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Research productivity of foreign- and US-born faculty: differences by time on task

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Abstract

Similar to trends in postsecondary education across the world, today’s US universities are an increasing mix of native and foreign-born scholars. US institutions are experiencing a growing number of international faculty members, but there is limited literature examining foreign-born faculty who work in US institutions and how outputs from foreign-born faculty compare to US-born natives. Using data from the 2004 National Survey of Postsecondary Faculty (NSOPF:04), this study examines difference in faculty members’ research productivity at doctoral-granting institutions by foreign/US-born status controlling for select individual and institutional characteristics. Findings show that foreign-born faculty members spend more time on research and less time on undergraduate instruction than US-born peers, and this may contribute to their higher levels of production. Implications are discussed that consider how to ensure diverse faculty communities that lead to strong research and knowledge production.

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Notes

  1. A model to include percent time on other tasks (non-instruction and non-research) was attempted, but the model was misspecified due to high collinearity and reliability of random effects close to zero.

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  1. Institute of Higher Education, The University of Georgia, 212 Meigs, Athens, GA, 30602, USA

    Karen L. Webber

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  1. Karen L. Webber
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Webber, K.L. Research productivity of foreign- and US-born faculty: differences by time on task. High Educ 64, 709–729 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-012-9523-6

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