Posted by Frank Brooks on February 10, 19102 at 12:53:23:
In Reply to: Opinions on IBHE study of adjuncts posted by Oleh Sydor on February 04, 19102 at 20:47:10:
Oleh asked if I would post the comments I made at the hearing. Here they are - I hope that they are of some use:
My name is Frank Brooks and I teach American politics at Harper College and Roosevelt University. When I teach about public opinion, I urge my students to keep in mind the difference between reports of survey results, the survey itself, and the opinion that it purports to measure. Unless there are strong connections between all three levels, the findings are likely to be meaningless or deceptive.
I would like to focus on one of the central findings of the survey being reported today. On page 11 of the “Summary Results” it is stated that majorities of all three categories of faculty surveyed “agreed at some level that they were treated fairly relative to their compensation for teaching.”
Problem one: This report of a particular result of the survey does not report the exact wording of that question. The wording of a question can influence responses. Assuming that the question was pretty similar to its paraphrase, it is at best poorly worded and at worst deliberately ambiguous. Does it mean that for what they were paid, they were treated relatively well? Or, does it mean that they were fairly paid? Is this a question about salary or about working conditions? Wouldn’t it have been simpler to ask whether respondents agreed with a statement like this: “I am paid adequately (or fairly) for the work I do?”
Problem two: Even that phrasing of the question puts the issue of salary in the context of job responsibilities and expectations, which other parts of the report suggest are not under the control of part-time faculty. This is where it seems the question is seeking some information and avoiding other issues. That is, why didn’t the survey ask for respondents to agree with a statement such as this one: “I am paid fairly according to my qualifications.” Or “I am paid fairly relative to others doing the same work” Best of all, how about: “I am paid enough for my work.”
Problem three: Public opinion surveys are as much about what they don’t ask as what they do. This survey of faculty focuses on subjective perceptions such as overall satisfaction of teachers. It completely ignores one of the basic facts that I would have sought in such a survey – how much are part-time faculty paid? How much are full-time faculty paid? Is there some explanation for the discrepancy? Perhaps if the focus was on satisfaction, the question should not have been the vague, meaningless, and deceptive one asked by the survey: “Are you satisfied?” but the one many of us part-time faculty are asking ourselves: “Am I satisfied with getting unequal pay for equal work?"
Thank you