An Evolving International Research Collaboration Network: Spatial and Thematic Developments in Co-Authored Higher Education Research, 1998–2018

in Scientometrics (2022), 127

Co-authored research articles in the disciplinarily heterogeneous field of higher education have dramatically increased in this century, largely driven, as in other fields, by rising international co ... [more ▼]

Co-authored research articles in the disciplinarily heterogeneous field of higher education have dramatically increased in this century, largely driven, as in other fields, by rising international co-authorships. We examine this evolving international collaboration network in higher education research over two decades. To do so, we apply automated bibliometric topic identification and social network analysis of 9,067 papers in 13 core higher education journals (1998–2018). Remarkable expansion in the volume of papers and co-authorships has, surprisingly, not resulted in a more diverse network. Rather, existing co-authorship patterns are strengthened, with the dominance of scholars from a few Anglophone countries largely maintained. Researchers globally seek to co-author with leading scholars in these countries, especially the US, UK, and Australia—at least when publishing in the leading general HE journals based there. Further, the two-mode social network analysis of countries and topics suggests that while Anglophone countries have led the development of higher education research, China and Germany, as leading research-producing countries, are increasingly influential within this world-spanning network. Topically, the vast majority of co-authored papers in higher education research focuses on individual-level phenomena, with organizational and system-level or country-level analysis constituting a (much) smaller proportion, despite policymakers’ emphasis on cross-national comparisons and the growing importance of university actorhood. We discuss implications thereof for the future of the multidisciplinary higher education field. [less ▲]

Higher Education Organizations as Strategic Actors in Networks: Institutional and Relational Perspectives Meet Social Network Analysis

in Theory and Method in Higher Education Research (2021), 7

Informed by multiple disciplines, theories, and methods, higher education scholars have developed a robust and diverse literature in many countries. Yet, some important (organizational) sociological ... [more ▼]

Informed by multiple disciplines, theories, and methods, higher education scholars have developed a robust and diverse literature in many countries. Yet, some important (organizational) sociological perspectives, both more established and more recent, are insufficiently linked. In particular, we identify two theoretical strands—institutional and relational—that, when joined, help to explain contemporary developments in global higher education and yield new organizational insights. We review relevant literature from each perspective, both in their general formulations and with specific reference to contemporary higher education research. Within the broad institutional strand, we highlight Strategic Action Fields, organizational actorhood, and associational memberships. Within the relational strand, we focus on ties and relationships that are especially crucial as science has entered an age of (inter)national research collaboration. Across these theories, we discuss linkages between concepts, objects, and levels of analysis. We explore the methodological approach of social network analysis as it offers great potential to connect these strands and thus to advance contemporary higher education research in a collaborative era. [less ▲]