2025-2026 Faculty Research Grant

Karla Basurto Gutierrez and Carole Woolford-Hunt (Graduate Psychology).

Design and Validation of an Instrument to Assess the Research Culture in
Seventh-day Adventist Higher Education Institutions.

Abstract: Understanding an institution's research culture and developing measurement tools to assess its impact on university rankings have become key areas of inquiry across multiple disciplines. This study aims to develop, validate, and assess the reliability of the Research Culture Instrument, designed to measure five key components influencing research productivity: motivation and benefits (promotion and tenure policies), research funding, collaboration, commitment, and structural support. The instrument will be administered to Andrews University, La Sierra University, Walla Walla University, and Southern Adventist University faculty members. The validation of the Research Culture Instrument follows a systematic psychometric evaluation process to ensure its construct validity, reliability, and internal consistency. This process involves Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) for initial factor structure identification, Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) for model validation, and composite reliability assessment to determine internal consistency.