RoleRole--Perception Perception

of Academic Managers of Academic Managers

in Teacher Education Collegesin Teacher Education Colleges

elkahal@macam.ac.ilLehman, -Ilana Elkad

Levinsky College of Education & MOFET Institute, Tel Aviv

Edna Benshalom, ednabs49@hotmail.com

Kaye College, Be'er Sheva & MOFET Institute, Tel Aviv

Background:Background:

Higher Education in IsraelHigher Education in Israel

(27)

Context of Research

� MOFET Institute (Tel Aviv, Israel) is a center for

professional development of academic staff in

Teacher Education Colleges.

� A two-year program of managerial professional

development studies is being held in MOFET, for a

decade.

� The program participants hold academic

management positions (e.g. department head, dean, vice

president) in teacher education colleges, or prepare

themselves for such roles.

� The researchers are the program’s tutors.

Professional Development Professional Development

� Professional development of teachers eachers (Burden, 1990; Hargreaves & Fullan, 1992; Hall & Hord, 2001)

� Professional development of teachers in teachers in

academiaacademia (Kugel, 1993; Robertson, 1999; Nyquist & Sprague, 1998).

� Professional development of teacher teacher

educatorseducators (Cochran-Smith, 2003; Koster & Dengerink, 2001; Zeichner, 2007 )

� Professional development of teachers in

academia, as administrators (Bryant, 2005; Land, 2003; Smith, 2002).

Role Theory Role Theory

Individuals do not take

ready-made roles, they rather

actively and creatively

participate in roles

formatting (Stryker, 1980)

Management Role Perception Management Role Perception

� Expressed in believes, declarations,

behaviors, procedures

� A product of formal role definition,

organizational culture and managers’

values, experience and personality.

� “The way things should be done” (Altman, Katz, Amitai, Zur, 2008)

OUR RESEARCHOUR RESEARCH

MethodologyMethodology

Phenomenological-Interpretive

research, that aims to study a

phenomenon through the

voices and narratives

of its participants

ObjectivesObjectives

� To describe and analyze the role

perceptions of academic mangers in

teacher education colleges, who have

graduated the MOFET managerial

program

� To study the function of the program

in the professional world of the

academic managers

Research ToolsResearch Tools

Three qualitative mutually complementing

research tools (Johnson, 2002):

� Focus groups of programs' participants

� Semi-structured in-depth interviews

(Warren, 2002) with program’s graduates

(1-1.5 hours).

� Written narratives of program’s

participants

Research QuestionsResearch Questions

�What academic management

role perceptions are exposed in

the interviews?

�What impact does the program

have on its graduates as

academic managers?

Participants: Inclusion CriteriaParticipants: Inclusion Criteria

� Academic managers who graduated the program,

from various cohorts

� Men and women

� Willingness to share narratives

� Ability to verbalize processes (thick description)

(Geertz, 1973) and meta-cognitive processes

� Instructive life narrative (Stake, 1995)

� Multicultural perspective of the issues involved (Ryen, 2002)

� Central and peripheral colleges

� Various sized colleges

Research Procedure and EthicsResearch Procedure and Ethics

� Interviewers: The two researchers, one as

an interviewer, the other as an observer

� Period: March, 2009 – June, 2009.

� Interviewees were asked to chose their

preferred location for the interview (Warren,

2002)

� Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and presented to interviewee for approval, additions and omissions

� Full confidentiality was kept.

Participants Participants

We will present today:

� Seven interviewees: 3 men, 4 women

� Academic roles: Middle management

and senior management

� Ages: 44-69

ParticipantsParticipants

College PositionAge Interviewee

A big-sized

central college

Head of department 50Rachel

(Ph.D.)

A medium-sized

peripheral college

Held several positions,

Currently vice president 59Galit (Ph.D.)

A big-sized

central college

Held several positions,

Currently head of technology center 52Michelle

(Ph.D.)

A small

peripheral college

Head of department & student affair

officer 56Avi (Ph.D.)

A medium sized,

peripheral college

Held several positions,

Currently head of faculty 44Elona (Ph.D.)

A medium-sized

peripheral college

Head of department 63 Ron (Ph.D.)

A big-sized

central college

Held several positions,

Currently head of postgraduate school 69Gabrielle

(Ph.D.)

FINDINGS FINDINGS

Common Preliminary ThemesCommon Preliminary Themes

� Policy changes in teacher education as a main concern

� The impact of nomination of new colleges' presidents

on academic mangers

� The tension between management roles and academic

promotion

� Methods of nomination of academic managers

� (The lack of) Role definition

� The home-career tension

� “Post-doctoral syndrome” as a motivation for

program's enrollment

"Birds nesting together"/ "a different bird"

� "Always be you, yourself" – role perception of a consultant (therapist?)

