Non-Tenure Track Faculty, Boundary Work and Professional Identity

• In Event: 161 - Section on Organizations, Occupation and Work Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 14. Job Insecurity and Temporary Employment I

Abstract

Universities across Canada and the United States are increasingly hiring non-tenure track faculty (NTTF). Scholars have examined the ramifications of NTTF for undergraduate education (Figlio, Schapiro, and Soter 2013; Knight and Baume 2007; Robinson 2013). They have also critiqued the ways in which universities use NTTF to create a segmented academic labour force (Bauder 2006; Tirelli 1997) and have begun to examine what policies and practices can ameliorate the situation for NTTF (Kezar and Sam 2013; Kezar 2013). In this paper, I address three key issues that impact on the professional identity and teaching practices of NTTF. First, how does job security impact commitment and professional development among NTTF? Second, to what extent do NTTF feel marginalized or recognized, and how do processes of boundary-drawing in the university contribute to their experiences? Third, given that NTTF comprise a growing number of academics, to what extent does previous research on professional identity need to be reexamined (Gappa and Leslie 1993; Levin and Shaker 2011; Rajagopal 2002)? In order to address these questions, I argue that comparative research can shed light on these three issues. Analyzing data gathered from twelve interviews with NTTF in Canada and a pilot study of NTTF in the United States, I explore how institutional, disciplinary, and department level factors must be taken into account when researching NTTF.

Author

• Louise Birdsell Bauer, University of Toronto