Perceptions of pharmacy faculty need for development in educational research.

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Education
• Educational Research Methodology
• Faculty Development

Background:

• Pharmacy educators recognize a need for improved understanding of educational research among faculty.
• Enhancing teaching, curricula, and outcomes requires better faculty engagement with educational research.
• Specific faculty development needs in educational research have not been previously assessed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate self-reported confidence levels of clinical Doctor of Pharmacy faculty in essential educational research skills.
• To identify specific areas where faculty feel confident or lack confidence in conducting educational research.
• To inform the development of targeted faculty development programs.

Main Methods:

• A survey using the Adapted Self-Efficacy in Research Measure (ASERM) was administered to clinical Doctor of Pharmacy faculty.
• Participants included faculty with primary teaching responsibilities at the University of Florida College of Pharmacy.
• Descriptive analysis and independent samples t-tests were used to compare self-efficacy based on rank, gender, and experience.

Main Results:

• Senior faculty demonstrated significantly higher confidence than junior faculty in seven specific skill areas.
• Faculty with over ten years of experience showed higher confidence in grant proposal preparation for educational research funding.
• Both junior and senior faculty reported low confidence in utilizing qualitative methods and identifying funding resources for educational research.

Conclusions:

• The study provides insights into the self-efficacy of pharmacy educators regarding educational research skills.
• Findings highlight specific areas for faculty development opportunities to enhance educational research capacity.
• The results can guide actions to improve educational research knowledge and skills within pharmacy faculties.