Corey M. Hannah
Published: 2013
Total Pages: 360
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The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the perceived role strain reported by dual appointment athletic training faculty regarding balancing teaching, scholarship, and service responsibilities. It is particularly important to understand role complexities and associated role strain among the major role groups within the athletic training profession: clinicians, faculty, and dual (joint) appointees. Role complexity is an all-inclusive term used to represent stress, negative beliefs, feelings, and behaviors of role occupants (Henning & Weidner, 2008). The most common types of role complexity are discussed and examined throughout the study. These include: role conflict, role ambiguity, role overload, role incongruity, and role incompetence. Goode's (1960) long-standing theory of role strain provided a conceptual framework for this study. The theory suggests that, in general, people want to fulfill all of the expectations placed upon them. Research questions addressing each aspect of Goode's theory were developed and from them an interview guide was designed. Data gathered during individual interviews with twelve athletic trainers was transcribed and sorted into emergent categories using open coding (Creswell, 2005). The findings were organized and presented according to the study's research questions. Time strain, unrealistic expectations, and unsustainable workloads were the most common causes of role strain reported by the dually appointed ATC's. Strategies of work/life balance, understanding of contractual obligations, and faculty mentorship were reported as means to decrease role strain. The study's conclusions, reported in the final chapter, are accompanied by a series of recommendations for alleviating role strain among dually appointed ATC's, as well as recommendations for future research.