Researcher Identity Development Research Articles

DOCTORAL STUDENTS AT RISK ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT: QUALITY MANAGEMENT ISSUES

Academic engagement and support of vulnerable categories of learners is a crucial thematic issue within the EU and globally. In this respect, the research is focused on searching for suitable solutions for gaps in doctoral education capacity strengthening at institutional and national levels in Ukraine, primarily due to underestimating its societal dimensions, and on synchronizing the Ukrainian practices with European policies and standards, including helpful initiatives in integrating resilience and sustainability into its academic, research and engagement activities; creating an inclusive and welcoming culture within academia that encourages respect, support, and mentorship. The developed educational courses aim to facilitate a cross-sectoral dialogue on solutions for the challenges faced by Ukrainian academia in reforming the doctoral education sector, within the framework of a sustainable, cohesive, and peaceful Europe. The implementation of the proposed educational courses aims to achieve the following short-term effects: to ensure Ukrainian PhD students’ belonging and research engagement, return to stability, and help to alleviate psychological anxiety; to advance doctoral students’ research competencies in line with ethical and methodological standards; to minimize the risks of doctoral student attrition; to activate faculty and peer mentorship and professional networking within the academia regarding doctoral students at risk diversity; to diversify the institutional strategies of doctoral students’ academic and researcher identity development in war and post-war circumstances. This will provide a significant context for advancing a new type of academic culture in doctoral education within Ukrainian academia – a culture of university social responsibility that prioritizes human values and addresses the real needs of Ukrainian researchers while providing early-career researcher-friendly support, both academic and professional.

Contribution of Social Bonds to the Development of Scientific Research Identity in Adolescent Participants of a Science Enrichment Program

An abundance of research on self-determination theory has shown that satisfaction of basic needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness among adolescents promotes the experience of optimal career-related outcomes such as academic motivation and engagement. However, few studies have explored how satisfaction of these needs promotes identification with particular careers, and less attention has been paid to the role of relatedness satisfaction in these developmental processes compared to autonomy and competence. We addressed these issues in the current study by examining the relationship between relatedness and identification as a research scientist. Five latent classes of scientific research identity development were identified using growth mixture modeling: (a) strong positive growth, (b) moderate positive growth, (c) weak positive growth, (d) no growth, and (e) strong negative growth. Results of logistic regression analyses indicated that need for relatedness was a significant positive predictor of membership in the strong positive growth class relative to the no growth class. Implications for identity development as a research scientist and the social and motivational influences undergirding this process are discussed.

The role of situated talk in developing doctoral students’ researcher identities

ABSTRACT It is widely recognised that an important aspect of doctoral study is the development of a researcher identity. However, little is known about how to support this. Although previous research has highlighted the importance of discursive engagement for researcher identity development, no studies examine talk or discuss how identities are constructed through interaction. This article examines how doctoral students’ researcher identities develop during tutorials on a professional doctorate in education. Analysis reveals how researcher identities are constructed and accomplished, turn by turn, during study-based talk. Researcher identities are co-constructed with and confirmed by peers, and verified by a tutor who validates students’ actions and describes experiencing similar, often difficult, processes herself. Knowledge and understanding facilitated by discussion prompts identity development and tutorial talk builds a sense of belonging and confidence, acculturating students into the research community. The article makes an original contribution to research by analysing situated talk to show identity accomplishment in action. The article also makes recommendations for both practice and further research which include setting up opportunities for doctoral students to talk and share experiences, and close analysis of doctoral interactional events such as supervision meetings and peer support groups.

An explicit approach to liminality as an inclusive approach to librarian support for graduate student researchers

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide readers with a deeper theoretical understanding of liminality, its utility in understanding the experiences of graduate student researchers and how being explicit about the liminal nature of the graduate student experience can be especially impactful for students from marginalized communities.Design/methodology/approachThis conceptual paper examines liminality as an essential component of researcher identity development and how an awareness of this liminality relates to effective and inclusive librarian support of graduate student researchers. The authors explore the affective and academic implications of operating in this liminal state and how direct acknowledgment of this inbetweenness, especially within the spaces of classroom instruction and research consultations, can be leveraged as an inclusive practice. The authors ground this exploration in critical pedagogy.FindingsGraduate student researchers often operate in an unacknowledged liminal state, which causes students to question the importance of their previous knowledge and life experiences and feel discouraged and uncertain about their potential place in academia. This is particularly damaging to students from communities that have been traditionally marginalized and excluded from higher education.Originality/valueThe authors are liaison librarians to education and health sciences at a large, minority-serving, urban research institution in the western USA and draw on their experience supporting students in disciplines that include many students returning to graduate studies after substantial professional experience. This work makes a contribution to library and information studies by focusing on the concept of liminality. The authors offer a conceptual perspective on liminality relative to librarians and their support role in the graduate student experience.

