Browsing by Author "Audrey J. Jaeger, Committee Member"

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Contingent Faculty: What Impacts their Organizational Commitment?
(2009-04-23) Murphy, Maura J.; Audrey J. Jaeger, Committee Member; Paul D. Umbach, Committee Member; James E. Bartlett, Committee Member; Alyssa N. Bryant, Committee Chair; Roger Woodard, Committee Member; Joy Gaston Gayles, Committee Member
Since the 1980s, the percentage of non-tenured faculty has increased on college campuses. However, while contingent faculty are often hired to address short-term staffing issues, the long-term impacts are not assessed. Institutions need a better understanding of how institutional practices impact the job performance of contingent faculty. The purpose of this study is to examine what institutional practices predict organizational commitment among contingent faculty, compared to tenured/tenure-track faculty. While several studies conclude that contingent faculty are less committed than tenured/tenure-track faculty, there is little data to suggest how institutional practices may be impacting the organizational commitment of contingent faculty. Using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Ordinary Least Squared (OLS) regression, this study seeks to understand how part-time contingent faculty and full-time contingent faculty each compare to tenured/tenure-track faculty in their level of organizational commitment at four-year institutions. Additionally, what institutional practices, particularly relating to recognition, support, compensation, and shared governance, predict organizational commitment among full- and part-time contingent faculty? While the findings are somewhat mixed, there is evidence to support the hypothesis of the study that institutional practices relating to recognition, support, and compensation build the organizational commitment of contingent faculty. Ã¢â‚¬Æ’
Graduate Education Experience and Career Paths of Women Faculty in Higher Education Administration
(2006-10-02) Haley, Karen Jean; John Levin, Committee Chair; Audrey J. Jaeger, Committee Member; Colleen Aalsburg Wiessner, Committee Member; Cynthia Wolf Johnson, Committee Member
Although there has been a concerted effort on the part of colleges and universities to increase women's representation as faculty in higher education, equal representation in all disciplines has not been realized. The purpose of this research is to increase our understanding of the graduate student experience of current women faculty, specifically, their experience as it relates to becoming a faculty member. The investigation of an exemplary case, Higher Education Administration, lends support to the graduate student literature that emphasizes faculty-student interaction as a primary factor in persistence and retention. This interaction is particularly important for Higher Education Administration students as many are enrolled in programs that do not have institutionalized support for future faculty. While most participants in this investigation did not follow the traditional academic career path that began as an undergraduate, they did display commonalities within the group. What characterized all of the participants was the ability to create their own path to the professoriate. Given the academy's inequitable proportion of women in tenure-track ranks, especially noted in a number of program areas such as science and engineering, the example of Higher Education programs may have salience for institutions that purport to make the academy more equitable.
Muslim Undergraduate Women: A Phenomenological Inquiry into the Lived- Experience of Identity Development.
(2010-04-28) Cerbo, Toni; Alyssa N. Bryant, Committee Member; Audrey J. Jaeger, Committee Member; Lance D. Fusarelli, Committee Member; Joy Gaston Gayles, Committee Chair
Through the analysis of qualitative data, this exploratory phenomenological study investigated the lived college experiences of late adolescent Muslim women to gain an understanding of how they negotiate cross-cultural interactions and develop, understand, assert, and maintain personal and social identities. The research draws on data gathered from two semi-structured interviews with seven female Muslim undergraduates attending a public institution in the Southeastern United States. The interviews were supplemented by two identity maps (self-pictorial representations) and document analysis related to the campus community, social climate of the United States, and Muslim culture. Using symbolic interactionism and the multiple dimensions of identity model as a conceptual framework, this study provides rich descriptions of their identity negotiation, interpersonal interactions, and sense of belonging within a changing psychological, social and historical context. A first step towards understanding this student population, the findings confirm and add new dimensions to existing research on identity development by detailing how female Muslim students construct identity within different oppressed social statuses. Based on student perceptions, the findings of this phenomenological study suggest (1) exploration and commitment to personal beliefs, values, and goals are important elements of identity development, (2) one identity is inefficient for describing female Muslims as multiple aspects of their identity cannot be understood in isolation, and (3) students use a religious interpretative lens to make meaning of self, their interactions with others, and group membership. Results show more similarities among the participants than differences when it came to their reflections on the nature of social interactions and the multiple aspects of their identity, specifically ethnicity, gender and religion. From the studentsâ€™ perspectives, the findings affirm the identity development and symbolic interactionism literature while partially contradicting the multiple dimensions of identity model. Based on the findings, the author recommends that higher education professionals pay attention to the complex and shifting identity negotiations of this population and consider holistic student development to intentionally foster awareness and sensitivity to others; safe, inclusive campus environments; and preparedness for engagement with a pluralistic society.
