job satisfaction of experienced professors at a …web.wilkes.edu/jennifer.edmonds/mba_513/job...

JOB SATISFACTION OF EXPERIENCEDPROFESSORS AT A LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE

SUSAN H . MARSTON

GERALD J. BRUNETTI

Saint Mary's College of California

This study examined career satisfaction among experienced pro-fessors at a moderate-sized liberal arts college and explored theirmotivations for staying in the profession. Experienced profes-sors were deñned as tenure-track faculty who had been teachingin higher education for at least 15 years. Data sources includedthe Experienced Teacher Survey, returned by 43.5% (N=74) ofthe experienced professors, and interviews with 25 of these pro-fessors selected from the four schools that made up the college:Liberal Arts, Science, Economics & Business Administration,and Education. Results show the importance of professional overpractical motivators, and of teaching and scholarship over ser-vice. Ways to enhance faculty satisfaction and to support newfaculty members are considered.

How satisfied are professors at liberalarts colleges? What are the principal fac-tors that contribute to their satisfaction ordissatisfaction? By listening to the voic-es of experienced professors, we can gainimportant insights into their motivations forstaying in the profession, as well as theirattitudes towards scholarship, service, andother factors that uniquely define theirwork. Such information could help trusteesand administrators—and professors them-selves—increase faculty satisfaction andeffectiveness, with positive outcomes forthe education of students. This informa-tion could also be of use to prospectivefaculty members considering teaching ata liberal arts college, enabling them tomore realistically prepare for the rewardsand challenges of such an institution.Austin (2002) reminds us that "one of thelong-lasting contributions of most currentfaculty members lies in preparing highly

capable, innovative new colleagues for thechallenges they will face" (p. 118).

The purpose of the present study wasto examine the level, sources, and natureof satisfaction among experienced pro-fessors at a moderate-sized, west coastliberal arts college that has a strong empha-sis on teaching. In designing the study, theresearchers built on earlier research theyhad conducted with experienced elemen-tary and high school teachers (Brunetti,2001; Marston, Brunetti, & Courtney,2005; Marston, Courtney, & Brunetti,2006). They sought answers to the fol-lowing research questions:

1. To what extent are experienced col-lege professors satisfied with their work?

2. What are the primary areas of satis-faction that motivate professors to remainin their positions?

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3. What role does scholarship play inthe lives of professors?

4. How important is it for professorsto provide service to their institution?

Theoretical Framework

Job Satisfaction Among College ProfessorsNumerous studies have examined job

satisfaction arnong college and universityfaculty (August & Waltman, 2004; Hage-dorn, 1996,2000; Hagedom & Sax, 2004;Johnsrud & Rosser, 2002; Olsen, 1993;Olsen, Maple, & Stage, 1995; Reybold,2005; Rosser, 2004, 2005; Smart, 1990).Rosser (2005) identifies four significantareas in the literature on faculty satisfac-tion: rewards and salary, work and careersatisfaction, relationships with students,colleagues and administrators, and bene-fits and job security. Faculty satisfactionhas also been shown to have an impact onthe turnover of faculty members (Johnsrud& Rosser, 2002; Rosser, 2004; Smart,1990).

Smart (1990) focused on faculty inten-tions to leave their current institution. Heproposed and tested a model that exam-ined three areas of satisfaction:organizational, salary, and career. He foundthat higher levels of satisfaction with bothorganizational and career measures reducefaculty intentions to leave their currentinstitutions, while salary satisfaction is sig-nificant only for nontenured faculty.Emphasizing the complexity of faculty sat-isfaction, Hagedorn (2000) proposed aconceptual framework for studying thephenomenon based on "two types of con-

structs that interact and affect job satis-faction—triggers and mediators." Shedefined a trigger as "a significant life eventthat may be either related or unrelated tothe job" (e.g., change in life stage, changein personal circumstances [such as a deathin the family], change in rank or tenure) anda mediator as "a variable or situation thatinfiuences (moderates) the relationshipsbetween other variables or situations pro-ducing an interaction effect" (e.g.,motivators, demographics [such as gen-der, ethnicity, discipline], environmentalconditions).

Pollicino (1996) found that faculty sat-isfaction varied significantly in degree andnature based on the kind of collegiate insti-tution (from two-year college to researchuniversity). Ambrose, Huston, and Nor-man (2005) offered "A Qualitative Methodfor Assessing Faculty Satisfaction" basedon semistructured interviews rather thansurveys. Though conducted at a differentkind of institution (Research 1 university)than the site of the present investigation(comprehensive college), their study doesspeak to the efficacy of using interviews,thus providing an emic perspective on fac-ulty satisfaction. The study also showedthe importance of institution-specificresearch.

Life HistoryThe present study also draws from the

seminal work of Michael Huberman(1993), who used both quantitative andqualitative methods in studying the livesof French-Swiss secondary teachers. Thisapproach incorporates life history,described by Goodson and Sikes (2001)

Job Satisfaction... /325

in its application to teachers, and has beenused by many researchers to examine thelives of elementary and secondary teach-ers (e.g. Ball and Goodson, 1985; Knowlesand Holt-Reynolds, 1994; Goodson andHargreaves, 1996; Muchmore, 2001,2004;Stanford, 2001 ; Williams, 2001 ). The pre-sent study appears to be unique incombining life history (qualitative) andquantitative methods in studying the livesof experienced professors.

