The Cultivation of Research Labor in Pacific Asia with Special Reference to Singapore

Resource type
Authors/contributors
Title
The Cultivation of Research Labor in Pacific Asia with Special Reference to Singapore
Abstract
This paper adopts a political economy perspective in understanding how the country context frames the development of higher education doctoral science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs. We argue that a country's commitment to research and development spending as a strategy to maintain its economic competitiveness creates the market for research labor. This embeddedness of STEM doctoral training programs in the country's science and technology system enlarges differences between STEM and non-STEM doctoral programs. This argument is validated from a survey of doctoral students in leading Pacific Asian universities which shows that STEM doctoral programs have stronger research networks, are better financed, use better facilities, and incorporate a variety of research placements. The embeddedness of STEM programs is further illustrated from the case of Singapore. Singapore-based STEM doctoral students mention enjoying better financial support and receiving better career advice from their supervisors. They depend on collaborative peer learning and cite more varied employment options when asked about their career plans.
Publication
Asia Pacific Education Review
Volume
19
Issue
2
Pages
199-210
Date
2018/06/00
Language
en
DOI
10.1007/s12564-018-9531-z
ISSN
1598-1037
Accessed
1/10/22, 10:28 AM
Extra
9 citations (Crossref) [2022-09-21] Publisher: Springer
Citation
Ge, Y., & Ho, K. C. (2018). The Cultivation of Research Labor in Pacific Asia with Special Reference to Singapore. Asia Pacific Education Review, 19(2), 199–210. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-018-9531-z
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