Understanding the Relationship Between Department Chair and Electrical, Computer, and Software Engineering Faculty Well-Being: A Self-Determination Approach

• In Event: Self-Efficacy, Self-Determined Motivation, and Grit in Relation to Faculty Outcomes:

Abstract

Electrical, computer, and software engineering (ECSE) faculty represent essential personnel in the advancement of engineering education. Because faculty well-being has been shown to relate to faculty job performance and retention, it becomes essential for institutional leadership to understand the factors that contribute to ECSE faculty well-being. The current study examined the utility of self-determination theory (SDT) in conceptualizing the relationship between department chair support and three indices of faculty well-being, using SDT’s basic psychological needs (i.e., volitional autonomy, perceived competence, and relatedness) to mediate these relationships. Hayes’s PROCESS (2013) analysis for mediation revealed that perceived competence and relatedness served as full mediators in the examined relationships. Results emphasize the potential utility of SDT in maximizing ECSE faculty well-being.

Authors

• Kent Crick, Iowa State University

• Elise Frickey, Iowa State University

• Lisa Larson, Iowa State University

• Mack C. Shelley, II, Iowa State University