Research productivity among occupational therapy faculty members in the United States

The purpose of this study was to examine the current research performance patterns of occupational therapy faculty, identify factors that influence individual faculty members productivity, and compare current faculty research performance with earlier studies in occupational therapy. Survey questionnaires from 158 faculty members were analyzed. Compared to earlier data, the results showed that today's occupational therapy faculty members have obtained higher degrees, published more refereed articles, acquired larger external grants, stayed in academia longer, and developed clinical specialty areas. Tenured senior faculty members spent more time on research-related tasks, produced more publications and grants, and perceived institutional factors as more favorable for research than did untenured faculty in lower ranks. The overall enhancement in productivity among occupational therapy faculty members in the 1990s suggests an increase in academic scholarly activities.