Communities of practice are generally known as places of engagement, learning and development. The current research aims to develop understanding of Estonian early-career university teachers' learning and developing possibilities as teachers in the community of practice (in the university). This paper is based on narrative interviews of 25 early-career university teachers. On the basis of the analysis we found that in the beginning of an academic career, a novice teacher finds support mostly through informal relationships. Opportunities to learn in the community depend heavily on the traditions and activity of a particular unit.Käesoleva uurimuse eesmärgiks oli uurida ja tõlgendada Eesti ülikoolide algajate õppejõudude õppimise ja arenguvõimalusi akadeemilises kogukonnas. Uurimus tugineb 25 õppejõuga läbi viidud intervjuul, mille analüüsi tulemusel leidsime, et akadeemilise karjääri algul leiavad õppejõud tuge peamiselt mitteformaalsetest suhetest kolleegidega. Kogukonnas õppimise võimalused sõltuvad konkreetse akadeemilise üksuse traditsioonidest, algaja õppejõu enda valmisolekust ning ülikoolis pakutavatest professionaalse arengu tegevustest.

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In recent years the higher education context in Estonia, as in most European countries, has changed a lot. All changes have an impact on university teachers' practice and their work organisation, and are presenting new challenges. The current research aims at developing an understanding of Estonian early career academics' professional identity by using their teaching narratives. The research is based on the consideration that narratives have previously yielded good results in investigating professional identity and related underlying concepts. This article is based on semi-structured interviews with 41 early career academics specialising in various disciplinary fields in higher education. On the basis of the analysis, the authors found that academics constructed their life as a whole while retelling their stories and made links between their previous life and being an academic. The findings from the research reveal that early career academics' experiences of teaching and their professional identity as teachers differ depending on individual agency, prior learning, work experience, context, and informal relations. The research also showed that narratives helped the interviewees to view and reflect upon their experiences and professional identity as university teachers and plan their future perspectives in the university.

Changes in the content and organization of doctoral studies have provided material for researching different aspects of doctoral studies. Much of the current literature concentrates on identifying the functions that an effective supervisor needs to carry out. Less attention has been paid to how well supervisors understand the aims of doctoral studies. The aim of this study was to describe the Estonian PhD supervisors' conceptions about doctoral studies. The study is based on semi-structured interviews with 21 PhD supervisors from educational science and exact and natural science disciplines. The data was analyzed using qualitative thematic data analysis techniques. The results show that according to supervisors' conceptions, the aim of a doctoral study is to prepare future researchers and acquire academic writing skills as quickly as possible. Doctoral studies are also seen as an intermediate process in the course of becoming a researcher.

AnnotatsioonEsimestel tööaastatel peavad algajad õpetajad toime tulema erinevate olukordadega, sest sel ajal arenevad õpetamisoskused, saadakse õpetajate kogukonna liikmeks ning kujuneb õpetaja identiteet. Uurimused on näidanud, et algajad õpetajad vajavad ametisse sisseelamisel toetust, mistõttu on loodud ka mitmesuguseid tugisüsteeme. Samas on vähe tähelepanu pööratud sellele, kuidas kohanevad algajad õpetajad koolikeskkonnaga, millisena tajutakse erinevaid koolikollektiivi liikmeid enda toetajana ning mida ootavad algajad õpetajad koolikeskkonnalt kui tervikult, et õpetajatöösse paremini sisse elada. Artikli eesmärk on analüüsida algajate õpeta jate kirjeldusi kohanemisest koolikeskkonnaga ja institutsiooni erinevate liikmete rolli selles. Andmete kogumiseks salvestati täies mahus ühe aasta vältel toimunud kutseaasta seminarid. Seminaridel osales 13 algajat õpetajat. Tulemused näitasid, et algajate õpetajate kogemused kooliga kohanemisel olid erinevad. Eduka kohane mise eeldusena nimetati kolleegide toetavat hoiakut ja algajate õpetajate püüdlusi igas olukorras hakkama saada. Kõige sagedasemaks koolikeskkonnaga mitte kohanemise põhjuseks peeti algajate õpetajate ja institutsiooni liikmete erinevusi väärtus hinnangutes. Koolijuhi osa algaja õpetaja toetajana hinnati väheoluliseks, kuna algajatel õpetajatel tööalased kokkupuuted koolijuhiga peaaegu puudusid.