Motivational Factors Affecting the Educational Performance of Faculty Members

Abstract

Background: Motivation of university faculty members can be defined as general processes that initiate, sustain, and regulate goal-directed behaviors by faculty members. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the motivational factors affecting the educational performance of faculty members of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences (KUMS). Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 177 faculty members of KUMS in western Iran who were randomly selected samples. The data were collected through self-reporting using a standard questionnaire. The t-test and Pearson correlation were performed using SPSS software version 16 to analyze the data. Results: The average age of academic members was 40.43 years (SD = 7.99), and the average job history was 11.96 years (SD = 9.40). The average score for motivational factors was 63.75 (95% CI: 61.53 - 65.98), with scores ranging from 18 to 90. "Working with competent colleagues" and "inherent interest in teaching" received the highest average score among external and internal motivational factors, respectively. Conclusions: This study identified two key factors that significantly affect the teaching performance of professors: Working with competent colleagues and inherent interest in teaching. These findings are valuable for university administrators to develop effective motivation programs for faculty members.