Exploring Expatriate Academics' Perceptions of Job Satisfaction Relating to Organizational Support at International Branch Campuses in China

Author

Liam P. DuffyFollow

Campus Location

Dallas Campus (Online)

Date of Award

9-2023

Document Type

Dissertation

Department

Organizational Leadership

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Committee Chair or Primary Advisor

William Frick

Second Committee Member or Secondary Advisor

Jeffry White

Third Committee Member or Committee Reader

James Adams

Abstract

International branch campuses are generally a recent institutional development, especially in China, which has built several campuses in recent years. As such, researchers have a limited understanding of these growing higher education sites. The purpose of this study was to learn more about how these campuses can improve, expand, and thrive, instead of shuttering as many have in other countries. Literature shows a clear relationship between job satisfaction, perceived organizational support, employee retention, and the imperative to support expatriate academics. This qualitative study focused on expatriate academics’ perceptions regarding job satisfaction and organizational support. The researcher utilized individual faculty interviews at international branch campuses in China to explore how expatriate faculty felt satisfied and supported at work and in what ways they did not. In addition, the researcher used the general inductive approach, employing semistructured interviews with 33 participants at six international branch campuses. The process included transcribing interviews and analyzing data by coding and categorizing unstructured word data into thematic findings. Findings indicated faculty members’ perceptions of job satisfaction and dissatisfaction relating to their support and lack of support at branch campuses. This research showed the ways in which administrators could or could not be succeeding at keeping their foreign faculty satisfied and feeling supported, and which aspects needed the most improvement. By exploring faculty job satisfaction and perceptions of organizational support, new and/or enduring knowledge can support broad understanding of the needs of expatriate faculty and their commitment to continuing employment. In an applied focus, this study could allow university administration to gain a clearer understanding of those areas of faculty support that may need the most improvement leading to possibly higher retention rates.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Duffy, Liam P., "Exploring Expatriate Academics' Perceptions of Job Satisfaction Relating to Organizational Support at International Branch Campuses in China" (2023). Digital Commons @ ACU, Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 668.
https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/etd/668