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Higher Education Trust, Rank and Race: A Conceptual and Empirical Analysis

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Abstract

This study involved an analysis of faculty trust in a large southwestern institution. After reviewing the literature, we identified a valid and reliable instrument, the Higher Education Faculty Trust Inventory, to measure higher education faculty trust in administrators, colleagues, and students. We then used this instrument to gauge various aspects of faculty trust, and we found significant trust differences among professors of varying academic ranks (i.e., adjunct, assistant, associate, and full professor). We found, however, no significant trust differences in regard to race. Finally, we discuss the findings within a context of implications for future research and practice in higher education.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies, University of Texas at San Antonio, 6900 North Loop 1604 West, San Antonio, TX, 78249-0654, USA

    Page A. Smith & Alan R. Shoho

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  1. Page A. Smith
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  2. Alan R. Shoho
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Correspondence to Page A. Smith.

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Page A. Smith

received his B.S. in Education from Wright State University, M.S. in Educational Administration from the University of Dayton, M.A. in Educational Administration from The Ohio State University and his Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Leadership from The Ohio State University. He is an Associate Professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio. His research pursuits include organizational climate and health, institutional trust, workplace aggression and bullying, and leadership development.

Alan R. Shoho

received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from California State University at Fullerton, M.Ed. in Secondary Education from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and his Ed.D. in Secondary Education from Arizona State University. He is an Associate Professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio. His research interests include aspiring principals, high school reform, and organizational trust.

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Smith, P.A., Shoho, A.R. Higher Education Trust, Rank and Race: A Conceptual and Empirical Analysis. Innov High Educ 32, 125–138 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-007-9042-z

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