Date Approved
3-7-2025
Embargo Period
3-17-2027
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
Department
Educational Leadership
College
College of Education
Advisor
Ane Turner Johnson, PhD
Committee Member 1
Cecile H. Sam, PhD
Committee Member 2
Shari Lorraine Willis, Phd
Keywords
Adjunct Faculty;Burnout;Carnegie Classification;Contingent Faculty;Heuristic Inquiry;Women
Disciplines
Education | Higher Education
Abstract
Women contingent faculty play an integral role in the success of higher education. Yet many find themselves working in environments that fail to recognize and value their potential as both educators and scholars. As institutions of higher education evolve and pursue prestige, women contingent faculty will be forced to contend with environments that remain inherently gendered, unsupportive, and conducive to burnout. The purpose of this qualitative heuristic inquiry was to understand the lived experiences of women contingent faculty who experienced burnout while employed for a transitioning Carnegie Classified level 2 research (R2) institution of higher education. Further, this research sought to understand and give a voice to the lived experiences of a community that is often silenced, unvalued, restricted, and yet called up to be the backbone of higher education. Three themes were identified that highlighted the expressed experiences of participants which were clash of cultures, illusory trophy, and beleaguered belonging. These themes portray how women contingent faculty perceived the organizational culture as one marked by indifference, a lack of meaningful rewards, and a profound sense of disconnection and exclusion.
Recommended Citation
Romero, Kathleen Marie, "BURNING OUT AT THE MARGINS OF A TRANSITION: A HEURISTIC INQUIRY OF WOMEN ADJUNCT FACULTY AT A CARNIGIE CLASSIFIED LEVEL TWO RESEARCH (R2) UNIVERSITY" (2025). Theses and Dissertations. 3335.
https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/3335
