Becoming a PI: agency, persistence and some luck!

McAlpine, Lynn; Turner, George F.; Saunders, Sharon; Wilson, Natacha

doi:10.1108/ijrd-12-2015-0033

Cited by 19 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…activating mentoring networks involved all three dimensions). Our findings (particularly the “rallying” phase) also add to literature illuminating resilience, agency, efficacy and persistence among researchers and faculty members in higher education (McAlpine et al , 2016; McIntyre and Hellstein, 2014; Niehaus et al , 2017).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 64%

“…Our process included three phases: recognizing, rallying and resolving. Similar to Evans’s (2011) initial stage and McAlpine et al ’s (2016) finding regarding emotional dimensions of researcher development, our “recognizing” phase involved coming to terms with elements of our practice that were falling short (e.g. responding to reviewer feedback and grappling with multiple theoretical perspectives).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Still, scholars are devoting increased attention to researcher development and related components of early academic life among doctoral students, postdoctoral scholars and early career faculty members, particularly in Australia, Canada, the UK and the USA (McAlpine and Åkerlind, 2010). For example, McAlpine et al (2016) found that successfully journeying from the doctorate to principal investigator roles involved emotional ups and downs and relied upon belief in oneself, agency and persistence. Niehaus et al (2017) interviewed 17 early career faculty members in higher education who exhibited efficacy in conducting research.…”

Section: Literature Review and Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seeking “better ways”: early career faculty researcher development

Robbins

LePeau

2018

SGPE

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Purpose Researcher development is an important but underexplored topic with implications for knowledge production, graduate education, faculty development and equity in higher education. The purpose of this constructivist instrumental case study was to understand how the process of writing and publishing from qualitative dissertations sparked researcher development among two pre-tenure faculty members in higher education. Design/methodology/approach Two researchers and seven data sources (i.e. six essays and one dialogue transcript) were used to construct the case. Researchers first inductively and independently coded the data sources. Researchers then collectively used the constant comparative technique (Charmaz, 2014) for data analysis. Findings Data analysis uncovered an iterative, three-phase process of seeking “better ways” (Evans, 2011) to translate dissertations into publications. This process included (1) recognizing one or more issues in the research design or conveyance of data, (2) rallying in a multitude of ways to seek better ways to address the issue(s) and (3) resolving the issue(s) by following internal voices and finding “better ways”. Originality/value Findings offer implications for faculty members’ approaches to mentoring and graduate preparation, and for postdoctoral and early career scholars’ agentic approaches to publishing, teaching and reflecting on one’s own researcher development.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 64%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Literature Review and Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seeking “better ways”: early career faculty researcher development

Robbins

LePeau

2018

SGPE

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“…Part of the interview (central to this analysis) was a detailed explanation of the positive and negative events reported in the survey (from the beginning of the PhD), which allowed situating significant events within their broader experiences. To examine how significant events may be experienced in a shorter temporality, interviewees were also asked to create a journey plot, a visual method (McAlpine, 2016; McAlpine et al , 2016). The use of visual methods within an interview is considered well suited to capturing experiences with related emotions through time (Miller and Brimicombe, 2003).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Post-PhD researchers’ experiences: an emotionally rocky road

Skakni

McAlpine

2017

SGPE

Self Cite

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Purpose This study aims to examine how post-PhD researchers construct their identities through significant work experiences as they endeavour to develop their research independence and a distinct scholarly profile. The authors were especially interested in how they made meaning of their important work experiences, the ones that were emotionally salient. Design/methodology/approach Using a narrative approach, the analysis was conducted on a data subset from a large cross-national mixed-methods research project about early-career researchers’ identity development. The sample included 71 post-PhD researchers from the UK who completed an online survey. Ten of whom were also interviewed through a semi-structured protocol. Findings Post-PhD researchers considered work experiences to be significant when those experiences helped them to gauge whether their self-representation as researchers was coherent and a further research career was practicable. The same type of significant event (e.g. publishing in a prestigious journal) could hold different meanings depending on who experienced it. Positive experiences helped to maintain their motivation and made them feel that they were consolidating their identities. Negative experiences tended to challenge their sense of identity and their sense of belonging to academia. Whereas positive feelings towards a significant experience appeared to persist over time, negative feelings seemed to fade or evolve through self-reflection, but ultimately had greater saliency. Originality/value Few previous studies have been conducted on how emotionally powerful work experiences influence post-PhD researchers’ identity development. Besides highlighting how emotions and feelings, often-neglected aspects of identity development, influence the process, this study offers a constructive – and, in some ways, alternative – view of the impact that negative experiences have on their identity development.

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“…Fellows' reflections on their journeys appeared to indicate that luck, fortune or serendipity were important parts of the story. For instance, finding themselves in a priority area during their postdoc years (Araújo, 2009;McAlpine et al, 2016), could be considered a windfall although luck and novelty should be considered as sufficiently distinctive and this distinction may make all the difference between a successful and a rejected fellowship proposal:…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The experiences of research fellows seeking independence in multiple communities of practice

Petichakis

Sætnan

Clark

2019

SGPE

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Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the lived experiences of current or recent research fellows holding a prestigious research fellowship, and are based in a research-intensive university in the UK. The authors of this study explored the challenges and opportunities that come with the transition of these individuals from a postdoctoral position to a fellowship. Design/methodology/approach Using a qualitative research method and through semi-structured interviews with a purposively selected sample, this research attempts to interpret the lived experiences of four research fellows by making sense of their narratives and reflections on their roles through their career development and the pursuit of research independence in their field. Findings Three themes were identified following the analysis of the data collected, namely, the freedom to explore, managing relationships and serendipity. The emphasis on achieving research independence, with the first signs of independence appearing from their postdoctoral years, was stated as an important factor in the career development of the research fellow. Gaining legitimacy and membership to multiple communities of practice simultaneously appeared to be a productive yet challenging developmental experience. Originality/value While attention in recently published output has been given to the professional development of research students and postdoctoral staff, exploring the views of research fellows remains an under-researched area in the field of researcher development. This qualitative study aims to start a discussion by exploring the lived experiences of this select group as they explain their identity-trajectory in research and pursue their aspirations towards achieving an academic post.

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Becoming a PI: agency, persistence and some luck!

Cited by 19 publications

References 30 publications

Seeking “better ways”: early career faculty researcher development

Seeking “better ways”: early career faculty researcher development

Post-PhD researchers’ experiences: an emotionally rocky road

The experiences of research fellows seeking independence in multiple communities of practice

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