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Faculty Productivity Barriers and Supports at a School of Education

Innovative Higher Education volume 34, pages 117–129 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

All programs in a midwestern university recently embarked on a path to help increase the scholarly productivity of faculty. The effort to develop a research emphasis within the School of Education required determining the needs of tenure-track faculty regarding meeting the new requirements. The purposes of our study were to investigate these needs and identify the individual, environmental, and leadership factors that affect faculty productivity. Findings revealed a need to transform the School’s service and teaching culture to a culture of research and scholarship. Recommendations for helping other schools of education to become more research-oriented are provided. While the study focuses on data from a particular School of Education, the implications may generalize to faculty productivity within other institutions, particularly within professional schools.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Education, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD, USA

    Susan A. Santo, Linda Reetz & Kristine Reed

  2. Extended Learning Services, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA

    Mary E. Engstrom

  3. Health Sciences, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD, USA

    William E. Schweinle

Authors
  1. Susan A. Santo
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  2. Mary E. Engstrom
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  3. Linda Reetz
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  4. William E. Schweinle
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  5. Kristine Reed
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Correspondence to Susan A. Santo.

Additional information

Susan A. Santo

received a Ph.D. in Instructional Technology from the University of Virginia and is currently an Associate Professor of Adult and Higher Education at the University of South Dakota. Her research interests include faculty productivity in higher education and improving distance learning.

Mary E. Engstrom

received an Ed.D. from the University of South Dakota in Curriculum and Instruction. She is currently the Associate Director of Extended Learning Services at the University of Montana. Her research interests include instructional design for online learning and professional development for educators.

Linda Reetz

received an Ed.D. from the University of North Dakota in Teacher Education and serves as the Associate Dean of the School of Education at the University of South Dakota. Her research interests include higher education practices for teacher education programs and mild disabilities.

William Schweinle

received a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Arlington in Psychology and serves as an Assistant Professor at the University of South Dakota. His research interest area is in statistics.

Kristine Reed

received a Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln in Curriculum and Instruction/Administration and serves as a faculty member in Curriculum and Instruction, University of South Dakota. Her research emphases include multicultural education and rural education.

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Santo, S.A., Engstrom, M.E., Reetz, L. et al. Faculty Productivity Barriers and Supports at a School of Education. Innov High Educ 34, 117–129 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-009-9098-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-009-9098-z

Key words

  • research productivity
  • promotion and tenure
  • school of education