Enhancing the agency of early career academics

Abstract

This article explores the lived experiences of four early career academics transitioning from school educators (within the primary and secondary sectors) to lecturers in initial teacher education in a United Kingdom Higher Education institution. These early career academics were established teachers with strong practitioner identities within their field of education and experienced in reflective practice. The concept of agency is firstly explored, and an ecological model presented and used as a framework in this study. A collaborative autoethnographic methodological approach is used to structure personal and professional reflections in order to gain an insight into the evolving identities of the early career academics as they embrace and develop new careers within Higher Education as lecturers. Factors emerge which have both hindered and enhanced agency and this paper sets out some recommendations for change. It is hoped that Higher Education establishments may find these findings useful to consider when inducting new staff and helping them develop and flourish in the early stages of their academic careers.