Untenured Faculty: Issues of transition, adjustment and mentorship

Mullen, Carol A.; Forbes, Sean A.

doi:10.1080/713685508

Cited by 71 publications

(89 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…An institutional element that has specifically been found to trigger negative emotional experiences is the pursuit of tenure. For instance, tenure-track faculty have been found to express predominantly negative emotions about being a new faculty member, generally perceiving the tenure process as frustrating, ambiguous, uncertain, and anxiety-provoking (Mullen & Forbes, 2000;Whitt, 1991). Harrison and Kelly (1996) also identified feelings of anxiety and loneliness (43%) among academics seeking tenure, with loneliness being significantly and negatively associated with career satisfaction and intentions of staying in academia.…”

Section: Institutionalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining the Factors Impacting Academics’ Psychological Well-Being: A Review of Research

Salimzadeh¹,

Saroyan²,

Hall³

2017

IER

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Existing research suggests that academics are subjected to high levels of job-related stress. Numerous aspects of an academic career such as time constraint, work overload, work-life conflict, and emotional demands are stressful and trigger negative emotional responses. There is further evidence to suggest that job-related stress compromises physical and psychological well-being, and impairs productivity among academics. The purpose of the present paper was to review the empirical research on how work-related stress and experiences impact academics' psychological well-being. Accordingly, a thorough review of the literature was conducted and 46 studies attending to aspects of psychological well-being were identified and analyzed. The literature was found to be fragmented. The review concludes that job-related stress and specific types of experiences adversely impact academics' psychological well-being by making them vulnerable to psychological distress, negative emotions, depression, and burnout. Implications for improving psychological well-being among academics are addressed and directions for future research are proposed.

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Section: Institutionalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining the Factors Impacting Academics’ Psychological Well-Being: A Review of Research

Salimzadeh¹,

Saroyan²,

Hall³

2017

IER

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“…Because standards for successful performance outcomes often are unwritten and vague (AlexanderSnow & Johnson, 1999), having a mentor to decode behaviors, cultural mores, expectations, and language are critical professional coping strategies (Mullen & Hutinger, 2008). Effective peer mentoring relationships may reduce the likelihood of hostile competitiveness and allow collegial collaborations to manifest (Mullen & Forbes, 2000). Additionally, peer mentoring can enhance faculty members' instructional practice and their understanding of race, gender, and privilege (Chesney-Lind, Okamoto, & Irwin, 2006).…”

Section: Mentoring Resistance and Strategies For Black Women In Higmentioning

confidence: 99%

Outsiders within the Academy: Strategies for Resistance and Mentoring African American Women

Henderson¹

2010

Michigan Family Review

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Black Feminist Thought is used to identify some of the tensions experienced by African American women faculty holding positions in predominately White institutions: (a) the mammy-sapphire continuum of existence, (b) inequality without reverence to credentials and expertise, and (c) privilege and dismissing intersectionality. Peer mentoring is discussed as a tool of resistance. Other forms of resistance include: using counter narratives, identifying the issue, defining and evaluating self, relinquishing representations offered by others, seeking and using work-life resources, and securing required resources.Key words: Black Feminist Thought, Gender, Mentoring, Peer Mentoring, Race, ResistanceWe, African American women professionals in higher education, make visible the continued presence of race and gender oppression, and the hegemony that supports systems of oppression within the academy (Dillard, 2000; Patton, 2004ab). Race and gender differences in patterns of employment, rank, and personal experiences within academic units are illustrative of the interlocking nature of race and gender oppression that have multiple influences (Combs, 2003;Wright Myers, 2002), including pathways to doctorate studies, institutional hiring practices, tenure and promotion processes, organizational behavior, and professional relationships. Further, Black women are more likely to report organizational barriers to advancement and have more negative views of academic or departmental climates. They also are less likely to indicate that their scholarship is valued, that they are respected by their colleagues, and that they are OUTSIDERS WITHIN THE ACADEMY 29Michigan Family Review, 14(1), 28-41, 2010 © Michigan Council on Family Relations viewed as legitimate scholars compared to White women, men of color, or White men (Thomas & Hollenshead, 2001).Because career advancement and greater retention rates are among the most reported benefits of mentoring, mentoring is one form of resistance to systems of oppression, organizational barriers, and other negative dynamics experienced by Black women faculty. Mentoring also reduces social isolation and helps one to manage different academic roles (Bova, 2000;Holmes, Land, & Hinton-Hudson, 2007), making it one of the most viable coping and resistance strategies. Yet, a discussion of mentoring without acknowledging the intersections of race and gender, their implications within predominately White institutions, and forms of resistance would not address fully the needs of Black women in the academy, beckoning the use of a cultural-inclusive approach to working with African American women in the academy.Therefore, to frame the current discussion on mentoring, we use core themes of Black Feminist Thought (Hill Collins, 1986;1991) to situate Black women faculty in the academy. Part of our framework includes three sites of tension and resistance: (a) the Mammy-Sapphire continuum of existence, (b) inequality without reverence to credentials, expertise, and professional experiences, and (c) White ...

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“…This can create competition, political struggles, power contests, and personality conflicts. It is necessary for new academics to learn about 'micro-politics' (Trowler and Knight, 2000, p. 33) and the power structures that influence work such as meetings, collaborations, and socialising (Mullen and Forbes, 2000). Within academic units, academics interact regularly on a range of topics, including struggles over contested topics such as curricula, budgets, and policies.…”

Section: Early Career Academics Integrating Into the Universitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Through working and talking with colleagues much of the everyday understanding of departmental and institutional culture is established. In addition, many institutions orient new academics through mentorship (Mullen and Forbes, 2000;Trowler and Knight, 2000), either through informal arrangements or formal university programmes. Mentorship can promote and cultivate collegial relationships, aiding socialisation by providing a venue for new academics to ask questions and gain information.…”

Section: Early Career Academics Integrating Into the Universitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“Systemic Managerial Constraints”

Willson

2018

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Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to explore the information behaviour of early career academics (ECAs) within HSS (humanities and social science) disciplines who are starting their first continuing academic position. The proposed grounded theory of Systemic Managerial Constraints is introduced as a way to understand the influence of neoliberal universities on the information behaviour of ECAs.Design/methodology/approach -This qualitative research used constructivist grounded theory methodology. Participants were 20 Australian and Canadian ECAs from HSS. Their information practices and information behaviour were examined for a period of 5-7 months using two interviews and multiple "check-ins." Data were analysed through two rounds of coding, where codes were iteratively compared and contrasted.Findings -Systemic Managerial Constraints (SMC) emerged from the analysis and is proposed as a grounded theory to help better understand the context of higher education and its influence on ECAs' information behaviour. SMC presents university managerialism, resulting from neoliberalism, as pervasive and constraining both the work ECAs do and how they perform that work. SMC helps to explain ECAs' uncertainty and precarity in higher education and changing information needs as a result of altered work role,, which in turn leads ECAs to seek and share information with their colleagues and use information to wield their personal agency to respond to SMC.Originality/value -The findings from this paper provide a lens through which to view universities as information environments and the influence these environments can have on ECAs' information practices and information behaviour.

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Untenured Faculty: Issues of transition, adjustment and mentorship

Cited by 71 publications

References 6 publications

Examining the Factors Impacting Academics’ Psychological Well-Being: A Review of Research

Examining the Factors Impacting Academics’ Psychological Well-Being: A Review of Research

Outsiders within the Academy: Strategies for Resistance and Mentoring African American Women

“Systemic Managerial Constraints”

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