Core Self-Evaluation Theory in Qualitative Research: Extending a quantitative theory into a qualitative framework to study community college faculty.

Abstract The use of qualitative research in higher education has long been underutilized, specifically when examining community colleges. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the need for more qualitative research focusing on the lives and work of community college faculty and to introduce the reader to Judge et al. (1997) Core Self-Evaluation Theory (CSE). The article describes the rationale and process of utilizing CSE as a viable theoretical framework in qualitative research. The author discusses the way in which CSE was extended from a traditional quantitative measure to a qualitative framework by walking the reader through a study which examined the lived experience of community college faculty in three components of their work: teaching, service, and scholarly work. To demonstrate the feasibility of applying this theory to future research, the strengths and potential downfalls of the approach are discussed. The article serves to encourage future studies in higher education and specifically community colleges to keep experimenting, extending, and perfecting the use of CSE in future qualitative studies.