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The Pennsylvania State University The Graduate School College of Education PROFITABILITY AND COMPATIBILITY FACTORS EXPLAINING FACULTY’S POST-ADOPTION BEHAVIORS OF TEACHING AND LEARNING INNOVATIONS IN RESEARCH ONE UNIVERSITIES A Thesis in Instructional Systems by Meng-Fen Hsieh © 2007 Meng-Fen Hsieh Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy August 2007 The thesis of Meng-Fen Hsieh was reviewed and approved* by the following: Barbara L. Grabowski Professor of Education Thesis Advisor Chair of Committee Alison A. Carr-Chellman Professor of Education Jill L. Lane Affiliate Assistant Professor of Education Pui-Wa Lei Assistant Professor of Education Edgar P. Yoder Professor of Agricultural and Extension Education Susan M. Land Associate Professor of Education In Charge of Graduate Programs in Instructional Systems *Signatures are on file in the Graduate School iii ABSTRACT In recent years, shifts in emphasis in higher education toward learner-centered environments have triggered faculty’s interests in initiating teaching and learning innovation and demanding more support from the teaching and learning centers and more funding/grants from the university to facilitate the adoption and continuation of such innovations (Diamond, 1998). However, few studies have systematically examined the continuation of teaching and learning innovations (Ishler, Johnson, & Johnson, 1998; Lane, 2001). The purpose of this study was to create predictive models to systematically explain the impact of 6 profitability factors—Organizational Support, Collegiality within Department, Collegiality above Department, P&T Focus on Teaching and Research, Influence of Course Changes on P&T, and P&T Feedback Received about Course Changes and 4 compatibility factors—Positive Department Culture, Student-centered Teaching Philosophy, Innovation Philosophy, and Teaching Motivation on the sustaining, transferring, and diffusing of a teaching and learning innovation. From December 2005 to January 2006, a total of 163 faculty participants from a Research I university completed an online survey whose responses were used for data analysis. The results of factor and reliability analysis confirmed that the researcher- designed measurement instrument, Survey of Post–adoption of Teaching and Learning Course Changes, was valid for this purpose and responses were reliable. Six logistic regression models were created based on the three dependent variables to examine whether or not faculty sustained, transferred, and diffused their iv innovation––as explained by the 10 predictors. The six models were all significant. Six multiple regression models were then run to further examine the extent to which the changes were sustained, transferred, and diffused as predicted by the 10 predictors. The original diffusing model and the final sustaining, transferring, and diffusing models were all significant. Predictions to sustain a teaching and learning innovation would be made based on P&T Feedback Received about Course Changes and Influence of Course Changes on P&T. Predictions to transfer a teaching and learning innovation would be made based on P&T Feedback Received about Course Changes, Innovation Philosophy, and Student- Centered Teaching Philosophy. Predictions to diffuse a teaching and learning innovation would be made based on P&T Feedback Received about Course Changes, Teaching Motivation, P&T Focus on Teaching and Research, and Organizational Support. This study provides a research framework to better explain the sustaining, transferring, and diffusing of an instructional innovation. Moreover, this study bridges the gap between the literature on organizational innovation and instructional innovation as well as prior-, during-, and post-adoption behaviors. This study verifies some of the findings from sustainability research and added to the understanding of factors explain transfer and diffusion. v TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES .....................................................................................................x LIST OF TABLES.......................................................................................................xi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.........................................................................................xiii Chapter 1 Introduction ................................................................................................1 Background...........................................................................................................1 Problem Statement................................................................................................3 Research Assumptions and Studied Variables .....................................................6 Purpose .................................................................................................................9 Research Questions...............................................................................................9 Primary Research Questions..........................................................................10 Ancillary Research Questions .......................................................................11 Significance ..........................................................................................................12 Scope.....................................................................................................................13 Definitions of Terms.............................................................................................13 Innovation......................................................................................................14 Organizational Innovation.............................................................................14 Teaching and Learning Innovation................................................................14 Post-Adoption Behaviors of Innovation........................................................15 Profitability....................................................................................................16 Compatibility.................................................................................................18 Limitations............................................................................................................19 Chapter 2 Literature Review.......................................................................................21 Conceptual Framework.........................................................................................21 Theories of Innovation and Diffusion...................................................................23 Defining Innovation.......................................................................................25 Levels and Directions of Innovation .............................................................25 Innovation Process: Adoption and Diffusion ................................................26 Studies of Organizational Innovation ...................................................................29 Characteristics of Adoption and Diffusion....................................................29 Factors Impacting Adoption and Diffusion...................................................30 Behaviors of Adoption and Diffusion ...........................................................32 From Organizational Innovation to Teaching and Learning Innovation..............33 Applying Profitability and Compatibility to Factors Impacting Post- Adoption.................................................................................................34 Applying Behaviors of Post-Adoption ..........................................................36 Studies of Teaching and Learning Innovation......................................................39 vi Factors Impacting Post-Adoption Behaviors.................................................39 Defining Profitability Factors........................................................................41 Organizational Support ..........................................................................41 Collegiality.............................................................................................41 Promotion and Tenure............................................................................42 Defining Compatibility Factors.....................................................................44 Department Culture................................................................................44 Teaching Philosophy..............................................................................46 Teaching Motivation ..............................................................................47 Synthesis of the Literature....................................................................................49 Chapter 3 Method .......................................................................................................53 Target Population and Sample..............................................................................54 Methodology.........................................................................................................55 Stage I. Before Data Collection.....................................................................56 Design and Develop Measurement Instrument ......................................57 Content Validity: Establishing Representativeness and Relevance.................................................................................57 Construct Validity: Degree of Match between