An Investigation on the Dominant Career Anchors of Faculty Members: The Case of Mersin University

Due to social, economic, and political changes, as well as changing institutional priorities, the permeation of managerialism has impelled universities to redefine the roles and functions of its faculty members. Therefore, researchers from various disciplines have focused on the career choices and paths of such members. In this context, the purpose of the present study is to identify the dominant career anchors of faculty members and examine these anchors in regard to their academic status, gender, marital status, and administrative position) in their organization. The sample consisted of 306 faculty members of nine faculties at Mersin University. The data, obtained by the Career Anchors Scale, were first developed through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses by the researchers, and then analyzed using descriptive statistics, a t-test, and a one way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The analyses revealed that the dominant career anchors of the faculty members were job security, service and dedication, and autonomy independence. Furthermore, significant differences were observed in the career anchors of faculty members with respect to their academic status, gender, marital status, and administrative position in their organization. These results suggest that faculty members value a career that not only ensures economic security and stability but also allows maintenance of a healthy work-life balance.