Contingent Faculty as Teachers

Abstract

Contingent faculty (full-time and part-time) who are not eligible for tenure or permanent employment provide a large portion of the instruction in U.S. higher education institutions, especially at the undergraduate level. However, in spite of the important functions contingent faculty perform, we know relatively little about their teaching practices or their impact on the educational environment of colleges and universities. This article uses data from the 2004 National Study of Postsecondary Faculty (NSOPF-04) to determine if contingent faculty (full-time and part-time) and “permanent” (tenured and tenure-eligible) faculty differ in their use of subject-centered and learning-centered teaching strategies. Holland’s academic environments model was also used to examine the subject-centered and learning-centered teaching practices of permanent and contingent faculty within broad academic areas. Findings indicate that the teaching practices of part-time contingent faculty differ in important ways from their other faculty colleagues. In contrast, the teaching practices of full-time contingent faculty more closely parallel those of their tenured and tenure-eligible colleagues. Based on these findings, implications for policy, practice, and additional research on this growing segment of the U.S. professoriate are included.