Methods

ContextThe study was conducted at an institu-

tion on the west coast of the United Statesthat is classified as comprehensive underthe Carnegie categories but that has the"look and feel," in many ways, of an under-graduate liberal arts college. The collegeserves some 2600 students in its traditionalundergraduate program, as well as some2000 additional students (mostly part-time)in its graduate programs in business, edu-cation, and a few additional fields. Thenumber of tenure-track faculty is approx-imately 170. This faculty was selected forthe study due to its convenience, since theresearchers had ready access to it.

ParticipantsResearchers focused on experienced

professors, which, for purposes of thisstudy were defined as tenure-track pro-fessors who had been teaching in highereducation for at least 15 years and been atthe college for at least 2 years. The Expe-rienced Teacher Survey (described below)was distributed to all tenure-track profes-

sors. Of the 170 surveys that were dis-tributed, 74 (43.5%) were returned byexperienced professors. The researchersselected 25 of these professors to inter-view (out of 38 who indicated at the endof the survey that they were willing to beinterviewed), seeking a balance in terms ofschool, subject field, and gender. The finalinterviewees included 12 professors fromthe School of Liberal Arts (SOLA), 6 fromthe School of Science (SOS), 3 from theSchool of Economics and Business Admin-istration (SEBA), and 4 from the Schoolof Education (SOE). Twelve of the pro-fessors interviewed were males; 13 werefemales. (See Appendix A for additionalinformation regarding the interview par-ticipants.)

Data SourcesData for this study were drawn pri-

marily from two sources: 1) a form of theExperienced Teacher Survey (Brunetti,2001) modified for use in higher educa-tion, and 2) extended interviews with selectexperienced college professors.

Part 1 : Experienced Teacher Survey (ETS)The ETS was designed to collect infor-

mation from professors concerning theirjob satisfaction and their motivation forremaining in their present teaching posi-tion. Using a 4-point Likert scale, the ETSasked professors to rate the importance ofa variety of factors—professional, practi-cal, and social (Brunetti, 2001) —thatinfiuenced their decision to remain in theirpresent faculty positions. The survey (seeAppendix B) yielded mean scores and stan-dard deviations for each factor on the


Table 1

Job Satisfaction of Experienced Professors (from Survev)

1. I look forward to coming to work each day.

2. I would like to still be teaching in 5 years.

3. If I had it to do over, I would choose to be a professor again.

4. I am satisfied with my job.

3.25 (SD, 0.60)

3.40 (SD, 0.77)

3.50 (SD, 0.65)

3.30 (SD, 0.68)

Total Mean Score = 3.36 (SD, 0.67)

survey as well as total mean scores forclustered satisfaction factors.

Part 2: InterviewsThe interviews of experienced profes-

sors, which lasted one to two hours, werebased on a protocol of questions (seeAppendix C) but designed to generateopen-ended responses. Professors wereencouraged to elaborate in their respons-es, and follow-up questions were asked toinduce further reflection and more detailedexplanation. The interviews, which wereconducted mostly on campus in spring2005, were recorded on audiotape. Tran-scriptions from these recordings werereturned to the professors for memberchecking. Revised transcriptions com-prised the data source for the interviews.The researchers first read each of the tran-scriptions, identifying responses thatrevealed insights about the research ques-tions . Then, using a constant comparativeapproach (Glaser & Strauss, 1967), theresearchers analyzed the responses for pre-dominating patterns and prevailing themesand then grouped the findings according tothe research question the data seemed to

address.

ResultsThe findings are presented below for

each of the research questions. Both quan-titative and qualitative methods areincluded in the analysis. For each ques-tion, the researchers report the basis (i.e.,quantitative, qualitative, or both) for theirfindings.

Research Question 1 : To What Extent AreExperienced College Professors Satisfiedwith Their Work?

The Experienced Teacher Survey hasfour questions that focus on job satisfac-tion (see Table 1). The experiencedprofessors who returned surveys expresseda moderate to high level of satisfaction, asindicated by mean scores ranging from3.25 (SD, 0.60) to 3.50 (SD, 0.65) on the4-point scale. (Total mean score = 3.36[SD 0.67]). Overall, the survey data sug-gest that these experienced professors weresatisfied with their jobs. The professors'comments on job satisfaction are incorpo-rated in the analysis of their responses toresearch questions 2, 3, and 4.

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Table 2

Professional Satisfaction Factors (from Survey)

1. Satisfaction in fulfilling a professional commitment.2. Satisfying in serving society (e.g., "making a difference" by

educating future citizens).3. Satisfaction in working with students (including involvement

in co-curricular activities).4. Satisfaction in being successful at something you enjoy

("bom to teach").5. Satisfaction at seeing students learn and grow.6. Joy in teaching your subject.7. The intellectual challenges involved in teaching.8. Freedom and flexibility in the classroom.9. The opportunity to be creative (e.g., in designing curriculum

and lessons).

3.40 (SD, 0.73)3.58 (SD, 0.63)

3.66 (SD, 0.54)

3.64 (SD, 0.61)

3.84 (SD, 0.40)3.79 (SD, 0.49)3.56 (SD, 0.62)3.65 (SD, 0.55)3.55 (SD, 0.67)


Research Question 2: What Are the PrimaryAreas of Satisfaction That Motivate Profes-sors to Remain in Their Positions?

Professional satisfaction factorsThe ETS includes nine questions that,

in earher studies (Brunetti, 2001 ; Marston,Brunetti, & Courtney, 2005; Marston,Courtney, & Brunetti, 2006), appeared torepresent core values for teachers (seeTable 2). In their survey responses, theprofessors identified these factors as pow-erful motivators for keeping them in theclassroom. All but one of the factors yield-ed mean scores above 3.50. In two cases(i.e., satisfaction at seeing students learnand grow, and joy in teaching your sub-ject) the mean scores were over 3.75,suggesting that they were particularlystrong motivators.

