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McAlpine, L. (2012). Identity-trajectory and academic work: Constructing an identity through time.
Invited seminar at Royal Holloway, University of London, January 31st, 2012.
Over the past five years, research teams one in Canada and the other in the UK, have been examining the experiences of over 150 early career academics (doctoral students, post-PhD researcher, and pre-tenure lecturers) in four universities. Originally this research was largely in the social sciences, but since early 2010 has extended to the sciences. Our research takes a longitudinal approach and we have followed a number of individuals for four years. The construct of identity-trajectory emerged a couple of years into our research program. Since then we have explored the nature of this concept from different perspectives, and the results of these inquiries are represented in a substantive body of work. In the session, I will describe our present understanding of identity-trajectory and explore the pedagogical and personal implications for early and mid-career academics.
Welcome to Doc Work
MOVING FROM EVIDENCE TO ACTION
We began our research with the purpose of better understanding the reasons for the high non-completion rate amongst doctoral students, especially in the social sciences. Our long-term goal was to improve doctoral completion rates by rethinking existing policies, practices, and pedagogies based on our research evidence.
We soon realized the importance of investigating the experiences of all early career academics (doctoral students, post docs and pre-tenure academics). While we are still committed to understanding why students do not complete, this is only part of a now broader focus on learning, specifically learning how to do academic work and the development of academic identity. We now conceptualize the movement from doctoral student to pre-tenure academic as an identity trajectory. Our current research moves our investigation beyond the social sciences and into the Life Sciences and Applied Sciences.
We (doctoral students and senior academics) are researchers, but we are also fully active members in the same contexts as most of our research participants. We seek to work with the organizations and communities we research; we want to promote positive changes in the milieus in which our research participants work. We hope that our research serves as a vehicle for change, that it might through the sharing of the research findings, contribute to more democratic and equitable opportunities for knowledge and identity development amongst early career academics. Only you will know if we have succeeded.
-Doc Work Research Team
About Doc Work
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