Factors that Motivate Faculty to Pursue External Funding at a 4-Year Public Institution of Higher Education

• Main Author: Smith, Sharon D.
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University 2016
• Subjects: External funding; research funding; grants; scholarly funding; higher education funding; motivation; productivity; Educational Leadership
• Online Access: https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/3011; https://dc.etsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4401&context=etd

The purpose of this quantitative nonexperimental study was to indicate a better understanding of factors that motivate faculty at a 4-year public institution of higher education to pursue external funding. The study is focused on examining the relationship between characteristics of individual faculty members, productivity related to external funding, and faculty perception of intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors related to pursuing external funding. External funding is a major source of support for research at institutions of higher education. For universities to increase external funding for research along with increasing research productivity, it is essential that university faculty members are motivated to engage in research and seeking funding to support it (Chval & Nossaman, 2014). In order to provide adequate support universities need a clearer understanding of factors that may contribute to faculty’s motivation to pursue external funding. This study was conducted at a 4-year public university in the Southeastern region of the United States. One hundred sixty-seven full-time tenure-track and tenured faculty participated in the study using the web-based anonymous Motivating Factors to Pursuing External Funding Faculty Survey developed by the researcher. The quantitative data were analyzed using a series of single sample t-test, independent t-test, and chi-squared test. This study revealed that the gender and tenure status of full-time tenure-track and tenured faculty at the participating institution does not significantly affect their productivity as it relates to grant submissions or awards. The findings also indicated that the full-time tenure-track and tenured faculty perceive autonomy and self-actualization as significant intrinsic positive motivators and financial rewards as a significant extrinsic positive motivator to pursuing external funding. Additionally, the study found that the full-time tenure-track and tenured faculty did not perceive institutional support services as an extrinsic motivator to pursuing external funding.