Date of Award

5-2020

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

School of Education

First Advisor

Gary Sehorn, Ed.D.

Second Advisor

Karen Buchanan, Ed.D.

Third Advisor

Scot Headley, Ph.D.

Abstract

This narrative inquiry sought to understand how adjunct faculty negotiated professorial identity and institutional belongingness after failed tenure-track interview processes when those same adjunct faculty continue to teach on that same campus or within that same district that did not offer them a tenure-track position. Two adjuncts teaching within a multi-campus California community college district shared their verbal stories as a means to further understand their experiences related to the research questions. Their narratives suggested that (1) the phase in their career and how the tenure-track experience was framed, impacted their professorial identity and (2) reflecting on various college professional development experiences influenced their perception of institutional belonging. Participants’ narratives indicated areas for practice, which include transparency in tenure-track hiring processes. Furthermore, it would benefit the institution as well as adjunct faculty to re-socialize the adjunct faculty who were not offered tenure-track positions, which follows Levine and Moreland’s (1994) group socialization model.

Share

COinS