Date
4-29-2026
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education Administration (PhD)
Chair
Vonda Beavers
Keywords
adjunct faculty, faculty learning communities, cohort-based faculty learning communities, situated learning theory, transcendental phenomenology
Disciplines
Higher Education
Recommended Citation
Hall, Gerard Wayne, "Becoming Better Teachers Through Community: A Transcendental Phenomenological Dissertation Exploring the Lived Experiences of Adjunct Faculty in a Cohort-Based Faculty Learning Community" (2026). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 8274.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/8274
Abstract
The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to understand how adjuncts’ participation in a cohort-styled faculty learning community designed specifically for them shaped their teaching and connectedness with their institution. The theory that guided this study was situated learning theory, which explained the relationship between participation in learning communities and teaching practice. Additionally, this theory provided a foundation for understanding how the social dynamics of a learning community affected connectedness. The central research question examined in this study was, ‘What are adjunct faculty’s experiences participating in a cohort-based faculty learning community?’ To explore this topic and question, a transcendental phenomenological design was utilized. The research was conducted at a large public doctoral university located in the Northwestern United States, with a sample comprising 10 adjuncts with varying teaching experience, recruited through purposive and criterion sampling. Data were collected through individual interviews, focus groups, and document analysis, and analyzed using phenomenological reduction and thematic analysis. Findings revealed four themes and 13 sub-themes, indicating that adjuncts viewed their participation in the learning community as meaningful and beneficial. Participating in the learning community led to evolutions in their teaching, and participants experienced a sense of collegiality and institutional connectedness while being part of the community. However, the feelings of connectedness were temporary, and for some, ended at the culmination of their participation in the learning community.
