Career factors help predict productivity in scholarship among faculty members in physical therapist education programs

Abstract

Background: Academic institutions and scholars play a critical role in the development of a unique and substantive professional science and disciplinary literature. Individual and environmental characteristics influence the scholarly work of higher education faculty generally, but little is known about factors that influence scholarly productivity of physical therapist faculty members.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify the factors that contribute to the variability in scholarly productivity among faculty members in physical therapist education programs.

Design: A cross-sectional study design was used.

Methods: A survey of a representative sample of faculty members in accredited professional (entry-level) physical therapist education programs in the United States was conducted. Descriptive analysis was conducted, and 5 blocked hierarchical regression models were constructed to identify factors that help explain variability in grantsmanship, peer-reviewed publications, and peer-reviewed presentations.

Results: A usable response rate of 58% was obtained. The 520 participants displayed variability in scholarly productivity. The regression models explained half of the variance in career publishing productivity and 28% to 44% of the variance in productivity in presentations and grants. Career factors, including discipline of highest degree, appointment status, and faculty rewards, contributed most substantially to the explained variance. Several phenomena unique to physical therapy were considered in light of these findings. The multidisciplinary nature of the faculty, national trends in faculty hiring and appointment, and the status of the DPT-trained faculty cohort all may influence physical therapy faculty scholarship.

Limitations: Unidentified errors in sampling or reporting may limit the results of this study.

Conclusions: Career factors generally predict the largest proportion of explained variance in scholarly productivity. Large numbers of questions remain regarding the status of scholarship and scholars in physical therapy.