Abstract
PurposeMany postdoctoral scholars are seeking professional learning and development (PLD) opportunities to prepare for diverse careers, roles and responsibilities. This paper aims to develop an evidence-informed framework for PLD of postdoctoral scholars that speaks to these changing career paths.Design/methodology/approachThis paper used an integrated knowledge translation approach to synthesize and extend previous work on postdoctoral scholars’ PLD. The authors engaged in consultations with key stakeholders and synthesized findings from literature reviews, surveys and semi-structured interviews to create a framework for PLD.FindingsThe PLD framework consists of four major domains, namely, professional socialization; professional skills; academic development; and personal effectiveness. The 4 major domains are subdivided into 16 subdomains that represent the various skills and competencies that postdoctoral scholars can build throughout their postdoctoral fellowships.Originality/valueThe framework can be used to support postdoctoral scholars, postdoctoral supervisors and higher education institutions in developing high quality, evidence-informed PLD plans to meet the diverse career needs of postdoctoral scholars.
Highlights
As qualified early career researchers, postdoctoral scholars are an essential component of a country’s research community and play a key role in driving discovery and expanding knowledge (Jadavji et al, 2016; Mitchell et al, 2013)
The professional learning and development (PLD) framework consists of four major domains, namely, professional socialization; professional skills; academic development; and personal effectiveness
The 4 major domains are subdivided into 16 subdomains that represent the various skills and competencies that postdoctoral scholars can build throughout their postdoctoral fellowships
Summary
As qualified early career researchers, postdoctoral scholars (postdocs) are an essential component of a country’s research community and play a key role in driving discovery and expanding knowledge (Jadavji et al, 2016; Mitchell et al, 2013). Postdocs hold doctoral degrees and are engaged in mentored research and/or scholarly training for the purpose of developing their intellectual independence, academic excellence and entrepreneurial skills (Nerad and Cerny, 1999; Silva et al, 2016). These skills are essential to thrive in an evolving society and labor market. The training postdocs seek and receive is designed to prepare them for academic careers and rarely includes the professional skills needed to succeed in non-academic settings (Jadavji et al, 2016; Mitchell et al, 2013). Despite the integral role postdocs play in research productivity, there has been no detailed study to understand postdocs’ PLD, and the effectiveness of strategies implemented to support their growth
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