Date of Graduation

Spring 2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Education Policy, Planning, and Administration

Committee Chairperson

Orkideh Mohajeri, PhD

Committee Member

Margaret Ervin, PhD

Committee Member

Jason Wozniak, PhD

Abstract

The experiences of contingent or adjunct faculty affect their professional identity development. Contingent faculty use has increased since the 1970s. By 2013, two-thirds of U.S. higher education faculty were contingent (Finkelstein et al., 2016). While institutions use contingent faculty to fulfill their educational missions (Haviland et al., 2017; Kezar & Sam, 2011; Kimmel & Fairchild, 2017), their status as academic laborers stigmatizes them in academia, developing what Levin and Shaker (2011) term a “hybrid identity” (p. 1479), as both professionals and laborers, professors and temporary employees. Historically, the professional status of the professoriate has been defined on the tenure track (Baldwin & Chronister, 2001; Gappa & Leslie, 1993; Kezar & Sam, 2011; Schuster & Finkelstein, 2006; Shaker, 2008). This phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of 15 contingent faculty through 30 interviews, two per participant. The first interview discussed participants’ backgrounds and contingent experiences. The second interview explored what participants learned from their experiences and the meaning of being a professor and educator. The theoretical framework of social dirt (Raymond, 2024) was used to analyze these experiences. Findings indicated participants had negative and positive experiences, encapsulated under the concepts of social dirt and fertile soil. They experienced marginalization, instability, and isolation; however, some discovered flexibility, a love of teaching, and resilience. Future research should study contingent faculty in greater depth by contract, discipline, and institution type. This study revealed the need for institutions to develop policies and practices supporting promotion and growth to nurture contingent faculty as educators and scholars.

Final Version Confirmation

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