The interview responses appear to cor-roborate the importance of these

Professional Satisfaction factors in con-tributing to job satisfaction and persistencein the classroom. Professors continuallyemphasized their work with young peo-ple, for instance, as a powerful source ofsatisfaction with their work (Items 3 and5; mean scores = 3.66[SD,0.54] and 3.84[SD, 0.40] respectively). A female edu-cation (SOE) professor responded to theinterview question. What has influencedyour decision to continue as a collegeteacher? by saying, "The primary moti-vation for me has been watchingtransformational changes in people as indi-viduals. . .and.. .to experience and share inthe growth that occurs within them duringthat semester." Another professor (male,SOLA) stated, "What energizes me and isvery exciting for me is the interaction withstudents - I find it inherently rewarding,the relationship with students." In respond-ing to the interview question. How do you


describe your relationship with studentsand how important is that relationship toyou? one participant (male, SOLA) stated:"I enjoy being with students. The con-nection with students...[is] satisfying...Young people are like wine. They're kindof intoxicating, I think, for me." A maleprofessor (SEBA) replied: "I love beingin the classroom, and I love to be able tohelp these students learn."

One professor reported: "[I] try to be avery open person in the classroom and bethere within limits to talk to students aboutwhat's going on with them. But... [I] don'tsee myself as their pal" (female, SOLA).A female SOE professor added, "I alsowant to be very clear about what myboundaries are so that I'm not too person-al or inappropriately personal."

Some professors identified their beingable to learn and grow themselves as asource of satisfaction: "I think of teach-ing as something like gardening... .because...every year you get a new chance"(female, SOE), and "I feel like every yearbrings challenges that keep me growing indifferent ways" (female, SOLA). Anoth-

er female SOLA professor responded tothe question. What influenced your deci-sion to remain a college professor? bysaying, "Because you are constantly learn-ing yourself."

Professors' love of their subject had apowerful impact on their remaining in theclassroom (mean score = 3.79 [SD, 0.49]).As one male SOLA professor commented:"I stay in the classroom because, to onedegree or another, classrooms (in which Iteach) have all got conversational, sharedinquiring, and they all have the momentof metastrophic questioning that makesthem [students] open their eyes... andthat's what I live on. .. .It's nice to be ableto do that on a kind of daily basis with stu-dents who oftentimes get it."

Freedom and flexibility in the class-room (mean score = 3.65 [SD, 0.55]) isanother reason why professors remained inthe classroom. One male science (SOS)professor identified the major factors being"the ability to pretty much be my ownboss tremendous amount of free-dom. . .academic freedom."

Table 3

Practical Satisfaction Factors (from Survev)

11. The holidays: summer vacation, Christmas and spring breaks, 2.73 (SD, 0.93)etc.

12. Job security (tenure). 2.97 (SD, 0.88)13. Salary and benefits (sabbaticals, etc.). 2.55 (SD, 0.87)14. Enjoyment of the college as an institution. 3.13 (SD, 0.77)

15. Advantage of a teaching schedule for someone raising a 2.62 (SD, 1.12)Family.



Table 4

Social Satisfaction Factors (from SurvevV The importance of

16. Good faculty colleague relationships (e.g., interesting, 3.26 (SD, 0.79)supportive, committed to teaching).

17. A good administrator - program directors, dept. chairs, deans 2.66 (SD, 0.87)(e.g., able, open supportive, good manager).

Looking to the future, one male SOLAprofessor stated: "What energizes me is theopportunity to have greater impact on theworld and on society" (i.e., through thestudents he teaches).

Overall, both the quantitative and qual-itative data indicate that ProfessionalSatisfaction factors contributed substan-tially to the professors' overall satisfactionwith their work and were an important rea-son for their remaining in teaching.

Practical satisfaction factorsPractical factors such as job securi-

ty/tenure, salary/benefits, and advantagesof a teaching schedule (see Table 3) wereimportant to professors, but not as impor-tant as the Professional Satisfaction factors.The total mean score for the Practical Sat-isfaction factors was 2.80 (SD, 0.95),compared to a mean score of 3.63 (SD,0.60) for professional factors. Enjoymentof the college as an institution (mean score= 3.13 [SD,0.77]) and job security (meanscore - 2.97 [SD, 0.88]) were the practi-cal factors that professors assigned thehighest ratings to.

In the interviews, several of the pro-fessors discussed some of the practical

reasons why they remained in the profes-sion:

It is beneficial to my family - twosmall children and my wife works inthe city. It gives me flexibility to beaway when I need to be away. Itwould be nice if the pay were a bitmore, but in my particular familythe time flexibility and my pay isbalanced by my wife's work, (male,SOS)

Another professor commenting on thebenefits of flexibility noted that "having afamily has been important to me" (female,SOS).

One male SOS professor identified the"academic schedule" as a major factor inhis decision to remain at the college. Somepeople stayed in the profession because itprovided them with special benefits (e.g.,opportunity for funding to do research). Afemale SOLA professor commented:

Well, I think if I were to retire, Iwould miss that aspect [scholarship]more than teaching. . . . One of thethings that has kept... [me].. .goingis the fact that we have things likefaculty development money that


enable us to go to conferences.

Professors identified the factor of jobsecurity/tenure (mean score = 2.97 [SD0.88]) as the second highest (but not par-ticularly high overall) in the practicalsatisfaction section of the survey. Onemale SOS professor commented: "I wasawarded tenure and I've been working heresince, so, that's why I stopped thinkingabout other jobs."

