Work experiences and knowledge transfer among Korean academics: focusing on generational differences

Abstract

The aim of this study is to explore work experiences and knowledge transfer among Korean academics in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). In particular, the study addresses the ways in which academics from different generations develop their work experiences and how these experiences influence their knowledge transfer. The research questions are as follows. (1) To what extent do academics’ work experiences and knowledge transfer differ between generations? (2) What factors influence academics’ knowledge transfer, and do these factors differ by generation? The study uses multiple data sources: (1) the Korean Researcher Information service provided by the National Research Foundation of Korea; (2) the Korean Citation Index, Web of Science and Scopus for publication data, (3) the Korea Intellectual Property Rights Information Service; (4) a higher education database provided by the Ministry of Education, Korea and (5) an international comparative survey entitled ‘The Changing Academic Profession’. The results show that the training for academics in STEM fields in Korea has evolved over the last three decades. Their work experiences have changed, ranging from work in industry to work for public research institutes and postdoctoral fellowships. These experiences differ by generation, which also affects academics’ knowledge transfer. © 2017, © 2017 Society for Research into Higher Education.