From industry to the classroom: career and technical education faculty experiences in the Colorado Community College System

Abstract

This dissertation presents a constructivist grounded theory study that explored the workforce to teaching transition experiences of career and technical education (CTE) full-time faculty in the Colorado Community College System. The study examined how new CTE faculty in the system conceptualize the role of teacher, the hindering and supportive factors faculty experienced during their transition from industry to education, and the professional development experiences they had that impacted their transition. The research resulted in a theory titled becoming faculty that articulates actionable ways to support new CTE faculty in building supportive interpersonal networks, learning the culture of academia, and finding their voice as practitioners. The dissertation consists of five chapters. The first outlines the impact of CTE faculty on local economies and the training of future workforce members. Additionally, it describes the need for further scholarship on this population of higher education faculty, who come to teaching with a wealth of industry experience but potentially little to no educational expertise. The second chapter summarizes and synthesizes the current literature on CTE faculty development. The following themes from the literature are explored: (a) characteristics of those who transition to teaching from industry, (b) conceptualization of the teaching role, (c) socialization into the culture of higher education, (d) faculty professional development, and (e) teaching practices. The third chapter articulates the methodology, including the constructivist grounded theory design with a conceptual framework incorporating elements of constructionism and organizational sensemaking. The third chapter also provides details of the methods, including the recruiting approach, data collection and analysis processes, and participant profiles. Chapter four presents the findings organized by the research questions. The findings include an articulation of the following themes: experimentation with instructional strategies, personalization of inherited curriculum, faculty experiences as students, interpersonal connections, navigating bureaucracy, the culture of academia, faculty connections to workforce, and the importance of giving faculty time to develop and flexibility in professional development. Chapter five provides a discussion of the data interpretations, including a synthesis of the findings across all research questions. The conclusions presented include how CTE faculty transitioning to community college teaching from industry need: opportunities to build a network of supportive colleagues, respect for the expertise they bring from the workforce, clarity about the institutional systems and culture they are entering, and differentiated supports. The chapter also details implications and recommendations for practice, including a full articulation of the becoming faculty grounded theory that was constructed from this research. The becoming faculty theory identifies three key ways for new CTE faculty in the Colorado system to thrive in their transition to higher education, including (a) the space to build their village through connections with colleagues, (b) opportunities to learn the college, specifically in relation to culture and bureaucracy, and (c) supports to find their voice in the classroom as confident educators.