Student, Staff Advisor, and Faculty Advisor Perceptions of Academic Advising
(2006-04-07) Wyatt, Jennifer Lynne; Don C. Locke, Committee Chair; Marc A. Grimmett, Committee Member; Audrey J. Jaeger, Committee Member; Deborah C. Luckadoo, Committee Member
Two historical aims of undergraduate education have been to involve students in the content of learning and to involve students with faculty (Gordon, Habley, & Associates, 2000). Involving students in the content of the learning happens almost automatically during class time, lab meetings, academic clubs, and extracurricular arts events. Actually involving students with faculty has been somewhat more difficult. One method used to engage students with faculty is academic advising. Academic advising in some form has been a part of higher education in the United States almost since its beginning (Gordon, 1992), but it wasn't until 1979 that the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) was established. In 1980 the association worked in conjunction with the Council for the Advancement of Standards to set goals for academic advising; however, little research has been done regarding their efficacy. A series of national studies on academic advising, done in 1979, 1983, 1987, 1992, 1998, and in 2003, has been conducted by the American College Testing (ACT) program in collaboration with NACADA. The last five of the national surveys have included a section for the assessment of the goals for advising. One survey was completed for each institution. These surveys have provided substantial data from many institutions, however, with just one person reporting from each institution, responses may not have been reliable in describing the totality of academic advising at each institution. The majority of respondents were not strictly involved in academic advising but were from academic departments, counseling departments, student affairs, enrollment management, admissions, or some other unit on campus. This raises a question regarding respondents' complete knowledge of and participation in the entire advising processes⁄systems at the institutions and, therefore, the accuracy of the reporting of how well the goals are being met. A more accurate picture of how well the goals are being met may come from those on campus who are actually involved in the process of advising. This would include staff advisors and faculty advisors who meet with students in an advising relationship and the students themselves. This study investigated the self-reported perceptions of how well staff advisors, faculty advisors, and students believed the NACADA goals for academic advising were being met on a public comprehensive university campus. In addition, the study looked at the relationship between student, staff academic advisor, and faculty advisor perceptions of meeting the NACADA goals for academic advising. The results of the survey suggest that while all student means fell above the 3.0 level (on a 1-5 Likert scale instrument), students rated their advisors as being closer to the Adequate rating than the Well rating when reporting how well their advisors were able to meet each goal. Staff and faculty advisors rated themselves higher than students rated them on all scales. Further qualitative research into what occurs during advising would provide a richer view of how the goals were being addressed during advising sessions.
You Must Change Your Life: A Narrative and Theological Inquiry into the Experiences of Transformative Learning in Clinical Pastoral Education Students
(2010-04-12) Jones, Logan C.; J. Conrad Glass, Committee Member; Audrey J. Jaeger, Committee Member; Carol E. Kasworm, Committee Chair; Hiller A. Spires, Committee Member
The purpose of this qualitative research study is to explore and describe the experiences of transformative learning in seminary students and clergy who have participated in a Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) residency program while providing pastoral care to patients in an acute care hospital setting. This research focuses on the affective dimension of transformative learning because the emotional intensity of the CPE learning process, coupled with the emotional intensity of the hospital setting, invites and challenges students to struggle with the meaning of the pastoral encounters they have with persons in crisis. Current theory and research in both transformative learning and in CPE lack the empirical understandings of the affective dimension of the transformative learning process. By attending to the role of emotions found in the participantsâ€™ experiences in CPE, this research advances the understanding of the importance of the affective dimension of learning within transformative learning theory. In addition, since CPE is fundamentally theological education, this research also places the transformative learning process within the context and theological framework of the psalms of lament in order to identify the inherent theological nature of the learning process in CPE. Such placement further advances the understanding of the discipline of CPE. A method of discourse analysis was employed to shape a poem from the participant interview narratives. Poetry communicates through an economy of words the power and emotional content of an experience in ways prose cannot. The poems thus allow for the affective elements of an experience to be more fully expressed. The findings of the research suggest that participants in a CPE residency do tell and reflect on pastoral experiences that lead to and foster transformative learning and that these experiences are filled with emotion. Furthermore, the findings center on three key dynamics of the affective dimension of transformative learning: grief, soul, and authenticity. The findings suggest that the affective dimension of transformative learning is complex and complicated. The psalms of lament through a scheme of orientation â€“ disorientation â€“ new orientation parallel the affective dimension of transformative learning. There are four conclusions suggested by this study. One, there is evidence that the affective dimension of transformative learning does encompass the key dynamics of grief, soul, and authenticity as noted in the literature. There is also evidence to suggest there are other affective dynamics in the transformative learning process which need to be acknowledged. Two, there is evidence to support the inclusion of an eighth perspective of transformative learning. This new perspective is identified as the psycho-affective perspective. Three, the affective dimension of transformative learning is well integrated into the ten elements and processes of transformation as noted in the literature. The recognition of this integration allows for a more comprehensive understanding of the theory. Four, the psalms of lament provide a theological lens along with a meaningful description through which to understand the transformative learning process in CPE students. Overall, the inclusion of the affective dimension of transformative learning compels the theory of transformative learning to become more robust and more comprehensive. The evidence of this study suggests that the affective dimension of transformative learning is critical in the overall transformative learning process. More research into the many facets and perspectives of transformative learning theory will further the development and advancement of the theory. Likewise, more research into CPE will further extend the understanding of the CPE process.