The effect of mentoring and self-esteem on job satisfaction: a comparative study between U.S.-born and foreign-born faculty

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to compare U.S.-born and foreign-born faculty members’ job satisfaction in research universities and investigate if mentoring and self-esteem affect job satisfaction of faculty members in U.S. institutions. From the data set obtained from 481 faculty members in 21 universities, this study identified there was no significant difference in job satisfaction between U.S.-born and foreign-born faculty members based on marital status, faculty ranking, and tenure status. However, the study results indicated that mentoring and self-esteem as a set was a significant predictor for faculty job satisfaction for both faculty groups. Based on this finding, implications for faculty development through mentoring programs are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Faculty mentoring
• self-esteem
• job satisfaction
• foreign-born faculty members
• u.s.-born faculty members

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Tony Lee

Tony Lee, Ph.D. is an assistant professor in the Department of Higher Education & Learning Technologies at Texas A&M University-Commerce. His research interests include foreign-born faculty development, international student development, mentoring, and workforce learning and development. He can be reached at [email protected].

Doo Hun Lim

Doo Hun Lim, Ph.D. is a Professor of Adult and Higher Education at the University of Oklahoma. His research interests have focused on human resource and organizational development studies in various workplace issues and organizational empowerment. His emerging research theme has been on brain-based learning and performance.

JoHyun Kim

JoHyun Kim, Ph.D. is an associate professor of higher education and learning technologies at Texas A&M University-Commerce. Her primary research focuses on students' access and success in higher education and employment. Her research examines how underserved youth and adult students (minority, low income, first-generation students, and immigrants) can succeed in higher education settings. She can be reached at [email protected].