Am I an imposter? Navigating the research journey of university faculty

University faculty are charged with advising graduate students through their degree program and equipping them with skills needed to conduct research, but there is limited literature that observes researcher identity development from student to tenured professor. Using self-efficacy as a guide, this phenomenological study examined the research journey of 19 university faculty to better understand the process of researcher identity development. Data were collected from faculty at three annual research conferences regarding four life stages: (1) first contact with research, (2) dissertation, (3) early-career faculty, (4) post-tenure and/or promotion. Findings indicated faculty navigate researcher identity crises following the transition from graduate student to faculty, and researcher identity must be self-identified before accepting external validation as a researcher. Adequate development as a researcher is imperative for graduate students to be effective future members of the academy, which relies on confident, effective faculty advisors to teach them. Our study reports practical suggestions to better prepare graduate students for careers as faculty by setting them up for early research success, as well as strategies to help reduce researcher identity crises experienced by early-career faculty.

Write on! Cultivating social capital in a writing group for doctoral education and beyond

ABSTRACT Academic writing is an important skill in the development of researcher identity yet remains a hurdle to many. In this study, we examine the ways in which the exchange of social capital occurs in a writing group in Australia. We use Bourdieu’s theoretical concepts to examine data obtained from open-ended questions in an online survey that asked participants why they attend writing groups. Three key themes were constructed: navigating the gamut of researcher identity; formal structure engenders accountability; and pomodoro breaks facilitate connectedness. We find that there are elements facilitated in writing groups – beyond the act of writing – and suggest these informal settings are noteworthy sites where the exchange of academic disposition and competency occurs.

On becoming a discipline

AbstractClarifying counselor education's status as a discipline carries implications for pedagogy, researcher identity development, and knowledge production. In this manuscript, these implications are discussed within a historical context and with attention to the successful career transitions for new counselor educators, as well as those pursuing promotion and tenure in academia.

Using Intersectionality to Explore Narrative Researcher Identity Development in Narrative Inquiry Research

Narrative inquiry, or narrative research, is a qualitative research methodology where knowledge is co-constructed through the telling and re-telling of life stories. As researchers engage in narrative inquiry, their identities or life narratives are lived and changed. Utilizing Bruner’s Life as Narrative framework, alongside intersectionality theory as an analytic tool, the authors describe the ongoing development of narrative identity within and outside of the narrative researcher role. Strategies to engage an intersectional, interactional process of narrative inquiry are provided with first-hand examples throughout research design, data collection, data analysis, and post-analysis write-up phases of research.

Re-Engaging Tensions within Narrative Threads: Ethical Obligations, Researcher Identity, and Methodological Meaning Making

This paper provides an overview of narrative based inquiry with attention to tensions that arise among the universal and contextual experiences of personal narratives throughout the research endeavor. Drawing from our own research experiences, we describe a range of methodological decisions intending to demonstrate the evolution of reflexivity over time and the re-storying process that shapes our ongoing qualitative researcher identity development. We will conclude with a discussion of how these experiences offer opportunities for enhancing our understanding of constructive meaning-making processes and in turn remind us of the importance of developing skills as reflexive practitioners.

Good critical friends are hard to find: promoting peer review among doctoral students

PurposeThis study aims to examine entry-level PhD students’ experiences with participating in Critical Friends, a peer review protocol, used to support learning the threshold concept of literature review. It also sought to determine if, and how, students used the peer review protocol electively during their first year of doctoral study.Design/methodology/approachThe authors used a sequential, QUAL-qual mixed-method design to guide the study. Reflective learning journals, surveys and interviews were collected from three cohorts of PhD students (N = 18).FindingsThematic analysis revealed that giving and receiving writing critique was uncomfortable for these novice peer reviewers and many described emotional disciplining associated with vulnerability. Critical Friends offered a safe space to begin mastery of the literature review and begin transforming new researcher and writer identities. While Critical Friends was a positive experience for students, they struggled implementing the protocol on their own following the course.Practical implicationsThese findings support the need for faculty to embed peer review opportunities in courses during the first year to facilitate role modeling and mentoring. The findings also demonstrate the need to engage students with peer review early in the program to increase comfort, cultivate student resiliency for accepting critical feedback and build capacity for students to learn with and from others.Originality/valueThis paper advocates for the use of peer review practices early in the doctoral study to promote the development of researcher identity and positioning within the research community.

