Analysis of job satisfaction among North Carolina community college faculty teaching in traditional, distance education, and blended learning system

Advancements in information and communications technology have impacted higher education in various ways. Increased demand for distance learning courses, shrinking education budgets and lack of facilities and resources to meet college enrollment growth, and concerns with faculty retention and hiring have increased the need for college administrators to further understand categorical factors that lead to job satisfaction among community college faculty who facilitate the learning process of students in higher education. Faculty members are an institution's intellectual capital, where the work of the university or college, including teaching, research, and academic decision making, is carried out by committed faculty members. The purpose of this study was to measure the job satisfaction levels of fulltime community college faculty who taught traditional, distance, and blended or hybrid modes of instruction. Five factors of job satisfaction---coworkers, pay (compensation), promotion (advancement), supervision, and the work itself---were measured to determine if there were any differences in levels of job satisfaction of full-time faculty members who taught traditional, distance, and blended or hybrid courses. A total of 262 full-time faculty members employed at community colleges in North Carolina accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) participated in this research. Data were collected via the Internet using the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ), a validated tool used to measure specific aspects of an individual's job satisfaction. Quantitative analysis utilizing a nonexperimental study design was implemented to test the research questions utilizing the MSQ long form to analyze and compare different teaching modes of instruction. Independent and dependent relationships between variables were measured using analysis of covariance to analyze the MSQ survey responses to determine what kind of instructional mode faculty were more satisfied using. Results of this study revealed that full-time faculty members were more satisfied with the job satisfaction factors of the work itself, coworkers, and supervision, and less satisfied with promotion (advancement); full-time faculty members were not satisfied/dissatisfied with pay (compensation). Results also showed that age and education had a positive impact on full-time faculty members' job satisfaction levels.