Blazing New Trails - Connexions

322 CRITICAL ISSUES IN EDUCATION LEADERSHIP PREPARATION
(TCPEA). Of the 268 professors that were emailed the survey, 69 replied to the demographic
and Likert-scale sections of the survey while 46 completed the open-ended statements. A
reminder letter to complete the survey was delivered two weeks after the initial request.
The research instrument consisted of a letter of intent from the researcher, a
demographic section that asked for ranking, importance of the three areas (teaching,
scholarship, and service) of tenure, time devoted to each of the areas, and ways and the levels
in which the participants participated in service opportunities. Thirteen statements were
included using a Likert-scale format with a rating from “strongly disagree” to “strongly
agree” and a “not applicable.” These statements were used to gain information about the
participants’ personal beliefs regarding tenure, service, and faculty mentoring.
Demographic Data
FINDINGS
Collecting demographic data provides participants a way to identify their personal
characteristics (Mertler & Charles, 2011). The participants were asked to identify their current
ranking. Table 1 reveals the collected data.
Table 1. Ranking of the Participant.
Ranking n / %
Assistant Professor 33 (47.8%)
Associate Professor 19 (27.5%)
Full Professor 17 (24.6%)
Of the 69 respondents, 22 (31.9%) entered the professorship directly from their
doctoral programs, 10 (14.5%) from a superintendency, 15 (21.7%) from a principalship, 12
(17.4%) from a central office position, and 10 (14.5%) from another role or position. Fiftytwo
(75.4%) served at a college or university that had a tenure with promotion policy while 17
(24.6%) served on campuses where tenure could occur without promotion.
Research Question One
In response to research question one that asked the professors to identify the role
service played in acquiring tenure, the participants were asked to identify the significance
level of service as well as scholarship and teaching according to their university tenure
policies. Table 2 reveals the responses of those professors who addressed this particular
question on the survey.
Table 2. Areas Associate with Tenure.
Area Significant Somewhat Significant Not Significant
Scholarship 83.9% (52) 12.9% (8) 3.2% (2)
Teaching 65.6% (42) 31.3% (20) 3.1% (2)
Service 15.9% (10) 63.5% (40) 20.6% (13)