Research skills and academic efficiency relationship: Al Ain University case

Abstract

The importance of university research for technological and social development is steadily growing all over the world. Therefore, continuous evaluation and enhancement of university instructors' efficiency and competence are crucial. This study intended to assess the efficiency of educators of the Faculty of Education at Al Ain University and identify the extent to which they possess scientific research skills according to the educators themselves. This research aimed at examining the nature of the relationship between research abilities and efficiency and educator's gender, academic rank, and teaching experience. To achieve these objectives, the authors designed separate scales for scientific research skills and efficiency evaluation and applied them to 38 instructors of the Faculty of Education at Al Ain University (UAE). It was found that faculty members' extent of possessing scientific research skills and efficiency in self-assessment of educators was moderate. Statistically significant Pearson correlation differences were found between the self-assessment of research abilities and gender (in favour of the males, .830), academic rank (in favour of those of the professor rank – .616), and teaching experience (in favour of those with 10+ years of experience – .614). No statistically significant correlation was revealed between the respondents' gender (significance level 0.636) and efficiency (significance level 0.614).