Book Description

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between selected demographic and educational variables of faculty members employed in the Alabama Community College System and their impact on job satisfaction. The variables included in the study are the demographic variables of age, gender, ethnicity, salary, and degree status, along with the institutional variables of academic ability of students, advancement in technology, faculty workload, tenure, co-worker relationship, administrative governance and support, and professional growth opportunities. This study was conducted to educate college administrators regarding faculty morale and to provide a means of communication between administrators and faculty to address faculty concerns, thus leading to a more stable learning environment for students. A survey research design was used to collect and analyze the data from faculty members at 10 community colleges within the state of Alabama. An instrument designed by the researcher entitled the Howton Community College Faculty Job Satisfaction Survey was used to collect the data using SurveyGizmo.com. The instrument was validated by a panel of experts and a pilot study determined the reliability coefficient to be .786. The data were analyzed through the use of descriptive statistics, factoral analysis, and analysis of variance (ANOVA). The findings of the study indicated a four scale structure for the created instrument which consisted of the following components: 1) administrative support and its affect on the personal life of faculty members; 2) obtaining tenure and the evaluation process; 3) technology in the classroom and training through professional development activities; and 4) relationship among colleagues. Results from ANOVA show that there were no between or within group differences among mean scores with regard to age, sex, ethnicity, salary, tenure status, or degree status. Examining measures of central tendencies revealed that over 20% of faculty members responded negatively with regard to satisfaction in the areas of academic ability of students, administrative support, professional development opportunities, and advancements in technology. However, 87% of faculty members responded favorably regarding their overall job satisfaction.