Stratification of research productivity across academic career stages in a teaching-centric institution

Research productivity for higher education institutions (HEIs) and academics is measured through scholarly research output. In the Global South HEIs, faculty training programs for early-career academics (ECAs) and mid-career academics (MCAs) are employed to enhance research productivity. Academic institutions typically program organizational research productivity based on their envisioned horizontal typology and academic background instead of research productivity. This study examines the research productivity across academic career stages from a teaching-focused HEI. Since teaching-centric HEIs need to progress into research-intensive institutions, understanding the stratification of research productivity allows the matching and customization of faculty development programs. An online survey was distributed to 104 academic faculties: 44 ECAs, 57 MCAs, and 3 late-career academics (LCAs). Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to present the distribution and relationship among demographic and academic profiles, respectively. For a teaching-focused HEI, it has been observed that research productivity is strongly evident for MCAs as compared to ECAs and LCAs. Correlational analysis shows a moderate positive correlation between academic rank and research productivity. This study presents the stratification of research productivity across the academic levels of a teaching-focused institution. A strategic human resources development plan is suggested to support the meaningful assimilation of research culture in HEIs.