An Exploration of Factors Affecting Higher Education Faculty Job Satisfaction

• In Event: Roundtable Session 10
  In Roundtable Session: The Challenges of Fostering Organizational Transformation in Higher Education

Abstract

Using data from a random sample of 1472 professors from 48 randomly selected doctoral research universities in the United States collected over fall 2010 and Spring 2011, this descriptive study examined factors affecting public research university faculty job satisfaction. The 1472 professors completed an open-ended question regarding factors that affect faculty job satisfaction. Qualitative analysis of these faculty members’ responses involved constant comparative analysis in order to identify theme patterns. A total of 20 factors emerged as being frequently identified by most of the participants. Among these factors, three factors were identified as being most influential on job satisfaction: low pay, high pressure, and poor support.

Authors

• Guili Zhang, East Carolina University

• Miguel A. Padilla, Old Dominion University