The scholarly productivity of occupational therapy faculty members: results of a regional study

A study of the scholarly activities of 66 occupational therapy faculty members at selected academic health centers was conducted through a mailed survey. An analysis of the responses showed that (a) the respondents' primary scholarly activities were reporting research findings in refereed journal articles and presenting papers at professional meetings and (b) only a small percentage of the respondents had directed extramurally funded projects. In addition, the level of scholarly productivity of the occupational therapists was significantly lower than that of their allied health colleagues. The majority of the respondents indicated that their own academic preparation was the primary factor that encouraged their scholarly pursuits and that heavy teaching responsibility was the primary discouraging factor. The respondents indicated also that faculty scholarly activities are, and will continue to be, important considerations in academic promotion decisions.