Counselor Education Doctoral Students’ Research Self-Efficacy: A Systemic Perspective

Research self-efficacy (RSE) has been mainly considered as an intrapersonal aspect of researcher identity development. Utilizing a systemic lens, we examined factors informing counselor education doctoral students’ RSE in CACREP-accredited doctoral programs. Concept mapping, a mixed-method design, yielded 17 clusters representing six regions describing the factors informing counselor education doctoral students’ RSE. We discussed the results with training and research implications, and limitations. What is the public significance of this article? The present study suggests that there are environmental and relational factors affecting doctoral student’s research self-efficacy (RSE) as well as the previously considered individual factors. Acknowledgement and intentional incorporation of all of these factors may be critical in the counselor education research training process.

Making a case for Doctoral Intelligence: Conceptualisation and insights for researcher development

ABSTRACT In this conceptual article, I present a hierarchical view of the iterative process of learning and development as applied to the doctoral context and make a conceptual case for Doctoral Intelligence based on an analogous link to Cultural Intelligence. There are four proposed Doctoral Intelligence domains: Knowing (developing expertise), Doing (benefits of practice), Thinking (high-order mental processing) and Willing (open-mindedness for continual development). Insights into the hierarchical process of learning and development and the mindsets needed could provide clarity about what a doctorate entails and direction for doctoral education initiatives. Interventions focusing on student’s unique research identity development through these knowing, doing, thinking and willing mindsets could contribute to not only enhancing the quality of the process, product and outcome of the doctorate, but for the development of lifelong researchers beyond the qualification.

Scientific Research Identity Development Need Not Wait Until College: Examining the Motivational Impact of a Pre-college Authentic Research Experience

The current study used self-determination theory to examine the efficacy of an established and rigorous STEM enrichment program, the Summer Science Program, in promoting high school students’ motivation for, and identification with, scientific research. Results of latent change analyses indicated that students’ scientific research identity, intrinsic research motivation, and psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness increased significantly across two timepoints. Results of hierarchical regression analyses also indicated that satisfaction of autonomy and competence needs at a prior time point was positively associated with later intrinsic research motivation These analyses also suggested that intrinsic research motivation was both a distal and proximal predictor of scientific research identity. Overall, our findings suggest that engaging in authentic research as a high school student has the ability to promote motivation and retention in STEM and plays an important role in facilitating the socialization and assimilation of students into the broader scientific community.

Research Identity Development of Counselor Education Doctoral Students: A Grounded Theory

We present a grounded theory based on interviews with 11 counselor education doctoral students (CEDS) regarding their research identity development. Findings reflect the process-oriented nature of research identity development and the influence of program design, research content knowledge, experiential learning, and self-efficacy on this process. Based on our findings, we emphasize the importance of mentorship and faculty conducting their own research as a way to model the research process. Additionally, our theory points to the need for increased funding for CEDS in order for them to be immersed in the experiential learning process and research courses being tailored to include topics specific to counselor education.

Developing a researcher identity of relevance for remote Indigenous language education

PurposeThe study is an elaboration on how a graduate student discursively navigates a research identity through lived experiences as an Indigenous Sámi and writings on Indigenous, as well as other suitable research paradigms informing research on digital technologies in education. The guiding question is how a strategy of inquiry to be used in a PhD study on remote 1–9 Sámi language education can be informed by an Indigenous research paradigm. What philosophical guidelines are needed in navigating a sensitive field of investigation shaped by historical atrocities, discrimination and racist assumptions towards the Sámi people and other Indigenous, marginalised groups?Design/methodology/approachA dialogical approach has been used between readings of mainly Indigenous scholars' writings on the topic and anecdotes illustrating personal experiences from a lived life as Sámi.FindingsThrough this process, a researcher identity has developed, informed by the views from an Indigenous research paradigm that humans are ontologically equal to other entities, and epistemologically knowledge constitutes of relationships between different entities. This makes relationality a central feature of an Indigenous epistemology –not only between people but also including, for example, ideas, history, ancestors, future, artefacts and spirituality – which links epistemology to ontology. The axiological issue of accountability works holistically as “glue”.Originality/valueElucidating underlying arguments and motives behind both an Indigenous research paradigm and the development of researcher identity when designing and planning research is rarely done, which provides the originality of the present contribution.

Doctoral Support Networks: characteristics and associations with research conditions and identity development

Doctoral candidates rely on diverse individuals to cope with the challenges of their doctoral trajectory. In this article we define Doctoral Support Networks (DSNs) as the group of individuals with whom the doctoral candidate intentionally collaborates in order to deal with the problems and difficulties of the doctorate. We aim to explore the characteristics of this type of networks and their relationships with doctoral program conditions and researcher identity development. Results from a cluster analysis identified two groups of doctoral candidates based on the characteristics of their network: those with Distributed and Active DSNs (56.8%) and those with Reduced and Passive DSNs (43.2%). The first group reported more frequent interactions with a wider range of individuals from both academic and extra-academic contexts, higher levels of emotional support and direct advice to cope with doctoral challenges and difficulties, and a higher level of identification with the researcher position.

