Management and Mentoring: Experiences of Assistant Professors in Working with Research Assistants

Purpose: Tenure track assistant professors often work closely with research assistants (RAs) yet little is known about their preparedness and training to supervise and support these students.  While RAs can be a great resource for new professors, working with RAs can be challenging.  This study used a mixed methods approach to examine assistant professors’ experiences working with student research assistants, a topic that has received little attention in the literature.   We sought to answer four research questions:  How do assistant professors use RAs to support their work?  What challenges have they experienced in working with research assistants? What strategies have they used to overcome these challenges? and What training or supports might they need to better utilize RAs?

Methods: We used a sequential mixed methods approach, first gathering quantitative survey data, then conducting in depth qualitative interviews with a random subset of survey respondents.  A web-based survey was sent to all assistant professors at member schools of the Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education (n=375) and 36% responded to the survey (n=135).  Questions asked about participant characteristics, recruitment and training of RAs, tasks RAs performed, satisfaction with the work and relationship, challenges, and strategies for overcoming them.  We randomly selected 15 of 42 respondents who volunteered to participate in a qualitative interview.  Interviews were conducted by phone using a semi-structured interview guide.  Open-ended responses from the quantitative survey were analyzed by two coders using an open coding approach, then grouped into themes which were used as sensitizing codes for analyzing the in depth qualitative interviews. A team of 3 coders then used an iterative process to develop a final codebook and coded all 15 interviews.

Results: Over half the sample (56%) had been assistant professors for 3 years or less.  Half had experience supervising an RA as a doctoral or post/doctoral student and 74% had received RA support as part of a faculty start up package.  Almost all had asked their RA to do literature reviews and many had used their RA for data collection, entry and analysis.  Most were satisfied with the relationship with their first RA (mean 7.53, SD=2.54, range1-10) but fewer reported the RA had helped to start their research agenda (mean=4.98, SD=3.10, range 1-10).  Challenges ranged from lack of fit, insufficient preparation, relationship difficulties, time for supervision and structural challenges.  Strategies suggested for successfully working with RAs included focusing on RA needs, selecting well, being specific about tasks, being intentional about mentorship,  adopting realistic expectations, and getting administrative support.

Implications: Findings suggest potential points of intervention at both the faculty and departmental level.  Strategies for new professors include thoughtful assessment of RA skills and assigning specific tasks with built in feedback mechanisms.  At the departmental level, supports are needed to develop assistant professor skills in managing and mentoring RAs and training RAs in basic skills and professional socialization.  Programs can promote strong relationships by assisting to set expectations for the relationship on both sides and providing clear procedures for matching students and professors.