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Abstract
This study examines job satisfaction and tests the structural model of job satisfaction of foreign-born, tenured and tenure-track, Asian faculty in the U.S. The hypothesized structural model includes two independent variables, explanatory style for positive events and negative events; one dependent variable, job satisfaction; and mediators, which are American cultural orientation, Asian cultural orientation, collective coping, disengagement coping, and engagement coping. A sample of 194 foreign-born, tenured and tenure-track, Asian faculty at southeastern public Research 1: Doctoral Universities participates in the study. Descriptive statistics, correlational analysis, and structural equation modeling are used to test the model fit and relationships among variables of interest. Findings support the past literature that foreign-born Asian faculty had medium levels of job satisfaction. They have the highest level of job satisfaction in independence and job variety, while the lowest level of satisfaction in salary, advancement, and policy. Intrinsic job satisfaction is significantly correlated with the explanatory style for positive events, American and Asian cultural orientations, and collective coping. Extrinsic job satisfaction is significantly correlated with the explanatory style for positive events, American and Asian cultural orientations, and collective and engagement coping. The fit indices indicate that the hypothesized structural model had a good fit to the sample data. Predictors account for 38% of sample variance in job satisfaction. Job satisfaction is directly affected by the explanatory style for positive events and American cultural orientation. Besides, the explanatory style for positive events directly affects American and Asian cultural orientations, while the explanatory style for negative events directly affects American cultural orientation. In addition, the mediating effects of American cultural orientation on the relationship between explanatory styles for positive events and negative events and job satisfaction are significant. Contrary to expectations, the mediating effects of Asian cultural orientation and coping strategies are not found in the study. The study provides implications for the professional development of foreign-born, tenured and tenure-track, Asian faculty in public Research 1: Doctoral Universities.