Abstract
<p><em>Although part-time faculty positions in higher education continue to increase, reports reveal the lack of acceptance and valuing of part-time faculty across higher education institutions. Yet few qualitative studies explore this phenomenon within academic culture. This exploratory qualitative case study analyzed part-time faculty members’ perceptions of inclusion or exclusion within their higher education institutions. This study was based on interviews with a diverse sample of part-time faculty members from a private and public institute of higher education. The findings revealed that, in general, part-time faculty perceived a sense of belonging when their socio-emotional needs were met, and reciprocal relationships were present within their academic culture. Additionally, part-time faculty who desired and dedicated energy towards involvement in their academic cultures had a higher chance of developing a sense of inclusion.</em></p>
Highlights
Part-time faculty positions in higher education continue to increase, reports reveal the lack of acceptance and valuing of part-time faculty across higher education institutions
The findings revealed that the part-time faculty interviewed perceived a sense of belonging when their socio-emotional needs were met and reciprocal relationships were present within their academic culture
Data analysis revealed that similarities existed in how they defined belonging, what they perceived contributed to their membership, and their understanding of support in their academic cultures based on personal factors such as external employment, professional and academic qualifications, and life phase, that contributed to their sense of belonging
Summary
Part-time (adjunct, contingent) faculty positions in higher education continue to increase, reports reveal the lack of acceptance and valuing of part-time faculty across higher education institutions. Institutions of higher education often fall short in supporting part-time faculty (Hoyt, 2012) Given their working conditions and lack of recognition, part-time faculty have increasingly turned to reporting their experiences on social media, produce studies in academic journals, and unionize across campuses to have their voices heard (Fredrickson, 2015). A majority of part-time faculty do not desire to become full-time faculty because they usually have full-time careers outside of education (Wallin, 2004) Given this discrepancy and lack of qualitative studies on part-time faculty members’ experiences, a greater understanding of who part-time faculty are and their beliefs about their position in higher education is needed especially as more colleges and universities have the majority of their faculty being part-time. This study focused on the experiences of part-time faculty in order to learn what contributed to their sense of belonging at their institutions
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