LEADERSHIP PRACTICES AND POLICY DIRECTIVES IN REVITALIZING ACADEMIA-RESEARCH PUBLICATION IN ETHIOPIAN PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to investigate leadership practices and policy directives in revitalizing academic research publications within Ethiopian public universities. To achieve this goal, the study adopted an explanatory sequential research design grounded in pragmatism. A total of 378 academic staff, 142 academic leaders, and 21 research experts were selected using multistage and purposive sampling techniques. Quantitative data were gathered through questionnaires, while qualitative data were collected via interviews and document reviews. Quantitative data analysis employed descriptive and inferential statistics, including frequency, percentage, multiple regression, structural equation modeling, Pearson correlation, and one- and two-way ANOVA. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed a strong and positive correlation between leadership practices, policy directives, and academic research publications. With F (2,542) = 672.316, P < 0.001, the R2 value of 0.722 indicated that 72.2% of the revitalization of academic research publications could be attributed to leadership practices and policy directives. Leadership practices and policy directives significantly influenced research publication revitalization (B = 0.380, P < 0.001), though policy directives had a slightly weaker effect (B = 0.270). Among leadership practice models, "model the way" emerged as the strongest predictor, showing a positive and significant effect (B = 0.505, P < 0.001) on revitalizing academic research publications. However, "enable others to act" (B = -0.049) and "challenge the process" (B = -0.128) demonstrated negative and statistically insignificant effects, highlighting challenges in translating these behaviors into tangible improvements in research output. The qualitative analysis emphasized the critical role of factors such as funding, skill development, collaboration, incentives, equitable resource distribution, and journal indexing. Additionally, gaps in the implementation of research policies were identified within Ethiopian public universities. The study recommended organizing awareness workshops and providing training for leaders and policymakers. Further recommendations were directed at university leadership and policymakers, urging them to address key factors to effectively enhance academic research publications