Leverhulme academics project: summary of key results

(1) Our findings suggest that academia in many respects has a universal or global character and that factors relating to national identity or location are therefore often of secondary importance or even irrelevant to academics' behaviour, perspectives and opinions. The nature of research and teaching is generally regarded as universal in nature, and thus not strongly influenced by national identity or context.

(2) Nevertheless, although perceptions of national difference between Scotland and England are not conspicuous, the differential prominence of national considerations in the two countries is notable. In Scotland, national discourses are common. This does not mean that 'Scottishness' pervades and dominates academic life. Rather, there is an awareness of the existence and potential significance of a Scottish national dimension, and a discourse in which this dimension is balanced with more universal concerns - a discourse that is generally absent in England. Similarly, there is a recognition of the potential distinctiveness of Scottish higher education, albeit that the degree of distinctiveness is often regarded as having declined over time. Moreover, this distinctiveness may be interpreted negatively as well as positively, or indeed denied altogether. There is very little evidence of England being regarded as a distinct academic environment. Similarly, while international networking is most prominent, once more Scotland is distinct in that academics often occupy 'dual' national networks at both a Scottish and British level, whereas in England specifically English organizations and groups are not prominent.

In addition, although perspectives on the role and status of higher education are shared to a considerable extent across the border, there are important national differences in relation to the key areas of our investigation outlined in points 3-7 below.

(3) There is a strong attachment to traditional academic values concerned with, for example, awarding post-graduate degrees, conducting basic or theoretical research, and preserving and handing on the best scholarship. But existing alongside this there is also widespread attachment to a civic role for higher education which highlights its wider public contribution. Academics in Scotland tend to a somewhat more civic view than their counterparts in England. So, for example, those working in Scotland are more likely to emphasise the importance of preparing students to take on leadership roles in government and business, to contribute to the community, and to challenge people in authority. These values are not significantly influenced by individual academics' gender, age or social class of origin, and differences by academic discipline are not as strong as might be expected. The national difference seems to be a product of distinctive national systems, since academics of English origin in Scotland share in the majority Scottish views, as do those who have migrated from outside the UK. 'Migrants' to Scotland also tend to have distinct understandings of national identities and to demonstrate a degree of identification with Scotland which is not evident in a corresponding fashion among migrants in England.

(4) Academics in Scotland and England had different views about whether higher education should have a role in the formation of critical citizenship, in the sense of preparing students to think critically about claims to knowledge and to apply this critical faculty specifically in the public domain. Respondents in Scotland were most likely to highlight the importance of this role, and the most civic interpretation of these capacities tended to be held by those who were most distanced from a British identity. These views in Scotland were held also by academics who had come from outside the UK, in contrast to academics of similar origin in England. In England, those who would encourage a civic commitment among their students saw that as coming about through the kinds of careers on which they would embark, rather than through their role as citizens.

(5) Academics exhibit a strong commitment to engagement and interaction with their communities both in principle and in practice. This is defined as the wide range of civic activity which they undertake over and above their more routine teaching and research roles. Such interaction often takes place at a variety of geographical levels (local, regional and national). In Scotland the national dimension encompasses both Scottish and British levels. There is evidence to suggest that, in principle at least, attitudes to civic engagement are somewhat stronger north of the border. This is manifested most obviously in the higher levels of loyalty which academics in Scotland show toward their local area and their nation (defined as Scotland or England), and their stronger belief in the importance of contributing toward local and national (again, Scottish/English) economic development.

(6) The fact that respondents north of the border also appear to have a rather more 'democratic' attitude to wider access and participation in higher education, and a greater acceptance of state involvement in higher education, provides further evidence that academics in Scotland believe in a greater degree of engagement with the non-academic community as a whole than do their counterparts south of the border.

(7) While the issue of constitutional change is of little relevance in England, academics in Scotland are as supportive of Scottish devolution as are the public as a whole, and a large majority also believe the Scottish Parliament should have primary legislative responsibility for higher education. But there is very little evidence that curricula and research interests are being modified in the light of constitutional change and current debates about national identity in the UK. The general perception of the overall effect of devolution on higher education in Scotland is probably best characterized as positive but limited.

Recommended detailed reading:

Paterson, L. and Bond, R. (forthcoming), 'Higher education and critical citizenship: a survey of academics' views in Scotland and England', Pedagogy, Culture and Society.

Paterson, L. (2003), 'The survival of the democratic intellect: academic values in Scotland and England', Higher Education Quarterly, 57, 67-93.

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