‘Overwhelmed at first’: the experience of career development in early career academics

Hollywood, Amelia; McCarthy, Daniel; Spencely, Carol; Winstone, Naomi

doi:10.1080/0309877x.2019.1636213

Cited by 73 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 53 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Similar to students' first-year experiences, which are crucial for the success of their studies (Naylor, Baik, & Arkoudis, 2018), early-career academics' experiences are essential for their careers (Hollywood, McCarthy, Spencely & Winstone, 2019). University teachers' careers can begin in numerous ways.…”

Section: First Teaching Experience and Professional Identitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Change in University Pedagogical Culture – The Impact of Increased Pedagogical Training on First Teaching Experiences

Murtonen

Vilppu

2020

IJLTER

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study aims to explore whether the increase in pedagogical training has had any effect on new teachers' experiences. We consider first teaching experiences to be crucial for a teacher's career and the development of the environment's pedagogical culture. We hypothesised that even if new faculty begin their teaching career without any formal pedagogical training, due to the changed pedagogical culture within faculties, they receive more support from their colleagues than their peers did 10 or 20 years ago. In this study, teachers with different amounts of teaching experience were asked to describe their first teaching experiences to get an overall picture of topical issues (Study A). Then, a larger sample was collected to shed more light on the assumed change in teaching cultures (Study B). According to the results, the majority (63.6%) of novice teachers with 0 to 4 years of teaching experience did not have pedagogical training. However, the amount of aid that novice teachers received from their colleagues was higher among those who had recently begun their careers compared to more experienced teachers, suggesting a change in teaching cultures. Novice teachers' experience that teaching interferes with their research indicates that the changes in pedagogical culture are only partial, leaving the professional identity underdeveloped.

show abstract

Section: First Teaching Experience and Professional Identitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Change in University Pedagogical Culture – The Impact of Increased Pedagogical Training on First Teaching Experiences

Murtonen

Vilppu

2020

IJLTER

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The countless mental and behavioural shifts can disrupt a person's well-being if they cannot engage in sustainable practices or obtain appropriate mentorship. Thus, there are strong correlations between academic workload, writing in isolation and the challenges of achieving mental well-being (Chang & Lee, 2020;Hollywood et al, 2020;Price et al, 2015).…”

Section: Sustainable Writing Processesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Novice Academic Roles: The Value of Collegiate, Attendee-Driven Writing Networks

Wilson

Cutri

2021

IJDS

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Aim/Purpose: This particular study aims to contribute to the recent scholarly inquiry of doctoral student identity work within collegiate, attendee-driven writing networks. The study closely explores the implementation and impact of supportive measures in academia for novice researchers in the form of writing events. This paper draws on two case studies of doctoral students reflecting on the impact of their participation in social, academic literacy networks. The project also explores how these individuals were able to think about and mediate their own identities as they developed their reputations as experts in their field. Background: Completing a doctoral degree is a rich, rewarding endeavour; however, it is also a challenging process. Novice academics are vulnerable to psychosocial and emotional stresses associated with being an academic within the highly competitive environment, such as isolation and burnout. More recently, scholarly interest has emerged regarding the academy’s pressures upon novice researchers, such as those entering full-time academic roles after completing their doctoral studies. Methodology: A qualitative research design was implemented where data collection for this project involved in-depth semi-structured interviewing. The nature of the semi-structured interviews enabled professional dialogue with each participant. The semi-structured nature of the interviews enabled flexibility where follow-up questions and probes allowed for richer data gathering. Data analysis occurred within a sociocultural framework. Contribution: Explicitly focusing on doctoral students, we build upon existing knowledge and understanding of how novice academic writers negotiate, interpret, and understand the impact of their research dissemination and roles. While exploring how these individuals think about and mediate their identities during the initial period of asserting their reputations as experts in the field, this study looks at how collegiate, attendee-driven writing networks can support novice academics to meet the demands for quality research dissemination and strive to meet the metrics expected of them. Findings: This research has found that novice researchers who thrive on social interaction may often find collegiality lacking in their professional lives. Furthermore, those who can find a support network that fosters positive self-belief and provides a means for sharing successes benefit from countless opportunities for empowerment as novice researchers work through their doctorates. Recommendations for Practitioners: This research confirms and provides details around how a collegiate atmosphere for novice academics helps mitigate feelings of isolation, vulnerability, and a lack of self-confidence in their scholastic ability. Overcoming such feelings occurs through learning from peers, overcoming isolation and learning self-managing techniques. Therefore, establishing spaces for collegiate, attendee-driven writing events within doctoral settings is encouraged. Recommendation for Researchers: Further research into the benefits of collegiate, attendee-driven writing events and supporting the process of academic writing and dissemination can focus on transdisciplinary writing groups, as this particular study was centred within a specific faculty. Impact on Society: Within the neoliberal context of higher education, novice academics can benefit from attendee-driven writing events intended to empower them and provide growth opportunities. Through participation in collegiate, attendee driven writing networks, which are social and peer-based, we show that novice academics can learn how to combat unsettling feelings of perfectionism, isolation, fear of inadequacy, and failure. The social element is central to understanding how writers can increase their productivity and dissemination by writing alongside peers. Future Research: Novice researchers also represent early career researchers; thus, exploring collegiate, attendee-driven writing events for practicing academics is also encouraged. As noted above, exploring the potential of transdisciplinary writing networks would also be of value.

show abstract

“…Research exploring mentoring of DCs and ECRs has investigated how mentoring may support timely completion and discourage attrition in DCs (Geesa et al, 2018), and ongoing mentoring support is needed to ease the transition of ECRs into academia beyond doctoral candidature (Hollywood et al, 2020). Attention has also been given to how to match mentors and mentees to optimize conducive working relationships (Hass, Hall & Vlasnik, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mentor and peer support for early career researchers sharing research with academia and beyond

Merga

Mason

2021

Heliyon

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

There is a growing expectation that doctoral candidates and early career academics publish research outputs such as journal articles and conference papers, and that they share their findings with key stakeholders beyond academia. However, it is not known if these expectations are being coupled with support from mentors and peers within institutions. Through interviews with recent PhD graduates working as early career researchers in Australia and Japan, this paper investigates if mentor and peer support for producing both academic and translational outputs was forthcoming during their doctoral candidature and beyond. It also investigates kinds of supports provided in doctoral candidature and early career. Thirty early career researchers in Australia and Japan took part in this qualitative study involving in-depth semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of respondents. Researchers made translation support available for Japanese respondents so that those with limited English could take part. Findings suggest that mentor and peer support were not universal, and some respondents did not have a mentor or significant peer influence supporting their production of academic or translational research outputs. Support for sharing research with audiences beyond academia could be limited, with production of outputs for academic audiences consistently a greater focus of support. There were no mentoring supports for translational outputs that had salience across Australia and Japan within the sample. While limited attention has been given to the role that peer influence may play in supporting research output production of early career researchers the more even power relationship between peers as opposed to the peer-/mentor dyad can allow unique supports to flourish. Where institutions expect growing and diverse research output production by doctoral candidates and early career researchers, they should also ensure that support is provided through facilitating mentoring and peer relationships.

show abstract

‘Overwhelmed at first’: the experience of career development in early career academics

Cited by 73 publications

References 53 publications

Change in University Pedagogical Culture – The Impact of Increased Pedagogical Training on First Teaching Experiences

Change in University Pedagogical Culture – The Impact of Increased Pedagogical Training on First Teaching Experiences

Novice Academic Roles: The Value of Collegiate, Attendee-Driven Writing Networks

Mentor and peer support for early career researchers sharing research with academia and beyond

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About