Investigating Relationship among Research Self-Efficacy, Research Outcome Expectation, and Research Interest of Cambodian Faculty: Testing Social-Cognitive Theory

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.