Graduation Semester and Year
Fall 2024
Language
English
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
Department
Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
First Advisor
Yi Leaf Zhang
Second Advisor
Elsa Camargo
Third Advisor
John Connolly
Abstract
The growing reliance on non-tenure-track (NTT) faculty in higher education poses significant challenges related to job satisfaction, professional equity, and institutional support. NTT faculty, who now make up approximately 70% of the academic workforce, often experience lower job satisfaction compared to their tenured/tenure-track (T/TT) counterparts due to limited job security, reduced professional recognition, and exclusion from shared governance. Guided by Self-Determination Theory (SDT), this study examines differences and similarities between NTT and their T/TT counterparts, investigates the factors contributing to their job satisfaction, and explores their experiences at a public four-year research university in Texas. The research sample consisted of 670 full-time faculty members, of which 255 were NTT, 142 were tenure-track, and 273 were tenured faculty. These faculty members participated in the 2021 COACHE Faculty Job Satisfaction Survey. Results indicate that sociodemographic characteristics, psychological needs, and institutional support have significant relationships with the overall job satisfaction of NTT and T/TT faculty. By addressing the basic psychological needs of SDT (i.e., autonomy, competence, relatedness), higher education institutions can create more inclusive policies and environments that enhance job satisfaction among NTT faculty, ultimately contributing to institutional success and the overall quality of education.
Keywords
Non-Tenure Track Faculty, Faculty Job Satisfaction, Faculty Psychological Needs, Contingent Faculty Satisfaction, Faculty Institutional Support, Self-Determination Theory, Faculty Autonomy, Faculty Competence, Faculty Relatedness, Faculty Sociodemographic Characteristics, Job Satisfaction Predictors
Disciplines
Educational Leadership
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Miljatovic, Sandro PhD, "JOB SATISFACTION AMONG NON-TENURE TRACK AND TENURE/TENURE-TRACK FACULTY: INFLUENCES OF SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS, PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS, AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS AT A PUBLIC RESEARCH UNIVERSITY" (2024). Educational Leadership & Policy Studies Dissertations. 220.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/edleadershippolicy_dissertations/220