leadership styles of women in distance education

LEADERSHIP STYLES OF WOMEN IN DISTANCE EDUCATION

Gülay EKRENSinop University

Vocational School of Ayancık

5th International Conference on New Trends in Educationand Their Implications, ICONTE- 2014

Antalya/TURKEY

Contents

• Leadership and woman

• Leadership styles

• The purpose of the study

• Methodology

• Results

• Conclusions and Recommendations

Leadership and woman

• Leadership is the ability to guide activities of an organization or a group of people

• a concept that is perceived as masculine

• Therefore, effective leadership is attributed tomen associated with communication anddecision-making styles more than womenassociated with communal and inclusive style

Leadership and woman

• Women is regarded as the need for several leadership styles, adopted flexibility rather than stereotype in any case

• Women need to be encouraged by others to see themselves at the head of things because having more skills than they know and have softer skills and attributes of leadership

Leadership Styles

as most focused in literature;

• Democratic

• Autocratic

• Situational

• Visionary

• Laissez-faire

• Transformational

• Transactional

Leadership Styles

Autocratic leader: decides or resolves the problem using theinformation given to them.

Democratic leader: recognise to others about how things work. Laissez-faire leader: using the minimum level of authority and

leaves them to their fates.Situational leader: give the requested information about the

institution at any time, determines that employee or agency is ready for change.

Visionary leader: effective in show-vision, creates specificobjectives, starts activities and ensures the participation of others.

Transformational leader: develop a vision, providesorganizational identification respecting to others.

Transactional leader: know what others expect from work thatdone together and allows them to do it.

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The purpose of the study

• In this study, by choosing one of the most focused leadership styles in the literature was asked for defining themselves to women academics who are working in distance education institutions in Turkey,

• then the demographic and personal characteristics (age, appellation, duty, management status, distance education experience)

of these women were compared with their own leadership styles defined by them.

Methodology

• A quantitative study

• 187 women working for distance educationare responded, 132 valid respond are used forsurvey

• The participants included; instructors, coordinators, content developmentspecialists, evaluation specialists, instructionaldesigners, managers, top managers, editors, experts, support staff and others.

According to you, which of the following is yourown leadership style?

• Democratic

• Autocratic

• Situational

• Visionary

• Laissez-faire

• Transformational

• Transactional

• Other………………………………….

Results

I asked to define their leadership style.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Leadership styles of participants

Frequency

Results

25 and younger3%

between 25-30 17%

between 31-3517%

between 36-40 20%

between 41-4520%

between 46-50 14%

between 51-556%

between 56-602% 60 and older

1% Participant’s Age

Results

Prof. Dr.13%

Assoc. Prof. Dr.13%

Asis. Prof. Dr.28%

Instructor/Expert/Lecturer30%

Research Assistant

9%

High School Secretary1%

Official5%

Others1%

Participant’s Appellation

Results

• Count of management status such as rector, vice-rector, dean, vice-dean, manager, vice-manager, department head, vice-department head, coordinator, vice-coordinator etc. of participants including past and present

029,5%

143,2%

218,2%

37,6%

40,8%

50,8%

Results

• How many participants have management status before ornow?

Respond Frequency Percent

Yes 93 70,5

No 39 29,5

Total 132 100

Results

• Duties of participants in distance education institutions

Duty in distance institution Frequency PercentInstructor 72 54,5Coordinator 27 20,5

Content development specialist 3 2,3

Evaluation specialist 4 3Instructional designer 3 2,3Manager 2 1,5Top manager 1 0,8Editor 2 1,5Specialist 2 1,5Support staff 12 9,1Board member 1 0,8Others 3 2,3

Results

• Women are mostly in instructor and coordinator position

Instructor, 72Coordinator, 27Content

development specialist, 3

Evaluation specialist, 4

Instructional designer, 3

Manager, 2

Top manager, 1

Editor, 2

Specialist, 2

Support staff, 12

Board member, 1 Others, 3

Results

Professional experiences of participants in distance education

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 13 15 16 17 18 19 20 23 28 30 31

Frequency

Results

Date

StartedCount Universities

1982 1 Anadolu 1996 1 İstanbul Teknik 1997 1 Sakarya2002 4 Ahmet Yesevi, Ankara, Mersin, Boğaziçi

