ISSN: 2226-6348
Open access
Much of the past and recent scholarly literature on faculty performance, productivity, and effectiveness for tenure and promotion has focused largely on the quality and quantity of research of over a specific timeframe and based on rigorous guidelines. Pre-tenured faculty in research-oriented institutions are expected or required to carry demanding teaching loads, serve on numerous committees, and continue to remain on the cutting edge of research. As a result, isolation, anxiety, and stress often rule the lives of pre-tenured faculty who strive to secure tenure at their respective institutions. This exploratory study uses anecdotal evidence to examine the challenges pre-tenure faculty face in the 21st century in the area of teaching, research and service. The term pre-tenure faculty in this paper refers to faculty who have been teaching for less than five years and who are not tenured. Results of the study show that, in the area of teaching, full workload and the disproportionate demand on faculty members’ time and responsibilities are major issues. In the area of research, the major problem is the inability of pre-tenure faculty to balance research with their teaching load due to the absence of established mentoring programs in the programs examined. Anecdotal evidence suggests that emphasis should be placed on dealing with challenges pertaining to teaching. Pre-tenure faculty also contend that the issues confronting them can be addressed through effective mentoring, relationship with tenured and senior professors, and the establishment of separate promotion tracks for teaching and intellectual contribution to name but a few in higher education. The then study recommends that academic institutions design and implement formal mentoring programs for pre-tenured faculty, establish dual progression paths for pre-tenured faculty, and cultivate a supportive environment that promotes faculty self-discipline for research productivity.
Agrawal, A. W., Dill, J., & Nixon, H. (2010). Green transportation taxes and fees:A survey of public preferences in California. Transportation Research Part D, 15, 189-196.
Aquirre, A. (2000) Women and minority faculty in the academic workplace: Recruitment, retention, and academic culture. ERIC Digest, Washington, D.C: ERIC Clearinghouse on Higher Education.
Austin, A. E. (2003) “Creating a bridge to the future: Preparing new faculty to face changing expectations in a shifting context,” Review of Higher Education, 26, pp. 119-144.
Boice, R. (1992) The new faculty member: supporting and fostering professional development. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Dixon, S. V., Graber, J. A., and Brooks-Gunn, J. (2008). “The Roles of Respect for Parental Authority and Parenting Practices in Parent-Child Conflict Among frican-American, Latino, and European American Families”, Journal of Family Psychology, 22(1), pp. 1-10.
Eddy, P. L., and Gaston-Gayles, J. L (2008) “New faculty on the block: Issues of stress and support,” Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 17(1/2), pp. 89-106.
Menges, R. (Ed.) Faculty in new jobs: A guide to settling in, becoming established, and building institutional support. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. 1999.
Rice, R. E., Sorcinelli, M. D., and Austin, A. E. (2000). Heeding new voices: Academic careers for a new generation. New Pathways Inquiry #7. Washington, DC: American Association for Higher Education.
Schrodt, P., Cawyer, C. S., and Sanders, R. (2003). An examination of academic mentoring behaviors and new faculty members’ satisfaction with socialization and tenure and promotion processes. Communication Education 52: 17-29
Schuster, J., and Finkelstein, M. (2006). The American Faculty. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press
Sorcinelli, M. D. (2000). Principles of good practice: Supporting early-career faculty. Guidance for deans, department chairs, and other academic leaders. Washington, DC: AAHE.
Sorcinelli, M. D. (2002) “New conceptions of scholarship for a new generation of faculty members.” New Directions for Teaching and Learning,” 90, pp. 41-48.
Svinicki, M., McKeachie, W. J. (2006). McKeachie’s Teaching Tips: Strategies, Research, and Theory for College and University Teachers, Wadsworth Glade Learning, Belmont, CA.
Trotman, C. A., and Brown, B. E. (2005). Faculty recruitment and retention: Concerns of early and mid-career faculty. Research dialogue: TIAA-CREF Institute 86: 1-5
Tover, C. (2005). How do junior faculty feel about your campus as a work place? Harvard Institutes for Higher Education: Alumni Bulletin: Cambridge, MA: Harvard University
Turner, W. G. V., and Myers, S. L. (2000). Faculty of color in academic: Bittersweet success. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Verrier, D. A. (1993) “Perceptions of life on the tenure track,” The NEA Higher Education Journal, pp. 95-124.
Whitt, E. J. (1991) “Hit the ground running: Experiences of new faculty in a school of education,” Review of Higher Education, 14, pp. 177-197.
In-Text Citation: (Bonaparte et al., 2015)
To Cite this Article: Bonaparte, I., Abbey, A., & Okoro, E. (2015). Challenges Facing beginning Faculty in the 21st Century Higher Education: Evaluating Research Productivity, Teaching Effectiveness, and Service. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 4(1), 147–164.
Copyright: © 2015 The Author(s)
Published by Human Resource Management Academic Research Society (www.hrmars.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode