Me and My Research: Exploring the Academic and Social Challenges of Researchers at Higher Education

Researchers faced a variety of challenges during their research work which affect their research processes and research outcomes. Consequently, researchers got demotivated and lose their interest in research. Considering this crucial issue in higher education this study aimed to explore the academic and social challenges of researchers which they faced during their research work in higher education. Qualitative research methodology was adopted to conduct this research. Convenient sampling technique was applied to collect data from fifty students studying at M. Phil and PhD programs at Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan. A semi-structured interview protocol was developed to collect data from respondents. All the data were managed and analyzed manually by applying thematic analysis technique. Findings were categorized within academic and social challenges. Access to learning resources and poor academic writing, interaction with supervisors and data collect were found most dominating challenges than others. The intensity of these challenges was the same for both male and female students but with minor differences. Limitations and directions for future research was discussed.