NURTURING THE RESEARCH CULTURE IN AN EFL CONTEXT

Academic staff research and publications performance are regarded as crucial elements of contributing to the reputation of higher education institutions worldwide. Many research studies show that a university research culture can influence the research performance of academic staff members. This article reports a study investigating the research culture of Thai academic staff teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) at the Thai tertiary level. In particular, this investigation focuses on identifying aspects that enhance and promote EFL lecturers’ research involvement. The study employed semi-structured interviews with 13 EFL lecturers in a Thai university. Two tools also assisted in gaining insights into EFL lecturers’ views: ranking lecturer responsibilities and vignettes. Qualitative analysis of the interview data revealed that EFL lecturers viewed the relationship between teaching and research in three different ways. The findings will support those who want to develop and improve the EFL research productivity within higher education institutions. Insights were also provided into how institutions can increase EFL lecturers’ research productivity including publications.