Instruction Quality or Working Condition? The Effects of Part-Time Faculty on Student Academic Outcomes in Community College Introductory Courses

Abstract

More than half of community college courses are taught by part-time faculty. Drawing on data from six community colleges, this study estimates the effects of part-time faculty versus full-time faculty on students’ current and subsequent course outcomes in developmental and gateway courses, using course fixed effects and propensity score matching to minimize bias arising from student self-sorting across and within courses. We find that part-time faculty have negative effects on student subsequent enrollments. These negative effects are driven by results in math courses. We also find that course schedules could explain substantial proportions of the estimated negative effects, while faculty individual characteristics could not. Survey results on faculty professional experiences suggest that part-time faculty had less institutional knowledge regarding both academic and nonacademic services. We infer that inferior working conditions for part-time faculty, rather than inferior instructional practices, contribute to the negative effects we observed on students’ subsequent course enrollment.

A role for disciplinary societies in supporting community college adjunct faculty

“…Several studies show that when compared to students taught by full‐time faculty, students taught by adjunct faculty have similar or better course outcomes (Xu, 2019). On the one hand, in the six colleges that were the focus of this project, students with part‐time instructors had slightly higher course grades in developmental and gateway math and English courses, and similar pass rates in the next course in the sequence, compared with students with similar individual characteristics taught by full‐time faculty in the same courses (Ran & Sanders, 2020). On the other hand, studies also show that students who were taught by adjunct faculty tend to have lower enrollment persistence and weaker longer‐term outcomes (Eagan & Jaeger, 2009; Ran & Xu, 2019; Yu et al., 2015).…”

“…This finding aligns with the outcomes at the six colleges in this study. We found that students taught by part‐time faculty in developmental or gateway math and English courses were 3 to 5 percentage points less likely to enroll in a subsequent course in the sequence (Ran & Sanders, 2020).…”

“…Our analysis identifies two specific factors that may contribute to these unfavorable longer‐term student outcomes: a lack of institutional knowledge by adjunct faculty and course meeting times. First, as compared to their full‐time counterparts, part‐time faculty survey respondents consistently reported less knowledge about student support services, such as advising, library resources, counseling, academic supports (i.e., tutoring), and financial aid (Ran & Sanders, 2020). A national faculty survey conducted by the Center for Community College Student Engagement (2014) showed that part‐time faculty were less likely to refer students to academic advising and planning services by 11 percentage points, to computer labs by 8 percentage points, and to financial aid advising services by 21 percentage points.…”

“…A national faculty survey conducted by the Center for Community College Student Engagement (2014) showed that part‐time faculty were less likely to refer students to academic advising and planning services by 11 percentage points, to computer labs by 8 percentage points, and to financial aid advising services by 21 percentage points. Second, Ran and Sanders (2020) found that more than one‐third of course sections taught by part‐time faculty are night sections that begin after 5 p.m., while only 11% of sections taught by full‐time faculty occurred at night. In this analysis, differences in course meeting times accounted for a large proportion of the negative effects of part‐time faculty on student outcomes.…”

The Disciplinary Differences in the Characteristics and Effects of Non-Tenure-Track Faculty

“…In addition, some of the working condition characteristics may directly affect faculty's capacity to engage students and, consequently, to positively impact student academic outcomes. A large volume of qualitative studies have identified a lack of institutional support and engagement for non-tenure-track faculty, where they often are not invited to departmental meetings, are excluded from curricular decision-making and planning, receive limited professional training opportunities and mentoring, and receive insufficient information on available student academic and nonacademic support services (e.g., Hoyt, 2012;Kezar, 2013;Kezar & Sam, 2013;Ran & Sanders, 2020;Schuster & Finkelstein, 2007). The working conditions are found to be particularly challenging for adjunct instructors hired in temporary part-time positions due to lack of office space, inadequate orientation, and insufficient time to prepare for the course (e.g., Eagan et al, 2015;Ran & Sanders, 2020).…”