Campus Location

Dallas Campus (Online)

Date of Award

Spring 3-2018

Document Type

Dissertation

Department

Organizational Leadership

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Committee Chair or Primary Advisor

Irma Harper

Second Committee Member or Secondary Advisor

Shawn Anderson

Third Committee Member or Committee Reader

Kipi Flemming

Abstract

Abstract

The problem addressed in this study was how the multiple responsibilities of being a teacher and a coach create role conflict for individuals in the teacher-coach (TC) profession. This role conflict causes burnout, exhaustion, and turnover among teacher/coaches. Resolving this problem is critical due to the amount of influence teacher/coaches have upon their student-athletes. The purpose of this study was to identify causes of teacher-coach role conflict and to identify possible solutions to the problem. Research was conducted through qualitative interviews with active male Texas high school football teacher-coaches in order to address the conflicting literature regarding the workability of the teacher-coach model. Data were gathered in order to address the causes and effects of teacher-coach role conflict on their students, athletes, and themselves. Possible solutions were also obtained through the interviews. The majority of the participants in the study claimed to experience at least a minimal amount of role conflict during football season. Several themes emerged from the findings such as preparation, exhaustion, time management, communication and support. The participants also identified several potential solutions to role conflict such as proper scheduling, planning, and time management. The primary conclusion drawn from this study was that the teacher-coach model is workable without role conflict. However, time management, communication, and planning skills are required for the teacher/coach to make the dual roles work without role conflict. A secondary conclusion drawn from this study was that there is a need for follow-up studies for teacher-coaches in sports other than football. The majority of the participants reported experiencing more role conflict in spring sports because of travel and standardized testing schedules.

Keywords: role conflict, role ambiguity, teacher-coach, TC burnout, role preference

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

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