UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones 5-2011 AAssssiissttiinngg tthhee aaccccoommppaannyyiinngg ppaarrttnneerr:: AA ddrraammaattuurrggiiccaall eexxppllaannaattoorryy ssttuuddyy ooff dduuaall ccaarreeeerr ccoouupplleess ooffifficceess Christine Promin University of Nevada, Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations Part of the Curriculum and Social Inquiry Commons, Educational Psychology Commons, Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education Commons, and the Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons RReeppoossiittoorryy CCiittaattiioonn Promin, Christine, "Assisting the accompanying partner: A dramaturgical explanatory study of dual career couples offices" (2011). UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. 922. http://dx.doi.org/10.34917/2261439 This Dissertation is protected by copyright and/or related rights. 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ASSISTING THE ACCOMPANYING PARTNER: A DRAMATURGICAL EXPLANATORY STUDY OF DUAL CAREER COUPLES OFFICES by Christine Kali Promin Bachelor of Fine Arts University of North Carolina, Greensboro 2000 Master of Fine Arts Stony Brook University 2003 A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Higher Education Department of Educational Leadership College of Education Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas May 2011 Copyright by Christine Kali Promin 2011 All Rights Reserved THE GRADUATE COLLEGE We recommend the dissertation prepared under our supervision by Christine Promin entitled Assisting the Accompanying Partner: A Dramaturgical Explanatory Study of Dual Career Couples Offices be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education Department of Educational Leadership Teresa Jordan, Committee Chair Sally Bomotti, Committee Member Gerald Kops, Committee Member Edith Rusch, Committee Member LeAnn Putney, Graduate Faculty Representative Ronald Smith, Ph. D., Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies and Dean of the Graduate College May 2011 i i ABSTRACT Assisting the Accompanying Partner: A Dramaturgical Explanatory Study of Dual Career Couples Offices by Christine Promin Dr. Teresa Jordan, Examination Committee Chair Professor of Educational Leadership University of Nevada, Las Vegas This study is a mixed methods explanatory sequential design framed in resource dependency theory that uses Goffman‘s dramaturgical analysis to explore how the dual career couples offices address issues, serve constituencies, and relate to the broader institution. The researcher examined schools with dual career offices by using the Higher Education Dual Couple Network [HEDCN]. In Phase I of the study, the researcher surveyed HEDCN affiliates regarding their dual career offices. In Phase II of the study, three schools from the HEDCN sample were selected through purposeful sampling for site visits which included in-depth, one-on-one interviews, observations, and artifact analysis. The research concludes with a discussion of potential, effective strategies gleaned from the data analysis that academic institutions might use to implement their own dual career office. Every institution wants to hire competitive faculty and administrators. Having a dual career office supports these institutional efforts. Based on the vast literature review, artifacts, and the findings of this study, the researcher arrived at the following dual career office suggestions: maintaining a healthy host office relationship, having a connected dual career ii i director, providing abundant dual career services, including refining assistance to ranked faculty and administrator partners for two years, and completing a yearly evaluation. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It was been an incredible five year journey. I have had the opportunity to meet amazing people and travel to new places. I am very fortune to have had the opportunity to live in Las Vegas and attend UNLV which crafted me into the person and researcher I am today. My gratitude goes to my committee: Dr. Sally Bomotti, Dr. Gerald Kops, Dr. Le Ann Putney, Dr. Edith Rusch, and especially my advisor, Dr. Teresa Jordan. These individuals provided me an opportunity to learn the standards of scholarly excellence by questioning, challenging, and guiding me throughout my course of study. Dr. Jordan nurtured and mentored me throughout my doctoral program and my dissertation process. I am honored to have been her graduate assistant and humbled to have had the opportunity to work with her. My thanks also goes out to everyone in the Graduate College for their continuous assistance. I want to thank my Mom, Dad, Grandma, friends, students, co-workers, and colleagues who have supported and guided me through this process. A special acknowledgement goes out to Amanda, Cloyd, Dave, Gary, Leo, Marian, Paco, Peter, Rafelle, Shelley, and Steve. I also want to thank my participants, editor, transcriptionist, travel agent, and boss without whom this course of action would not have been possible. Lastly, this is dedicated to the struggles I endured in the process and people that didn‘t believe it was possible for me to achieve- ―Look at me now!‖. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................... v LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................ xi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................... 1 Statement of Problem ..................................................................................... 2 Purpose of Study ............................................................................................. 4 Research Questions ........................................................................................ 4 Conceptual Framework ................................................................................... 5 Resource Dependency Theory ........................................................................ 6 Dramaturgy ..................................................................................................... 7 Methodology .................................................................................................... 9 Phase I: Survey ............................................................................................. 10 Pilot Test .................................................................................................. 10 Phase II: Site Visits ....................................................................................... 11 Interviews ................................................................................................. 11 Assumptions .................................................................................................. 12 Delimitations and Limitations ......................................................................... 12 Role of Researcher ....................................................................................... 12 Definitions ..................................................................................................... 13 Significance of Study ..................................................................................... 15 Summary ....................................................................................................... 16 CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE ....................................................... 17 Introduction .................................................................................................... 17 Dual Career Polices in Business ................................................................... 17 Dual Career Couples in Academia ................................................................ 22 Research on Dual Career Couples ................................................................ 26 The Dual Career Office .................................................................................. 27 Resource Dependency Theory ...................................................................... 34 Dramaturgical Analysis .................................................................................. 37 Summary ........................................................................................................ 42 CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY ..................................................................... 43 Introduction .................................................................................................... 43 Purpose of Study ........................................................................................... 43 Research Questions ...................................................................................... 