Behold the best and worst of me: the impostor phenomenon and academic behavior in the business area,

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between the impostor phenomenon (IP) and the academic behavior of stricto sensu postgraduate students in business area courses. Discussing the relationship between psychological variables and student academic behavior is a topic of interest as empirical evidence indicates that these variables affect the environment in which scientific research is developed. It is important to look for elements that help in understanding the IP in order to reduce its impacts on the performance, behavior, and feelings of students. Postgraduate students enrolled in stricto sensu courses may be refusing opportunities to advance in their professional careers and adopting behaviors that are discordant with those desired by universities because they feel like impostors in terms of their abilities. Besides the relevance of the relationships analyzed, this research also uses the Meurer and Costa Scale of Academic Behaviors - Stricto Sensu (MCSAB-SS), which can measure academic behaviors displayed in Brazilian postgraduate courses, enabling the development of new investigations into the topic. The population includes postgraduates enrolled in 2018 in academic master’s, professional master’s, and academic doctorate courses in administration, accounting, and economics, known as the business area. The data collection was operationalized via a survey carried out online, which obtained 1,816 valid participations. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, and the Spearman’s correlation. Higher levels of impostor feelings are positively associated with displays of counterproductive academic behaviors and are mostly negatively associated with academic citizenship behaviors. After identifying the IP in students, actions to minimize these feelings can be implemented, given that postgraduate students with the IP may not be engaging in the activities that permeate stricto sensu, thus damaging the climate and culture of cooperation needed in academia.

The impostor phenomenon among doctoral students: a scoping review

“…Moreover, as they realize that their academic career may not be successful, they gradually lose their academic aspiration and adopt behaviors that are contrary to university expectations. A study by the Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at the University of Waterloo (2016) found that graduate students with IP tend to have less contact with other students, struggle to effectively perform their duties as teaching assistants, and are less involved in practical activities, which can hinder their competence ( Meurer and Costa, 2020 ). These characteristics can be used as indicators of impostor among doctoral students.…”

Autossabotagem e trajetória acadêmica de estudantes de graduação da área de Negócios

“…Pessoas com essas características tendem a atribuir seu sucesso à sorte, ao acaso ou a fatores alheios a sua própria competência. Para justificar suas falhas e evitar julgamentos, alunos com maiores níveis de fenômeno impostor podem moldar seu comportamento acadêmico realizando atitudes de autossabotagem (Meurer & Costa, 2020).…”

Motivation of students in graduate programs: an analysis from differences in profiles in the field of Administration

“…The available research on graduate students is recent and concentrated in specific fields of knowledge, such as Health (Ferreira et al, 2015;Morrayre, 2013;Louzada;Silva Filho, 2005;Mendes;Venceslau;Aires;Prado Júnior, 2010;Teixeira et al, 2017;Viniegra et al, 2019); Sciences, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) (Crede, 2011;Head et al, 2021;Maclachlan, 2006;Mendes, 2017;Velho, 2012); Education (Abramowicz et al, 2009); Law (Marks;Moss, 2016); and Administration (Mccray;Joseph-Richard, 2021;Meurer;Costa, 2020;Tenorio, 2020;Stewart Williamson;King Junior, 2017). One can list at least three predominant themes in these studies.…”

“…Oliveira and Tenório (2020), in research with 629 graduates of private higher education institutions in Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte, found that most graduates were male (70%), with a mean age of 37 years old, and, among the masters, 57% had previously done specialization courses. Meurer and Costa (2020) conducted a nationwide study with 1,816 business students, with 51% female, 70% White, and 52% aged up to 33 years old.…”