In responding to the interview question.Have there been times in your career as aprofessor that you 've considered leavingthe profession? one female SOLA profes-sor expressed that monetary pressures wasa cause for her to stop and reñect: "I didconsider leaving after about sevenyears...because...(other people) weremaking tons of money and I wanted toknow why I wasn't."

Social satisfaction factorsBoth in the survey and interview, expe-

rienced professors were asked about theirrelationship with faculty colleagues andadministrators. Table 4 presents the meanscores on the two Social Satisfaction fac-tors (having good faculty colleagues andadministrators). Having good relation-ships with faculty colleagues (mean score= 3.26 [SD, 0.79]) appears to have beensignificantly more important than rela-tionships with administrators (mean score= 2.66 [SD, 0.87]) in these professors' deci-sion to continue teaching at the institution.The data also suggest (when looking ateach social factor separately; no total meanscore was computed) that having good fac-ulty colleague relationships (mean score

= 3.26 [SD, 0.79]) were more importantto professors than practical factors (totalmean score - 2.80 [SD, 0.95]) and rela-tionships with administrators (mean score- 2.66 [SD, 0.87]), but not as important asprofessional factors (total mean score =3.63 [SD, 0.60]) in motivating professorsto remain in the classroom.

Faculty colleagues. The interview dataprovided some additional insights. Inresponding to the interview question, //owabout your relationships with fellow teach-ers? Are these relationships important toyour work as a professor? one female SOEprofessor expressed, "Absolutely. Com-pletely important to me.. .1 really value myfriendly relationships with other faculty asbeing highly important. And it's painfulwhen that isn't there. It's very painful tome." Another professor recalled:

I didn't feel like all of my supportwas coming from my department,and I quickly developed friendshipswith people across the college. Icouldn't wait to get elected to a com-mittee and then that contributes tothe development of other relation-ships. Building those relationships,along with the relationships I havewith my students, has been one ofthe most rewarding aspects of beinga college teacher (female, SOLA).On the other hand some professors com-

mented on the isolation in a small liberalarts college. "I feel a little more isolatedthen I did. (My previous institution) wasa bigger campus and there was a reallygood mix of people...a much moreempowering environment for someonewho was interested in research as well as


Table 5

Other Factors of Being a Professor (from Survev): The importance of

1. The opportunity to engage in scholarship?2. The opportunity to participate in shared governance (e.g.,

through committee service).

3.38 (SD, 0.72)2.47 (SD, 0.88)

teaching" (female, SOLA). Another pro-fessor added: "I would say the morecoUegiality the better. Clearly one of thehuge disappointments is where peoplelive...You know, people by and large,they're scattered everywhere, and so faraway that it makes any sort of social con-tact difficult" (male, SOS).

Another professor commented on less-positive relationships, stating, "Well, Ithink I've run into some difficulties gettingalong with my colleagues. I think thereare expectations... and usually we tend todisagree on them" (female, SOLA). A maleSOLA professor explained, "Well, someof my colleagues.. .they've given me a lit-tle trouble. And of course, they've alsobeen tremendously supportive. So, they'rethe people that can hurt you the most andthey're the people that can help you themost."

Administrators. Concerning adminis-trators, the question asked in the interview.How would you describe your relationshipwith administrators, and how has thisaffected your work as a teacher? yieldeda variety of responses. One male SOS pro-fessor responded, "I mean, they're fine.But you just avoid them. They do thingsthat I don't want to do." Another profes-sor commented, "I think that when the

administrators really know what they'redoing and have sensitivity toward all dif-ferent aspects of the college, it makeseveryone's work a lot easier. I think thereare more confiicts when there are less capa-ble administrators" (female, SOLA).

Another professor commented on less-positive relationships, explaining, "Thereare moments that frustrated me; and I mustsay, there were two times that I did seri-ously consider leaving and it was all - itwas administratively induced" (male,SOLA).

Other professors described the charac-teristics they wanted to see in anadministrator:

I definitely see administrators andfaculty as.. .sharing common goals.And so it's unfortunate when thatgoes awry. And I really think this isimportant for faculty...to believethat an administrator will not onlyhear you, but will try to act on what-ever the situation is. (female, SOE)Another female SOE professor com-

mented:I think the best administrators thatI've had have been people that I feltwere supportive and honest, withhigh integrity. People who didn't talkdown to me, but.. .were committed

332 / Education Voi. 130 No. 2

Table 6

Importance of Various Factors (from Survey)

Professional Satisfaction FactorsOpportunities to Engage in ScholarshipGood Faculty RelationshipsPractical Satisfaction FactorsA Good AdministratorOpportunity to Perform Service

3.63 (SD, 0.60)3.38 (SD, 0.72)3.26 (SD, 0.79)2.80 (SD, 0.95)2.66 (SD, 0.87)2.47 (SD, 0.88)

to working with me so that we couldface challenges and problems togeth-er and work them through.Yet another professor commented on

administrators at smaller institutions ratherthan bigger campuses: "I feel that ouradministrators are fairly accessiblehere...and more approachable. And ifyou're willing to work with them.. .if youdon't go in with a closed mind...they'reoften willing to work with you" (female,SOLA).

Research Question 3: What Role DoesScholarship Play in the Lives of Professors?

Both in the survey and interviewresponses, experienced professors wereasked about two other components of beinga professor: scholarship and service. Table5 presents the mean scores for these fac-tors. Scholarship responses are discussedbelow; service responses are discussed inResearch Question 4.

