Engaged Scholarship Activities Among Tenure-track and Tenured Faculty Members

Engaged Scholarship Activities Among Tenure-Track and Tenured Faculty Members by Michelle Christine Watkins MS, Arizona State University, 1997 BS, Arizona State University, 1994 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education Walden University October 2015 Abstract Institutions of higher education are widely known to be places that help solve the problems of society; however, few college professors seem to practice engaged scholarship after receiving tenure. In a time of decreased funding for public higher education institutions and increased competition for students with private institutions, public higher education institutions would do well to maintain their images as community partners. In this regard, public institutions need to know whether engaged scholarship among the professoriate has decreased, why this may be occurring, and how to inspire professors to create positive social change. This qualitative case study applied Frederick Herzberg’s motivational theory of job satisfaction on engaged scholarship and tenure to determine the extent to which faculty members practice engaged scholarship pretenure and posttenure. The main research question addressed was whether the study participants perceived a negative relationship between tenure status and engaged scholarship. Fourteen face-to-face interviews of faculty and administrators, obtained through purposeful convenience sampling, provided the answer to this and other questions.Institutions of higher education are widely known to be places that help solve the problems of society; however, few college professors seem to practice engaged scholarship after receiving tenure. In a time of decreased funding for public higher education institutions and increased competition for students with private institutions, public higher education institutions would do well to maintain their images as community partners. In this regard, public institutions need to know whether engaged scholarship among the professoriate has decreased, why this may be occurring, and how to inspire professors to create positive social change. This qualitative case study applied Frederick Herzberg’s motivational theory of job satisfaction on engaged scholarship and tenure to determine the extent to which faculty members practice engaged scholarship pretenure and posttenure. The main research question addressed was whether the study participants perceived a negative relationship between tenure status and engaged scholarship. Fourteen face-to-face interviews of faculty and administrators, obtained through purposeful convenience sampling, provided the answer to this and other questions. Interviews were coded according in alignment with the methods used in the Herzberg study in 1959. The data analysis revealed institutional issues to address, specifically, to include institutional support for engaged scholarship and the accuracy of perceived administrative and faculty workloads. From this analysis, a comprehensive engaged scholarship program evolved that, on implementation, would address the concerns of the participants and increase faculty engaged involvement in scholarship that higher education institutions can continue to contribute to positive social change. Engaged Scholarship Activities Among Tenure-track and Tenured Faculty Members by Michelle Christine Watkins MS, Arizona State University, 1997 BS, Arizona State University, 1994 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education Walden University October 2015 Dedication With all my love to my daughter, Bailey, whose academic potential far surpasses my own abilities. (And, yes, this means you have to earn a graduate degree! ) Acknowledgments Thank you to all of the participants and resources who made this project study possible. I am indebted. Many thanks to the family, friends, and colleagues who have supported me throughout this wonderful doctoral journey. To my incredible mentors and the students in my doctoral cohort: thank you for sharing your knowledge with me and for all of the countless opportunities you gave me to evaluate my own views. Lastly, much appreciation is extended for those life moments, both positive and negative, that have formed my life. These events taught me who I am, what I stand for, and what I hold dear. I am forever grateful for the doors of opportunity that opened and for those that stayed shut; they have guided me on the right path.