Exploring Malaysian Polytechnic Lecturers’ Perceptions towards Research: An Institutional Case Study

Research and publications are two main requirements in the job duties of academicians at higher learning institutions. In line with the polytechnic transformational plan, Malaysian polytechnic lecturers are now required to do research, presentations, publishing and other scholarly activities as part of their job duties. This poses challenges to lecturers as their role has traditionally been teaching oriented. Furthermore, performance in research activities has been set as one of the new criteria evaluated for promotion unlike previous promotion system which based solely on seniority. The current study aims to survey the perceptions of lecturers in a Malaysian polytechnic towards research. The findings reported that the main motivation of these lecturers’ to do research is for promotion and salary increment. Besides that, heavy teaching loads, poor writing and statistical skills are the main barriers expressed by the lecturers. The findings suggested several implications for institutional administrators to enhance polytechnic lecturers’ research abilities.