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Brief Report  |   May 2002
Research Productivity Among Occupational Therapy Faculty Members in the United States
Stanley Paul; Yuanlong Liu; Kenneth J. Ottenbacher
Author Affiliations
  • Stanley Paul, PhD, OTR/L, is Assistant Professor, Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Health and Human Services, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49008; stanley.paul@wmich.edu
  • Yuanlong Liu, PhD, is Assistant Professor; Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation; College of Education; Western Michigan University; Kalamazoo, Michigan
  • Kenneth J. Ottenbacher, PhD, OTR, is Vice Dean, School of Allied Health Sciences, and Professor, Department of Occupational Therapy, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, Texas
Article Information
Education of OTs and OTAs / Departments / Brief Report
Brief Report   |   May 2002
Research Productivity Among Occupational Therapy Faculty Members in the United States
American Journal of Occupational Therapy, May/June 2002, Vol. 56, 331-334. doi:10.5014/ajot.56.3.331
American Journal of Occupational Therapy, May/June 2002, Vol. 56, 331-334. doi:10.5014/ajot.56.3.331
Abstract

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.