Research Productivity: Teachers can research, too!
Tosh Tachino
Publication requirements for academics are on the rise around the world (Flowerdew & Habibe, 2021), and EFL teachers in Japan are also feeling this increasing pressure (Kimura, forthcoming; Muller & Talandis, 2024). The literature on scholarly productivity reveals practices of highly productive scholars (e.g., Ahmad et al., 2022; Martínez et al., 2011; Mayrath, 2007), provides theoretical models (e.g., Kempenaar & Murray, 2016), and offers practical tips on increasing productivity (Aydin et al., 2023; Hartley, 2008).
Time Management
Several members of the audience raised time management as the most pressing concern for them. They have so many other obligations (e.g., teaching, administration, family) that they do not seem to be able to find the time to do research. Perhaps, one useful exercise is to imagine your life as a garden with limited space and water (Shojai, 2017). Are research and publication important enough to grow in your garden? For some part-time teachers, the answer is no, and this is a legitimate life choice (Butler, 2019).
However, if your answer to the above question is yes, try using what is known as the Eisenhower Matrix (Covey, 1989) to classify what you regularly do in terms of importance and urgency.
Figure 1: The Eisenhower Matrix (Covey, 1989)
Urgent | Not Urgent | |
Important | ||
Not Important |
Research typically falls under the “Not urgent but important” quadrant. It has a long-term importance, but if you don’t do it today, nothing bad happens. Items in this quadrant tend to get neglected, while the items in the “Not important but urgent” quadrant get our undeserved attention. To correct this bias, start from a blank schedule and make sure to schedule time for important items first. Planning to do research in one’s spare time is like a plan for failure. This is no different from trying to exercise in spare time or trying to save for retirement with spare money.
Writing Habits
The above analogy with exercise and retirement saving makes it clear that research is a marathon, not a sprint. Success depends on developing writing habits, not on exercising will power or relying on motivation, which are limited or unreliable (Fogg, 2020). Indeed, Boice’s (1989, 1990, 2000) studies on academic productivity show that scholars who write regularly outperform those who write on inspiration.
To start, try setting a small daily writing goal. This goal should be small enough to be achievable every day, including on days with zero motivation. Twenty minutes per day is one such goal. On days when you are sick or overwhelmed, you should not push beyond this minimum requirement, and you may not produce much. Still, going through the motion is important, and you succeed in keeping the habit alive. Of course, on good days, you can do more, much more!
Once you have decided on the minimum goal, find a time slot in your daily schedule and protect it. The best way to form a habit is to do it at the same time of day in the same location under the same circumstances. However, if this is not possible, have backup plans. Writing on a commuter train is a viable backup plan. One participant suggested speaking into a device while riding a bicycle. But to the extent possible, make it easy to trigger this behavior. That may mean preparing your desk the night before, posting a reminder in a place where your previous activity takes place. Eventually, you would want a seamless and mindless transition from the previous activity to writing so that you do not have to exercise any willpower.
When the habit is still forming, it is important to reinforce the behavior by celebrating every time you achieve the daily goal. This celebration can be playing a personal victory song in your head (One participant suggested Queen’s “We Will Rock You”) or an indulgence, such as your favorite drink or ten minutes of social media. The ultimate celebration is a reward that feeds into another long-term goal. One example is to set up a writing fund, and every time you achieve your daily goal, pay yourself a small amount to be invested in your retirement savings account (assuming that saving for retirement excites you).
When you have planned your system, try visualizing and rehearsing the entire process, from finishing the previous activity and doing the writing to celebrating. Fogg (2020) recommends rehearsing seven to ten times. Having a system in place is perhaps the most important thing you can do for your research productivity. As James Clear (2018), in Atomic Habits, is fond of saying, “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”
Do It Now!
Now is the time to use all your motivation and willpower to do something small to get started. Craft your system and spend your first twenty minutes of writing. Do not forget to celebrate your accomplishment. Tomorrow, you get to succeed again!
Additional Information
This presentation had nine modules, and only the modules that related to the audience’s concerns were presented. The full presentation slides are available at https://toshtachino.com/oberlin2025/
References
Ahmad, S., Qureshi, I. U., Ramzan, M., & Rehman, S. U. (2022). Research elite of Pakistan: Profile and determinants of productivity and impact. Publishing Research Quarterly, 38(2), 263–280. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12109-022-09874-5
Aydin, A., Yürük, S. E., Reisoğlu, İ., & Goktas, Y. (2023). Main barriers and possible enablers of academicians while publishing. Scientometrics, 128(1), 623–650. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-022-04528-x
Boice, R. (1990). Professors as writers: A self-help guide to productive writing. New Forums Press.
Boice, R. (1994). How writers journey to comfort and fluency: A psychological adventure. Praeger.
Boice, R. (2000). Advice for new faculty members: Nihil nimus. Allyn & Bacon.
Butler, C. (2019). The ronin teacher: Making a living as a full-time part-time teacher at Japanese universities. In P. Wadden & C. C. Hale (Eds.), Teaching English at Japanese universities (pp. 25–31). Routledge.
Clear, J. (2018). Atomic habits: An easy & proven way to build good habits & break bad ones. Penguin.
Covey, S. R. (1989). The seven habits of highly effective people: Restoring the character ethic. Simon and Schuster.
Flowerdew, J., & Habibie, P. (2021). Introducing English for research publication purposes. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429317798
Fogg, B. J. (2020). Tiny habits: The small changes that change everything. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Hartley, J. (2008). Academic writing and publishing: A practical handbook. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203927984
Kempenaar, L. E., & Murray, R. (2016). Writing by academics: A transactional and systems approach to academic writing behaviours. Higher Education Research & Development, 35(5), 940–950. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2016.1139553
Mayrath, M. C. (2008). Attributions of Productive Authors in Educational Psychology Journals. Educational Psychology Review, 20(1), 41–56. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-007-9059-y
Martínez, R. S., Floyd, R. G., & Erichsen, L. W. (2011). Strategies and attributes of highly productive scholars and contributors to the school psychology literature: Recommendations for increasing scholarly productivity. Journal of School Psychology, 49(6), 691–720. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2011.10.003
Muller, T. & Talandis, J., Jr. (2024). Writing for publication in The Language Teacher: The why and how of the paper review process. The Language Teacher, 48(2), 3–9.
Shojai, P. (2017). The art of stopping time: Practical mindfulness for busy people. Harmony/Rodale.