Psychological Climate and Moral Stimulation in Research Teams of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in the Eyes of Young Researchers

Abstract

The issues of training highly qualified and competitive specialists are of great importance for the scientific system of Ukraine. This explains the importance of conducting surveys of young scientists to determine their opinions on various aspects of scientific activity. The article presents the results of an electronic questionnaire survey of young researchers from scientific institutions of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NAS of Ukraine), which was carried out in February-April 2021 by a group of scientists from the Dobrov Institute for Scientific and Technological Potential and Science History Studies of the NAS of Ukraine.

The purpose of this survey is to obtain respondent data pertaining to moral and psychological tools as a means to stimulate high performance of young researchers, set up various forms of researchers’ professional communications, improve the internal climate in research teams and conditions for the professional advancement of young researchers in the NAS of Ukraine. The questioning covered 352 young researchers from three sections, 14 divisions and 83 institutes of the NAS of Ukraine. The analysis of results obtained from the questioning of young researchers allows for the conclusion that the creative social and psychological climate that has beneficial effects for their professional advancement prevails in the majority of the NAS institutes; traditions of respectful attitudes to young researchers’ needs and their involvement in research and scien ti fic discussions are continued and preserved. This is confirmed by the data reported by the overwhelming majority of respondents. Nearly 80 % of respondents are fully or partially satisfied by the culture of discussion at scientific workshops. However, problems with workshop organization do exist in some NAS institutes, as, according to respondents, they can be held too rarely or not held at all; be convened to report outdated information or be turned into a business meeting, workshop leaders or participants can exhibit disrespectful attitudes to young researchers. Therefore, the survey shows that some leaders of research teams seem to diminish the significance of scientific workshops in the professional development of young researchers and fostering culture of scientific discussion, which requires a constructive feedback of the administration of the NAS of Ukraine.