Why Do They Do It? A Case Study of Factors Influencing Part-Time Faculty to Seek Employment at a Community College (original) (raw)
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The academic workforce in higher education has shifted in the last several decades from consisting of mostly full-time, tenure-track faculty to one comprised predominantly of contingent, non-tenure-track faculty. This substantial shift toward part-time academic labor has not corresponded with institutions implementing more supportive policies and practices targeted toward part-time faculty. This study examines the associations between part-time faculty satisfaction and a set of items that measure campus resources provided to part-timers, their perceptions of the campus climate, and measures of the institutional context. Findings point to opportunities for campuses and departments to improve part-time faculty's satisfaction through providing access to office space and developing a sense of respect among part-time and full-time faculty.
2007
The purpose of this research study was to develop a reliable and valid survey instrument for assessing the satisfaction of part-time faculty teaching in continuing higher education at Brigham Young University (BYU). This article describes the reliability and validity of the instrument that may be used by other administrators and researchers interested in evaluating part-time faculty job satisfaction at their respective institutions. The researchers hypothesized that dimensions of overall job satisfaction (adapted from the Herzberg model) would be measured by subscales on the survey instrument. The factor analysis provided empirical support for eight dimensions. The failure of two subscales in the factor analysis (status and job security) and one subscale on the test of internal reliability (challenge) will necessitate a revision of applicable survey questions. However, peer-reviewed studies on part-time faculty job satisfaction are limited to just a few (
A Full-Time Dilemma: Examining the Experiences of Part-time Faculty
Journal of Effective Teaching
Part-time faculty now account for more than half of all faculty in American colleges and universities. Existing scholarship primarily has focused on the teaching effectiveness of part-time faculty. In this exploratory study, the authors employ a qualitative approach to examine the perspectives of part-time faculty members at a public, regional institution. We identify several significant themes related to the experiences of part-time faculty members, including teaching evaluation; student-centered instruction; instructors' use of technology in the classroom; and disconnection from the university. We also offer pragmatic recommendations for administrators and other faculty designed to improve the overall experience of part-time faculty.
Higher Education in Review, 2012
The purpose of the present study is to examine the driving and constraining forces of part-time faculty employment using a conceptual framework grounded in organizational sociology. Rather than positioning higher education institutions as economic organizations seeking to maximize cost saving, this study frames higher education organizations as highly institutionalized organizations. This study seeks to expand upon previous work by Liu and Zhang regarding part-time via an improved methodological approach and a more conceptually homogenous dataset. Employing longitudinal analysis to data about part-time faculty at private baccalaureate institutions, the model explores the institutional characteristics that may serve as drivers of rates of part-time faculty employment. Findings include a negative effect of high salaries on part-time employment, suggesting that institutions may not be hiring part-time faculty to engage in cost savings.
Education Statistics Quarterly, 2002
Part-time faculty members are a sizeable part of the workforce in postsecondary institutions today. Forty-two percent of all instructional faculty and staff were employed part time by their institutions in the fall of 1992, and 44 percent of those individuals were teaching in two-year institutions. Data from the 1993 National Study of Postsecondary Faculty provide valuable insight into the characteristics of this group of faculty from a national perspective. Responses were received from 817 eligible institutions and 25,780 faculty and staff members. A nationally representative sample of faculty and instructional staff received questionnaires in 1993 that asked about their employment in the fall of 1992. This report contains estimates of the characteristics, qualifications, motivations, work patterns, and attitudes of part-time instructional faculty and staff in four-year and two-year institutions by program area in fall 1992. The report compares part-time and full-time faculty, examines some common perceptions about part-time faculty, and provides a comprehensive source of descriptive statistics about part-time faculty. Appendixes contain technical notes and a glossary. (Contains 69 tables, 7 figures, and 23 references.) (SLD) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document.
Realizing part-time faculty potential
New Directions for Community Colleges, 1980
One model to develop part-time f a u l t y potential uses six components. The design addresses the needs of small institutions with limited resources.