Containing and harnessing uncertainty during postgraduate research supervision

ABSTRACT Students may experience uncertainties when planning and conducting research. On the one hand, a measure of uncertainty is an inherent part of knowledge creation and represents the positive dimension of uncertainty in research. On the other hand, if uncertainties are not handled well, it could negatively affect the process and quality of research. Uncertainty has been studied within the business environment but not within higher education and specifically in the postgraduate supervision context. This article describes postgraduate students’ experienced uncertainty encountered during their research and identifies ways for supervisors to understand and support students. We report on a collaborative auto-ethnographic study using retrospective meta-level reflections from a postgraduate supervisors’ perspective. We describe the sources and signs of students’ uncertainty so that supervisors can recognize the experienced uncertainty of research students. We found that sources of students’ uncertainty were in the context of the unknown research process and within themselves (mainly self-doubt), resulting in a mostly uncomfortable state of experienced uncertainty. Their uncertainty fostered three different responses: not engaging with the research, adopting approaches to reduce their felt uncertainty, or using their uncertainty as a stimulus to engage with the research process. Students also experienced fluctuations in their uncertainty. We identified and present ways to contain the negative and harness the positive dimensions of uncertainty based on theoretical explanations. Supervisors can support students in normalizing uncertainty, facilitating learning processes and promoting empowerment for researcher identity awareness, development, and affirmation. We argue that the increased understanding of experienced uncertainty and the ways for postgraduate supervisors to support students through facilitating self-directed learning and researcher identity development could contribute to containing and harnessing uncertainty during the course of research.

Examining Doctoral Student Development of a Researcher Identity: Using the Draw a Researcher Test

With a core identity as working professionals, education doctoral students struggle with seeing themselves as researchers. Because research is essential in a doctoral program, the sooner doctoral students include researcher as an identity, the smoother and more successful their journey will be. To support doctoral student researcher identity development, we focused on scaffolding and embedding academic writing experiences in the first year seminar in a U.S. doctoral program. The purpose of this study was to describe and explain doctoral students’ development of a researcher identity as measured by the Draw-a-Researcher Test (DART). In the fall and spring, we collected drawings and narrative reflections about their drawings of researchers from nine students. We created a five-dimension DART scoring guide. In the fall, the drawings revealed students’ uncertainty about the agency and the research process dimensions; in the spring, however, the drawings showed students’ clearer understanding of these two dimensions. In the narrative reflections, students noted the influence of writing expectations and experiences on their role identity as researchers. Implications, as measured by the DART, are that an embedded writing support model seems to assure the development of doctoral students’ core identity as researchers during the first year of the program.

Examining Researcher Identity Development within the Context of a Course on PAR: A Layered Narrative Approach

In this paper we explore the ways in which a group of doctoral students grapples with the epistemology of participatory action research (PAR) in relation to their own personal and professional identities and research agendas while taking a course on PAR. As a professor of research methodology and two doctoral students, we examine the entangled and often hidden processes of teaching and learning PAR in order to identify experiences or events that seem to prompt or deepen novice scholars’ understanding and foster confidence in their ability to enact the methodology themselves. Through analysis of participants’ course journals as a type of reflexive researcher identity development record, we draw on narrative inquiry and Carspecken’s concept of identity claims to systematically explore the participants’ experiences and trace their journeys as they encounter concerns about ethics, power dynamics, and the logistics of a “messy” methodology.

When a Postgraduate Student Becomes a Novice Researcher and a Supervisor Becomes a Mentor: A Journey of Research Identity Development

ABSTRACTDeveloping a research identity is a critical space for novice researchers in teacher education. This self-study explores the experiences of a postgraduate Master of Education student who was working as a novice research assistant with her supervisor to explain how these experiences contributed to research identity development. As novice researcher and supervisor, we examine entries of a research journal and associated supervisor feedback to gain insights into experiences that both support and constrain positive research identity development. Specifically, we promote mentorship and collaborative research as an effective strategy in normalizing the typical feelings of vulnerability and self-doubt that novice researchers experience, but we concede that challenges associated with power imbalances between student and supervisor are difficult to navigate. Recording the personal learning journey as a self-study serves to not only support self, but also others endeavoring to begin research and those who supervise postgraduate students in research projects. This is aligned with the assumption that self-study should seek to facilitate research conversation, not only providing links to literature but also adding to the literature, to ultimately inform practice and development.