Abstract
Social-Cognitive Theory has been used in a number of previous studies centered on research interest. A key angle of this theory seeks to test if faculty who believe they have ability and skills to accomplish research tasks effectively (i.e. having high research self-efficacy) and those who anticipate meaningful outputs from engaging in those research activities (i.e. having high research outcome expectation) are more likely to hold persistent interest in research works. Based on this theoretical framework and with the purpose to bring the current research practices in a developing context of higher education into discussion, this study set out to examine to what extent research self-efficacy and research outcome expectation predict research interest of Cambodian faculty. Participants in the study were 453 faculty members from ten major universities in the country. The main analyses were conducted using Hierarchical Multiple Linear Regression. The study detected that three blocks of independent variables (i.e. controlled personal and professional background variables, research self-efficacy, and research outcome expectation) explained about 37% of variances in research interest, with research self-efficacy accounting for the highest percentage of the total explained variances. Yet, the interaction effect of the research self-efficacy and research outcome expectation on research interest was not statistically significant. With terminal degree countries and disciplines as moderators, further moderation analyses indicated that the effect of research self-efficacy and research outcome expectation on research interest did not vary across disciplines and across places where participants obtained their terminal degree. Through these empirical analyses, this article offered some constructive thoughts on the current practices and policies of research culture building in the studied context.
Highlights
This study set out to examine to what extent research self-efficacy and research outcome expectation predict research interest of Cambodian faculty
The study observed if the effects of research self-efficacy on research interest and of research outcome expectation on research interest vary across disciplines and terminal degree countries
This study aims to detect the significant correlation between the two independent variables and research interest of Cambodian academics, with the potential goal to understand the local reality of attitudes towards research in the studied setting which is just a starter in this scholarly world
Summary
This study set out to examine to what extent research self-efficacy and research outcome expectation predict research interest of Cambodian faculty. With terminal degree countries and disciplines as moderators, further moderation analyses indicated that the effect of research self-efficacy and research outcome expectation on research interest did not vary across disciplines and across places where participants obtained their terminal degree. Through these empirical analyses, this article offered some constructive thoughts on the current practices and policies of research culture building in the studied context. L and higher education workers and stakeholders to ignore the values and impacts of academic research or other genres of research conducted in higher education institutions (HEIs) Such extended significances of research give rise to studies on various constructs believed to have effects on research performance. According to Kanh and Scott (1997), research interest was the key mediator that links personality types and research training environment to research productivity and career goals
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