44 Methodology .................................................................................................. 44 Design ........................................................................................................... 45 Phase I: Survey ............................................................................................. 46 Instrumentation and Data Collection ......................................................... 46 Survey Sample ......................................................................................... 47 v i Pilot Test .................................................................................................. 48 Reliability and Validity .............................................................................. 48 Phase II: Site Visits ........................................................................................ 48 Data Collection ........................................................................................ 48 Purposive Sampling ...................................................................................... 49 Pilot Test .................................................................................................. 49 Interview Protocol .................................................................................... 50 Data Analysis ........................................................................................... 51 Dramaturgical Analysis .................................................................................. 52 Team........................................................................................................ 55 Performer ................................................................................................. 55 Scripts ...................................................................................................... 57 Costume .................................................................................................. 57 Setting ........................................................................................................... 58 Impression Management ......................................................................... 58 The Front ................................................................................................. 60 The Back .................................................................................................. 61 Dramatic Realization ..................................................................................... 62 Domain Analysis ........................................................................................... 67 Trustworthiness ............................................................................................. 67 Summary ....................................................................................................... 68 CHAPTER 4 PHASE I: PILOT STUDY ......................................................... 69 Pilot Study 70 Rural State University ................................................................................... 71 Coastal State University ................................................................................ 75 Pilot: Survey Findings ................................................................................... 75 Pilot: Site Visits ............................................................................................. 78 Pilot: Cross Case Analysis ............................................................................ 80 Pilot Study Recommendations ...................................................................... 84 Conclusion .................................................................................................... 84 CHAPTER 5 PHASE I: SURVEY .................................................................... 86 Demographics ............................................................................................... 88 Office Characteristics .................................................................................... 90 Services ......................................................................................................... 91 Marketing ....................................................................................................... 94 Program Characteristics ................................................................................ 95 Conclusion ..................................................................................................... 96 CHAPTER 6 PHASE II: SITE VISITS ............................................................. 97 Private University ........................................................................................... 97 Midwestern State University ........................................................................ 103 European University .................................................................................... 108 Conclusion ................................................................................................... 112 v ii CHAPTER 7 PHASE II: CROSS CASE ANALYSIS ..................................... 113 Dramaturgical Analysis ................................................................................ 113 Team ....................................................................................................... 113 Actor/ Role ............................................................................................... 114 Script ....................................................................................................... 115 Costume .................................................................................................. 116 Setting ..................................................................................................... 116 Impression Management ......................................................................... 117 Front ........................................................................................................ 118 Back......................................................................................................... 118 Dramatic Realization................................................................................ 118 Differences in Dual Career Offices .............................................................. 123 Resource Dependency Theory .................................................................... 125 Dual Career Director‘s Role ......................................................................... 127 Conclusion ................................................................................................... 128 CHAPTER 8 SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, and RECOMMENDATIONS .... 130 Summary 130 Research Questions Answered ................................................................... 130 Research Question 1 .............................................................................. 131 Research Question 2 .............................................................................. 132 Research Question 3 .............................................................................. 134 Research Question 4 .............................................................................. 136 Research Question 5 .............................................................................. 138 Research Question 6 .............................................................................. 139 Discussion ................................................................................................... 141 Conclusions ................................................................................................. 142 Implications .................................................................................................. 143 Recommendations ....................................................................................... 144 Critic of Research Methods ......................................................................... 145 Further Research ......................................................................................... 146 REFERENCES………….. ................................................................................. 148 APPENDIX A SURVEY…….. ....................................................................... 163 APPENDIX B INTERVIEW QUESTIONS ..................................................... 168 APPENDIX C FIELD NOTE TEMPLATE ...................................................... 169 APPENDIX D RURAL STATE FIELD NOTES .............................................. 170 APPENDIX E COASTAL STATE FIELD NOTES ......................................... 172 APPENDIX F RECRUITMENT EMAIL ......................................................... 174 vi ii