The Evolution of Research on Contingent Faculty Working Conditions and the Relationship to Student Learning

• In Event: The Unionization of Adjunct Faculty in the United States, 1918–2017

Abstract

As the numbers of contingent faculty have risen on campuses, few institutions have examined policies and practices related to this population. As a result, policies and practices to ameliorate the working conditions of adjunct faculty remain nonexistent in many institutions. This paper draws from a substantial body of research conducted over the past 30 years to reveal an increasing focus in the academic literature on the deteriorating working conditions of adjunct faculty and the negative impact of those conditions on student learning. Recent research shows that routine last minute hiring leaves adjuncts with limited or no preparation time. They have little job security and no space to meet with students. Most contingent faculty receive little or no orientation, mentoring, or feedback, are excluded from governance, and rarely receive information about institutional and departmental learning goals.
Over time, researchers have examined how adjunct faculty's poor working conditions have resulted in negative outcomes for students—including lower retention and graduation rates and less ability to transfer between 2-year and 4-year institutions. Students in institutions with high proportions of adjunct faculty have less access to faculty, have trouble obtaining recommendations, and are often unable to receive timely advice about majors and careers. Some studies have documented the lack of student-centered and high quality teaching among contingents compared to full-time and tenured faculty. The poor working conditions and lack of basic support for faculty is reshaping the learning environments for students in ways that negatively affect the quality of learning and the overall mission of the enterprise of higher education.

Authors

• Adrianna Kezar, University of Southern California

• Thomas J DePaola, University of Southern California