Promoting writing amongst peers: establishing a community of writing practice for early career academics

In the current research-focused climate, academics are facing increasing pressure to produce research outputs. This pressure can prove particularly daunting for early career (EC) academics, who are simultaneously attempting to master new teaching and administrative demands while establishing their own independent research trajectories. Previous reports suggest that academic writing retreats can be an effective way of increasing research outputs. Such retreats generally involve academics from a range of career stages and require expert facilitators. Through organising a series of structured writing events, this project aims to cultivate an enduring community of practice for academic writers. Reflecting on our EC retreat and subsequent writing days with academics from different career stages, we suggest that success hinged on three key factors: (1) A formal structure comprising bounded periods of intense writing, flanked by group reviewing and goal-setting; (2) Co-located writing with participants based in a shared space, away from their usual workstation and distractions; (3) Peer discussions involving participants at a similar career stage. Specifically we found that writing amongst ‘equals’ increased productivity and confidence amongst EC academics.     

ON THE TENURE TRACK IN GERONTOLOGY: I WISH I HAD KNOWN THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW

With the emergence of gerontology as an academic discipline, the need for formalized training to address early career issues has increased. This paper offers personal experiences and advice regarding some of the challenges new faculty are likely to face when on the “tenure track.” Some of the challenges include whether to pursue a career in academia, the potential value of a post-doctoral research position, grant writing, academic duty, preparing for the job interview, negotiating, and achieving success in academia. In addition to offering personal perspectives on each of these challenges, a number of resources are provided to help those who seek additional insight or advice on early career management. Implications for creating formalized graduate training to assist those students struggling with early career challenges are discussed.     

Identity‐trajectory: Reframing early career academic experience

Our longitudinal qualitative research program examining doctoral student, post‐PhD researcher and new lecturer experience is situated in an international literature documenting how early career academics learn through experience. In common with others, our work is framed within an identity perspective. What makes our view of identity distinct is a biographical focus: emphasizing individual agency; situating academic work within the personal arena; and encompassing transitions across roles. This paper demonstrates how the construct of ‘identity‐trajectory' which links a narrative approach with identity construction contributes to understanding how early career academics learn through experience and navigate their journeys.     

“We are sorry to inform you…”—The effects of early elimination on science competition participants’ career aspirations

In the past, students' participation in science competitions has been positively associated with their aspirations to pursue a career in science. Previous studies, however, were predominantly focused around successful competitors, overlooking the largest group of participants: those who are faced with early elimination. We therefore aimed to investigate the effects of elimination on the development of biology-related study and career task values and expectancy of success in first-round participants of the German Biology Olympiad (N = 381, mean age 16.5 years, 72% female). This study was the first of its kind to use a latent change score model approach to examine the effects of early elimination, with a particular focus on participants who placed great emphasis on succeeding in the competition. We found that, regardless of success or failure, participants' biology-related study and career task value remained stable from the first to the second round of the competition, while their expectancy of success in biology-related studies and career developed positively. Yet, for those participants who placed great importance on advancing in the competition, early elimination interfered with the development of study and career expectations, resulting in a weaker development. The outcomes of this study suggest that (1) science competitions should re-envision themselves to more directly address participants' values about studies and careers, especially in earlier competition rounds, and (2) science competitions should find innovative ways to provide detailed feedback to students and teachers to improve post-elimination performance. Our findings complement existing expectancy-value research and can serve as a starting point for future studies exploring mechanisms behind early elimination in different science domains and cultural contexts, providing empirical insight into creating an inclusive and supportive environment for all science competition competitors.     

Defining 'Early Career' in Research

In order to ensure the future of high qualityresearch in some disciplines it may benecessary to provide special consideration inprestigious research funding schemes for earlycareer researchers who will otherwise becomedisenchanted with academic research and leaveit behind in their search for a stable andfruitful future. Milestones in progressionthrough research studies and academic life toestablishment as an academic researcher areoutlined. Within this context, a range ofpotential criteria for determining promisingearly career status are reviewed. Thediscussion leads to derivation of thedefinition of early career which has beenadopted by the Australian Research Council forits prestigious Discovery – Projects grantsscheme.     

Entrepreneurial Academics: Developing Scientific Careers in Changing University Settings

This paper examines the impact of entrepreneurial initiatives within universities on scientific careers. Based on the career accounts of university‐based bioscientists involved in a government‐sponsored entrepreneurship training initiative, the paper explores the concept of academic entrepreneurialism. Three groups were identified in the data. First, academic entrepreneurs, who tended to be more experienced scientists and were now able to capitalise on their science. Second, those interested in technology transfer, who saw their career path taking them away from science, and finally a group of younger scientists who were trying to develop their career capital but were unsure what direction their career would take. The implications of these different groups for the management of universities and the development of knowledge are considered.     

Holding a post-doctoral position before becoming a faculty member: does it bring benefits for the scholarly enterprise?

