Ambiguity, overload, turnover : a mixed methods study of public institution academic librarians' affective reactions during the Great Resignation in the South Central U.S.

In the late spring and summer of 2021, the United States hit record-high voluntary quit rates—a phenomenon that came to be known as the Great Resignation. Academic libraries were not immune to this attrition. Abrupt changes from the COVID-19 pandemic to academic librarian roles such as working remotely, taking on new responsibilities, and relational difficulties could have attributed to this problem. I sought to evaluate these possibilities considering the ongoing high turnover rates of the Great Resignation. I chose a convergent mixed methods design to explore the complexity of the relationships between affect, role overload, role ambiguity, and turnover intentions among academic librarians at public institutions in the South Central U.S. I collected quantitative data through the Academic Librarian Affect Survey (ALAS; N = 193) and analyzed the data by running a multiple linear regression. I collected qualitative data through a semi-structured interview protocol (n = 10) and analyzed it through a two-round coding cycle. I conducted all research through the lens of Weiss and Cropanzano's (1996) affective events theory. The results and findings from my analysis revealed both a statistically significant [F(4, 188) = 54.88, p < .001] and socially impactful relationship between affect, role ambiguity, role overload, and turnover intentions among academic librarians at public institutions in the South Central U.S. The results of the multiple linear regression analysis indicated that 53.9% of the variance in turnover intentions can be explained by role ambiguity, role overload, and affect (R2 = .539). The qualitative findings uncovered how academic librarians, library leaders, and campus leaders directly or indirectly influence the work environment and the positive or negative affect present in the work culture. This study contributes to the knowledge and awareness of issues impacting academic librarian turnover, especially during times of crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the Great Resignation.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ed.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Doctoral

Grantor

Baylor University.

Year dc:date.issued

2024

Author dc:creator

• Edwards, Christine R. M., 1982-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Dixon, Kellie M.

• Academic librarians.
• Role ambiguity.
• Role overload.
• Turnover.
• Affective events theory (AET)
• Great Resignation.
• COVID-19.

Statement dc:rights

• Baylor University works are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. Contact libraryquestions@baylor.edu for inquiries about permission.

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/2104/13162

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:baylor-ir.tdl.org:2104/13162