My research seeks to understand the values, commitments, drives, and other background features of part-time developmental math instructors known to work continually at improving their teaching, and how they go about doing so. Further, my research considers how these instructors – recognized as consistently seeking to heighten the quality of their teaching – articulate their reasons for doing so given the precarious nature of their adjunct status. Through this inquiry, I look to document and analyze how these instructors organize themselves toward this aim.

This study is important because as prior research has shown, large numbers of students, including many from historically underrepresented populations, enroll in community college developmental education courses. Research also has shown that these students struggle more in math developmental courses than in reading and writing. Good teaching is, therefore, essential to these students’ learning, thus in moving them through developmental courses and putting them on a track toward degree completion. Given the growing numbers of part-time instructors in community colleges, it will be helpful to know how those who successfully undertake teaching improvement do so.