A Meta-Methods Analysis of Academics’ Challenges Affecting Research Productivity During COVID-19: Insights from a South African University

Abstract

The purpose of this research study was to examine challenges experienced by academics at Stellenbosch University that hinder their research productivity during the COVID-19 pandemic, involving 248 academics who completed an online questionnaire. A qualitative analysis of open-ended responses revealed five themes that characterized the extent that the COVID-19 pandemic impacted these academics’ research productivity: Online Teaching, Increase in Research Productivity, No Difference to Research Productivity, Reduced Research Productivity, and No Research Productivity. A mixed methods analysis revealed that only 25% of academics were not adversely affected by online teaching in terms of research productivity. Two thirds of the academics experienced either a reduction in productivity or reported no research productivity at all. Compared to academics who reported an increase in productivity, academics who reported undertaking no research productivity at all tended to be women, not to hold a professor position, not to have a doctorate degree, to have less experience as academics, to have access at home to a tablet, but not to have access at home to cellphone data.