Designing a Phenomenological Study on the Information, Scientific and Academic Literacies of Consolidated and New Researchers

Abstract

This paper presents preliminary findings of a phenomenological research aimed at gaining insights into: a) what it means to be a researcher; b) the characteristics, tensions and intersections between the praxis of research (represented by the challenges and requirements of research evaluation) and researchers’ subjectivities (ideals, personality, practices, habits, skills, stages of evolution) and how they affect each other; and c) the process of developing professors as researchers, emphasizing their information, scientific and academic literacies (ISAL). The data collection was conducted through in-depth interviews with 14 members from the seven disciplines of the Mexican National Researchers System on their experiences as accredited researchers and trainers of researchers. The hermeneutic data analysis performed was based on emergent categories from the interviews and the preliminary results offered in this article were limited to the stated research aims, with a particular focus on the development of ISAL in researchers. As such, the results we present in this article are categorized in the following manner: a) what it means to be a researcher; b) the praxis of research and researchers’ subjectivities; and c) researchers’ development and their ISAL.