Factors that motivate business faculty in Kenya to conduct research

Abstract

This study sought to examine the factors that influence research productivity among business academic staff in selected universities in Kenya. Survey research design was employed in this study. Questionnaire was used to collect information from 277 (70.2% male and 29.8% female) university business academic staff. The information was analysed by SPSS (Version 15) which generated descriptive statistics. Factor analysis was used for data reduction, identification and description of the major factors influencing research productivity as noted by respondents. The results from this study indicate that personal career development factors form the main factor influencing research productivity among business academic staff in Kenya. The conclusion made from this study is that the business academic staff’s research productivity is heavily dependent on appropriate skills in research methodology. The main recommendation is for the development and enhancement of national and institutional research policies to guide and manage research in Kenya with clear provisions for improvement of research methodology skills for the business faculty. Key words: Research productivity, publication productivity, research output, professional development