Assisting in the Management of Faculty Role Stress : Recommendations for Faculty Developers

Abstract

Role theory is a sociological perspective that examines the ways in which interactions with others in a social environment can lead to role-related stress. Faculty may suffer from role-related stressors such as role conflict, ambiguity, and overload as they navigate the job facets of research, engagement, and teaching. This role stress can result in the prioritization of certain facets and the neglect of others. Faculty developers are uniquely positioned to help faculty work through role stress while also promoting quality teaching and engagement practices. Service-learning, the scholarship of teaching and learning, the scholarship of engagement, and self-study are discussed as strategies that work toward multiple institutional missions at once. By capitalizing on synergies among various aspects of their work, faculty can avoid stress and achieve a sense of role balance. Recommendations for helping faculty achieve role balance are discussed, as are implications for the work of faculty developers. M