| This dissertation describes the relationship between teaching orientation and faculty perspectives toward other dimensions of their work, and how these relationships are shared among faculty internationally. Several studies of the academic profession have observed how faculty who prefer to teach emphasize their disciplinary affiliations, while those who prefer to engage in research lean more toward their institutional loyalties (cf. Gouldner, 1957; Hughes, 1979). However, where these studies have reflected observations of specific departments or a whole institution, this dissertation offers the first international look at this issue.; The study consists of several analyses of survey data collected from faculty in 14 countries by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The chapters illustrate associations within the survey data within the context of specific themes, seeking to determine meaningful predictions of teaching preference, as well as the relationship of this preference with how faculty responded to survey items concerning increasingly broader topics--the classroom, the institution, the academic discipline, the academic profession, the role of higher education in society, and the international dimensions of higher education.; This study found that there are significant international similarities in how teaching-oriented faculty responded to the Carnegie survey differently than research-oriented faculty, particularly regarding their views toward the assessment of teaching and toward the international dimensions of higher education. The implications of these findings include the need to improve our training programs for the profession in ways that enhance faculty preference for teaching, and the need for new ways to engage teaching-oriented faculty so that they feel more strongly that they are a part of a vibrant international academic profession. Overall, this study is significant in showing that teaching orientation plays an important role in the lives and perspectives of faculty worldwide, and is thus useful for informing our understanding of the choices and decisions faculty make in their daily and professional lives. This understanding can help us develop more useful approaches to the improvement and assessment of university teaching. |
