ERIC Number: ED643500
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2022
Pages: 200
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 979-8-4387-9420-2
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Socio-Spatial Experiences of Part-Time Community College Faculty
Jessica Winans
ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Colorado State University
Nearly half of the undergraduate student population in the United States attends community colleges (Bailey, Jaggars, & Jenkins, 2015), and in serving these students, community colleges rely heavily on part-time faculty (Jaeger & Egan, 2009). The reliance on part-time faculty is typically cost-motivated and a symptom of the neoliberal influences on higher education (Levin, 2007; Saunders, 2008). Part-time faculty often lack resources and support, are poorly compensated, do not receive benefits, and their teaching schedules are inconsistent and unreliable (Caruth & Caruth, 2013). The purpose of this study was to examine the everyday lived experiences of part-time community college faculty through a socio-spatial lens. The research was conducted as a case study and conceptually framed by institutional ethnography and critical geography. Methods included interviews, mental sketch mapping, and document analysis. The combination of methods was entirely qualitative and framed from a constructivist lens. Mental sketch mapping led to reflective spatial narratives that uncovered the ways that part-time faculty influenced and were influenced by spaces. Findings included the limited spaces participants utilized and felt comfortable in at the college, the lengths that they went to support their students, the challenges and barriers faced in teaching and other work including poor classroom and office spaces, and the lack of inclusion, despite the institution's efforts. The ruling relations of the college were evident in individual interactions, uses of space, and institutional policies and processes. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: Part Time Faculty, Community Colleges, Teacher Attitudes, Social Influences, Social Behavior, Space Utilization, Environmental Influences, Interpersonal Relationship, Educational Policy
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Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Two Year Colleges
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
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