An analysis of factors influencing the professional motivation of university lecturers in Vietnam
Evidence from a mixed-methods approach
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22162055 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Tan Dat Truong (0009-0002-9719-9484, Dong Thap University), Quoc Giang Tran (0009-0007-9489-9107, Dong Thap University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 11 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-15 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Frontiers in Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2504-284X • E-ISSN: 2504-284X |
| Publisher | Frontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3389/feduc.2026.1833819 |
| OpenAlex | W7161251823 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 65 |
Introduction The professional motivation of university lecturers is essential to educational quality and research productivity, but teaching motivation and research motivation may be shaped by different conditions. Methods This study employed an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design. Quantitative data were collected from 450 Vietnamese university lecturers and analyzed using multiple regression. Qualitative data were collected through in-depth interviews with 15 lecturers and analyzed using thematic analysis. The two phases were integrated through a joint display. Results Teaching motivation was most strongly associated with positive emotions and self-efficacy, whereas research motivation was most strongly associated with organizational support. Job demands negatively predicted teaching motivation but were not significantly associated with research motivation. The qualitative findings explained this pattern through role conflict, survival-oriented task prioritization, autonomy as a psychological buffer, and organizational support as a condition for research engagement. Discussion The findings suggest that lecturers' professional motivation should be understood as domain-differentiated rather than unidimensional. Universities should move beyond rigid KPI-driven approaches and develop more realistic workload arrangements, greater autonomy, and stronger institutional support for research
Autonomy · Goal theory · Self-determination theory · Thematic analysis · Vietnamese · Workload · Evaluation of Teaching Practices · Higher Education Practises and Engagement · Teacher Professional Development and Motivation
Mixed Methods Research
Early predictors of job burnout and engagement.
The Work Tasks Motivation Scale for Teachers (WTMST)
Reconceptualizing the Sources of Teaching Self-Efficacy
Academics job satisfaction and job stress across countries in the changing academic environments
Autonomous motivation for teaching
Integrating Quantitative and Qualitative Results in Health Science Mixed Methods Research Through Joint Displays
Motivational Factors Influencing Teaching as a Career Choice
Need Satisfaction, Motivation, and Well-Being in the Work Organizations of a Former Eastern Bloc Country
Achieving Integration in Mixed Methods Designs—Principles and Practices
Evaluating Structural Equation Models with Unobservable Variables and Measurement Error
Effects on teachers' self-efficacy and job satisfaction
The Job Demands‐Resources model
Teachers’ Motivation for Teaching in Higher Education
Self-efficacy
Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being
Are Professors Satisfied With Their Jobs? The Factors That Influence Professors’ Job Satisfaction
Describing Mixed Methods Research
Self‐determination theory and work motivation
Teacher job satisfaction and motivation to leave the teaching profession
Predicting intraindividual changes in teacher burnout
The role of perceived need satisfaction at work for teachers' work-related learning goal orientation
Career Stage Differences in Pre-Tenure Track Faculty Perceptions of Professional and Personal Relationships with Colleagues
Testing a Model of Pretenure Faculty Members’ Teaching and Research Success
Lecturers' job satisfaction in a public tertiary institution in Singapore
Using thematic analysis in psychology
How changes in job demands and resources predict burnout, work engagement, and sickness absenteeism
Exploring and testing the predictors of new faculty success
Faculty enjoyment, anxiety, and boredom for teaching and research
Thematic Analysis
Using Mixed-Methods Sequential Explanatory Design
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |