Factors Affecting Part-Time Dental Hygiene Faculty Members' Intent to Stay in Education

The need for more dental hygiene educators has led to the increased practice of hiring part-time faculty members; however, there is little literature on their job satisfaction or intent to stay in education. The aim of this study was to explore demographic and job satisfaction variables that may predict part-time dental hygiene faculty members' intent to stay in education within the framework of Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory. A cross-sectional, correlational survey was conducted with a national convenience sample of part-time dental hygiene faculty members (n = 177). The survey was a combination of two validated survey instruments (modified Nurse Educators' Intent to Stay in Academe Scale and modified Adjunct Faculty Survey). The completion rate was 87%. Overall, the study found a significantly positive correlation between job satisfaction and intent to stay (ρ[177] = 0.48; p<0.001). Other significant findings were that both average annual salary (p = 0.005) and being approached as an undergraduate (p = 0.004) had an effect on intent to stay. Personal growth (p<0.001), the job satisfaction subscale (p<0.001), and work preference (p = 0.03) had the most predictive influence on intent to stay. Job satisfaction was a strong predictor of intent to stay, which is consistent with Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory. Addressing the needs of part-time dental hygiene faculty members by increasing job satisfaction variables may aid in the recruitment and retention of these educators.