The Relationship Between Characteristics of College Instructors and Administrators in Four Community Colleges

This study investigated six attitudinal orientations held by full-time instructors and administrators employed in community colleges. The sample consisted of 315 full-time instructors and administrators working in four community colleges in the interior of British Columbia. The six attitudinal variables included in this study were: Professional Role Orientation Scale, Professional Behaviour Scale, Employee Role Orientation Scale, Local-Cosmopolitan Orientation Scale, Career Commitment and Job Satisfaction Scale. Associations among the attitudinal variables were investigated as were associations among the variables and university transfer, career technical and vocational instructors and administrators and their levels of education. It was found that the scores on the professional role orientation scale were positively and significantly associated with scores on the career commitment and job satisfaction scales and with university transfer instructors. Negative and significant associations between professional role orientation scores and employee role orientation scores were found as were associations between professional role orientation scores for administrators and lower levels of education and training. The employee role orientation scores were found to be positively and significantly associated with the positions held by vocational instructors and administrators and individuals who possessed less than a bachelor’s degree of formal training. Negative and significant associations were found between employee role orientation scores and university instructors and individuals who had a Ph.D. or equivalent level of education. A positive and significant association was found between a cosmopolitan orientation and career technical instructors and individuals who held a master’s degree. The association between administrators and career commitment was negative and significant. No significant associations were found between professional behaviour scores and the other attitudinal variables, levels of training and positions held by college employees. These findings suggest that college instructors in British Columbia have widely diverse attitudes on a variety of issues which are likely to affect their work and relationships with college administrators. Such diversity will probably result in continued conflict and specifically in difficult collective bargaining sessions.