| Adjunct faculty members will continue to meet the majority of instructional needs in U.S. community colleges; however, adjunct faculty lack of inclusion in their communities of practice is a reality of growing concern. To determine how to help adjunct faculties better conceptualize and connect to their communities of practice, this qualitative single case study led to an answer to a research question about how collegiality, derived from participation in communities of practice, support the course development and teaching practices of adjunct faculty members in a technical college. Qualitative in-depth interviews with nine adjunct faculty and three program chairs from one community college in the Midwest, with related document review led to content analysis, resulting in five major themes pertaining to (a) variations among departmental communities of practice with some college-wide support, (b) self-initiated collegiality through voluntary networking, (c) pre-determined curriculum and minimal course development, (d) teaching practice support when needed, and (e) the need to improve communities of practice. The discussion of findings occurs in light of the theory of legitimate peripheral participation. The results of this study added knowledge about adjunct faculty membership in their communities of practice, and led to recommendations for leadership and suggestions for future research to further understanding of meanings and relationships surrounding adjunct faculty participation and inclusion in their communities of practice. |
