Part-Time Instructors in the Higher Education Institutions: The Less, The Limited, The Left-over, and The Survivors

Abstract

The plight and fight of part-time instructors' employment in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are neglected by most universities in the Philippines. In the literature, many studies concluded that the performance of part-time instructors in various universities are assessed quantitatively. However, no study yet focused on the part-time instructors' lived experiences. This motivated the researchers to undertake this research to give voice to the experiences of the part-time instructors in the HEIs. Anchored on Maslow's Theory of Hierarchy of Needs, this study utilized the Heideggerian phenomenology design and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) of Van Manen popularized by Moustakas with a 7-step analysis. First, before gathering the data, the researchers conducted bracketing to avoid researchers’ bias. Then, they conducted semi-structured interviews via digital format with eleven (11) participants from the different HEIs in Central Visayas, Philippines, during the school year 2021-2022. As a result, the following themes were extracted: (1) The Less, (2) The Limited, (3) The Left-over, and (4) The Survivors. These themes elaborated the sorry plight of the participants and their survival in HEIs. The researchers recommend that the HEI administrators may consider the study's results as an eye-opener and basis for policy-makers to provide social equity and better opportunities for the part-time instructors to boost their survival in the HEIs.