Causal Factors of Research Productivity of Vocational Educators in Higher Education

Abstract

     The purposes of this research were to determine research productivity of vocational educators, causal relationship of factors influencing research productivity, and to develop the causal structural relationship model of research productivity. The proposed research productivity model consisted of 5 latent variables and 12 observed variables. The sample was 354 vocational educators in higher education institutions. The research instruments were a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview schedule. The statistics used for data analysis were descriptive statistics, t-test, three-way analysis of variance, factor analysis and path analysis. The research results indicated that: 1) average research productivity that measured by the number and quality of research within the last three years was relatively low (2.02). 2) Interaction of education, specialty and institution were not significantly different. Research productivity of educators holding higher degree was significantly more than research productivity of educators holding lower degree (p=.000). 3) The factor analysis indicated that personal factor consisted of research experience, time for research, research skill, research achievement motive and research habit; research environmental factor consisted of researcher collaboration, research climate, document and research fund (χ²= 928.34, p=.000). 4) The causal structural relationship model was well fitted with empirical data (χ²= 55.8, p=.18, GFI=0.92, AGFI=0.90, RMR=0.086, RMSEA=0.09). Factors of the model were personal factor, environmental factor, research attitude and research self-efficacy. The causal model could explain about 82 percent of the variance in research productivity. The personal factor contributed to the highest total effect on research productivity. Recommendations were proposed to encourage research productivity at three levels: personal, institutional and governmental.