Engaging in scholarship (mean score =3.38 [SD, 0.72]) appears to have had agreater influence on the participants' deci-sion to remain in the profession than theopportunity to perform service (mean score

- 2.47 [SD, 0.88]). Overall, the mean scoreon scholarship appears to be comparableto that on collégial relationships (meanscore = 3.26 [SD, 0.79]); both are higherthan any Practical Satisfaction factors (totalmean score = 2.80 [SD, 0.95]) in motivat-ing professors to remain in teaching (seeTable 6).

Responses from the interviews revealthat scholarship played an important rolein the lives of many of these professors, buttime and expectations were constraints.A female SOLA professor stated: "Passionfor the subject ultimately drives my rela-tionships with students and my dedicationto teaching. Scholarship is what feeds thepassion." A female SOE professor addedthat scholarship played

a pretty big . . . [role] . . . and it's arole that I didn't get to have as a highschool teacher. It certainly was abig reason for going into collegeteaching. And I do think that what-ever I work on or think about orwrite about is relayed to my students. . . because . . . you always teachyourself. And so the more you growand learn, the more your students


benefit. So, scholarship is reallycentral to me.And a female SOLA professor com-

mented that "I don't think that I wouldhave stayed interested in teaching all theseyears, if it hadn't been for research. Theteaching is interesting because I come backfrom that research all fired up." Anotherprofessor commented:

My scholarship is not directly relat-ed to teaching in the classroom - butI couldn't be content if I didn't havethat aspect in my life.. .The problemis not enough time.. .1 need to focuson scholarship with real time; andwhen I'm teaching, it's just not there.The time is not there (female,SOLA).Another female SOLA professor cor-

roborated this time constraint, noting: "Ifind it very hard, once the semester starts,to think about research, writing.. .and usu-ally if I'm doing anything on scholarship,it has to be during my free time." A femaleSOS professor agreed: "I think I wouldhave to get a sabbatical or a grant to starta new project because it just takes so mucheffort. If I did not have such a heavy ser-vice requirement, it would be bigger."

One female SOE professor comment-ed, "Scholarship is incredibly important,and I'm trying to maintain a research pro-gram at a teaching college. It's hard,though; it's very hard. It's hard to somedegree because of the time available.. .butit's also hard because there are no master'sstudents [in my area]."

Other professors commented on theexpectation aspect of scholarship. AmaleSOS professor stated:

Scholarship is enjoyable. It's a funway to stay current, to stayactive...and to keep myself con-nected in my discipline and toinvolve students. I guess the down-side of that is the way it's beenincorporated into rank-and-tenuredecisions and that sometimes it isalso sort of like the ball and chain.A male SOLA professor responded to

the question. What role does scholarshipplay in your life as a professor?:

It plays a large role - 1 spend moretime at it now than I did when I wasyoung. Because when I was young,I did 32 or 33 [class] preparations,you know. So it's more importantnow, and I'm a little resentful of thedegree to which [this institution] hasdone what I think is a real error, kindof barbaric - the notion of scholar-ly production... [this institution]seems to have fallen in - maybe notwholeheartedly or comprehensively,but to some degree there's a notionof steady rate of production - schol-arship - understood as publishedworks and articles, books, youknow....But that notion of directoutput is a little upsetting.In response to the same question, a male

SEBA professor said:

[Scholarship] played a big role earlyin my career, because I'd scored theposition where I had [to]. But itnever played -once I was in [thisinstitution]. It should probably playa big role - really it's easy to letyourself just slide a little as you go,but you have to say, hey!


Another professor explained:I think scholarship for some peopleis wonderful. I know that there aresome great people that just lovescholarship...and they should beencouraged to do it; but those.. .whodon't consider that as important, Idon't think we should be forced todo it. (male, SEBA)

Research Question 4: How Important Is Itfor Professors to Provide Service to TheirInstitution?

Overall, the opportunity to perform ser-vice (see Table 6) was the lowestquantitative factor professors identified(mean score = 2.47 [SD, 0.88]) as an influ-ence in their decision to remain in theprofession.

Most professors found service to beimportant but also stressed concerns. Thethemes of community and contributionkept emerging from the interview data. Afemale SOLA professor thought that "weshould take service a lot more seriously asan institution.. .it really is what holds ouracademic community together.. .service isreally important and in some ways moreimportant than scholarship for the life ofthe institution." A male SOLA professoradded.

If we're going to be good citizensof any community then you have toreally provide service in an appro-priate fashion. So that doesn't meanthat everybody should do it all thetime; but when the time requiresyour talents, your interests, yourenergy, your thinking, you'd betterchip in to do it.

A female SOS professor responded tothe question. How important do you thinkservice to the College (e.g., service on com-mittees or as department chair) should bein the life of a professor? by saying, "Ithink it is critical. People who come to theoffice, teach, go home - that's enough forthem but that doesn't help create a com-munity." A female SOLA professor stated,"I do think that it is important though forthe professors to contribute to the smoothrunning of the place."

