Hollow Words: Psychology Faculty Job Ads’ Stated Values Compared to the Information Provided

Abstract

Do faculty job advertisements in psychology support the goals of excellence in teaching, and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in both their statements and in the essential information that they provide? We examined 596 advertisements from the November 2021 psychology Jobs Wiki in a preregistered study. We found that universities posting academic psychology jobs often included a DEI Statement (78.0%) and commonly stated that they prioritize teaching (49.7%). However, universities rarely included pay information (5.4%) or the expected course load (28.7%). Using the TOST test of equivalence, we found that those who included a statement supporting DEI were not more likely to provide information about salary, other financial support, teaching load, or teaching support. Those who emphasized the importance of teaching were more likely to provide information about course load but not teaching resources. We suggest this information should be added to faculty job advertisements.