Role Clarity and Conflict in Team Teaching: Impacts on Student Learning Outcomes in Higher Education

Abstract

This study examines how team-teaching climate relates to students’ perceptions of their role conflict and role clarity, and how these perceptions influence perceived competency and satisfaction in higher education. Data were collected from 184 undergraduates enrolled in a team-taught course at a large public American university. Participants completed an online survey measuring perceptions of team-teaching climate, role conflict and role clarity, and learning outcomes related to satisfaction and competency. A mixed-methods design was employed, combining quantitative survey analysis with qualitative student feedback from open-ended course evaluations. Results indicate that a positive team-teaching climate is significantly associated with lower levels of role conflict and higher levels of role clarity. Further, role conflict is negatively related to perceived competency and satisfaction, whereas role clarity shows a positive relationship with learning outcomes. Qualitative findings provide contextual insight into how students experience instructional coordination, clarity, and confusion in team-taught courses, reinforcing and elaborating upon the quantitative results. Together, these findings underscore the importance of faculty development initiatives that support effective communication, coordination, and consistent instructional messaging in team teaching. By clarifying how team-teaching climate shapes students’ role perceptions and learning outcomes, this study contributes to both theory and practice in collaborative teaching in higher education.