Research attitude, motivation, and productivity of university teachers in China: Basis for an enhanced research development plan

The study evaluated the research attitude, motivation and productivity among university teachers in China.It described the profile of the respondents in terms of sex, age, highest educational attainment and research experiences; determined the respondents' research attitude in terms of university mission, research orientation, rewards and incentives, personal interest, and research utilization; identified the respondents' research motivation in terms of extrinsic and intrinsic motivations; assessed the respondents research productivity as to importance and impact; tested the differences in responses when grouped according to profile variables; tested the significant relationships among variables research attitude, motivation, and productivity; and finally, based on the results of the study, proposed an enhanced faculty development research program.The descriptive method was used in this study with 500 teachers who have experienced research activities in their teaching activities as participants of the study.These teachers are from three institutions of higher learning in Hunan Province, China.Reliable and validated questionnaire was employed to gather data.The gathered data was analyzed using a one-way ANOVA, t-test, and a quantitative descriptive study technique.Based on the findings, majority of the respondents are male aged 26-35 years old with a Bachelor's degree having 3-6 years of research experience.Most of the respondents had positive impressions on indicators affecting motivations, research productivity as to importance and impact.There were no significant differences on responses when it comes to gender, age, highest educational attainment, and research experience.There was a highly significant relationship among variables research attitude, motivation, and productivity.Recommendations for future research were proposed to facilitate the exploration of additional challenges and obstacles related to research attitude, motivation, and productivity among Chinese university teachers.