The role of lecturers at the University of Guyana has always included research. However, the productivity of these lecturers has historically been low. This dissertation examines the reasons for low research productivity among lecturers and attempts to understand the underlying concerns. Through a series of action research cycles, the researcher developed a conceptual framework that intersected intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, self-determination, and self-regulation. A subsequent intervention, professional learning related to action research, was conducted to ascertain whether action research as a methodology could provide lecturers with a new way of thinking about how research could be conducted. A concurrent quantitative and qualitative mixed-method action research design was used to determine the effects of the intervention. An online survey and one-on-one semi-structured online interviews were conducted to collect data, while data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and thematic analysis. Findings indicate there was a significant increase in reported competence by lecturers.