Browsing by Author "Saddler, Tonya N."

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    Faculty Perceptions of Climate and Job Satisfaction by Race/Ethnicity: Findings from 2005 AdvanceVT Work-Life Survey
    Saddler, Tonya N.; Creamer, Elizabeth G. (Virginia Tech, 2007-08)
    There has been increased attention given to the status of ethnic minority faculty members in American higher education over the past few decades. While minority faculty continue to increase their presence in the professoriate, they represent approximately 15% of full-time faculty members in American colleges and universities. Of this figure, 6.6% are Asian American, 3.2% are Hispanic, and 5.3% represent Black faculty members (Cook & Cordova, 2006; Chronicle of Higher Education, 2006).
    Because ethnic minorities are underrepresented in the academy, work life issues, including quality of life, impacting this population have become a national issue (Holcomb-McCoy & Addison-Bradley, 2005; Tack & Patitu, 1992). Perceptions about the work environment have been linked to overall satisfaction with work. For example, factors such as non-supportive colleagues, unwelcoming institutional and departmental climates, and departments lacking diversity contribute to an individual’s perception of the work place being collegial (Cooper, Ortiz, Benham, & Scher, 2002; Tack & Patitu, 1992). Such factors (among others) have been found to be directly related to predicting satisfaction with work environments for faculty members regardless of ethnicity (Saddler & Creamer, 2006).

    This report examines factors associated with the satisfaction of ethnic minority faculty members at Virginia Tech. Data from the 2005 AdvanceVT Work-Life Survey provide insight about ethnic minority faculty members’ perceptions about university and departmental climate at the institution. Most of these data were shared in presentations during spring 2007 to the Task Force on Race and the Institution and the Black Caucus. The report is intended to generate dialogue about items to add to the AdvanceVT Work-Life Survey when it is re-administered in fall 2008.
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    Socialization to Research: A Qualitative Exploration of the Role of Collaborative Research Experiences in Preparing Doctoral Students for Faculty Careers in Education and Engineering
    Saddler, Tonya N. (Virginia Tech, 2008-04-23)
    One challenge facing graduate education is the preparation of future faculty members across disciplines to assume faculty positions (Wulff & Austin, 2004). This qualitative study explored the socialization process of doctoral students in education and engineering fields committed to a career as a faculty member. Specifically, this study attempted to understand what knowledge, skills, and understandings (Weidman, Twale, & Stein, 2001; Van Maanen & Shein, 1979) are acquired during the research collaborations some doctoral students have with their faculty mentors and how this relationship prepared doctoral students for a future as a faculty member. Core elements of the Graduate and Professional Student Socialization model (acquisition of knowledge and skills, investment, and involvement) were used to explore doctoral student socialization (Weidman et al.). Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with forty doctoral students (20 education, 20 engineering) from four predominately White research institutions (PWRIs). Five themes emerged from the data regarding the role research collaboration played in socializing doctoral students in education and engineering to faculty careers. First, the research collaborative process with mentors aided doctoral students in learning how to communicate research to different audiences, the realities of research, how to conduct problem solving research, and the competitive nature of research. Second, participants identified learning about the complexity of a faculty role, particularly responsibilities that extend beyond teaching and research for faculty members. Third, doctoral students reported learning about the requirements of the tenure process. There were ways the collaborative experience positively or negatively contributed to an interest in a faculty role. Positive factors included enjoyment of research and the perceived autonomy and flexibility of research. Negative factors included the perceived low priority given to teaching and the demands placed on faculty members. Participants reported varying levels of commitment to the research collaborative relationship depending on whether they had competing interests. Exposure to the research collaborative process with a faculty mentor allowed doctoral students to conceptualize the entire research process from beginning to dissemination and to get an intimate idea of the realities of faculty life. Implications for practice, research, and theory are outlined.