2003 1 Çukurova2008 4 Beykent, Gazi, Süleyman Demirel, Trakya

2009 16

Afyon Kocatepe, Atatürk, Balıkesir, Cumhuriyet, İnönü, İstanbul, İstanbul Aydın, Karadeniz Teknik, Kırıkkale, Marmara, Maltepe, Okan, Ondokuz Mayıs, Plato Meslek Yüksekokulu, Uşak, Zirve

2010 7 Bartın, Karabük, Yıldız Teknik, Dicle, Dokuz Eylül, Kocaeli, Akdeniz

2011 5 Başkent, Beykoz Lojistik Meslek Yüksekokulu, Bitlis Eren, Fatih, İstanbul Arel

2012 7Amasya, Celal Bayar, Ege, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart, Mevlana, Muğla Sıtkı Koçman, Yıldırım Beyazıt

2013 7Gediz, Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam, Nevşehir, Namık Kemal, Bülent Ecevit, Atılım, Yıldız Teknik

Universities which are engaging in distance education in Turkey

Results-Relationships

• The relationship between participants’ age and leadershipstyle defined by them is not significant (x2 = 50.95, 48 df., p = 3.58),

• The relationship between participants’ appellation and leadership style defined by them is not significant (x2 = 35.25, 42 df., p = 7.60),

• The relationship between participants’ count of managementstatus and leadership style defined by them is not significant (x2 = 31.04, 30 df., p = 0.413),

• therefore we accept that there is no relationship betweenparticipants’ age, appellation, count of management statusand leadership style defined by women in distanceeducation.


• The relationship between participants’ professionalexperience and leadership style defined by them is significant(p<0.05).

Chi-Square Tests

Value df p

Pearson Chi-Square 176,645a 126 ,002

Likelihood Ratio 102,265 126 ,940

Linear-by-Linear Association ,648 1 ,421

N of Valid Cases 132

a. 145 cells (94,2%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is ,01.

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Professional Experience

Leadership styles of women in distance education

TotalDemocratic Transactional Situational Tranformational VisionaryLaissez-

faire Autocratic

1Count 11 3 3 2 2 0 3 24

% within 45,8% 12,5% 12,5% 8,3% 8,3% 0,0% 12,5% 100,0%

2Count 7 0 0 3 8 0 1 19

% within 36,8% 0,0% 0,0% 15,8% 42,1% 0,0% 5,3% 100,0%

3Count 7 1 2 1 5 0 3 19

% within 36,8% 5,3% 10,5% 5,3% 26,3% 0,0% 15,8% 100,0%

4Count 4 0 0 2 8 0 1 15

% within 26,7% 0,0% 0,0% 13,3% 53,3% 0,0% 6,7% 100,0%

5Count 8 3 1 1 4 0 1 18

% within 44,4% 16,7% 5,6% 5,6% 22,2% 0,0% 5,6% 100,0%

6Count 2 0 0 1 3 0 1 7

% within 28,6% 0,0% 0,0% 14,3% 42,9% 0,0% 14,3% 100,0%

7Count 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2

% within 0,0% 50,0% 50,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 100,0%

8Count 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

% within 100,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 100,0%

9Count 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 2

% within 50,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 50,0% 0,0% 0,0% 100,0%

10Count 2 0 0 1 2 0 0 5

% within 40,0% 0,0% 0,0% 20,0% 40,0% 0,0% 0,0% 100,0%

11Count 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

% within 100,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 100,0%

13Count 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1

% within 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 100,0% 0,0% 0,0% 100,0%

15Count 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 4

% within 50,0% 0,0% 50,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 100,0%

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Professional Experience


TotalDemocratic Transactional Situational Tranformational VisionaryLaissez-

faire Autocratic

16Count 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1

% within 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 100,0% 0,0% 0,0% 100,0%

17Count 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2

% within 50,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 50,0% 100,0%

18Count 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1

% within 0,0% 0,0% 100,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 100,0%

19Count 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2

% within 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 100,0% 0,0% 0,0% 100,0%

20Count 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

% within 100,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 100,0%

23Count 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1

% within 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 100,0% 0,0% 0,0% 100,0%

28Count 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2

% within 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 100,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 100,0%

30Count 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2

% within 50,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 50,0% 0,0% 100,0%

31Count 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2

% within 50,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 50,0% 100,0%

TotalCount 50 8 10 13 38 1 12 132

% within 37,9% 6,1% 7,6% 9,8% 28,8% ,8% 9,1% 100,0%


• The relationship between participants’ duty in distanceeducation institution and leadership style defined by them issignificant (p<0.05).

