A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study: The Lived Experience of Faculty Leaders Adapting to a Guided Pathways Approach for Student Success at a Community College

Abstract

Faculty leaders are part of the shared governance structures and processes, participating in the development of policies and in decision-making that affects many two-year community colleges. In this research study, faculty leadership experiences are described and interpreted during a Guided Pathways reform approach for student success at an urban, two-year community college located in the midwestern United States. Faculty leaders are an essential part of the Guided Pathways pillars that support the successful completion of student goals and plans at the community college. Faculty leaders employ multiple frames and perspectives to support peer faculty and promote student success. In this research study, faculty leadership lenses are influenced by various factors, including the prevailing structures, cultures, internal and external politics, and human resources aspects of a Guided Pathways reform process. The research study describes and interprets, following a hermeneutic phenomenological methodology, the factors impacting faculty leadership during a Guided Pathways change approach for student success at an urban, two-year community college. The data in this research project was collected and analyzed through several individual interviews and site observations using hermeneutic phenomenology methodology. The findings describe and interpret the surface and beneath-the-surface themes influencing faculty leaders’ adaptations for leadership during a Guided Pathways reform initiative. The research findings have implications for developing faculty leadership professional development opportunities for the changing community college in the 21^st century.