New study explores life and career attitudes of young professors — from education-portal.com
A recent study conducted by Harvard examines how ‘Gen X’ faculty approach their scholarly careers and work-life balance. The survey found that young professors value work-life balance and interdisciplinary work more than the Baby Boomers, but are happy overall with their careers.
The new study is part of Harvard’s ongoing Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE), a consortium of over 130 colleges and universities seeking to improve the academic workplace for early-career faculty. COACHE primarily distributes the Tenure-Track Faculty Job Satisfaction Survey, which aims to provide participating institutions with data that they can translate into policy change in less than a year.
New Challenges, New Priorities: The Experience of Generation X Faculty draws from a combination of extensive survey data and 16 qualitative interviews with administrators and faculty at three institutions: a large public research university, a small private liberal arts college and a private master’s institution. All but one of the interviewees is considered a member of ‘Generation X,’ defined as people born between 1964 and 1980. They came from a variety of disciplines, including business, chemistry, English, law, medicine, theater, education and engineering. The goal of the study is to determine how Gen X faculty approach their jobs, long-term careers and work-life balance. Furthermore, the study’s authors hoped to see if and how the reports of generational clashes in the broader workforce play out in the academic environment.