Called to Accuracy, Brick by Brick: Recordkeeping and Reporting Amid Cultural Pressures and Training Gaps

Authors

• Amber L. Wilson, Liberty UniversityFollow
• Sarah J. Boettger, Liberty UniversityFollow
• Janet K. Brown, Liberty UniversityFollow
• Kjell Fenn, Liberty UniversityFollow
• Jessica E. Kuehne, Liberty UniversityFollow
• David L. Ream, Liberty UniversityFollow

Abstract

This research investigates how faculty at Christian higher education interpret the impact of expected recordkeeping and reporting. The purpose of this study is to explore the perceptions and expectations of recordkeeping and reporting that impact job satisfaction. By examining recordkeeping and reporting and the influence of culture as key factors affecting job satisfaction in Christian higher education, insights were gathered through six faculty member interviews. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews, journals, and discussion board posts. This transcendental phenomenological study sought to explore the lived experiences of six faculty members at a large private Christian university in the southeastern United States. The study had two key findings and three sub-findings: stewardship, protection, and optimization. The first key finding is that faculty participants received no training on recordkeeping and reporting prior to acquiring their faculty role. The second finding was that all participants agreed that recordkeeping and reporting were necessary, important tasks in their work. Results indicated faculty job satisfaction rises when recordkeeping and reporting are experienced and are viewed as meaningful extensions of their spiritual calling and educational mission. Cultural pressures and lack of training in recordkeeping and reporting are the key factors that determine job satisfaction. Faculty job satisfaction declines when these responsibilities are perceived as merely bureaucratic tasks focused on compliance or data production. Moreover, a gap in the literature was discovered, which is that the Christian culture in higher education adds the faith factor for motivation which directly impacts job satisfaction. This transcendental phenomenological methodology revealed that institutions that cultivate a supportive and spiritually coherent culture around these tasks are more likely to retain motivated, faithful, and flourishing faculty.

Recommended Citation

Wilson, Amber L.; Boettger, Sarah J.; Brown, Janet K.; Fenn, Kjell; Kuehne, Jessica E.; and Ream, David L. (2026) "Called to Accuracy, Brick by Brick: Recordkeeping and Reporting Amid Cultural Pressures and Training Gaps," Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning: Vol. 2: Iss. 1, Article 10.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/jsotl/vol2/iss1/10