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

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.