Abstract
Internationally and in South Africa there is great pressure on academics to obtain doctoral qualifications. A doctorate helps to facilitate full membership of academic communities and develop academic identities. Thus, this article investigates the identity development of academics who have been enrolled for their doctoral degrees for a few years. The article is written from a postmodern perspective. The situated learning theory and symbolic interactionism were used as conceptual frameworks. By means of a narrative enquiry research approach eight interviews were conducted. Thereafter, three narratives were selected for follow-up research with the participants. From the findings, three major themes emerged with implications for universities and for postgraduate supervision. These themes are: (1) socialisation into the language and values of a stable disciplinary and/or institutional community of practice; (2) internal–external dialectic of identification (self-definition and definition of oneself offered by others) to find meaning and build self-esteem, and (3) role-taking and role-conflict.
Highlights
Academic career development in most cases begins with a doctoral thesis (Henkel 2005:149), since the degree requires of candidates to make a significant contribution to new knowledge
The participants learnt about their academic selves through their interaction with the significant others throughout their lives, and the feedback they received when they assumed different roles at various levels and in contexts that were diverse in terms of time, place and people (Clandinin & Connelly 2000:32)
In order to develop a robust academic identity, it is important to be accepted into the academic community
Summary
Academic career development in most cases begins with a doctoral thesis (Henkel 2005:149), since the degree requires of candidates to make a significant contribution to new knowledge. This degree is seen as a ‘ticket’ to advancement in higher education (Eddy & Rao 2009:7). The pressure on academics to undertake doctoral qualifications is immense. A number of academics who have been in their jobs for years are being pressurised to undertake a doctorate. Obtaining a doctoral degree is an important step towards obtaining membership of the higher education academic community
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