Education Commons^™

New Jersey Community Colleges: Is There A Relationship Between Part Time Faculty And Student Success?, Gerald Maxmilian Slusher

Theses and Dissertations

The increasing number of part time instructors in the community college professorate combined with low student retention and graduation rates makes research into part time faculty and student success highly germane. My dissertation investigated if higher ratios of adjunct faculty were related to student retention, certificate/degree attainment, and transfer without a credential while accounting for institutional, student body, and county characteristics. The dissertation was limited to New Jersey community colleges to eliminate differences in state policies. The sector was examined over 12 academic years yielding 228 data points arrayed into three panel models to run 12 regressions.

Using results from …

Using Transformative Learning Theory To Explore Adjunct Faculty's Experiences With Teaching Information Literacy: A Case Study Of Community Colleges In New Jersey, Aneliia I. Chatterjee

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how adjunct faculty experienced transformative learning as a result of their efforts to teach information literacy for their classes at community colleges in New Jersey. Information literacy was defined as the ability to identify information needs and the skills to discover, evaluate, and use information effectively (Townsend et. al., 2016). The study resulted in descriptions of how adjunct faculty transformed their teaching practices when necessary to adapt to new information environments. A qualitative descriptive case study methodology was chosen to examine the occurrence of this phenomenon (Yin, 2014). For the …

Understanding The Experiences Of Adjunct Nursing Faculty In The Curriculum Development Process: A Qualitative Case Study, Laurie Ann Colborn

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study examines the experiences of adjunct nursing faculty within the curriculum development process at universities granting a bachelor's degree in nursing within the Philadelphia five-county region, and the state of New Jersey. Seven adjunct nursing faculty members participated in this study providing detailed input of their experiences in this process. Five themes were uncovered during analysis including: assembling a critical foundation, value added, incidental collaboration, a seat at the table, and trial by fire. These themes helped to provide a deeper understanding of the opportunities, rewards, and challenges experienced by these adjunct nursing faculty members in the …

Called To Teach: A Mixed Methods Exploration Of Community College Adjunct Faculty’S Teaching Self-Efficacy, Christy L. Tyndall

Theses and Dissertations

Adjunct faculty teach over 50% of courses in U.S. higher education but little is known about them as educators. Strong evidence has been found in the K-12 literature demonstrating the link between teachers’ beliefs, instructional practices, and subsequent student outcomes. Teaching self-efficacy, beliefs in one’s capabilities to perform specific tasks in a particular context, is an important contributor to motivation and performance (Tschannen-Moran et al., 1998). This research advances teaching and learning literature in higher education and provides insight into an understudied population of educators by exploring adjunct faculty’s teaching self-efficacy and factors that influence those beliefs. In this mixed …