University of Plymouth PEARL https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk 04 University of Plymouth Research Theses 01 Research Theses Main Collection 2019 Motivation to Conduct Research in a Rapidly Evolving Academic Environment: A Study of Coimbatore's Engineering Institutions Bakthavatchaalam, Venkat Prakash http://hdl.handle.net/10026.1/14860 University of Plymouth All content in PEARL is protected by copyright law. Author manuscripts are made available in accordance with publisher policies. Please cite only the published version using the details provided on the item record or document. In the absence of an open licence (e.g. Creative Commons), permissions for further reuse of content should be sought from the publisher or author. Copyright Statement The copy of the thesis has been supplied on condition that anyone who consults it is understood to recognise that its copyright rests with its author and that no quotation from the thesis and no information derived from it may be published without the author’s prior consent. 1 Motivation to Conduct Research in a Rapidly Evolving Academic Environment: A Study of Coimbatore’s Engineering Institutions By Venkat Prakash Bakthavatchaalam A thesis submitted to the University of Plymouth in partial fulfilment for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics April 2018 2 Acknowledgements: First and foremost I would like to thank Mike and Andrew for helping me to get the PhD position at the University and for teaching and supervising me for over a decade: right from Masters. Mike, thanks a lot for your support especially in the last two years. I am proud to say that I am your student and without you both, this would not have happened. Alexandra, your help and lessons in statistics over the last few years has been a shining star. Thanks a lot for your help and I hope we can meet each other for the first time soon. Maria de Lourdes, your help in getting me an internship at CIPES means so much more than what you can imagine, thank you for that and for guiding me in Porto. Jo, thanks for your insights and suggestions. Marie, thank you for everything. Samrat, Seven, Louis and my friends in India Arun, Mani and Vinay, you have all been with me through thick and thin, thanks a lot for having put up with me for all these years. More to come! I would like to thank all the academics from various Higher Education Institutions who participated in this research and for offering their opinion. I would also like to thank Lindon and all my teachers in helping me to collect data and for inviting me to deliver guest lectures. Numerous people have inspired me all these years that it has taken for me to finish the PhD, and I would like to thank you all. To my grandmother, that loving lady and to my dear family, thanking you is not enough for all your support and help. At last, to that 13 year old dreamer who never gave up wanting to be a researcher I say this “You did it”! 3 Author’s Declaration At no time during the registration for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy has the author been registered for any other University award without the prior consent of the Graduate Committee. Work submitted for this research degree at the University of Plymouth has not formed part of any other degree either at the University of Plymouth or at another establishment. Papers and conferences related to the thesis by the author: 1. BAKTHAVATCHAALAM, V., MILES, M., MACHADO-TAYLOR, M. D. L. & GINGELE, J. 2018. Evolution of Coimbatore’s Engineering Institutions: Current challenges and future directions. Higher Education in Central and Eastern Europe: National, Regional and European Trajectories. Budapest, Hungary: CEU. 2. BAKTHAVATCHAALAM, V. P., MILES, M., HORODNIC, I. A. & MACHADO- TAYLOR, M. L., 2017, Research Productivity of Higher Educational Systems in Transition: A Study of Engineering Institutions in Coimbatore, India. MISSION RESPONSIBLE: Future of Education and Youth Work, 30/11/2017 - 02/12/2017 2017b Athens, Greece. 3. BAKTHAVATCHAALAM, V. P., MILES, M., HORODNIC, I. A. & GINGELE, J. 2017. Influences of Cultural Identities on the Research Productivity of Academics: A Study of Engineering Institutions in South India. UNESCO’s World Humanities Conference, 06-12/08/2017 2017a Liege, Belgium. Liege: UNESCO. 4. BAKTHAVATCHAALAM, V. P., MILES, M., FOX, A. & GINGELE, J. 2015. Shifting the threshold of motivation theory to overcome local disquietudes in Coimbatore, India. V.C.’s conference. Plymouth, UK. 5. BAKTHAVATCHAALAM, V. P., MILES, M. & GINGELE, J. 2013. A Review of the Studies on Motivational Practices in Higher Educational Institutions in Developing Countries. International Conference on Academic Disciplines. Rome, Italy. 4 6. BAKTHAVATCHAALAM, V. P., FOX, A. & SHERIF, K., 2011, Overcoming failures in placements of people from parent companies to a foreign subsidiary organisation. Change Management in a Dynamic Environment, 2011 Politehnica University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania. 338-345. 7. BAKTHAVATCHAALAM, V. P. & FOX, A. 2010. Human Resource Management in Indian Industries: Motivating Businesses to Sustain Economic Development into the Future. Rai Management Journal, Word count for the main body of the thesis: 83,741 Signed: Date: 03/04/2018. 5 Venkat Prakash Bakthavatchaalam Motivation to Conduct Research in a Rapidly Evolving Academic Environment: A Study of Coimbatore’s Engineering Institutions Abstract: The Indian academic system is in a period of rapid transition evidenced by the increasing number of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), students and academics. However, very few studies have explored the Research Productivity (RP) of the academics and the various factors influencing them. Even those few studies have largely ignored the influences of indigenous factors and academic dishonesty on the RP of academics. This research explores how different factors influence the academic RP in South Indian engineering institutions founded after 1990. This study uses a mixed method approach. Quantitative data was collected from a sample of 307 engineering academics working in fifty-seven engineering institutions in South India. This was used to measure the current state of RP and the various factors that influence it. Qualitative data was collected using semi-structured interviews to help understand the interconnections between those factors and the changing academic environment. Results were analysed with tests of association, differences, factor analysis, weighted Least Square regression and TOBIT regression. Interview data was analysed based on content analysis. The results show that indigenous factors play a major role in motivating the academics to conduct research whereas corruption / academic dishonesty, thought to be prevalent at all levels in the Higher Educational System tends to reduce their research motivation. The analysis also revealed challenges faced by the academic system and its failure to achieve its research potential. The research found how factors such as Elements of Cultural Identities, Academic Dishonesty and Changing Academic environment are interconnected and how these interconnections influenced academics’ RP. Based on the results the research offers suggestions on increasing the RP of the academics and decreasing the academic dishonesty at various levels thus informing future HE policy making. 6 Contents Abstract: ..................................................................................................................... 6 List of abbreviations: ................................................................................................ 19 Chapter 1: Background of the study: ........................................................................ 20 1.1 Research questions: .................................................................................. 23 1.2 Specific aim of this research: ..................................................................... 23 1.3 Objectives: ...................................................................................................... 23 1.3 Overview of the chapters: .......................................................................... 24 1.4 Context / Background of the research: ............................................................ 29 1.4.1 An overview of the Indian HES: ................................................................ 29 1.4.2 Concerns in Indian HES: ........................................................................ 48 1.4.3. Overview of Coimbatore: ......................................................................... 59 1.4.4 Engineering institutions in Coimbatore: An overview ................................ 67 Chapter 2: Literature Review .................................................................................... 78 2.1 An overview of the theories of motivation: ....................................................... 78 2.1.1 Introduction: ................................................................................................. 78 2.1.2 Motivation to work – an overview: ............................................................. 79 2.1.3 Defining motivation: .................................................................................. 79 2.1.4 Goal of the theories of motivation: ............................................................ 80 2.1.5 Theories of Motivation: ............................................................................. 81 2.1.6 Classical theories: ....................................................................................