higher education in israel · in teacher education colleges ilana elkad-lehman, [email protected]...
TRANSCRIPT
RoleRole--Perception Perception
of Academic Managers of Academic Managers
in Teacher Education Collegesin Teacher Education Colleges
[email protected], -Ilana Elkad
Levinsky College of Education & MOFET Institute, Tel Aviv
Edna Benshalom, [email protected]
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.