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Research Proposal

Sports Administration with an Emphasis in Educational Leadership, Southeastern Oklahoma

State University

KIN 5053-W1: Applied Research Methods

Dr. Daigle

Effect of Gender on Hiring Practices for High School Athletic Directors

Purpose of the Study The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between hiring practices for

athletic directors and differences in gender trait characteristics. Prior literature shows a clear

distinction between male and female opportunities at the coaching and athletic director level. At

the athletic director level women were found to hold only 21.3% of these positions (Burton, Barr,

Fink & Bruening, 2009). This disparity in athletic director positions held by females is a key

purpose in this study to examine and research if hiring preferences in masculine traits result in

fewer females being hired as athletic directors in high school. By enlisting qualitative data this

study will find a relationship between preferences in masculine traits in the hiring process and

females in athletic director positions.

Justification of the Study There are many women that want a desire to become high school athletic director, yet the

data is indicative that they face more difficulties and challenges to get the athletic director job

and continue to sustain this job in their careers. Schull, Shaw & Kihl (2013) have shown there is

a clear “complexity of gender relations and provides insight into the gendered political process

that informs leadership searches”. This study is meant to dive into a deep understanding of the

complexity of masculine trait preference in the hiring process. The understanding of trait

preferences in hiring for athletic directors in high school will bring knowledge and awareness to

the hiring process and help bring more effective corrective measures in the hiring process. The

more informed that the hiring departments are with the knowledge that there can be “the good

ole boys' network”, then the more can be done to educate and bring forth equity for the many

women that want to move up in their career to an athletic director (Quarterman, DuPree & Willis,

2006).

Research Question, Hypotheses, and Propositions The research question for this study is what is the relationship between hiring practices and

gender in high school athletics? It is predicted that there are less women as high school athletic

directors than men due to a preference in masculine traits in the hiring process for high school

athletics.

Definition of Terms Hiring practices – The process of interviewing and selecting applicants to apply to the athletic

director's position. This includes steps from writing the job description, resume reviewing,

interviewing, and selection of the applicant for the position.

Gender – Biologically male or female

High school athletics – Any high school program that has an athletic program that consists of

team and individual sports that compete against any number of other high school. The program

consists of at least one athletic director and several coaches.

Athletic director – This can be a coach of a sport that simultaneously serves as an athletic

director or can be someone whose sole job purpose is to serve administratively as an athletic

director.

Masculine traits – stereotyped actions that are inherently attributed to men and manly qualities.

These qualities include but are not limited to natural leadership ability, strength, courage, and

assertiveness.

Brief Overview of Study Population The ideal population for this study is Texas high schools that participate in athletics and can be

located through the directory that the University of Interscholastic League compiles.

Sampling The sample will be taken from the University of Interscholastic League’s directory of high

school athletic programs. A simple random sample of 30 of the schools will be called to verify

their athletic director to ensure accuracy from the directory. After verification of accuracy, 100

high schools will be selected through a simple random sample to distribute a questionnaire to

their athletic director and their human resource hiring director that oversees hiring the athletic

directors. The sample will be done in the middle of fall when hiring has been done and school is

in session.

Instrumentation The instrument will consist of a questionnaire that will record key demographic results about the

respondents. The questionnaire will be based around finding out demographic information and

finding key preferences and qualities looked for when hiring, assessing, or working with

competent athletic directors. There will also be included sociometric devices and questions to

gauge the attitude levels of the different participants in masculine traits. In order to limit

extraneous variables, such as participants not willing to say that they prefer men in the athletic

director roles due to societal pressure, every care will be made to eliminate that direct questions

of Male vs. Female. Questions and attitude devices will be adapted from previous research

through adoption and adapting of these questions. The instrument will contain 10-20 questions

that are demographic, and preference driven with another 5-10 questions that are sociometric and

attitude driven toward female athletic directors.

Reliability Due to previous research and questionnaires that have been distributed, questions will be drawn,

and instrumentation will be adapted from these questions ensuring reliability due to the

confirmation and justification of questions.

Validity The questions will be tested first with a focus group to ensure that there are no confusing or

misleading questions. The questions will be corrected for justification and validity by randomly

selected members

Procedures The study and instrument will be mailed out with an incentive to return the study to high school

athletic directors and hiring human resource employee that will be given a cover letter along with

the instrument that will request return in 30 days. There will be a letter with mailing stamp and

addressed already in the packet to ensure ease of access in return. There will also be a reminder

letter sent out 15 days into the study to encourage response rate. Once results are collected, the

demographics will be kept anonymous to the researcher so there is no bias in interpreting and

looking through the data. The data will be gathered at the current time with the current hiring

managers that are currently participating in the school district. There is a possibility of limitation

of the response time and rate of the questionnaires. The data will be looked at to see how many

females to male athletic directors there are currently as well. There is also a probability that they

might not answer the attitudinal survey with the full truth so questions will have to be worded

and not be noted to note that it is about women in athletic director positions.

Possible extraneous variables that could affect this study include the lack of responses and

ensuring that there are accurate response rates within the random sample. I think that the

importance of phrasing the questions correctly is to ensure accurate attitudinal responses to the

questions that are reflected in the actual hiring practices.

