African Higher Education Research Development and Training: Cross‐cultural Perspectives among African and Israeli Social Scientists

Abstract

The extent of congruence that exists among university‐based African and Israeli social scientists regarding the importance of selected social research issues and the extent of behavioural response needed to address research and training through higher education are examined. The analytical construct used was formulated on the basis of the behaviour‐intention theory. Data were collected during the summer of 1997 by means of a questionnaire mailed to the study subjects who included twenty African and seventeen Israeli researchers. The results revealed no significant differences of opinion between the two groups in terms of the importance of the social research issues to be addressed. A number of significant differences were identified, however, in terms of the perceived extent of education and training needed for African university personnel. The findings tended to support the contention that there is a marked imbalance between developing Third World institutions of higher education and northern external institutions of higher education tending to induce the latter, having a wealth of resources, to slip into a role of deciding what, how, and when certain activities should be undertaken in higher education in developing countries.