A Profile of the Community College Professoriate

A Profile of the Community College Professoriate

EDINFO No. 2003-03
April 2003
ERIC Clearinghouse for Community Colleges

This 2000 study, conducted from the Center for the Study of Community Colleges, examined the nature and formation of a professional identity for the community college professoriate. A random sampling process and a survey response rate of 76.8 percent yielded 1,500 faculty members at 114 community colleges across the nation. The survey consisted of 200 questions, each assigned to one of four analytical categories or constructs in order to allow for a more in-depth interpretation of results. Highlighted here are key findings as they apply to the four constructs (curriculum and instruction, professional development, institutional involvement, and university orientation and affiliation), along with overall conclusions about the community college professoriate.

Key Findings:

Faculty seeking doctoral degrees consistently rated themselves higher in each of the four constructs: curriculum and instruction, professional involvement, instructional orientation, and university orientation and affiliation.

Full-time faculty members scored much higher than part-time faculty on measures of curriculum and instruction, professional involvement and instructional orientation.

Part-time faculty members not seeking doctoral degrees rated themselves lower in measures of curriculum and instruction, professional involvement, and instructional orientation.

Faculty holding doctoral degrees scored higher on measures of professional involvement than faculty who did not.

Faculty who demonstrate the strongest commitments to teaching, to their institutions, and to their professions (full-time faculty and those seeking doctoral degrees) also maintain the closest ties to four-year colleges and universities. Thus, it is likely that community college instruction has not yet developed as a professional practice in and of itself.

Due to the many significant differences in professional attitudes and practices among faculty members, the community college professoriate has not yet established its identity as a distinct group.

This information was reported in ED454930, "A Profile of the Community College Professoriate: A Report Submitted to the Small Research Grants Program of the Spencer Foundation" by Arthur Cohen and Charles Outcalt. A full-text copy of this document may be obtained by contacting ERIC Document Reproduction Services (EDRS), 7420 Fullerton Road, Suite 110, Springfield, VA 22153-2852; or by calling (800) 443-ERIC. This project has been funded at least in part with Federal funds from the U.S. Department of Education under contract number ED-99-CO-0010. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Education nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. ERIC EdInfos are in the public domain and may be freely reproduced.

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