Instructional Reform at Research Universities: Studying Faculty Motivation

Abstract

Concerns about the quality of undergraduate teaching have focused new attention on the motives underlying faculty role performance at research universities. This article reports findings from a case study of faculty participation in one instructional reform coalition. Results indicate three distinct motivational patterns, corresponding roughly to variations in individuals' faculty status. The implications of these findings are considered in light of recent calls for the restructuring of universities' faculty rewards systems.