Chi-Square Tests

Value df p

Pearson Chi-Square 109,107a

72 ,003


Linear-by-Linear Association ,616 1 ,432



Duty in distanceeducation


TotalDemocratic Transactional SituationalTranformation

al VisionaryLaissez-

faire Autocratic

InstructorCount 24 5 6 8 24 0 5 72

% within 33,3% 6,9% 8,3% 11,1% 33,3% 0,0% 6,9% 100,0%

CoordinatorCount 12 3 2 0 7 0 3 27

% within 44,4% 11,1% 7,4% 0,0% 25,9% 0,0% 11,1% 100,0%

Content Development

Specialist

Count 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 3

% within 33,3% 0,0% 33,3% 0,0% 33,3% 0,0% 0,0% 100,0%

Evaluation Specialist

Count 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 4

% within 50,0% 0,0% 25,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 25,0% 100,0%

Instructionaldesigner

Count 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 3

% within 66,7% 0,0% 0,0% 33,3% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 100,0%

ManagerCount 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 2

% within 50,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 50,0% 0,0% 0,0% 100,0%

Top managerCount 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

% within 100,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 100,0%

EditorCount 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 2

% within 50,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 50,0% 0,0% 0,0% 100,0%

SpecialistCount 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 2

% within 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 50,0% 0,0% 0,0% 50,0% 100,0%

Support staffCount 6 0 0 2 2 0 2 12

% within 50,0% 0,0% 0,0% 16,7% 16,7% 0,0% 16,7% 100,0%

Board memberCount 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1

% within 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 100,0% 0,0% 0,0% 100,0%

Office managerCount 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1

% within 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 100,0% 0,0% 0,0% 100,0%

OthersCount 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 2

% within 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 50,0% 0,0% 50,0% 0,0% 100,0%

TotalCount 50 8 10 13 38 1 12 132

% within 37,9% 6,1% 7,6% 9,8% 28,8% ,8% 9,1% 100,0%

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• The relationship between participants who havemanagement status before or now and leadership styledefined by them is significant (p<0.05).

Chi-Square Tests

Value df p

Pearson Chi-Square 22,433a

6 ,001


Linear-by-Linear Association 14,469 1 ,000



Have you been any

management status before

or now?


Total

De

mo

crat

ic

Tran

sact

ion

al

Situ

atio

nal

Tran

form

atio

nal

Vis

ion

ary

Lais

sez-

fair

e

Au

tocr

atic

Yes

Count 28 4 5 10 35 0 11 93

% within 30,1% 4,3% 5,4% 10,8% 37,6% 0,0% 11,8% 100,0%

No

Count 22 4 5 3 3 1 1 39

% within 56,4% 10,3% 12,8% 7,7% 7,7% 2,6% 2,6% 100,0%

Total

Count 50 8 10 13 38 1 12 132

% within 37,9% 6,1% 7,6% 9,8% 28,8% ,8% 9,1% 100,0%

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Conclusions and Recommendations

• Women marginalization in distance education is seen as an important issue in international and at regional conferencesand platforms (Abiodun, 2008)

• Barriers preventing advancement of women into seniormanagement positions can summarize as gender stereotyping, lack of qualifications, fear of not succeeding, familyresponsibilities, lack of networking skills and lack of time (Maseko and Proches, 2013) –glass ceiling--


• More studies are needed to understand women’s impact in management (White, Carvalho, Riordan, 2011).

• Distance education has an important role to play in providingopportunities for women to participate (Janaki, 2006). Alsothere are no structural barriers to prevent woman as an educational leader so rapidly progressing areas such as distance education is important for women seeking toadvance and women can deal with senior positions withpersistence, resilience and a commitment to self-development(Bradley , 2013).


• In this study, women working for distance educationinstitutions are defining themselves mostly as a democraticor visionary leaders. The presence of women in distanceeducation is significant not only in the success of women as functionaries in the field but also in the recognition of women's experience as the basis for an adequate theory of distance education. Theories of distance education generatedby men cannot speak for the experience of women. Womenare necessarily central figures in developing appropriatetheory and practice for a growing female learner population(Janaki, 2006). Therefore women leaders are seen as a requirement for distance education institutions in this study.

Thank you for your participation

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