Teachers’ affective commitment, self-efficacy, supervisors’ support and research motivation: a sequential mediation analysis

Purpose The research investigates the indirect effect of teachers’ affective commitment on intrinsic and extrinsic research motivation, mediated by self-efficacy and supervisor support. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 450 permanent teachers holding Post Doc, PhD and MPhil degrees using multi-stage purposive sampling with a self-administered standardized questionnaire at public universities in Bangladesh. The data were analyzed using SPSS, and model fits were tested with SEM in AMOS 23. Hypotheses were evaluated with the PROCESS Macro (Models 4 and 6). Findings The results indicate no direct relationship between teachers’ affective commitment and intrinsic and extrinsic research motivation. However, teachers’ self-efficacy and supervisor support fully mediate the relationship between affective commitment and intrinsic and extrinsic research motivation by sequential mediation. Therefore, results support the series of mediational hypotheses. Practical implications It is urgent and essential for university teachers to engage in research. Yet, limited research has examined the contextual factors influencing public university teachers’ keenness to engage in research. The findings aid individuals and authorities in understanding the significance of enhancing teachers’ research enthusiasm in universities. Originality/value The study investigated the indirect influence of teachers’ affective commitment on research motivation through self-efficacy and supervisor support uniquely. Therefore, the study is considered novel and valuable, as it explores the distinctive mechanisms via which affective commitment influences teachers’ research motivation.