Academic Identity Development Research Articles

Transitioning identities in professional education: an appreciative enquiry

ABSTRACT Higher education lecturers who have moved into teaching on professional education programmes from careers in professional practice are an under-researched group. Questions related to self-concept combined with wider social and sectoral issues relating to perceptions about the nature and purpose of higher education can affect the development of their new professional identity. Building on previous research into the experiences of new and developing academics, the research reported here sought to gain an understanding of the experiences and dispositions that contribute to shaping professional identity for those who have moved from professional practice into teaching roles in higher education within an education and social work faculty. Utilising an Appreciative Inquiry model, the objective of this research was to better understand participants’ professional perspectives and needs. Findings are organised around three areas: i) the importance of values and goals as catalysts for identity change, ii) the role of social and professional perceptions that impinge on (in)security of identity, and iii) the sense that academic identity development is an iterative and elastic process. These findings suggest the need for future research that engages with exploring how best to promote and nurture productive and satisfying academic careers for those moving between professional and professional education contexts.

Refining the narrative: An autoethnographic insight into academic identity construction and development in a Chinese doctoral student's journey in the United States

What seems to be overlooked in current higher education research is the perspective of individual doctoral students in applied linguistics and how they comprehend the academic training culture within U.S. neoliberal universities. Through an autoethnographic (AE) approach, this study investigated how I as a Chinese doctoral student experienced different stages of identity negotiation in my doctoral program. The findings, which integrated theories of academic identity, the third space, and neoliberalism, were primarily derived from my self-reflection data throughout the pandemic. The arguments center around the coexistence of multiple identities and an asynchronous process of identity construction, which were influenced and shaped by study-work balance, laissez-faire supervision, the digital third space, and the pressures from neoliberal norms. The study brings insights into theoretical models from an AE perspective and recommends that higher education stakeholders adopt a flexible approach to doctoral supervision and academic publishing. Autoethnography offered a first-person perspective for in-depth meaning-making, facilitating a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of one’s academic journey of becoming.

How Different Are Johnson and Wang? Documenting Discrepancies in the Records of Ethnic Scholars in Scopus

Aim/Purpose. This study captures and describes the discrepancies in the performance matrices of comparable Chinese and American scholars as recorded by Scopus. Background. The contributions of Chinese scholars to the global knowledge enterprise are increasing, whereas indexing bibliometric databases (e.g., Scopus) are not optimally designed to track their names and record their work precisely. Methodology. Coarsened exact matching was employed to construct two samples of comparable Chinese and American scholars in terms of gender, fields of work, educational backgrounds, experience, and workplace. Under 200 scholars, around a third being Chinese and the rest American scholars, were selected through this data construction method. Statistical tests, including logit regressions, Poisson regression, and fractional response models, were applied to both samples to measure and verify the discrepancies stored within their Scopus accounts. Contribution. This study complicates the theory of academic identity development, especially on the intellectual strand, as it shows ethnic scholars may face more errors in how their track records are stored and presented. This study also provides inputs for the discussion of algorithmic discrimination from the academic context and to the scientific community. Findings. This paper finds that Chinese scholars are more prone to imprecise records in Scopus (i.e., more duplicate accounts, a higher gap between the best-statistic accounts, and the total numbers of publications and citations) than their American counterparts. These findings are consistent across two samples and with different statistical tests. Recommendations for Practitioners. This paper suggests practitioners and administrators at research institutions treat scholars’ metrics presented in Scopus or other bibliometric databases with caution while evaluating ethnic scholars’ contributions. Recommendations for Researchers. Scholars and researchers are suggested to dedicate efforts to monitoring their accounts on indexing bibliometric platforms. Impact on Society. This paper raises awareness of the barriers that ethnic scholars face in participating in the scientific community and being recognized for their contributions. Future Research. Future research can be built on this paper by expanding the size of the analytical samples and extending similar analyses on comparable data harvested from other bibliometric platforms.

