Thesis (Ph.D.)--Mississippi State University. Department of Instructional Systems, Leadership, and Workforce Development. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Mississippi State University. Department of Instructional Systems, Leadership, & Workforce Development. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

This research study posed the following questions: Does a faculty member's perceptions of his/her attitudes toward college students over the age of twenty-nine differ significantly from those students' perceptions of the faculty member's attitudes toward them? Are different faculty personality types, as measured by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, related to differing faculty attitudes toward college students over the age of twenty-nine? An attempt to answer these questions was made through the evaluation of three differing questionnaires administered to the population of faculty members and their students over the age of twenty-nine at a small, rural community college in Texas. One questionnaire was administered to the students to elicite [sic] their perception of a faculty member's attitudes toward them as students who were older than the traditional college student. A second questionnaire asked a series of questions of the faculty members to determine the faculty members' attitudes toward students over the age of twenty-nine. The third instrument used was the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator; this indicator was used in an attempt to determine each faculty member's personality type.

This dissertation study deems faculty development critical to meeting challenges associated with retirement, potential professor shortages, increasing adjunct populations, unprepared faculty, and accreditation standards in the community college. The study centers on seeking a current, in-depth understanding of faculty development at Metro Community College (a pseudonym). The participants in this qualitative study consisted of adjunct and full-time faculty members and administrators who communicated their perceptions of faculty development. The analysis discovered faculty member types (progressive and hobbyist adjunct and proactive, active, and reactive full-time faculty) who invest themselves in development differently depending on their position and inclination to participate. Faculty members generally indicated a desire for collegiality and collaboration, self-direction, and individualized approaches to development whereas administrators exhibited a greater interest in meeting accreditation standards and ensuring institutional recognition. The study also discovered a need to consider development initiatives for adjunct faculty members. The dissertation proposes an improved partnership between the adjunct and full-time faculty and the administration.

The purpose of this study is to describe the perceptions of faculty development programs by two groups of full-time community college faculty members—arts and sciences instructors and vocational-technical instructors. To guide the development of this study, the following research questions were formulated. 1. Do organized faculty development programs have the same impression on the arts and sciences faculty members as on the vocational-technical members? 2. What specific effects do these faculty members believe that faculty development programs have had on instructional strategies, related faculty activities and professional attitudes? 3. To what extent do these faculty members perceive that the faculty development program is related to the reward system? 4. To what degree do faculty members perceive that institutional or departmental innovations have resulted from faculty development programs. What types of innovations have occurred, and what types should occur?

This case study examined three listservs as follow-up activities for STARLINK® (State of Texas Academic Resources Link) satellite teleconferences for community college faculty development during the 1993-94 season. Purposes included determining through self report and other data: (a) appropriateness of listservs as follow-up activities for teleconferences, (b) if combining video satellite teleconferences with a listserv satisfied perceived needs, (c) purposes of accessing a listserv and if listservs facilitated changes in the performance of work, were supportive of teaching, and provided resources beyond teleconferences' content, (d) what aspects of listservs are helpful or not helpful to participants.

This research was conducted to determine why two-year community college instructors teach over the Internet. By understanding why these instructors teach over the Internet, colleges can recruit more instructors to teach using the Web thus allowing colleges to offer more Internet courses. They can also use the information to keep the instructors who are currently teaching over the Internet satisfied, and motivate them to continue to teach. To gather this information, a questionnaire was created and evaluated for reliability and validity during a pilot study. It was then sent to those instructors who taught over the Internet, and had their e-mails available on their campus Website. A 30.5% response rate (N=100) was achieved. The survey was divided into two sections, a demographics section and a Likert scale dealing with motivation. The Likert scale had six choices ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree and 31 statements. The demographic data were reported and summarized. The Likert items were examined using factor analysis techniques, and a number of components were discovered. Eight components, made up of the 31 variables from the Likert scale were found using the factor analysis. The eight components in order are labeled: Technical and Computer Challenges, School Promotion, Student Preferences, Personal Benefits, Receiving Computerized Assistance, Growth and Knowledge, Textbook Company Assistance, and Pay.

