A study of role conflict due to role accumulation in physical education

Byrne, Maureen E. (1987) A study of role conflict due to role accumulation in physical education. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

A study was initiated to determine whether or not teachers of physical education in Newfoundland experience role conflict due to the accumulation of roles. Specifically, the study sought to discover whether or not conflict within roles was due to the amount of time spent in a role as compared to the time the physical education teachers thought they should dedicate to that role. Of special interest was an investigation of differences in conflict between those teachers working in urban areas and those in the rural areas of the Province. -- A list of the roles assumed by physical education teachers was established following interviews with physical educators. The roles were condensed into six categories: (a) teacher, (b) coach, (c) administrator, (d) support role, (e) family role, and (f) community role. Demographic variables investigated were: (a) age, (b) gender, (c) teaching experience/certification, (d) marital status, and population of the community in which school was located. -- A questionnaire was designed to measure the amount of time respondents wished to spend in a particular role as well as their perceptions of the time actually spent in that role. The questionnaire was distributed to a random sample (45%) of physical education teachers in Newfoundland. The return rate was better than 70%. -- Using one way analysis of variance the following significant findings were identified: -- (a) In the role of coach, the single teachers in rural communities, teaching at their present school for a period of 9-12 years reported the highest conflict. High school teachers reported a desire to spend less time in this role, with primary teachers desiring to spend more time as coach. -- (b) In the administrator role, the senior high teachers reported significantly more conflict and wished to spend less time organizing and running the school's extra curricular programs. -- (c) The support role (education of the whole student within the school environment) was the most conflicting role for those teaching in minor urban areas (population 5000-10000). -- (d) In the family role male teachers reported experiencing more conflict than their female colleagues. Teachers who had taught at their present school for 5-8 years reported significantly more conflict in the family role than those teachers who had been teaching longer. -- (e) In the community role, elementary school teachers reported significantly more conflict, with primary teachers reporting a desire to spend less time in this role.

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