The precarious academic: professional development and academic identity in the neoliberal university

ABSTRACT Academics are constantly undergoing identity shifts in response to globalisation, marketisation and the impact of technology on academic work. This study investigates the impact of a Graduate Certificate of Higher Education (GCHE) on academic identity development in an Australian University. GCHE graduates and their educators were interviewed to examine whether such extended and reflective professional development might support the negotiation of complex identity shifts. Findings indicated that academic identity development was enabled through this professional development by re-engaging individual academics in the diverse, traditional components of teaching, research and administration, working against the neoliberal trend of role-compartmentalisation for efficiency.

“Hold up”: Linking Collectivism to Critical Consciousness in the Academic Identity Development of Latinx/a/o College Students

ABSTRACT While scholars have identified that the development of a critical consciousness encourages the social activism of Latinx/a/o, little is known about how critical consciousness shapes the academic identity of these students. The purpose of this LatCrit narrative study was to identify how critical consciousness influences how Latinx/a/o students view and define their academic identity, specifically by moving them toward an asset-based and empowered academic identity, similar to becoming an activist on social issues. I argue that critical consciousness can have the same impact on academic empowerment but must be accompanied a deeper recognition of how the Latinx/a/o community is influenced by its collectivist roots.

It “Made Me Who I Am”: Using Interpretive and Narrative Research to Develop a Model for Understanding Associate Deans’ Application and Development of Academic Identity

Interpretive and narrative research approaches, the experiences of academic administrators other than deans, chairs, and presi-dents, and academic identity work beyond graduate students and beginning professors are all areas that are underrepresented in the literature on higher educational administration. This article builds on recent narrative research by applying higher educational admin-istrative theories as interpretive lenses to propose a model for helping to understand the development and application of associate deans’ academic identities. Among the findings were that academic identities helped explain associate deans’ approaches to their roles, their views of their surrounding organizations, and their reasons for assuming the role. Further, the associate deans who partic-ipated in this research did not experience their transition to the role as an identity crisis in the ways typically described and assumed by higher educational leadership scholars. Instead, they drew upon their well-established academic identities and, in keeping with the nascent research on academic identity work, were intentional in their efforts to maintain their academic identities.

Effectiveness of learning strategies (cognitive and metacognitive) in the academic identity development among the students

Background and Aim: Higher education, as a system tasked with training thoughtful and creative human resources, plays a significant role in development, advancement, and the production of new knowledge. The current study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of teaching cognitive and metacognitive strategies on academic identity among students of Tehran University of Applied Sciences, conducted in the 2020-2021 academic year. Methods: This research, in terms of purpose, was applied and of a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up with a control group. The population included all students of the University of Applied Sciences in the 2020-2021 academic year, utilizing convenience sampling due to the need for a therapeutic protocol training method. The sample size comprised 30 individuals, randomly assigned with 10 in the cognitive experiment group, 10 in the metacognitive experiment group, and 10 in the control group. The data collection tool was the Wass and Isaacson (2008) Academic Identity Questionnaire. Both experimental groups underwent training in cognitive and metacognitive strategies for 8 sessions. Data were analyzed using two-way repeated measures analysis of variance (mixed between-within subjects-design). Results: The results of the effectiveness of cognitive and metacognitive strategy training showed that it only significantly impacted follow-through academic identity (F=3.91, P=0.032) and this effect was sustained in the follow-up phase. Conclusion: Overall, considering the impact of self-regulated learning skills on students' academic identity, it can be concluded that as students' success in academics and academic challenges is crucial; therefore, enhancing self-regulation can lead to an improvement in the process of academic identity formation.

Processes in the Formation of Student and Professional Identities A Study of Education Degree Students in a VET institution

