Changes in the Community College Humanities Professoriate, 19752000

1
Changes in the Community College Humanities
Professoriate, 1975-2000

• Charles L. Outcalt
• Carol Kozeracki
• Arthur M. Cohen
• UCLA
• Council for the Study of Community Colleges

2
A Baseline Study of Community College Faculty

• Cohen and Brawer surveyed random national sample
  of 1493 humanities faculty in 1975, with response
  rate of 84
• Survey goal was to provide a detailed portrait of
  professional practices and attitudes of faculty
  just after maturation of community college system

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Update and Revision of 1975 Study

• After pilot testing, surveys sent to 2,000
  faculty at 114 colleges nationwide (respondents
  and campuses randomly chosen)
• Use of local facilitator yielded response rate of
  78.2, for N of 1531, with 181 in Humanities
• Over 200 questions in 8 categories

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Changes in Demographics

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Comprehensive Set of Categories

• Use of the University as a Reference Group
• Satisfaction
• Concern for Students
• Involvement in Profession
• Curriculum and Instruction
• Also examined Concern for the Discipline
  Involvement with the Institution these findings
  not explored here

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6
Updating Findings on Curriculum and Instruction

• Despite popular mythology, Cohen and Brawer found
  in 1975 that part-timers did not score lower
  than full-timers
• In 2000, marked differences found between
  full-timers/part-timers men/women African
  Americans/others

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7
Comparing Specific Measures of Instruction
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8
Curric and Instruction (2000)

• All Instructors 29.5
• Full-Timers 30.5
• Part-Timers 27.2
• African-Americans
• 30.7
• Women 30.5
• Men 28.5

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9
Measuring Concern for Students

• In 1975, women and faculty of color expressed
  higher degree of concern for students
• These findings persist in 2000, with African
  Americans showing highest levels of concern for
  students
• Women scored higher than men in 2000, as in 1975

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10
Concern for Students (2000)

• All Instructors 10.3
• Full-Timers 10.3
• Part-Timers 10.3
• African-Americans 14.3
• Women 10.9
• Men 9.7

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11
Examining Satisfaction

• In 1975, instructors age 31 to 35 and 46 to 50
  reported higher levels of satisfaction, but few
  other differences noted
• In 2000, full-timers more satisfied than
  part-timers
• In 2000, desiring more time in instruction, with
  colleagues and planning instruction positively
  correlated with satisfaction

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Satisfaction (2000)

• All Instructors
• 31.2
• Part-Timers
• 31.0
• Full-Timers
• 31.3

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13
Professional Involvement

• Many researchers (Cohen and Brawer, 1977
  Seidman, 1985 Grubb, 1999) have commented on
  increasing faculty reclusiveness due in part
  to prevalence of part-timers
• 2000 findings show both strong differentiation
  between groups in professional involvement and
  increasing withdrawal on specific measures

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Comparing Specific Measures of Professional
Involvement
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Professional Involvement (2000)

• All Instructors 22.9
• Full-Timers 24.8
• Part-Timers 18.8
• Doctorates 23.2
• Non-Doctorates 22.8
• Doctoral Seekers 29.3
• Non-Doct Seekers 22.0
• Women 22.8
• Men 23.1

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Reference Groups

• Complex question Are community college faculty
  creating a distinct profession? If so, what, if
  any, reference groups are used?
• In 1970s, many faculty came from high schools
  this has changed significantly
• Sub-groups, particularly related to employment
  status and educational attainment, seem to be
  forming

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Comparing Specific Measures of the University as
Reference
A
tt
i
tude
1975
2000
A
gree tha
t
I
m
portan
t
Ideas
28.3
33.7
C
ome f
r
om
U
nive
r
si
t
y
F
ind 4
Y
ear
F
acu
l
ty
75.2
44.8
P
os
i
t
i
on A
t
trac
t
ive
U
niv
P
ro
f
essor
s
Use
f
ul fo
r
66.5
64.6
T
eaching
A
dvice
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Who Uses the University as a Reference Group?

• All Instructors 20.9
• Full-Timers 21.3
• Part-Timers 20.0
• Doctorates 20.9
• Non-Doctorates 20.9
• Doctoral Seekers 29.4
• Non-Doct Seekers 19.6
• Women 20.0
• Men 21.7

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Research Implications

• Gappa Leslie have developed a taxonomy of
  part-timers their work should be extended to the
  professoriate as a whole
• Development of faculty taxonomy could parallel
  revision of Carnegie classifications
• Further research necessary to understand
  relationship between segments of community
  college professoriate and service to most
  important clients students

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Concluding Observations

• Rather than developing as a cohesive, coherent
  profession, the community college professoriate
  seems to have acquired even stronger internal
  differentiations since 1975
• Final question Does this internal
  differentiation help or hinder fulfillment of
  multiple missions?

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Changes in the Community College Professoriate,
1975-2000

• Charles L. Outcalt
• Carol Kozeracki
• Arthur M. Cohen
• UCLA
• Council for the Study of Community Colleges