Teaching Workload and Satisfaction of Foreign-Born and US-Born Faculty at Four-Year Postsecondary Institutions in the United States

This study examined foreign-born faculty members' teaching workload, classroom assessment and instructional techniques, and satisfaction with instructional support and authority relative to their U.S.-born faculty peers at 4-year postsecondary institutions in the United States. The analysis of the data from the National Study of Postsecondary Faculty (NSOPF:04) survey revealed more similarities than differences between the two faculty groups. The study found that foreign-born faculty members, on average, devoted the same amount of time to teaching per week; however, they generated fewer total student contact and classroom credit hours per semester than U.S.-born peers. The results also indicated that foreign-born faculty members seemed slightly less satisfied with their authority to make decisions on curriculum, course content, and methods of instruction, but overall, their satisfaction with instructional support was comparable to the satisfaction level reported by their U.S.-born colleagues.