Evaluating Capability, Opportunity and Motivation as Determinants of Research Productivity in Respiratory Therapy Faculty Among Philippine Higher Education Institution

Research productivity among respiratory therapy faculty in Philippine higher education institutions (HEIs) remains understudied despite its importance for advancing the profession and clinical practice. This study evaluated capability, opportunity, and motivation as determinants of research productivity among 117 respiratory therapy faculty members across Philippine HEIs, using a researcher-validated questionnaire with a 4-point Likert scale across four dimensions (psychological and physical capability, physical and social opportunity, reflective and automatic motivation, and research productivity in terms of volume and impact), which demonstrated excellent reliability with Cronbach’s alpha values ranging from .873 to .941. Findings revealed that faculty exhibited high psychological capability (weighted mean = 3.15) but lower physical capability (2.97) due to constraints in research funding; social opportunity ranked higher (3.03) than physical opportunity (2.98), indicating strong institutional recognition despite barriers to dedicated research time; and faculty demonstrated very high research motivation overall (3.27) driven primarily by professional identity and career advancement aspirations. Research opportunity emerged as the dominant predictor of productivity (r = .770, p < .001), accounting for substantially greater variance than capability or motivation when examined simultaneously. The study proposes the COMET Framework—addressing Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, Excellence, and Transformation—as an integrated institutional approach to systematically enhance research productivity among respiratory therapy faculty.