"Diving" into the meanings and revealing conceptions of being a professor in management

Abstract

Purpose: The objective of this study is to identify conceptions of being a professor in Management. The theoretical reflections that have defined the understanding of the phenomenon are associated with teaching knowledge, professor training and conceptions of being a professor. Originality/value: The results of this study reveal that conceptions of being a professor reflect the practice of teaching and the development of knowledge perceived from the field's dominant ideologies, the socio-economic background, and the current political contexts. This study contributes to the process of professors' Management training. Design/methodology/approach: This is a qualitative study and uses phenomenography as a method to understand, based on outcome space, the meaning of conceptions identified through interviews conducted with 20 professors working in undergraduate and graduate Management programs in Brazil for more than ten years. Findings: The results of the data analysis allow the identification of four conceptions of being a professor: 1. a professional who performs the job like any other; 2. an educator who acts as a knowledge mediator; 3. an author of educational process; and 4. an agent who transforms people and him/herself.