Institutional Factors Associated with Faculty Participation in Research and Publication: A Case of Universities in Arusha City, Tanzania

Abstract

This study sought to establish factors associated with faculty participation in research and publication. It employed survey design with 97 faculty respondents from four universities. The questionnaire was validated through expert judgment and Cronbach’s Alpha of between 0.74 and 0.91 was established through pilot testing before the start of data collection. The study established that faculty members attend and present papers in research seminars, workshops and conferences. Gender and academic ranking, determined participation rates as males, lecturers and senior lecturers significantly participated more often than their female, Tutorial Assistant and Assistant Lecturer counterparts. The role of senior researchers is limited to encouraging juniors to publish without necessarily coaching them how to do it. Institutional support is non-existent due to lack of awareness of research policies and non-availability of material, moral and financial support. Finally, Institutional support positively influences mentorship and information centre quality. It is therefore recommended that institutional leaderships need to encourage faculty members to engage into book writing projects and editorial activities rather than confining themselves into journal article, book chapters and attendance in research conferences, seminars and workshops. Female educators, Tutorial Assistants and Assistant Lecturers should be empowered to increase rate of participation. Finally, institutional leaderships should create awareness of research policies to faculty members and extend material, moral and financial support to research and publication projects.