• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

University of Kentucky UKnowledge Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation 2021 THE LIVES OF OTHERS: DESCRIBING AND PREDICTING JOB SATISFACTION AMONG FACULTY WORKING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SARAJEVO Nina Marijanović University of Kentucky, [email protected] Author ORCID Identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1939-0275 Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2021.067 Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Marijanović, Nina, "THE LIVES OF OTHERS: DESCRIBING AND PREDICTING JOB SATISFACTION AMONG FACULTY WORKING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SARAJEVO" (2021). Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation. 78. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/epe_etds/78 This Doctoral Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STUDENT AGREEMENT: I represent that my thesis or dissertation and abstract are my original work. Proper attribution has been given to all outside sources. I understand that I am solely responsible for obtaining any needed copyright permissions. I have obtained needed written permission statement(s) from the owner(s) of each third-party copyrighted matter to be included in my work, allowing electronic distribution (if such use is not permitted by the fair use doctrine) which will be submitted to UKnowledge as Additional File. I hereby grant to The University of Kentucky and its agents the irrevocable, non-exclusive, and royalty-free license to archive and make accessible my work in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I agree that the document mentioned above may be made available immediately for worldwide access unless an embargo applies. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of my work. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of my work. I understand that I am free to register the copyright to my work. REVIEW, APPROVAL AND ACCEPTANCE The document mentioned above has been reviewed and accepted by the student’s advisor, on behalf of the advisory committee, and by the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS), on behalf of the program; we verify that this is the final, approved version of the student’s thesis including all changes required by the advisory committee. The undersigned agree to abide by the statements above. Nina Marijanović, Student Dr. Jeffery P. Bieber, Major Professor Dr. Jane McEldowney Jensen, Director of Graduate Studies THE LIVES OF OTHERS: DESCRIBING AND PREDICTING JOB SATISFACTION AMONG FACULTY WORKING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SARAJEVO ________________________________________ DISSERTATION ________________________________________ A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Education at the University of Kentucky By Nina Marijanović Lexington, Kentucky Director: Dr. Jeffery P. Bieber, Associate Professor of Educational Policy Studies & Evaluation Lexington, Kentucky 2021 Copyright © Nina Marijanović 2021 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1939-0275 ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION THE LIVES OF OTHERS: DESCRIBING AND PREDICTING JOB SATISFACTION AMONG FACULTY WORKING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SARAJEVO This study examined the topic of faculty satisfaction among faculty employed at the University of Sarajevo (UNSA) in Bosnia and Hercegovina (BiH). BiH has endured a difficult transition from a socialist regime to a market economy following the disintegration of Yugoslavia in the early 1990’s and its higher education sector has been particularly affected by this transition. Scholarly research has focused mostly on the impact of discrimination of certain groups at the primary and secondary levels (Pašalic- Krešo, 2008). Research into issues affecting tertiary education is still an emerging field, and research on faculty is especially sparse. Utilizing survey methodology, this study described the demographic and professional profile of the average faculty member, their satisfaction and/or agreement with various aspects of their work and working conditions and tested which variables within Hagedorn’s (2000) conceptual framework of faculty satisfaction significantly predicted their job satisfaction. The results revealed that faculty were not involved in major decision-making and that external politics heavily influenced university operations. They were dissatisfied with their overall working conditions, but especially with library offerings and administrative support. The work itself, recognition, and being single were the only variables from Hagedorn’s model that significantly predicted their overall satisfaction. KEYWORDS: Higher Education, Faculty Job Satisfaction, Western Balkans, Transitional Nation Nina Marijanović (Name of Student) May 7, 2021 Date THE LIVES OF OTHERS: DESCRIBING AND PREDICTING JOB SATISFACTION AMONG FACULTY WORKING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SARAJEVO By Nina Marijanović Dr. Jeffery P. Bieber Director of Dissertation Dr. Jane McEldowney Jensen Director of Graduate Studies May 7, 2021 Date DEDICATION To my parents – whose path in life has been a winding one, complete with once-in-a- lifetime challenges and experiences, but who never gave up, and who left everything behind in Bosnia in August 1997 to take a chance on America so that their two children could have a different life. This dissertation is in honor of the hard choices and sacrifices you’ve had to make. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS While I’ve always been a person who enjoyed school and learning, it never occurred to me to pursue to a doctorate. However, my first supervisor, Dr. Trisha Clement-Montgomery, would not take no for an answer and she kept encouraging me to take the next step. With her support, I applied for admission in Fall 2014, not knowing what would happen and if I would ever make this far. Now, in Spring 2021, I’m so proud of having completed this milestone and having had this experience, but it would not have been possible without supportive supervisors, coworkers, faculty, family, and friends. A huge thank you to the following individuals: To my former University of Kentucky coworkers – Dr. Trisha Clement Montgomery, Assistant Dean Meg Marquis, and Ms. Shonta Phelps – who gave me space to attend class while working full-time, who checked in on me during this journey, let me sneak out of the office a little early on some days to go and run my frustrations out at Alumni Gym, and who always listened when I needed to talk things through. To Dr. Willis Jones – who helped me make the leap from just mildly interested in applying, to being fully in my corner and point blank telling me to apply, who always had time for impromptu meetings with me, and for his trendy fashion sense that I attempt to emulate each day I come into the office. To Dr. Jungmin Lee – who gave me opportunities to grow and publish as a scholar, who always laughed at my wry observations, and who challenged me to think broadly and outside of the box. iii To Drs. Jeffery Bieber and Beth Goldstein – whose seniority and experience always brought an increased sense of gravitas to the classroom and discussions which motivated me to prepare more, read more, and discuss more. Getting an inquisitive tilt of Dr. Goldstein’s head at your comment or a steely-eyed gaze from Dr. Bieber meant you were onto to something. In all my time with this program, I think each have happened only once. I’d like to thank you both for stepping in and seeing me through the end of this journey as some members of this committee departed for other opportunities and others moved into retirement. To Drs. Dženan Bećirović and Aleksandra Nikolić – my supportive collaborators from the University of Sarajevo, who helped me get this study of the ground, and who read and translated a lot of English materials into Bosnian. When we meet again in Sarajevo, we will have a proper sit-down complete with Bosnian coffee and Turkish delight. To Thomas W. Teague, Jr. – a soon-to-be fellow PhD! Your remarkable kindness and support have been invaluable. I know we’ve both faced different challenges in our doctoral journeys, but you always took time to check-in, offer feedback (and wine), and help me past roadblocks. You are a wonderful person, and I cannot thank you enough. To Sean M. Chandler – my exceptionally supportive husband who always politely listened to my topic, who put up with far too many conversations that were dissertation related, who read this dissertation many times over and edited out a lot of needless commas, who watched me sob in frustration when SPSS, IRB, and mental exhaustion caught up with me, and who always told me that I was brilliant and would figure it out. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. iii LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................. x LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... xi CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 1 1.1 Problem Area .........................................................................................................

Load more

  343

Copy Link