� "I am the students' magnet, I gather the students around me" –supports the needy among students and

staff members

� "Walking on a thin wire" – a leader that focuses on team work and is aware of

resistance processes

� "I could be versatile in my management role and introduce my beliefs like in no other place"

Rachel (F)� Ph.D. in Education

� 50 years-old

� Academic manager since second year in the program

� Head of a department in a big-sized central college

"Electron that is part of the whole and integrates it all"

� "Hours of sitting with people" - a coordinator manager, working with people

� "Industriousness and collaboration" –"I am a non-stressed person that is very comfortable to work with, I give space to other people and do not try to force my will upon others"

� "I would like everybody to feel I am there for them"

� “I would like teachers to love the college, to feel it is the right place for them”

� Galit (F)

� Ph.D in science

� 59 years-old

� Academic manager prior to program participation

� Several managerial roles in a medium-sized peripheral college

"I am running with a group together – you have to run, otherwise life will beat you"

� “I love to generate processes, to be a team worker", love is a recurrent word in her story .

� "I am not the boss-type", "I work more than others", "I function well in stress situations"

� A people oriented and task oriented

leader: choice of team members, team

organization, motivation enhancement,

reinforcements

� Vision, mission and values generate her

activities

� Michelle (F)� Ph.D. in education

� 52 years-old� Academic manager prior to program participation

� Several managerial roles in a big-sized central college

"A wagon or a car? The reins or the front lights?" "maybe I am one of the front lights"

� As head of department : "I am a team head, I lead change processes, I am responsible for teaching quality. I want us to produce the best possible teachers“

� As student affair officer : "I still debate with myself concerning the definition of my functional identity […] My wife told me that in my previous social working job I used to define myself as a rehabilitator, but here in the college I define myself as an administrator, even though I do rehabilitating functions!"

� Avi (M)

� Ph.D. in social work

� 56 years-old

� Academic manger prior to program participation

� Two managerial roles in a small peripheral college

"One person starts to clap hands and another one joins in. Finally, there is a circle where everybody clap hands in the

same rhythm"

� A people & a task oriented manager

� "Everlasting responsibility“. "the manager has to make decisions, constantly“

� "I want to motivate people, to cause them to perform joyfully, from a genuine interest“

� "I've tried to be some kind of a shock absorber“

� "I exhausted people and was exhausted myself"

� Elona (F)

� Ph.D. in science

� 44 years-old

� Academic manager prior to program participation

� Several managerial roles in a medium sized, semi-peripheral college

"A net. A part of a fabric. The net is the fruit of my endeavor"

� An ideologist leader and preaches for

social justice, equality, inter-cultural

integration and progress

� “I have a social mission […] to make a difference inside the college and in peripheral schools”

� Collaborative management: team work

as a central value, as a desire and a

source of pride

� Criticism toward society and honest

self-criticism

� Ron (M)

� Ph.D. in science

� 63 years-old

� Academic manager prior to program participation

� Middle management role in a medium-sized peripheral college

"I have a non-shouting leadership"

� A professional manager: adjusts his role

perception to his present role

� A leader, an entrepreneur, a strategic

programmer and a developer

� In several roles: a team coordinator

� In anther role: a project manager

� In anther role: a manager that constructs

procedures & staff

� "I was meticulous in my management - some view it as stiffness […] I believe I am flexible as well"

� Gabriel (M)

� Ph.D. in science

� 69 years-old

� Academic manager prior to program participation

� Many middle and senior managerial roles in a big-sized central college

What academic role perceptions What academic role perceptions

are being exposed? are being exposed?

� Findings show a variety of role-perceptions

among interviewees

� Constructing a personal role-perception

seemingly relates to personality aspects, to

professional expertise, skills, cognitive

strategies and prior working patterns

� The organization per se, the organizational

culture, and the head of the college are not

presented in the interviews as significant

factors in role perception construction

What is the impact of the MOFET What is the impact of the MOFET

program on individual role program on individual role

perception?perception?

Some of the interviewees developed

their role-perception while performing

their managerial role, by application of

skills and tools taught in the MOFET

program, through reflective processes

and support from course colleagues.

Thank you! Thank you!

Our deepest gratitude to all those who Our deepest gratitude to all those who

gave of their time and of themselves gave of their time and of themselves

and participated in the interviews and participated in the interviews

This study was supported by This study was supported by

MOFET MOFET InstituteInstitute

Role Theory

• Roles are essentially expectations about

how an individual ought to behave in a

given situation

• Roles are: how individuals actually behave

in a given social position.

• A role is a characteristic behavior or

expected behavior, a part to be played, or a

script for social conduct.