Leading for Whom? Teaching-Research Officers’ Role Perception and Work Engagement in Chinese Mainland

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to analyze both teaching-research officers’ (TROs) role perceptions and work engagement, figuring out how their competing roles are balanced to ensure continued work engagement and which roles have greater benefits to the community and educational reform. Design/Approach/Methods: The study employs a questionnaire, which is composed of an inventory of work role requirements and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, to investigate TROs’ role perception, work engagement, and their relationship. Findings: TROs’ work experience had a complicated relationship with their work engagement. The two strands of the TROs’ role orientation co-existed within their daily work and strengthened each other through exerting effects on the dedication and absorption aspects of work engagement. However, TROs concerned with teacher development displayed higher work engagement than those who put a greater emphasis on policy implementation. Originality/Value: The study contributes to current research in three respects. First, it bridges the macro-level trend of education reform with micro-level role internalization of individuals. Second, it broadens our understanding of work engagement by linking it with the subjective perceptions of one’s work role. Finally, this Chinese case is expected to enrich international perspectives on teacher leaders in the context of top-down districtwide instructional reform.