Data Analysis The results and questionnaires that are sent back will have a variety of descriptive statistics as

well as quantitative data. The qualitative data will be analyzed and put into themes or categories

that best encompass overall results and then tallied to find out the results of those statistics. The

analysis will consist of a test of significance against the magnitude of r and go by the tables

understanding and interpretation in relationship to gender and masculine traits of influence. If

there is an outlier or discrepant cases within looking into hiring practices and female

participation as an athletic director, special attention should be paid to see what district the

outliers are in and what does that district have as an extraneous variable that might be affecting

that number. If so, averages can be skewed by these outliers.

Annotated Bibliography Burton, L. J., Barr, C. A., Fink, J. S., & Bruening, J. E. (2009). “Think Athletic Director, Think

Masculine?”: Examination of the Gender Typing of Managerial Subroles Within Athletic

Administration Positions. Sex Roles, 61(5–6), 416–426. https://doi.org/10.1007/

s11199-009-9632-6

This research journal examines the relationship of gender role theory and gender athletic

administrative positions. The research assigned the titles of sub roles to an inherently

feminine, masculine and neutral traits that are required when in a leadership position. The

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-009-9632-6

findings were that the masculine traits were significantly desired more when hiring for

the athletic director's role. Gender role theory may be affecting the relationship between

lack of women athletic directors and desired stereotypical traits.

Hoch, D. (2006). The Dearth of Women Athletic Directors. Coach & Athletic Director, 76(1),

14–15. https://web-s-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.se.edu/ehost/detail/detail?

vid=1&sid=f43b3756-8e8b-483f-9b7c-3bc3ee21bda9%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhv

c3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=21956257&db=f5h

This article explains the difficulties and disparity in athletic administration with females

through the perspective of various women and offers several key points to help advance

women in the sports industry. One of those points being to educate and empower those in

the hiring process of athletic directors that women are capable and competent in the

athletic director position.

Quarterman, J., DuPree, A., & Willis, K. (2006). Challenges Confronting Female Intercollegiate

Athletic Directors of NCAA Member Institutions by Division. College Student Journal,

40(3), 528–545. https://web-p-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.se.edu/ehost/detail/detail?

vid=4&sid=241e7782-3768-4a30-9c3a-48d26ab0b042%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWh

vc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=507912615&db=ofm

The study examined all three levels in the NCAA and the challenges that women as

athletic directors face an insight as well into why these difficulties might be occurring.

The research found that budget, gender pay equity, political network of male influence,

and inadequate facilities were all reasons for females attaining and keeping athletic

https://web-s-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.se.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=1&sid=f43b3756-8e8b-483f-9b7c-3bc3ee21bda9@redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ==%23AN=21956257&db=f5h

https://web-p-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.se.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=4&sid=241e7782-3768-4a30-9c3a-48d26ab0b042@redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ==%23AN=507912615&db=ofm

director positions. Even with the acknowledgement that women in sports leadership

positions have grown, the research is significant that there is still a disparity.

Schull, V., Shaw, S., & Kihl, L. (2013). “If a Women came in. . .She Would Have Been Eaten up

Alive”: Analyzing Gendered Political Processes in the Search for an Athletic Director.

Sage Publications, 27(1), 56–81. https://www-jstor-org.ezproxy.se.edu/stable/23486617?

seq=2#metadata_info_tab_contents

This qualitative case study seeks to understand the relationship of hiring practices in a

merger for a new athletic director and political, characteristic traits, gender desired while

in the process. The study found that overall men were viewed to be desired for success in

the athletic department and masculine traits were seen as desirable when conducting the

interviews and putting the qualitative information together. The article uses "political" to

describe the collective leaning of preferences in a leadership position, which was found

that the political landscape was directed toward a preference in hiring a male, but women

were in the running because of the interest and focus on doing so in today's climate.

Whisenant, W., Miller, J., & Pedersen, P. (2005). Systematic Barriers in Athletic Administration:

An Analysis of Job Descriptions for Interscholastic Athletic Directors.. Sex Roles,

53(11/12), 911–918. https://web-p-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.se.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/

pdfviewer?vid=2&sid=53286de1-4a0e-4845-be6a-6eb5e19ff8e4%40redis

The research article analyzed and examined job description of athletic directors in Texas

to find the relationship between job description and inherent bias toward females. The

article did find a significant relationship between job description and gender bias. The

https://www-jstor-org.ezproxy.se.edu/stable/23486617?seq=2%23metadata_info_tab_contents

https://web-p-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.se.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&sid=53286de1-4a0e-4845-be6a-6eb5e19ff8e4@redis

Kay Daigle

relation of football coach and the tie to athletic director in many schools can constitute as

inherent bias with tie to gender.

Whisenant, W., Pedersen, P., & Obenour, B. (2002). Success and Gender: Determining the Rate

of Advancement for Intercollegiate Athletic Directors. Sex Roles, 47(9/10), 485–491.

https://web-p-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.se.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=1&sid=2486e3f4-

ca74-4eab-

a5c9-978167c0ac5a%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=5077

95893&db=ofm

This study examined the success rate as an athletic director and the tie to gender. The

research found a significant link in success to males and lack of success to females

through their study. It did show that smaller institutions have a higher success rates for

females in the athletic director positions. It also found that hegemonic masculinity had

contributed to the success or lack of success as well.

https://web-p-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.se.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=1&sid=2486e3f4-ca74-4eab-a5c9-978167c0ac5a@redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ==%23AN=507795893&db=ofm

References Burton, L. J., Barr, C. A., Fink, J. S., & Bruening, J. E. (2009). “Think Athletic Director, Think