Even though faculty recognized theimportance of service, there were definiteconcerns expressed. One had to do withthe issue of equity, since "relatively a smallpool of people is taking on the majority ofthe load - it is not uniformly distributedacross campus" (male, SOS). A femaleSOE professor added, "The same peopleserve over and over again at the col-lege...because the more people haveserved, the better known they are and themore they then get elected"; and a femaleSOLA professor explained that "there's alot of inequity involved in that. We shouldsee ourselves existing in a community, andin a community.. .you all have to do yourpart." One male SEBA professor even stat-ed, "I don't like to point it out - maybethey should have some policy about goingto the same people who can't say no. Thenyou get people who say no a lot and justdon't do service." And another female pro-fessor (SOLA) observed:


[Service] is a heavy workload...sowe should get some kind of timecompensation for it. If you're goingto be an integral part of campus, I'dsay that you really do need to servethe community in a variety of ways.I think the college sometimesexpects a lot, though.Identifying a common concern about

service, another professor stated: "And allthe meetings are too long! And I definitelythink the reason that the meetings are toolong is not that everybody hasn't saideverything that has to be said: it's just thateverybody has to have a chance to say it"(female, SOLA). A male SOS professoradded, "All of those committee things arekind of a fraud. They give people the vagueimpression that their voice is heard. Ofcourse, it's not." Finally, a male SOLAprofessor declared, "What irritates me...what happens is that service is definedas servitude...service at [this institu-tion] .. .not more exalted, just hierarchical."

DiscussionListening to the voices of experienced

professors from a liberal arts college pro-vides important insights into the profession.These voices can help that institution bet-ter prepare future faculty for life in theprofession and provide understanding tocurrent professors about academic rewardsand challenges. The voices might also beof use to campus leaders in other collegesand universities as they strive to provideleadership to their institutions. Accordingto Rosser (2004):

The goal of institutional leadershipshould be to examine more thor-

oughly those individual worklifeissues . . . that are important to theircampus faculty and generate posi-tive or negative responses to work.This will, in turn, enhance facultymembers' satisfaction . . . whichwill have an impact on the retentionand persistence of individual facul-ty members, (p. 305-306).In this section we will provide a brief

summary of our findings, then focus onthree areas that seem, in addition to Pro-fessional Satisfaction factors,particularlyimportant in influencing faculty satisfac-tion: scholarship, service, and relationshipswith fellow faculty and administrators. Thearticle will conclude with a reminder aboutthe study's limitations and suggested direc-tions for further research.

Summary of FindingsExperienced professors in this study

identified Professional Satisfaction factors(e.g., satisfaction in working with studentsand seeing them leam, joy in teaching one'ssubject, freedom and fiexibihty in the class-room) as the most powerful motivators thatinduced them to remain in the classroom.Scholarship was also a great source of sat-isfaction for the professors (although timeand expectations were constraints), as wastheir relationships with colleagues. Mostexperienced professors found service tothe institution to be important but rated itlowest among factors that motivated theirdecision to remain in the profession. Prac-tical Satisfaction factors (e.g., salary andbenefits, summer breaks) were also gen-erally rated lower as motivators.


ScholarshipClearly, scholarship was a source of

great satisfaction to many—but not all—professors at this college. The interviewresponses, however, reflected some ten-sions in this area, as scholarly professorssought to maintain an active research agen-da at an institution whose primary missionwas teaching. The tension emerged mostclearly in the area of time management,with professors struggling to find time fortheir scholarly pursuits in the face of com-pelling demands for teaching and service.

Knowing about time constraints wouldbe helpful to new professors at the col-lege—to know, for instance, that manyexperienced professors acknowledged thatthey lacked the time to do scholarship dur-ing the teaching semester. If the institutionvalues scholarship, it needs to protect pro-fessors' time to engage in this activity andsupport it through sabbaticals, grants, andrelief time from service. The professorsthemselves have the responsibility of set-ting aside time for scholarship andmaintaining a scholarly worklife sched-ule.

The issue of scholarly output at differ-ent points in professors' careers, whichemerged in the findings, presents an inter-esting contrast in perceptions. Should somuch emphasis be put on scholarly outputso early in one's career? Perhaps it shouldbe emphasized later in one's career whenshe or he has more to say. What are waysto value or emphasize scholarship so thatprofessors continue to do it throughouttheir career? Can the institution or facul-ty peers force professors to do scholarshipwhen they no longer "need to" (i.e., for

rank-and-tenure purposes)? What aboutpost-full-professor review? Would theexpectation of continuing scholarshipalienate or would it engage/reengage pro-fessors? It might be worthwhile foradministrators and faculty at this and otherinstitutions to examine college policies andhow they are implemented through variouscampus committees (e.g., rank and tenure),since these policies and practices reveal agreat deal about colleges' attitude towardsscholarly output, which in turn affects pro-fessors' satisfaction in this area.

ServiceIn his 2004 study. Rosser reported:There is no other aspect of academ-ic work than the service andcommittee work component that canquickly draw the life and time awayfrom a faculty member. Although itis critically important to serve allaspects of academic life, the amountof time allocated to service and com-mittee work can have positive andnegative implications on facultymembers' work, satisfaction andwhether they pursue other careeralternatives, particularly to womenand ethnic minorities, (p. 302)This reminds us that even though ser-

vice is sometimes thought of as the leastimportant of the three faculty responsibil-ities, it can have a powerful effect onfaculty satisfaction. And Rosser's studysuggests that "those faculty members withhigher levels of satisfaction are less like-ly to leave their institution or their career"(p. 305).

One implication of the study for small


colleges (and this campus in particular) isthat alternate service models might bedeveloped to respond to some of the con-cerns of faculty that emerged in thisresearch (e.g., faculty input into decision-making disregarded, service not equitablydistributed). Perhaps developing andimplementing new models of service (e.g.,a model that eliminates most elected posi-tions and assigns service on a rotatingbasis) would help to more evenly distrib-ute service across faculty.

