From road scholars to road warriors: A study of leadership profiles of part-time faculty union activists.

摘要

This study explores how California Community College part-time faculty union activists develop leadership traits using Freire's three-stage theory of social consciousness (conforming, reforming and transforming) within the venue of union networks. The study examined the personal conversion stories of twenty part-time faculty union activists' voices and personal and/or professional factors that motivated them to become involved in union movements are examined.; The research question of the study asked: What are the personal and/or professional motivational factors that drive part-time faculty members to become union leaders and activists? Three specific sub-questions guided the research. (1) What types of agendas do part-time faculty activists share? (2) What are the occupational tensions part-time faculty face as they become union leaders? and (3) Do part-time faculty union activists become transformational leaders as a result of joining social union networks?; The study used a mixed of research methods that involved critical ethnography, focus groups, structured interviews, union documents, anecdotal field notes and case study approaches.; Results of this study indicate that common agendas usually centered upon pay equity, combined with a feeling of exclusion from full time faculty and administration. Occupational tensions did not correlate with the subjects' involvement, as their loyalty and intensity in union efforts appeared to increase as they became committed to the cause. Using Freire's three-stage social consciousness theory, the study suggests that the success of one's transformational leadership process often depends upon one's occupational role. For the majority of subjects (nineteen) a paradigm shift in transformational leadership occurred. The findings also indicate a direct correlation between one's occupational status and one's transformative leadership stage.; The "conversion stories" of the twenty case studies also document union leader values, personal leadership development, and various levels of social consciousness. Twenty case studies contribute to understanding the motivational factors, socio-economic labor conditions and equity issues faced by part-time faculty union leaders working with the adjunct and full-time faculty groups.