Because of the external constraints of a tight job market for many faculty and the security of any job in uncertain financial times, faculty members today who become bored or frustrated with their work are more likely to remain in their jobs despite lack of interest, challenge, or opportunity to grow within that job. Their resulting lack of job interest and involvement can have a detrimental effect on students, other faculty, and the institution as a whole. This research examined the problem of professional stagnation and low job involvement among community college faculty members who have been teaching for ten years or more at the same institution. Using Glaser and Strauss' discovery of grounded theory methods of research, individual interviews were conducted with 34 community college faculty members who had been teaching for ten or more years at the same institution. Findings identified factors within faculty members, community college teaching jobs, and the institution that affected the continuing motivation and involvement of faculty members in their work as community college teachers. A theoretical framework was developed which identified two core dimensions of job involvement attitudes and behaviors for community college faculty, the variables and relationships among these which facilitate or impede continuing faculty job involvement over time, and four types of faculty job involvement response patterns. In addition, the theory of faculty adaptation to work role routinization generated by this research focused on a core characteristic of the work of community college teachers -- routinization -- a process that occurs as faculty members remain in their jobs for an extended time and which is central to the type of job attitude and behaviors adopted by faculty in relation to the various areas of their work. / Ed. D.

This study sought to challenge Maslow’s (1954, 1968, 1971) proposition that altruism develops within individuals as they move toward self-actualization. Involvement was the operational definition of altruism used in the study. A national sample of 369 community college faculty and counselors completed the Personal Orientation Inventory and the Community College Involvement Survey (CCIS). The dependent variable involvement was regressed on seventeen personal, psychological, and institutional independent variables using a stepwise regression procedure. Spontaneity, number of years employed, degree status, and race positively influenced involvement, whereas, the discipline areas of math/science and health/allied health had overall negative effects on involvement. Maslow’s proposition obtained minimal support as just one of twelve constructs used to measure self-actualization (spontaneity), was found to predict altruism. A factor analysis procedure conducted on the responses of the CCIS identified ten discrete factors. Each factor revealed an individual pattern of involvement that two-year college faculty and counselors display on campus and within the community. These include: National Activists, Reclusive Colleagues, Faculty Leaders, Student Advocates, Campus Innovators, Campus Excellers, Local Activists, Professional Affiliates, Scholarly Achievers, and Service Volunteers. A second stepwise regression procedure identified ten independent variables as Significant predictors for eight of these factors. Age, gender, race, discipline, number of dependents, years employed, degree, collective bargaining, and job satisfaction, were all useful in explaining variance for individual factors. The findings are useful for understanding work patterns of community college faculty and counselors and subsequent benefits to the institution. / Ed. D.

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the perceived staff development needs of part-time occupational-technical instructors in the Virginia Community College System and to determine if there was a relationship between these needs and selected independent variables. Also considered were the instructors' attitude toward staff development and under what conditions they would participate in an in-service program. The 308 part-time occupational-technical faculty members who made up the sample were surveyed. A total of 196 or 63.6 percent of the 308 questionnaires used in the survey were returned and coded for use in resolving the four research questions. Absolute frequencies, percentage frequencies, and chi square tests of significance were used. Using the responses on the 196 returned questionnaires, the following conclusions were rendered concerning part-time occupational technical teachers in the Virginia Community College System. l. That a typical part-time occupational-technical teacher wi 11: a. Hold at least a Baccalaureate Degree b. Have more than 200 clock hours of teacher training c. Have from one to ten years experience d. Have more than ten years of occupational experience in the field in which they are teaching e. Be between 26 and 45 years of age 2. There is a need for in-service training for these teachers and that their needs are found in certain areas. 3. There is an inverse relationship between the educational level and certain perceived staff development needs, and that as their education level increases, their staff development needs in the given areas decrease. 4. Staff development is important to these teachers. 5. If a staff development program were offered at a convenient time and if the teachers were paid the same amount as they would receive for teaching, the majority of the teachers would participate in the staff development program. Recommendations rendered concerning staff development for part-time occupational-technical faculty in the Virginia Community College System were as follows: 1. The characteristics of these teachers discovered by this research should be considered when establishing a staff development program for these individuals. 2. When a staff development program is set up the in-service training should be organized so as to give training in the areas in which the instructors indicated having need. 3. Any in-service program should be developed with the idea in mind that as the level of education increases, the level of need decreases in certain areas. 4. A staff development program should be developed and offered to these teachers at a convenient time and that they be paid the teaching rate for the hours they participate in the program. 5. A study should be conducted to find out what specific kinds of staff development programs would best fit the needs of these individuals. / Ed. D.