A growing body of research in education shows that students opportunities for academic identity development impacts their academic achievement (Vassallo2014). However, despite a recognition of the importance of identity development and the myriad of initiatives to enhance students identity development and sense of belonging, the latter continue to fail to obtain an academic identity (Farrell 1990). Unfortunately, this is so to the extent that many report a negative or insecure academic self-concept and identity, hence shortchanging students in their preparedness when entering increasingly complex professional workplaces. Jensen andJetten(2016) argue that the inability to develop a professional identity limits students understanding of the relevance of their studies and leads to uncertainty, stress, and poor academic achievement.Professional identity is comprised of two distinct professional paradigms: social, which is characterized by doing, and psychological, which is characterized by being. As such attitudes,behaviours,and ethics are as necessary as knowledge,skills,and competences. One without the other presents an incomplete conception of professional identity (Criggerand Godfrey 2014; McCammon and Brody 2012).This paper focuses on the first stage of a three-year research study and looks intothe students positionalities and perspectives of current and future self as they embark on a three-year education degree programme. The researchers use a qualitative approach to understand the students academic and/or professional identities and the life trajectories which led to their current self, with primary data being collected from life histories, reflections, and focus groups. Inductive qualitative content analysis revealed that personalities and lifelong trajectories impact students perceptions and positionalities on a personal, academic, and professional level and that these may limit or enhance growth. Engaging in reflexive practices enhances awareness, leading to liberation and further growth.

The Academic Identity Development of International Doctoral Students

This qualitative study examines the factors that facilitate or inhibit the academic identity development of four Vietnamese doctoral students in Denmark. Using the combination of Genetic method and Activity theory, the paper provides insights into the participants’ experiences of becoming and being an academic, which is context-dependent and personal. The findings suggest that the sense of being academics was strengthened when doctoral students were empowered by their supervisors, and other members of the academic community validated their membership. The students also enacted their agency to move beyond the student role and establish a confirmed academic identity, though there were situations when their agency did not lead to desirable outcomes. The study is one among a few that incorporated the personal life history of doctoral students to examine their academic identity development, arguing for its inclusion to have a comprehensive picture of students’ learning and the process of becoming an academic.

Expert organizations as a space for early-career development: Engaging in service while balancing expectations on research and teaching

ABSTRACT By studying the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) as a community of practice and learning space for academic identity development, this paper studies the creation of environmental expertise within expert organizations. The study focuses its analysis on how IPBES through its fellowship programme contributes to academic identity development among early-career researchers, including providing new contextual references to understand what it means to engage in and balance biodiversity research, teaching, and service. The study is based on interviews with early-career researchers who participated in the production of the IPBES’s Global Assessment Report. The study shows how the IPBES fellowship programme, by introducing its fellows into the organization’s community of practice simultaneously, contributes to their academic identity development and the creation and maintenance of the boundaries of environmental expertise. The analysis further shows how the fellows develop an academic identity that unites two different communities of practice of equal importance for their understanding of what they are supposed to do as academics and widens their understanding of what it means to be a successful academic.

Effectiveness of learning strategies (cognitive and metacognitive) in the academic identity development among the students of Tehran University of applied sciences

The present study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of teaching cognitive and metacognitive strategies in academic identity among the students of Tehran University of Applied Sciences. This is an applied research in terms of purpose and a quasi-experimental study in terms of method, with pre/post-test, follow-up phase, and control group. The statistical population included all students of the University of Applied Sciences in the academic year of 2020-2021. Due to the need for training treatment protocol, the samples (30 participants) were selected through a convenience sampling method. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 20 students were randomly assigned to the experimental groups (10 in the cognitive learning strategies group and 10 in the metacognitive learning strategies group) and 10 students were assigned into to the control group. Data was collected using Waz and Isaacson Educational Identity Questionnaire (2008). Cognitive and metacognitive strategies were trained to the experimental groups for 8 sessions. Data were analyzed using two-way repeated measures ANOVA (between-subject and within-subject mixed design). The results confirmed the effectiveness of teaching cognitive strategies in academic identity development.

On Space, On Place

Using poetic self-study, the author recounted her own lived experiences during the first year as an international doctoral student in New Zealand to explore how her academic identity emerged and (re)constructed. The article draws on theories of space and place, investigating the spatial production and social interactions of the author within spaces that, in turn, influenced her sense of being an academic. While literature has been more concerned with the questions of what activities, relations, and contexts contribute to the academic identity development of doctoral students, the author seeks to forefront the where of academic identity configuration.

