Relationship of Expectations for the Academic Chairperson's Role to Role Behaviours

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the expectations of the role-set for the academic chairperson's role and the chairperson's actual role behaviours using role theory and the role episode model suggested by Kahn et al. as the theoretical framework. The research was carried out on the population of heads of occupational therapy and physical therapy programs in Canadian universities. These subjects participated in indepth personal interviews and completed logs of their time spent in professionally-related activities; deans and faculty members, on the other hand, were surveyed for their expectations of the chairperson's role by means of a mailed questionnaire. Data analysis involved content analysis of interview transcripts and primarily non-parametric correlational statistics. The percentages of time which chairpersons spent on the various role responsibilities as well as the expectations of the role-set, both for time expenditure and for the importance of role responsibilties, were determined. While the results indicated a significant positive correlation between the expectations for time expenditure of physical therapy and of male chairpersons and their own role behaviours, no other significant correlations between the expectations of the role-set and the actual role behaviour of chairpersons were evident. Directions for future research as well as strategies to reduce discordance between expectations are suggested.