An Examination of Factors Affecting Organizational Commitment of Developmental Math Faculty at Florida Community Colleges

Abstract

Community colleges play an important role in the accessibility of higher education to the American population and developmental coursework is of vital importance to college degree attainment. The large demand for student remediation in math requires optimal commitment of developmental math faculty members. Increased organizational commitment has been shown to reduce costly turnover as well as improve performance and productivity. Affective commitment addresses emotional attachment, continuance commitment entails a cost associated with leaving the organization, while obligation drives normative commitment. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between characteristics of developmental math faculty at Floridas community colleges and their organizational commitment perceptions. Variables examined included age, highest degree earned, years of teaching experience, employment status, and outside gainful employment. This study employed both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Developmental math faculty members completed a survey that contained demographic items and measured their affective, continuance and normative commitment. Quantitative data were analyzed through the use of descriptive and inferential statistics. Qualitative data obtained through interviews with developmental math faculty supported the quantitative findings. Results showed that affective commitment increased with years of teaching experience and full time faculty status. Affective commitment decreased when faculty members maintained outside employment. Qualitative trends showed participants had a strong motivation to teach based on their affective commitment. An inverse relationship was found between normative commitment and highest degree earned, while qualitative trends revealed high normative commitment among faculty participants as an obligation to help students. Continuance commitment increased with years of teaching experience. High continuance and low normative commitment yielded the same results from both employment status groups, but for different reasons. Qualitative trends indicated that adjuncts demonstrate a high need to obtain full time status and make more money, often seeking both, while full time faculty showed a necessity to maintain their job security. The elucidation of factors associated with organizational commitment of developmental math faculty contributes to the field of developmental math by: 1) aiding in the bifurcation of faculty members into full and part time classifications, including promotions to full time positions, 2) highlighting optimal professional development areas among highly committed faculty to aid administration in facilitating all faculty members in the acquisition of these credentials and 3) facilitating administrators in the creation of an optimal work environment for achieving college objectives. Given the influence of developmental math faculty on a variety of college priorities, including degree attainment, a detailed profile of organizational commitment among developmental…