Impression management in the private educational organizations: A case study

This study has been conducted to determine impression management strategies used by teachers working in private educational organizations. The research was designed as a qualitative study and conducted by means of the case study method; specifically holistic multiple case pattern method which is one of the main qualitative research methods. The study group was composed of 15 teachers actively working in private educational organizations in Antalya. The teachers in the study group were selected by using the snowball (chain-referral) sampling method. Data of this research were obtained with face to face interview procedure by using a semi-structured interview form. The data collection instrument, a semi-structured interview form, was prepared by researcher based on the conceptual framework and specialist opinions. The data obtained from the interviews were descriptively analyzed, additively categorized under main themes. According to the results of the research, it was seen that the teachers used impression management tactics effectively. The most common use of these tactics is the fear of losing their job and receiving approval. Teachers use impression management tactics to have power in the educational organization and influence to protect their own benefits. Based on the results obtained from the research findings and the opinions of the participants, suggestions were made for practitioners and researchers in order to reduce the negative effects of the strategies.