The urgent need to transfer the impact of educational research into practice is widely reflected in national agendas around the world. However, the gap between research and practice persists in other parts of the world as well as in Malaysia. This study sought to explore the factors that drive educational research in Malaysia. We employed a qualitative case study design to investigate the practices of 14 educational researchers using face to face in-depth interviews and content analysis of their research documents. The findings revealed three major drivers- researching for key performance indicators (KPI’s), researching for citation and H-index, and researching for personal development as a researcher, which shaped the research agenda of educational researchers. Higher education policy-related implications are discussed to have educational researchers effectively target their research for teachers’ consumption for improved teaching standards.