학문절벽의 시대, 비정규직 연구자의 안정화 방안 모색을 위한 실태조사

Abstract

Recently, the situation of the academic deadlock is imminent, in which academic reproduction becomes more and more difficult. With a sharp decline in the number of school‒age children, the state‒led university structural reform policy has managed to shrink the size of colleges and universities, which is, in turn, making it harder for many temporary researchers, graduate students and new doctors to have opportunities to teach or to research. Being pushed to participate in research projects mainly for economic reasons in areas that are somewhat distant from their interests and expertise, these temporary researchers find it difficult to engage in creative and progressive researches. In order to closely examine this situation, a questionnaire‒based survey is conducted with 115 temporary researchers who do not have a stable research position. The focus of the investigation lies on the status of their education and research during the last three years, their research circumstances in the research projects funded by the National Research foundation of Korea and the Academy of Korean Studies, problems and prospects of the research process, and how to stabilize the status of temporary researchers. To sum up the participants’ responses, firstly, temporary researchers should be allowed more autonomy in their research. Secondly, more small‒and medium‒sized studies need to be implemented than large ones currently initiated under such drives as BK 21 (Brain Korea 21), HK (Humanities Korea), and SSK (Social Science Korea). Thirdly, for sustainable academic reproduction, a progressive approach should be adopted to ensure stable research among graduate students and young scholars. Furthermore, the National Research Foundation should shift its focus to increase support for basic studies over applied ones. Now, the government‒initiated top‒down bureaucratic research policy should be changed to a bottom‒up autonomous research policy. This is because, in general, the researchers themselves tend to have a better idea of research prospect and methodology than the bureaucrats. It is long overdue, but the research policy must be altered to allow creativity and autonomy for academic studies in Korea.