University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Doctoral Dissertations Dissertations and Theses March 2019 Every Pawn is a Potential Queen: How Female Early-Career Faculty Play the Game of Tenure Bethany Lisi Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_2 Part of the Higher Education Commons Recommended Citation Lisi, Bethany, "Every Pawn is a Potential Queen: How Female Early-Career Faculty Play the Game of Tenure" (2019). Doctoral Dissertations. 1512. https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_2/1512 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Dissertations and Theses at ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Every Pawn is a Potential Queen: How Female Early-Career Faculty Play the Game of Tenure A Dissertation Presented by BETHANY M. LISI Submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Massachusetts Amherst in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY February 2019 Higher Education College of Education © Copyright by Bethany M. Lisi 2019 All Rights Reserved Every Pawn is a Potential Queen: How Female Early-Career Faculty Play the Game of Tenure A Dissertation Presented By BETHANY M. LISI Approved as to style and content by: Ezekiel Kimball, Chair Kate Hudson, Member Jennifer Lundquist, Member Jennifer Randall Associate Dean of Academic Affairs College of Education DEDICATION In many ways, writing this dissertation forced me to examine my approach to life and identify areas that bring me happiness. Intrinsic motivation—derived from a sense of autonomy, competence, and connection to others—propels us to engage in a task for the sheer joy of doing it. In searching for the influences of my own intrinsic motivation, I look no further than my three grandparents who, along with my own parents Frank and Pauline, raised me to be who I am today. I dedicate this dissertation to Margaret Morgan (Nanny Peg), who learned how to drive a car when she was in her late fifties, traveled all over Rhode Island to visit her friends, and subsequently went to bed later than any of us; I hope to maintain her strong sense of autonomy. I dedicate this dissertation to Arthur Lisi (Poppy), who taught all of his grandchildren that if you are going to do a job, you do it the right way, give 110%, and never take a shortcut; I strive to carry on his strong work ethic and mastery over the task at hand. And finally, I dedicate this dissertation to Eleanor Lisi (Nanny), who welcomes everyone into her home, gives them a hug, and makes sure they have at least one meatball; I hope to forever replicate her strong connection to others and effortless community-building wherever my career may take me. EPIGRAPH Whenever humanity seems condemned to heaviness, I think I should fly like Perseus into a different space. I don't mean escaping into dreams or into the irrational. I mean that I have to change my approach, look at the world from a different perspective, with a different logic and with fresh methods of cognition and verification. —Italo Calvino, Six Memos for the Next Millennium, 1988 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I cannot thank my dissertation committee members enough for their thoughtful feedback and encouragement. To Zeke Kimball: Thank you for your extensive comments on all drafts and guidance in developing the design of this study. I like thinking about the fact that we started our experiences at UMass Amherst together in 2013 and I have appreciated your support throughout this journey. To Kate Hudson: Thank you for being my “editor-in-chief” on every piece of writing, for encouraging me to bring my love of art and design into this project, and for being a beacon of positivity throughout this program. To Jen Lundquist: Thank you for agreeing to be on my committee despite an intense work schedule, for your comments on the final drafts of this study, and for being an inspiring role model in the field of faculty development. I often joked that I was very lucky to receive a partial scholarship to fund this doctorate from the “Pauline and Frank Lisi Foundation.” To Mom and Dad: Thank you for 36 years of loving support, and for being the ultimate superstar parents by showing me the importance of working hard and with integrity. I also thank my sister and brother- in-law, Sarah and Josh, for supporting me (and putting up with me) over the 5+ years in this program. To my doc cohort—Ryan Bouchard, Sarah Hutton, Christina Monte, Gabe Reif, Juan Ma Ruiz, and Christine Sharry—I often miss our Monday night dinners in Newman. I think we were a really lucky cohort and am so grateful we had each other that first year (and the years after). vi I thank my professional colleagues and friends who have encouraged me throughout my time in graduate school. To Margie Hutter: I honestly would not have been able to do this program without your support. Thank you for advocating for me and allowing me to integrate what I was learning into our work at Hampshire. To Christina Johnson: You inspired me to pursue a doctorate and continue to inspire me (professionally and personally). To Kristen Luschen and Laura Wenk: Thank you for welcoming me as a part of the CTL at Hampshire College and for letting me test out ideas or conduct program evaluations for my coursework. I miss our brainstorming meetings about new faculty orientation. This dissertation would not have been written without binging on Harry Potter during the literature review phase (to maintain levity while sifting through all the research); reading Jane Austen’s novels during the data collection phase (all of the participants’ names came from these novels); watching reruns of Downton Abbey during the data analysis phase (Masterpiece Theater makes me feel smart); and reading John McPhee’s Draft No. 4 and Stephen Pinker’s Sense of Style before I sat down to compose a single thought. Finally, I thank my husband Christopher Slemp—the Ben Wyatt to my Leslie Knope. You not only stuck with me during these years, but also went so far as to marry me. You have the patience of all of the saints combined (and if I paid more attention in Sunday school, I would go so far as to name them all here). Thank you for being my partner-in-crime, devil’s advocate, and strongest critic. I am excited to spend so many “dissertation-free” years with you. vii ABSTRACT EVERY PAWN IS A POTENTIAL QUEEN: HOW FEMALE EARLY-CAREER FACULTY PLAY THE GAME OF TENURE FEBRUARY 2019 BETHANY LISI, B.A., UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND M.A., UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND Ph.D., UNIVERISTY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST Directed by: Professor Ezekiel Kimball The research on early-career faculty on the tenure track suggests they are surviving amidst low job satisfaction. Scholars found that early-career faculty lack the skills and preparation needed for the job, perceive the tenure process to be vague or unclear, feel isolated or disenchanted with their work, and struggle with time management (Austin, 2002; Austin, Sorcinelli, & McDaniels, 2007; Batille & Brown, 2006; Ponjuan, Conley, & Trower, 2011; Tierney & Bensimon, 1996). Female early- career faculty are susceptible to additional gendered and biased challenges (Gappa, Austin, & Trice, 2007). Missing from the literature are the positive experiences of early- career faculty. The purpose of this study is to describe the professional approaches of six female early-career faculty who work at selective liberal arts colleges and how those approaches are similar or different from four of their peers at a large research university, using theories of intrinsic motivation (Pink, 2009), agency (Bandura, 2001), and positive deviance (Spreitzer & Sonenshein, 2003) to frame the inquiry. A secondary purpose of viii this study is to describe the strategies to faculty work that deviate positively from the typical early-career faculty behaviors articulated in the existing research. Using a qualitative embedded multi-case study design, data was collected from ten female early-career faculty from three different institutions. Using constant comparative analysis and pattern matching, the theme of tenure as a game emerged, as well as the greater metaphor that participants approach their work like they are playing a challenging, but gratifying, game of chess. There were four major insights that surfaced from the findings. First, female early-career faculty assess their skills to play the game and take subsequent actions to improve their positions within the first few years of their appointments. Second, female early-career faculty seize opportunities to advance quickly by the middle of the probationary period. Third, female early-career faculty incorporate moves that reinforce their passions throughout their appointments. And finally, positive- deviant approaches combined participants’ skills, awareness of opportunity, and passion into a single move at the onset, which ultimately positioned participants for success. ix TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... vi ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................... viii LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................... xvi LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................