Digging deeper into barriers to research productivity in Philippine higher education

Abstract

In the Philippines, many Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) fall short in the area of research. Several studies have already assessed the research competencies of Filipino educators, highlighting the need for improvement in this field. However, even with HEIs providing programs addressing this issue, research accomplishments still do not meet the standard. This raises the question of whether previous research has truly uncovered the real obstacles that educators face in terms of research productivity. Guided by a descriptive-concurrent mixed methods research design, this study sought to determine the primary reasons why many Filipino educators do not present at research conferences and have few publications. Results revealed that key barriers include systemic bias in favor of Scopus and Web of Science-indexed journals, the high costs of presenting and attending research conferences, and the expense of publishing work, which many educators found demotivating. Furthermore, there is a lack of awareness of free conferences and journals that offer free publication, the reasons for which have also been identified. The findings provide valuable insights into opportunities for developing new policies and initiatives to enhance educators’ engagement in research, and in addressing current practices that may help improve the research landscape in the country.