So, is there a teaching-research nexus in Cambodia? Evidence from EFL students at one public university

ABSTRACT Teaching-research nexus has become a hotspot topic of scholarly debates in the higher education field for decades, owing to the contesting views of intellectuals and the polarisation of empirical evidence reported from many higher education spaces. Sadly, previous studies have been mainly conducted in societies with well-developed research culture – meaning this area of inquiry remains baffling in many other higher education settings, especially the teaching-oriented ones. Thus, this study analyzes quantitative and qualitative data from 232 students who responded to an online survey and eight who participated in interviews at one long-standing public university in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where academics’ dedication to teaching duties is typically treasured. The results indicate patchy connections between teaching and research not only at the institutional level but also at the classroom level. In particular, the results reveal that the teaching-research nexus appears more evidently in the form of research-skill development, inquiry-based activities, and students’ current knowledge sharing. Conversely, cutting-edge knowledge is far from being visible in the teaching-learning space. This invisibility is possibly the concomitant of the academics’ unattractive engagement in knowledge production. Unfortunately, such loose connections also make students’ learning less exciting.