Catalysing Capacity: Science researcher participation in voluntary capacity development

This thesis explores factors influencing participation in voluntary capacity development. It emphasises how these factors are interrelated to ultimately drive someone to participate, or steer away from, engaging in capacity development both generally or for specific types. Prior literature focused on training and development has considered this primarily through a quantitative methodology, but less research has examined this from a qualitative perspective. By undertaking qualitative research on the matter, the thesis seeks to address this topic more broadly and provide a foundation for future quantitative research to further explore it. Within New Zealand, recent governments have been pushing for the generation of greater impact from the funding they invest in research. It has been argued, though, that such impact is less likely unless researchers have the capacities to progress their research beyond its technical base (Daellenbach et al., 2017). Such capacities are not part of typical training or employment requirements. Investigating this from the perspective of those who both have and have not participated in capacity development, this thesis sampled early-career science academics at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington. This enabled consideration of voluntary non-technical development (such as soft skills) in a primarily technically-focused situation. A semi-structured interview process was conducted, with sixteen early-career academics and two experienced researchers interviewed. These interviews gave the opportunity for participants to share their perspectives and reflect on their own and others’ participation in voluntary capacity development. The findings reveal that participation was not driven by a single factor, but rather a complex interaction of influences that extend beyond those identified in quantitative models. This allowed for the generation of a systems model which explained the virtuous (or vicious) nature of participating in capacity development, which can affect current and future participation. The findings also highlight that the relevance of the capacity development opportunities is a key factor that other aspects feed into or combine with to influence participation indirectly. Theoretically, these findings suggest that the specific type of development needs to be considered, as key factors such as relevance and workshop characteristics are associated with non-voluntary development decisions. This study also enhances existing models by recognising dynamically interacting characteristics that align with a systems perspective. Practically, these findings provide a foundation for understanding and addressing the challenges faced by early-career academics. There are benefits for research organisations, as catering to the needs around timing, communication, support, resourcing can be seen to enhance participation rates.