Another kind of faculty service was pro-posed by Mooney and Reder (2007):"Creating model programs that include anddraw on the experiences of senior facultyto support mid-career faculty is one areawhere small colleges can make significantcontributions" (p. 168-169). In the pre-sent study, very few professors mentionedmentors from the institution when respond-ing to the interview question. Did you haveany role models or mentors that influencedyou becoming a teacher or the way youwork as a teacher? Engaging senior fac-ulty with mentoring midcareer faculty,perhaps as a component of the new ser-vice model mentioned above, is anotherpractice that this college and others mightexamine and develop.

Faculty RelationshipsAccording to ETS data, the importance

of good relationships with faculty col-leagues (mean score = 3.26 [SD 0.79]) isalmost as important to professors as theopportunity to engage in scholarship (meanscore = 3.38 [SD, 0.72]). As Hagedorn(1996) reports:

The most common and consistent

response to "what makes you mostsatisfied or most dissatisfied withyour job" pertained to the socialaspects of the profession. Colleaguerelationships may be even moreimportant for college faculty becauseunlike many other professions, thecompetence of colleagues has per-sonal implications (p. 571).Olsen (1993) adds that due to a lack of

collegiality among coworkers, new facul-ty members are frequently dissatisfied atwork. Given the importance of collegial-ity in the academy, how can we help newprofessors entering the academic life beprepared for challenges (as well asrewards) they might face around good fac-ulty colleague relationships?

Interview data suggest that developingrelationships both within one's departmentand across campus is important. The pro-fessor who reported there was "a reallygood mix of people" at her previous insti-tution brought to light the need for newprofessors in particular to examine theirorganizational fit (Wright, 2005) with thecollege/university in terms of values andpriorities. A male SEBA professor stated:

I think you have to kind of figureout what you like best and then makesure you match with your institutionbecause there are a lot of unhappyacademics, let me tell you. Yeah,just make sure you're at a place thatvalues what you see, what you valuein yourself.

Olsen, Maple, and Stage (1995) remindus, too, that "the degree of fit with uni-versity values and goals is as much aproduct of perceptions of fit (influenced


by factors like gender and race) as it is aconvergence of institutional and individ-ual goals and values (p. 285).

Relationships with AdministratorsOverall, having a good administrator

ranked near the bottom of factors profes-sors identified as important for their jobsatisfaction (see Table 6). Although therewere some positive statements aboutadministrators, many professors seemedto have the attitude, "Let them do theirthing and leave me alone." These findingscould be revealing to campus leaders asthey continue to examine satisfactionthrough faculty perspectives. Campusadministrators should be held accountablefor their work because (1) as quoted ear-lier, "there are more conflicts when thereare less capable administrators" (female,SOLA); and (2) administrators' policiesand attitudes can affect faculty satisfac-tion and their intent to stay in the profession(e.g., the professor who considered leav-ing, noting that this near decision was"administratively induced"). To foster col-legiality among coworkers, administratorscould possibility be more proactive (e.g.,promoting social interaction to help buildand maintain positive relationships acrosscamps); and administrators at all levelsshould heed the warning signs of civilityissues on their campus and respond accord-ingly, with the leadership and resourcesneeded to ameliorate the problem. Reybold(2005) reminds us that "profound dissat-isfaction can result in isolation anddisengagement or even incivility andaggression toward students and colleagues"(p. 107).

Limitations of the StudyLike every other college and universi-

ty, the target college has a unique campusculture—a mélange of expectations, powerrelationships, decision-making processes,and so forth—that strongly affects the livesof tenure-track faculty. The findings fromthis study, accordingly, cannot be directlyapplied to other institutions. Some of theissues raised in this study, however, areclearly characteristic of other comprehen-sive colleges and universities; and hencethe findings might be useful to their admin-istrators and faculty. Moreover, there is asound argument to be made for the effica-cy of conducting research on the faculty ofa particular institution (Johnsrud & Ross-er, 2002).

Areas for Future ResearchPreparing people to enter the daily real-

ities of academic life is, according to Austin(2002), one of the long-lasting contribu-tions and significant responsibilities ofcurrent faculty members. The voices ofexperienced professors provide a criticalperspective from which to view and learn.Knowing the kind of satisfaction profes-sors in a small, comprehensive liberal artscollege experience in their work mightinspire others to examine their own insti-tutions of higher education with a view toenhance faculty members' satisfaction.This type of study—i.e., mixed methodswith an emphasis on faculty voices—mightalso be extended to other institutions ofhigher education: e.g., two-year colleges,large public institutions. Research 1 uni-versities.


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Appendix A

Characteristics of Interview Participants

SchoolLiberal Arts (SOLA)

Science (SOS)

Economics & BusinessAdministration

(SEBA)Education (SOE)

Participants12 total

7f 5m

6 total2f 4m3 total3m

4 total4f

Department/Programs RepresentedPerforming Arts, English, Theology &

Religions Studies, Liberal & CivicStudies, History, Integral, Philosophy,

Modem Languages, SociologyPsychology, Chemistry, Biology,

MathematicsEconomics, Graduate Business

Secondary Education, ElementaryEducation, Master's Programs


Appendix B

Experienced Teacher Survey (includes results)

Gender: (M or F)

Ethnic group (optional):.

Age:_under40 _40 -49 _5(>-59 _over60

School:

What subject(s) do you teach?

How many years have you been at your present school?_

Have you taught in other schools? Yes N̂o

If Yes, where?

City State Grade Level Number of Years

How many years total have you been teaching?

Do you hope to still be teaching in 5 years? Yes N̂o Do not know

If No, why not?

When you stop working, what do you plan to do?

Do you plan to continue working with young people in some capacity? Yes N̂o

Do not know

If Yes, please describe:

To what extent has your decision to continue working as a professor been influenced bythe following factors, some intrinsic to your work, others extrinsic? For each factor,circle the number indicating how important it is for you.

