A quantitative study of the strength of correlation between the characteristics of institutional and faculty vitality with research productivity of selected allied health faculty at public health science universities within the United States

This descriptive and quantitative study was conducted to explore the degree of relationship between individual and institutional/leadership vitality characteristics and high levels research productivity among allied health faculty. The correlation between specific vitality characteristics identified in this study and the production of three or more refereed journal publication per year is statistically significant and, therefore, useful for predicting high levels of productivity among allied health faculty. Five hundred full-time occupational and physical therapy faculty were surveyed for this study: a random sample from the 45 public health science research universities within the U.S. The instruments used for this study were the Survey of Individual, Institutional, and Leadership Factors Affecting Faculty Productivity (SIILFAFP), the Individual Subjective Vitality Scale (ISVS), and the State Subjective Vitality Scale (SSVS). One hundred forty two faculty members from 43 universities returned their surveys, a return rate of 28.4%. The data analysis demonstrates: (a) A significant relationship between faculty's perception of adequate time to conduct research, teaching, patient care and administrative tasks; protected time to conduct research, teaching, patient care and administrative tasks; esteem among fellow colleagues; having a collegial network; a clearly communicated institutional vision; clearly communicated administrative expectations; and the publication of three or more refereed journal articles per year. (b) A significant difference in individual and institutional/leadership vitality factors identified by faculty publishing three or more refereed journal articles per year and those publishing less than three refereed journal articles per year. (c) That specific individual and institutional/leadership vitality characteristics in association with certain demographic characteristics combine to produce a model that is significant in predicting productivity levels of three or more refereed journal publications per year. (d) That all of the institutional/leadership vitality characteristics within the final model of combined vitality characteristics are more significant in predicting productivity then the individual vitality characteristics within this combined model. Among other recommendations, studies should be undertaken to identify models of vitality characteristics that are uniquely predictive of high levels of research productivity in each discipline or category of faculty within the public health science research university if research productivity is to be enhanced and sustained.