Organizational socialization is defined as a process in which an individual acquires the knowledge and skills necessary to fulfill a role, internalizes the values ​​and norms that are important in the organization, and experiences change by gaining a perspective on acceptable behaviors in the organization (Greenfield, 1985; Mertz, 2006, Van Maanen & Schein, 1977). The literature on educational administration has generally focused on principals, and the number of studies addressing the socialization processes of vice principals (e.g. Armstrong 2010, 2012, 2015, Grodzki, 2011, Kwan, 2019, Marshall & Greenfield, 1985, Mertz, 2006) has been limited. Being a vice principal involves very different experiences than being a principal in terms of being both a leader and a follower (Kwan, 2019). If vice principalship is considered as an intermediate step in the education administration career process, the success or failure of the socialization experience at this level may affect the future career planning of individuals. The socialization experience at this level may also create differences for female and male vice principals. Türkiye, one of the developing countries, ranks 127th among 146 countries according to the World Economic Forum's 2024 Global Gender Gap Report. According to TALIS (2018) data, the rate of female teachers in Turkey is 55.8%, while the rate of female principals is 7.2%. Therefore, the underrepresentation of women in management positions continues to be a problem. It is seen that women are heavily involved in the teaching profession but are not represented as much as men in management positions. In addition, when considered in terms of leadership positions, it can be said that women are more frequently involved in vice principal positions than in principal positions. Investigating women's leadership experiences at various management levels is important in terms of developing data-based policies and taking necessary precautions in women's career development processes.

Armstrong (2012) developed a model that examines the transition process of vice principals from teaching to management in four stages: entry-exit, immersion- emersion, disintegration-reintegration, and transformation-re-stabilization. This model did not include an explanation in the context of the gender of vice principals, but there were very limited studies that attempt to demonstrate the validity of this model on male and female vice principals in different cultures (see Daugherty, 2017). Therefore, it can be said that there is a need for new research findings that examine the model in question in terms of different cultures and genders. In this study, the examination of the socialization processes of vice principals according to gender was continued. In addition, a new perspective was added to the analysis. The findings regarding the role of the gender of the principals with whom vice principals interact in their socialization process were also investigated. Thus, it was possible to contribute to the literature produced for the socialization process of vice principals, especially in developing countries. In summary, the general aim of this study was to analyze the socialization experiences of assistant principals working in private schools on the basis of gender. In this context, the sub-aim of the study were listed as follows:

• How were male and female vice principals working in private schools socialized?
• What were the reasons for the similarities and differences in the socialization experiences of male and female vice principals working in private schools?
• What was the role of working with a same-sex or opposite-sex principals in the socialization experience of vice principals?

In this study, phenomenological study is used. A phenomenological study describes the common meaning for several individuals of their lived experiences of a concept or a phenomenon (Creswell, 2013). Correspondingly, this study tries to explore the experiences of vice-principals at private schools in Turkey. Socialization of vice-principals (the challenges and coping mechanism in the absence of a formal professional development program) is considered as the phenomenon explored in this research. The present study provides an in-depth look at the personal and professional stories of new vice-principals. Purposive sampling was used to represent diversity based on gender, grade and number of years of experience as a vice-principal. The participants are comprised of eight vice-principals, four males and four females. Semi-structured interviews are used to collect data. The data obtained is analyzed by using inductive qualitative content analysis. Creswell’s (2013) qualitative data analysis steps are followed: coding the data, classifying themes, organizing codes and themes, and defining and interpreting findings. Thus, individual responses are coded according to the research questions and further analyzed to determine recurring themes.

Vice principals in Turkey have difficulty in their first years since there is no structured mentoring. They must solve the problems they face on their own. It makes them feel lonely and anxious. The challenges facing Turkish vice-principals are identified: balancing teaching and administrative duties, standing by school principals or supporting teacher colleagues, gain acceptance and trust. Because of the dual-career track, vice principals become aware of the administrative tasks only after they get the position. Some vice-principals struggle to keep up the same level of passion for their teaching and spend time with students because of the increased workload, and as a result, they feel disappointed. Another challenge they faced is to put a balance with school principals and teacher colleagues. Turkish vice-principals experience "structural loneliness" in their position since they don’t know how to communicate with their teacher peers in their own schools as new vice principals but former teachers. They often choose to keep a distance and to decrease the level of contact with teacher peers. The findings also suggested that the vice-principals trust on external resources such as family, experienced vice principals, colleagues to gain emotional and professional support since there is no formal mentoring in Turkey. Additionally, our findings have revealed that gender has a pivotal role in informal mentoring. Male vice-principals gather support whenever they need from their female principals, which help them resolve their dilemmas. On the other hand, female vice-principals could not get support until they gain trust of male school principals, which makes them feel lonely and leave the profession. Consequently, patriarchal understanding emerges as a significant determinant of the socialization process in this study, influencing the interaction between school principals and vice principals in school management.

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