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Are all part-time faculty underemployed? The influence of faculty status preference on satisfaction and commitment

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Abstract

Utilizing a person–job fit perspective, we examined the job satisfaction and affective commitment of three groups of college faculty (N = 167): full-time faculty, part-time faculty preferring a part-time position (voluntary part-time), and part-time faculty preferring a full-time position (involuntary part-time). Involuntary part-time faculty were least satisfied with salient facets of satisfaction (advancement, compensation, and job security), whereas voluntary part-time faculty and full-time faculty reported similar levels of satisfaction on these facets. No consistent differences in satisfaction by faculty status were found for the majority of the other, less salient facets. The three groups of faculty also reported similar levels of perceived overqualification and affective commitment to the organization. Future directions for research and practice are discussed.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Joseph Benden and Ana C. Luna for assistance with this research. We also wish to thank two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments and suggestions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, State University of New York at New Paltz, 600 Hawk Drive, New Paltz, NY, 12561-2440, USA

    Douglas C. Maynard

  2. University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA

    Todd Allen Joseph

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  1. Douglas C. Maynard
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  2. Todd Allen Joseph
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Correspondence to Douglas C. Maynard.

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Maynard, D.C., Joseph, T.A. Are all part-time faculty underemployed? The influence of faculty status preference on satisfaction and commitment. High Educ 55, 139–154 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-006-9039-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-006-9039-z

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