I. Satisfaction inflilfllling aprofessionalcommitment.2. Satisfaction inserving society (e.g.."making adifference" byeducating futurecitizens).

NotImpor-

tant1

1

Of LittleImpor-tance

2

2

Some-what

Imprtant3

3

VeryImpor-

tant4

4

Survey(A'^=85)

Mean3.40

3.58

Survey(N=85)

SD0.73

0.63


3. Satisfaction inworking with youngpeople (includinginvolvement inextracurricularactivities).4. Satisfaction inbeing successful atsomething you enjoy("bom to teach").5. Satisfaction atseeing young peoplelearn and grow.6. Joy in teachingyour subject.7. The intellectualchallenges involvedin teaching.8. Freedom andflexibility in theclassroom.9. The opportunity tobe creative (e.g., indesigning curriculumand lessons.

10. Nowhere else togo (after many yearsin teaching).11. The holidays:summer vacation.Christmas and springbreaks, etc.12. Job security(tenure).13. Salary andbenefits.

NotImpor-

tant

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

NotImpor-

tant

1

1

1

1


2

2

2

2

2

2

2


2

2

2

2

Some-what

Imprtant

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

Some-what

Imprtant

3

3

3

3

VeryImpor-

tant

4

4

4

4

4

4

4

VeryImpor-

tant

4

4

4

4

Survey(N=85)Mean

3.66

3.64

3.84

3.79

3.56

3.65

3.55

Survey(N=85)Mean

1.78

2.73

2.97

2.55

Survey(N=85)

SD

0.54

0.61

0.40

0.49

0.62

0.55

0.67

Survey(N=85)

SD

0.89

0.93

0.88

0.87


14. Enjoymetit ofschool as aninstitution.15. Advantages of ateaching schedulefor someone raisinga family.

16. Good teacher-colleagues (e.g.,interesting,supportive,committed toteaching).

17. A goodadministrator-program directors,dept. chairs, deans(e.g., able, open,supportive, goodmanager).18. Supportivealumni community.19. The opportunityto engage inscholarship20. The opportunityto participate inshared governance(e.g. throughcommittee service21. The opportunityto serve as anadministrator (e.g.,department chair)?

Not Of Little Some- VeryImpor- Impor- what Impor-

tant tance Imprtant tant

1 2 3 4

Survey Survey(N=85) (N=85)Mean SD

3.13 0.77

2.62

3.26

1.12

0.79

3.26 0.79

2

2

2

3

3

3

4

4

4

1.70

3.38

2.47

0.77

0.72

0.88

2.02 1.01


For each statement below, please circle the pertinent number.

StronglyDisagree Disagree Agree

StrotiglyAgree

Survey(N=85)Mean

Survey(N=85)Mean

1.1 look forward to 1 2 3 4 3.25 0.60coming to work eachday.2. Ifl had it to do 1 2 3 4 3.50 0.65over I would choosethe teachingprofession again.3.1 am satisfied with 1 2 3 4 3.30 0.68my job.4.1 would still like 1 2 3 4 3.40 0.77to be teaching in 5years

If you have further explanations or comments, please write them below or on aseparate piece of paper.

I would like to conduct individual interviews with some of you to explore further yourexperiences in teaching and your motivations for remaining as a college professor. I anticipatethat each interview, scheduled at your convenience, will run approximately 1 to 1 1/2 hours.Would you be willing to be interviewed? Yes N̂o ^Possibly. Please call me.

If you answered Yes or Possibly, please include your name and telephone number so that I can

call you.

Name Phone Number: ( )

Thank you for your time and willingness to complete this study. Please return it in theenclosed self-addressed envelope by .

346 / Education Voi. 130 No. 2

Appendix C

Experienced Professor Survey Interview Protocol

Please tell me a little about your career as a professor. You may want to mention how you

got interested in teaching, where and when you began, what schools you've taught

at; what subjects, kinds of students, highlights of your career, etc.

As you know, in this study I am principally interested in exploring with professors their

motivation for remaining in the classroom. Can you tell me what has influenced

your decision to continue as a college professor for years?

Have there been times, during your years as a professor, when you considered leaving the

classroom? What were your thoughts at the time and what made you change your

mind?

What are the principal things you are trying to accomplish as a professor?

What do you see as your most Important responsibilities as a professor?

Did you have any role models or mentors that influenced your becoming a professor or

the way you work as a professor?

How important is your subject matter to your work as a professor? Is it, for instance, your

passion for teaching a variety of subjects that energizes your teaching and

continues to motivate you? Or is the subject matter primarily a vehicle for

working with young people in a higher-education setting?

What have been your most rewarding experiences as a professor? And conversely, what

experiences have been the most depressing or discouraging?

How would you describe your relationship with students, and how important is this

relationship to you?


How about your relationships with fellow professors? Are these relationships important

to your work as a professor?

And what about administrators? How would you describe your relationship with

administrators and how has this affected your work as a college professor?

What role does scholarship play in your life as a professor? Explain.

What kinds of activities do you undertake to remain current in your field and to develop

and maintain your teaching skills?

In what ways have you been involved in the life of the college outside the classroom?

How important do you think service to the College (e.g., service on committees or as

department chair) should be in the life of a professor?

How has your life outside school influenced and been influenced by your work as a

professor?

In looking back at your career, how have you changed since your earliest years as a

professor?

How do you feel about the three traditions? What do these traditions mean to you and

how do they affect your work as a professor?

Are there any other comments or observations you would like to make about your work

as a professor?

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