Academic Identity Development of Asian International Doctoral Students at a Public University – A Reflexive Thematic Analysis

Aim/Purpose: This study explores the development of academic identity among a group of Asian international doctoral students at a U.S. research university in various settings, including interacting with students and faculty members and reflecting on their personal journeys. Background: In 2020-2021, 132, 000 international doctoral students enrolled in U.S. universities – an increase of 71% since 2000. Despite this, relatively little is known about their academic identity development and how acculturative stress affects their academic growth. Methodology: A conceptual framework was constructed to integrate the concepts of acculturative stress and academic identity development. With the premise that academic identity development comprises three strands of intellectual, network, and institutional, the current framework conceptualizes the intersection of acculturative stress in all three strands to explore the tensions of balancing home-host culture values while international doctoral students grow into a new identity. Reflexive thematic analysis was applied to study the narratives of eight Asian international doctoral students and identified four main themes characterizing the participants’ academic identity development under acculturative stress. Contribution: This study contributes to an understudied area of higher education literature, directing the attention of the academic community to a small but growing group of junior academics. When examined in the confluence with acculturative stress, the conceptualization of academic identity is extended to include academics from cultural minorities. Findings: Acculturative stress intersects with all three strands of academic identity development, inhibiting participants’ progress in their doctoral programs. Acculturative stress also makes participants more hesitant to adopt an academic identity. Recommendations for Practitioners: This paper informs leaders and managers at departmental and university levels about cultural inclusiveness in doctoral training programs. Cultural minority students face the challenge of acculturative stress, an issue that distinguishes them from racial or gender minority groups; therefore, simply replicating race or gender inclusion initiatives is unlikely to be an ideal model for a culturally inclusive program. Recommendation for Researchers: The findings of this study indicate that Asian doctoral international students deviate from the commonly accepted view of academic identity in that they do not define intellectual growth strictly in terms of paper-trailed achievements (e.g., number of publications or grants), and they view jobs within and outside academia as equally attractive. Impact on Society: Doctoral training programs at universities are the suppliers of doctoral-level workers for industry. However, some programs, especially in the social sciences and humanities, focus on academic job placements. To broaden the impact on society, educational leaders need to expand the professional development training elements in such programs to prepare doctoral candidates for opportunities outside of academia. Future Research: Other aspects of doctoral training programs could be explored, such as the development of instructor identity and the changes in student identity.

Academic Identity Development of Doctoral Scholars in an Online Writing Group

Aim/Purpose: This study explores how online writing groups facilitate the academic identity development of doctoral scholars. Background: Academic institutions around the world, and especially in developing societies, are demanding increasing amounts of research and publications from their doctoral scholars. The current study used an online writing group to facilitate writing skills development, which bolstered the academic identity development of participating scholars. Academic identity is defined as the becoming and being of an academic scholar, with writing skills as a means of acquiring and performing the status and skills of a scholar. It is reflected in the confidence, contribution, and relationship carried out in writing as a member of the academic community. Methodology: This study utilizes narrative inquiry as a research methodology to capture the experiences of six doctoral scholars from two universities in Nepal. We explore the academic identity of doctoral scholars from a sociocultural perspective, employing unstructured interviews, meeting notes, and entry and exit surveys of the online writing group. Contribution: This article shows how online writing groups offer unique and impactful opportunities for networking, collaboration, and problem-solving, which can significantly enhance their writing abilities and prospects of publication, thereby fostering their intellectual agency and academic identity. Findings: This study reports three findings of the value of online writing groups: addressing gaps in formal education, community as a form of accountability, and virtual community as a platform for identity development. On the final finding of identity development, we identify and discuss four themes from data analysis: growth of self-image as scholars, strengthening of commitment to scholarship, identification of venues for expanding the scope of publication, and enhancement of digital skills. The informal and collaborative nature of online writing support facilitated socially constructivist learning, which was highly conducive to the development of academic identity among emerging scholars. Recommendations for Practitioners: It is recommended that institutions implement and encourage online writing support programs as an effective means of addressing gaps in doctoral education. While this program can fill gaps in the low-resource contexts of developing countries, it can bolster formal mentoring in any context. Recommendation for Researchers: Further research should use large-scale or longitudinal studies to explore how informal, especially online writing support and collaboration, accelerate research and writing skills, scholarly productivity, and overall academic identity formation of doctoral scholars. Impact on Society: As societies around the world accelerate their demand for doctoral degrees and also require research and publications for degree completion, new and creative approaches utilizing emerging technologies could help to fill gaps in curriculum and support systems for their doctoral scholars. Future Research: Future research could expand the scope and take a longitudinal approach for more fine-grained data and developing broader perspectives.

