African American Faculty and Administrator Success in the Academy: Career Mentoring and Job Satisfaction at Predominantly White Institutions
Author | : Clyde Beverly (III.) |
Publisher | : |
Total Pages | : 145 |
Release | : 2011 |
ISBN-10 | : 1124653848 |
ISBN-13 | : 9781124653846 |
Rating | : 4/5 (48 Downloads) |
Book excerpt: The factors that influence success for African American faculty and administrators at Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) have been scarcely researched. The research which has been conducted has consisted primarily of structured interviews and other qualitative research methodologies (Alfred, 2001; Fenelon, 2003; Paitiu et. al, 2000; Stanley, 2006; Turner, 2003). Four major themes have emerged from the literature regarding the professional experiences of African American faculty and administrators at PWIs: (1) Career Mentoring, (2) Campus Climate, (3) Views of Diversity, and (4) Progress Barriers. This investigation explored these four themes more in depth and identified other critical aspects of African American scholars' professional lives. Furthermore, this research investigated the relationships between how African American faculty and administrators feel about their career mentoring, relate to the climate at their institution, and their reports of overall job satisfaction. This research was conducted in two studies and utilized a sequential exploratory mixed methods strategy (Creswell, 2009; Morgan, 1998; Morse, 1991) in which the data obtained in Study 1 was used to support and/or confirm the appropriateness of the variables and the measures identified for use in Study 2. Study 1 was qualitative in nature and addressed the objective of further exploring the four major themes identified in the literature. Results of semi-structured qualitative interviews indicated that the four major themes were indeed salient to the experiences of African American scholars at PWIs as well as identified other critical areas of importance for African American faculty and administrators at these institutions. Results of quantitative statistical analyses conducted in Study 2 indicated that there was a significant positive relationship between how individuals experience their campus climate and their overall job satisfaction. Analysis of data also indicated that there were no significant differences between how African American faculty and African American administrators experience life at PWIs respectively. Results of this investigation suggest that the overall job satisfaction of African American professionals at PWIs may lie in how they experience the climate at their respective institutions. Furthermore, results suggest that networking and career mentoring may play an integral role in the overall career success of African American scholars at PWIs.