewer software and Microsoft Excel. The findings reveal that the yearly research output from 1995 to 2015 was 281 scholarly papers in 159 journals. The lowest number of papers published were recorded in 1997, 2000, and 2004 while the years 2013, 2014 and 2015 show the highest number of papers per year; and the highest was recorded in 2015. It was found that, except in 1997 and 2000, most of these papers were authored by more than five researchers. This indicates a high degree of collaboration. The journals in which the academic staff were publishing in emanated from all over the world; Asia, Africa, Europe and North America. The journals themselves are also a combination of both high impact factor journals such as the PLoS One, American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, The Lancet, Malaria Journal and those with no impact factor v like the Medical Journal of Zambia. The results indicate that the respondents mostly investigated and published in subject fields related to diseases most prevalent in Zambia, i.e. HIV and Aids, Malaria and Tuberculosis. In addition, the findings indicate that the majority of the academic staff were born after 1960 (73%), with high digital information retrieval skills (95.2%), and with their research output published mainly in journals. The knowledge was produced for various reasons: 85.4% for research purposes, 80.5% for academic promotion, 80.5% for production of knowledge, 73.2% to improve teaching, 61% to provide evidence, 51.2% to change practice, 41.5% to improve policy, 41.5% for personal advancement, and 24.4% for research funding. The knowledge was produced ethically, advancing scholarship, and deemed to be beneficial to society. The overall conclusion drawn from the study is that the knowledge productivity of the School of Medicine has steadily increased over the years and that this is supported by various institutional policies. Additionally, there is increased collaboration with persons outside the continent, whilst there is less collaboration with countries in Africa. The key recommendation for the School of Medicine is that it should work with and within the various layers of the university’s institutions such as the Library, Directorate of Research and Graduate Studies, University of Zambia Press, and the Centre for Information and Communication Technology. This would ensure that impediments to knowledge production, diffusion and utilisation are mitigated. vi Acronyms and Abbreviations ACAPS Assessment Capacities Project ACS Academic Conditions of Service ADB Asian Development Bank AERA American Education Research Association AHRQ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality AIDS Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome AMREF African Medical and Research Foundation ANR Applied Nursing Research AOR Artificial Optic Radiations AOSTI African Observatory in Science Technology and Innovation APU Average Publishable Unit ART Antiretroviral Therapy ASHA American Speech-Language-Hearing Association ASIST Association for Information Science and Technology ASLIB Association for Information Management ASSAf Academy of Science of South Africa AU African Union BMC BioMed Central BMJ British Medical Journal CA California CCR Centre for Conflict Resolution CD-ROM Compact Disc, Read-Only-Memory CDC Centers of Disease Control and Prevention CF Confer CFR Code of Federal Regulations CHET Centre for Higher Education Transformation CHU Centre Hospitalier Universitaire CI Confucius Institute CICT Centre for Information and Communication Technology vii CIRDZ Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia CODESRIA Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa CSIR Council for Scientific and Industrial Research CSO Central Statistics Office CSR Corporate Social Responsibility CSV Comma-Separated Values CVR Cardiovascular Research DC District of Columbia DHHS Department of Health and Human Services DOI Digital Object Identifier DRC Democratic Republic of Congo DRGS Directorate of Research and Graduate Studies DZIF German Centre for Infection Research E&B Epilepsy & Behavior ECE Emergency Capacity Building Project ECE Early Childhood Education ECSA East, Central and Southern Africa-Health Community ENG Engineering ENT Ear Nose and Throat EPHTI Ethiopian Public Health Training Initiative ERP Enterprise Resource Planning ESB Educational Statistical Bulletin FANCAP Fundación para la Alimentación y Nutrición de Centro América y Panamá FY Financial Year GDP Gross Domestic Product GSB Graduate School of Business GRZ Government of the Republic of Zambia GT Grounded Theory H1N1 Influenza