‘Why Does This Make Me So Angry?’: Using Self-Study to Uncover Hidden Epistemological Frames for Academic Identity Development

‘Why Does This Make Me So Angry?’: Using Self-Study to Uncover Hidden Epistemological Frames for Academic Identity Development

Development of academic identity through a Faculty Learning Community in a Post-1992 University in Scotland

This presentation looks at the set up and running of a faculty learning community in a Scottish University, based on the Miami model, by Milton Cox. The FLC gave participants increased confidence and supported scholarly activities. This was presented at the 6th International Academic Identities conference, The Peaceful University: aspirations for academic futures, compassion, generosity, imagination and creation, Research Institute for Higher Education, Hiroshima University.

The development of academic identity in graduate nursing students: An interpretive descriptive study

BackgroundMentorship is an important element in the development of academic identity among graduate students in nursing. Although most often occurring within the context of faculty advisor-student relationships, mentorship should extend beyond formal advisor-advisee relationships. Peer mentorship is known to be beneficial for graduate students, yet little is known about how peer mentorship specifically impacts the development of academic identity. ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to explore how peer mentorship, within the context of an international research conference, impacts the development of academic identity. DesignQualitative descriptive study. Graduate nursing students from a research-intensive university in Canada were invited to participate in a peer mentorship initiative. Data were collected through reflective journals. Data analysis was conducted iteratively and collaboratively using an interpretive descriptive approach. ParticipantsEight mentees, two peer mentors and five faculty mentors participated in the initiative. With the exception of one faculty mentor, all participants provided reflective journals on their experiences, in response to journal prompts. ResultsFindings centered on five themes: walking through quicksand, navigating a complex academic world, developing academic identity through relationships, intentional cultivation of community, and finding solid ground. Our findings highlight the relational nature of academic identity development, and the significant benefit of providing mentorship to graduate nursing students outside of formal learning spaces. ConclusionsGiven the urgent need to increase the numbers of nurses with advanced research training, it is important that effective strategies like this innovative mentorship initiative, that enhance professional identity development, are integrated into graduate education programs.

Nurturing Kindergarteners’ Early STEM Academic Identity Through Makerspace Pedagogy

Children’s attitudes about STEM are formed early. As such, the ecology of early childhood classrooms can either afford or deny access to relevant experiences that help children nurture early self-understandings and ways of positioning themselves in relation to STEM. This early positioning and the funds of identity they afford are critical to early STEM academic identity development. While Fasso and Knight (2020) offer Makerspace Pedagogy for fostering identity development, Marsh et al. (2017) note a lack of wide-spread application and related research on deliberate employment of Makerspace Pedagogy in early childhood classrooms. To address this gap and to explore the adoption of Makerspace pedagogy in an early public-school setting, a university research team joined with a kindergarten teacher to pilot an emergent curriculum focused on tinkering and making. Initial findings suggest that design-based activities may support kindergartners taking on the role of STEM practitioners, that Makerspace activities seem to help produce a syncretism of early STEM and multimodal literacy practices and that Makerspace Pedagogy may offer a unique opportunity to explore the intersection of various aspects of children’s early identity formation.

Academic identity development: school experiences and the dyslexic learner

ABSTRACT This paper examines identity construction for young people with dyslexia, based on their educational experiences during and after their transition to mainstream secondary education. The study is based on interviews with 20 English individuals who contributed their perceptions of how their identity was shaped by their experiences. Some of the most important experiences for dyslexic young people and the main themes discussed here are: experiences of support (or the lack of it), their perceptions around literacy and academic achievement and important others. Symbolic interactionism is used as a theoretical to further understand academic performance in a western society, where this is a highly significant aspect of life for many learners and their parents. In a society where literacy and academic achievement are highly privileged over any other form of achievement, academic identities are ‘fractured’ a notion explored here, alongside other factors that contribute to that academic identity development process.

From the Coeditors

From the Coeditors