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Abstract

The goal of Christian higher education is to effectively integrate faith and learning to equip students to make an impact for Christ in the world. Consequently, faculty at faith-based institutions face challenges when attempting to navigate the ever-changing academic landscape while simultaneously satisfying students’ expectations. This study seeks to explore faculty-student communication and how this affects faculty job satisfaction within Christian higher education. The methodological approach to address this gap included a phenomenological design, which involved interviewing six faculty members from a large Christian university located in the Southeastern United States. These interviews produced useful lived experiences, and the purposeful sampling of this specific population proved relevant. According to the research findings, faculty-student communication was a significant factor in job satisfaction. More specifically, elements such as personal mentoring and faith-based encouragement had a positive impact. Factors such as low student engagement, generic institutional communication requirements, and the various challenges of online communication had an overall negative impact on faculty job satisfaction. Despite these communication challenges, research participants consistently stated that their calling to be Christian educators was fundamental to their vocational satisfaction. Their awareness of divine purpose and vocational calling shaped how faculty perceived and approached vocational challenges, even when student communication and engagement fell below desired expectations.

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