Identification Of Motivational Factors for Conducting Academic Research Among University Researchers: A Case Study of PMAS-Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi

Abstract

Universities research has become an essential component of higher education and researchers' motivation and their output of research are thought to be strongly correlated. The main purpose of this study was to identify the driving forces behind PhD scholars' decisions to pursue research at PMAS Arid Agriculture University in Pakistan. The nature of the research was exploratory and Nominal Group Technique was applied, to a nominal group of 15 academic scholars. The Nominal Group approach was used in different steps (idea generation, selection, listening, clarification, and ranking and consensus stages). The NGT's results were classified into five categories: social recognition, supervisor support and coordination, intended outcomes, theoretical preferences, and a sense of achievement. Participants gave less preference to the element that their interest in research activities inspired them to conduct research and more preference to the factor that acknowledgement from society was an incentive for them to undertake research.