Supporting Students by Supporting Faculty: Exploring the Relationship Between Faculty Job Satisfaction and Student Graduation Rates at Community Colleges.
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Authors
Coladarci, Richard
Date
2022-05
Type
Dissertation
Language
en
Keywords
faculty job satisfaction; community colleges; student graduation rates; leadership and administration; diversity, equity, and inclusion
Alternative Title
Abstract
Description
AN ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION OF
Richard A. Coladarci for the degree of Doctor of Education in Higher Education
Presented on March 25, 2022
Title: Supporting Students by Supporting Faculty: Exploring the Relationship Between
Faculty Job Satisfaction and Student Graduation Rates at Community Colleges
Abstract approved:
Marcel Lebrun ______________________________________________________
Marcel Lebrun, Ph.D., Dissertation Committee Chair
Community college students graduate at low rates nationwide which prevents many non completers from benefiting from the economic and employment advantages of a degree
or certificate. Despite myriad strategies to address this problem, little is known about the
impact of faculty job satisfaction on student completion. The purpose of this study was to
determine if the two concepts are related. Through an analysis of quantitative and
qualitative secondary data from the ModernThink Higher Education Insight Survey© and
the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, this study examined the
relationship between institutional faculty job satisfaction and first-time, full-time
graduation rates at 130 public, two-year colleges. While no evidence of a relationship
was found between the two variables across all institutions, there was a statistically
significant positive correlation among non-city colleges with greater than 1,000 students.
This suggests that faculty job satisfaction may be linked to student graduation rates in
certain environments. Through a qualitative analysis, noticeable differences were found
related to two faculty job satisfaction dimensions when comparing institutions with
higher and lower student graduation rates: faculty perception of leadership and
administration and faculty perception of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The findings of
this study provide initial empirical evidence that aspects of faculty job satisfaction may
be associated with student graduation rates at community colleges. The implication for
educational leaders is that improving faculty job satisfaction may present as a strategy to
improve student success.