Shifting occupational identity: doing, being, becoming and belonging in the academy

Ennals, Priscilla; Fortune, Tracy; Williams, Anne; D’Cruz, Kate

doi:10.1080/07294360.2015.1107884

Cited by 45 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Ideally, Gardner (2008) claimed, PhD students should feel part of a collegial and collaborative research community as a starting point for any career they may pursue. Ennals et al (2016) argued that collaborative practices help students assess their skills and status in comparison with others, understand what it takes to be a researcher, and be recognised as one by the group. As 370 such, researcher identities are socially co-constructed and constantly adjusted as students develop skills and knowledge.…”

Section: Social Support and Identity In The Phdmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Others have shown this kind of social support helps students feel accepted and part of a community -they feel a sense of belonging as opposed to being 'other' or feeling 'out of place' (Read, Archer, & Leathwood, 2003). This paper conceptualises 'belonging' as a consequence of social and collaborative practices that lead to co-constructed identities (Ennals, Fortune, Williams, & D'Cruz, 2016). The paper argues social support provides candidates with a sense of competence and confidence as emerging researchers and as professionals more broadly, including diverse academic and nonacademic identities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

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‘A Source of Sanity’: The Role of Social Support for Doctoral Candidates’ Belonging and Becoming

Mantai

2019

IJDS

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Aim/Purpose: This paper investigates the role of social support in the PhD. Despite universities’ efforts to provide a collegial PhD experience, candidates report isolation and loneliness in doctoral education – a factor contributing to attrition. Background: Previous research (Mantai & Dowling, 2015) defined social support in four categories: moral, emotional, guiding and mentoring, companionship, and collegiality. Social support is facilitated in various formal and informal groupings. Socialisation into scholarly communities promotes researcher identities through a sense of belonging. Developing a strong researcher identity through social connections benefits a student’s physical and emotional well-being, PhD progress, and investment in researcher careers. Methodology: This paper is based on thematic analysis of focus groups and one-on-one interviews with 64 PhD candidates from two Australian metropolitan universities. Contribution: Students’ perspectives on social support during PhD study are largely missing in the literature, as more importance is placed on academic support. This paper provides rich empirical evidence to show that support afforded by candidates’ personal, social, and professional relationships is critical in doctoral candidates’ identity development. Findings: First, investigating social support from the student perspective shows that it promotes students’ researcher identity development, sense of belonging, and community. Second, the paper extends our understanding of what social support means as it examines this concept in the context of student diversity. This paper confirms social support in the PhD extends beyond the institutional higher degree research environment and includes outside support by family, friends as well as online communities. Recommendations for Practitioners: Promote and improve support services, networking opportunities, and social connections within academia and beyond. Invest in understanding students’ diverse backgrounds and individual circumstances as well as goals. Recommendation for Researchers: Evaluate existing social support structures in place and identify social support needs of doctoral candidates at your particular institution. Impact on Society: Institutions, governments, and individuals heavily invest in PhD degrees financially and psychologically. This research aims to improve outcomes for society by developing skilled and confident graduates. Future Research: Future research ought to focus on the issues experienced by students of particular demographic backgrounds and on how to best support them.

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Section: Social Support and Identity In The Phdmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

‘A Source of Sanity’: The Role of Social Support for Doctoral Candidates’ Belonging and Becoming

Mantai

2019

IJDS

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Feelings of disconnect relate to the emotional aspect of the role change (Hurst, 2010;Weidman, 2013). These feelings of being disconnected were described in the literature as feeling new and vulnerable (Murray et al, 2014a); feeling challenged to cope (Frantz & Smith, 2013); and perceptions of floundering in a new world as the educator learned how to access resources and seek assistance related to teaching and research (Ennals et al, 2015;Hurst, 2010). The feelings of disconnect were also related to questioning their credentials as educators that suggest a lack of confidence and self-doubt (Hurst, 2010;Murray et al, 2014a;Murray et al, 2014b).…”

Section: Thematic Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The feelings of disconnect were also related to questioning their credentials as educators that suggest a lack of confidence and self-doubt (Hurst, 2010;Murray et al, 2014a;Murray et al, 2014b). Novice OT faculty expressed feelings of doubt and incompetence, as compared to their clinician roles, where they were recognized as experts (Ennals et al, 2015;Murray et al, 2014b).…”

Section: Thematic Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, new faculty need to adjust to novel occupational demands, primarily because there may be no explicit preparation for the academic role (Crist, 1999;Kahanov et al, 2012). Recent studies of OT faculty experiences indicate that this scenario still applies (Carra, Fortune, Ennals, D'Cruz, & Kohn, 2017;Ennals et al, 2015;Foy, 2017;Murray, Stanley, & Wright, 2014b). It is from this perspective that we used models of adaptation to underpin our analysis of academic experiences of challenges and adaptation of faculty from OT, other health sciences, and disciplines.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Scoping Review of Challenges and the Adaptation Process in Academia: Implications for Occupational Therapy Educators

Cabatan¹,

Grajo²,

Sana³

2019

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

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The fulfillment of role expectations and responsibilities as one builds an academic career can be challenging. Increased demand for occupational therapy faculty merits examination of academic experiences from the literature. This study describes the experiences of educators using adaptation models (Savickas & Porfeli, 2012; Schkade & Schultz, 2003) as a theoretical lens. Arksey and O'Malley's Scoping Study Framework (2005) was used in the study. Researchers reviewed literature from 2005-2017 from four databases. Researchers analyzed 28 articles from higher education and the health professions using quantitative and qualitative methods. Twenty-two of the 28 articles were published from 2010-2017. The studies analyzed were conducted in seven different countries, the majority in the US (n = 11) and Australia (n = 7), and more than half used qualitative designs (n = 15). Three themes describe academic experiences: identity-related challenges in academia, process of adaptation among academics, and identification of factors affecting productivity. This study describes the various experiences of faculty to meet the demands of the academic environment. Adaptation of OT academics to their occupational roles and environments has not been widely explored. The implications for future study are discussed. Comments The authors report they have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

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Co-research with People with Mental Health Challenges

Spies

Ennals

Egan

et al. 2021

Handbook of Social Inclusion

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Shifting occupational identity: doing, being, becoming and belonging in the academy

Cited by 45 publications

References 27 publications

‘A Source of Sanity’: The Role of Social Support for Doctoral Candidates’ Belonging and Becoming

‘A Source of Sanity’: The Role of Social Support for Doctoral Candidates’ Belonging and Becoming

A Scoping Review of Challenges and the Adaptation Process in Academia: Implications for Occupational Therapy Educators

Co-research with People with Mental Health Challenges

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