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Understanding TEFL Academics’ Research Motivation and Its Relations With Research Productivity

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  • Jian-E Peng
  • Xuesong (Andy) Gao

Abstract

Motivation is considered an important impetus driving and sustaining individuals’ efforts to fulfill their goals. Against the backdrop that university academics worldwide are increasingly expected to produce research output in prestigious journals for both individual and institutional development, it is necessary to understand academics’ research motivation and its relations with research productivity in international and local journals. This study, being descriptive and explanatory in nature, surveyed 309 academics who taught English as a foreign language (TEFL) in China. Results showed that the participants exhibited stronger extrinsic motivation, in the form of external and identified regulations, than intrinsic motivation. However, these two subtypes of extrinsic motivation were significantly negatively associated with academic publishing, whereas intrinsic motivation was the significant positive factor associated with the participants’ publication in international journals. These findings remind both academics and educational managers of the importance of enhancing intrinsic motivation and refining contextual support in improving academics’ research productivity.

Suggested Citation

  • Jian-E Peng & Xuesong (Andy) Gao, 2019. "Understanding TEFL Academics’ Research Motivation and Its Relations With Research Productivity," SAGE Open, , vol. 9(3), pages 21582440198, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:sagope:v:9:y:2019:i:3:p:2158244019866295
    DOI: 10.1177/2158244019866295
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ioana Alexandra Horodnic & Adriana Zaiţ, 2015. "Motivation and research productivity in a university system undergoing transition," Research Evaluation, Oxford University Press, vol. 24(3), pages 282-292.
    2. Zeileis, Achim & Kleiber, Christian & Jackman, Simon, 2008. "Regression Models for Count Data in R," Journal of Statistical Software, Foundation for Open Access Statistics, vol. 27(i08).
    3. Hicks, Diana, 2012. "Performance-based university research funding systems," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(2), pages 251-261.
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    Cited by:

    1. Yadong Guo & Helena Sit & Min Bao, 2020. "Sustainable Careers of Teachers of Languages Other than English (LOTEs) for Sustainable Multilingualism in Chinese Universities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-14, August.
    2. Hua Lu & Xiaorong Zhang, 2023. "Developing sustainable career paths as teacher-researchers in a changing academic landscape: A tale of two EFL teachers in China," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 18(5), pages 1-17, May.
    3. Chunhai Gao & Sabika Khalid & NGUYEN Van Thang & Endale Tadesse, 2023. "Comparing Apples With Apples: Women Faculty Research Productivity in Vietnamese Higher Education," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(3), pages 21582440231, August.
    4. Hua Lu, 2024. "“My Shawshank Redemption†: A Self-Narrative Inquiry of an EFL Academic’s Emotions and Identities on Research Journey," SAGE Open, , vol. 14(2), pages 21582440241, May.
    5. Yanping Li & Lawrence Jun Zhang & Naashia Mohamed, 2024. "The influence of mentorship and working environments on foreign language teachers’ research motivation in China," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-12, December.
    6. Li Tao & Yu Wang, 2024. "Collective agency among Chinese university EFL teachers in the era of research excellence," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-8, December.
    7. Honggang Liu & Lixiang Gao & Fan Fang, 2020. "Exploring and Sustaining Language Teacher Motivation for Being a Visiting Scholar in Higher Education: An Empirical Study in the Chinese Context," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-16, July.
    8. Reynato Jr. C. Alpuerto & Gina Fe G. Israel, 2025. "Institutional Support, Research Skills and Online Information Searching Strategy: A Structural Equation Model on Research Motivation of Graduate School Students," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 9(3), pages 2802-2818, March.
    9. Jesús Frutos-Belizón & Natalia García-Carbonell & Félix Guerrero-Alba & Gonzalo Sánchez-Gardey, 2024. "An empirical analysis of individual and collective determinants of international research collaboration," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 129(5), pages 2749-2770, May.

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