The scholarship of application in the context of academic entrepreneurialism: A review of the discursive field

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to undertake an inquiry into the way academic entrepreneurialism manifests itself in the changing discourses of the notion of “scholarship”. It particularly examines the contexts, rationales, definitions and implications of the discursive field of the “scholarship of application”. The global trend of academic entrepreneurialism profoundly affects the organisation of higher education institutions and academic life. Particularly, the form of scholarship has been undergoing subtle but constant transformation. The emergence of knowledge economies worldwide influences the practices and goals of traditional academy and illustrates commitment for fundamental knowledge and the new economies emphasise the results and impacts brought by applied knowledge. Alongside the “scholarship of discovery”, the “scholarship of application” is given attention. 

Design/methodology/approach – By reviewing the related literature, this paper articulates the definitions and dimensions of the “scholarship of application”. In addition, the impacts brought about by the concerned academic and policy discourses will be discussed. 

Findings – This paper finds that the emergence of the discursive field of the “scholarship of application” – as well as the discussions and actions in response to it – coincide with the intense neoliberal changes that affected traditional academia in the 1990s. It is argued that the emergence of and subsequent responses to the discursive field of the “scholarship of application” resulted in transforming purposes and practices of academic life. The discursive field of the “scholarship of application” also impacts on the concerned academic and policy discourses. 

Originality/value – To sustain the advancement of the scholarship of application, this paper implies the need to develop practices, cultivate culture as well as formulate prestige and reward mechanisms inherent to the existing higher education systems. Copyright © 2014  Emerald Group Publishing Limited.