This article examines the effects that performing a post-doc early in the academic career have for the current scholarly practices of faculty members. Results show that performing a post-doc early in the academic career impacts positively the recent research output of academics, although not affecting the other faculty member’s scholarly activities, namely teaching. The results also show that academics that did a post-doc engage in more regular information exchange dynamics with international peers than their colleagues that did not. This is particularly evident for the younger generations of scholars and for those who spent the post-doctoral period abroad. It is concluded that the post-doctoral period not only fosters a greater production of scientific outputs later in the academic career, but also leads to a greater integration into international scholarly communities. These benefits potentiate former post-docs to become key players in any scientific or higher education system.     

Early career academics learning the game in Whackademia

The initial years as an early career academic (ECA) are challenging times as those new to the academy attempt to balance the three aspects of their role: teaching, research and service, while also coming to terms with both overt and hidden expectations. Formal mentoring arrangements for ECAs are threatened by competing demands on time. Additionally, they may not fully support the needs of ECAs as they can be more closely aligned to university needs than those of the ECA. The purpose of this paper is to open conversations about ECAs finding ways to develop agency. We use a reflective inquiry approach to identify and respond to the ideological and hegemonic influences on the experiences of ECAs. We also promote self-sustaining peer support and informal mentoring from more senior staff as complementary forms of professional learning.     

Dimensions of academic interest among undergraduate students: passion,confidence, aspiration and self-expression

We investigated psychological dimensions of academic interest among undergraduate students (N = 325) using a global academic interest scale. The scale was administered together with measures of academic performance, educational aspiration, career planning, goal setting, life satisfaction, attitudes towards leisure, personality and value. Exploratory factor analyses revealed four dimensions of academic interest: passion for learning, confidence in the future, career aspiration and self-expression. All four dimensions were significantly related to career planning, goal setting and life satisfaction. On the other hand, specific pairings of significant relationships were found between different dimensions of academic interest and personality and value, suggesting that students with different personalities and different sets of values are likely to appreciate and respond to different aspects of academic interest. We conclude with implications for research on academic interest development across a more diverse range of age groups.     

Conceptualising institutional support for early,mid, and later career teachers

In this paper we argue that institutions need to support early career teachers to learn to teach in much the same way that students who are new to higher education are supported: through integrated and intentionally designed transition strategies. We take a published student transition typology and adapt it to identify ways of supporting early career teachers. We argue that strategies within each conception of our adapted typology are necessary to support a diverse cohort of higher education teachers, not only those who begin teaching each year, but those who are in their mid and later careers.     

Nurturing Careers in Psychology: Combining Work and Family

The academic workplace, with its requirements for achieving tenure within the first 6 years of employment, is designed in ways that discriminate against young faculty with family care responsibilities, most notably mothers. Mason and Goulden (Academe, http://www.aaup.org/publications/Academe/2002/02nd/02ndmas.htm, 2002, Academe, http://www.aaup.org/publications/Academe/2004/04nd/04ndmaso.htm, 2004) found that women faculty who have babies within the first 5 years following the receipt of their doctorate are less likely to earn tenure than women without babies or men in general. Women at research-intensive universities are twice as likely as their male colleagues to report that they had fewer children than they wanted. In addition, only one-third of women who begin their academic career at research-intensive institutions without children will become a mother. These inequities, sometimes called the “baby gap” or “motherhood penalty” make academic institutions difficult places for new faculty with family care responsibilities. Suggestions are provided to assist new faculty in successfully combining their work and family roles (e.g., establish gender equity in parenting and negotiate for family-friendly policies) and to senior faculty and administrators who want to nurture the careers of their younger colleagues (e.g., support the use of family-friendly policies on campus).     

The Career Experiences of Teacher‐education Graduates

In an effort to gain more detailed information about the career patterns and professional experience of beginning teachers, teacher‐education graduates from the University of Canberra were studied. Data was obtained using a survey administered to a random sample of graduates who had completed their teacher‐education programmes in the academic years 1986 to 1991. The survey instrument focused on employment histories, teaching and non‐teaching career experiences, career support structures and the suitability of the University's preservice teacher‐education programmes as preparation for careers. Analysis of the data revealed that over two‐thirds of the graduates were currently employed as teachers. A little over half of the respondents stated that they would choose teaching again if making a career selection. The major problems encountered by these beginning teachers generally involved classroom management and understanding ‘the system’. Most thought that the support structures to help them with such problems were inadequate, generally recognising peers as the main means of support in early days of teaching. In response to questions about the value of their preservice programmes, the graduates placed most emphasis on the practical value of courses, the importance of practice teaching and the role of courses which provided a knowledge base for the later teaching of curriculum content.     

What makes academic careers less insecure? The role of individual-level antecedents

The early stages of an academic career are fraught with insecurity. By focusing on the individual and his or her background, this article sets out to analyse and develop theories for this insecurity. We see academic career insecurity as a mix of how much someone wants to pursue a job in academia and what they feel is the probability of reaching their goal. The article draws on concepts of boundaryless careers and protean careers to theorise about the antecedents of insecurity. Empirical analysis is based on survey data from early-career researchers at a large Austrian university. The findings indicate that the most important individual factors that reduce academic career insecurity are the willingness to be geographically mobile, self-attribution of previous career success, a high proportion of working time devoted to research and networking, as well as being at an advanced career stage. The article demonstrates the potential and limits of the boundaryless and protean career concepts for studying academic careers. Practical measures are that universities should provide early-career researchers with temporal space for research and networking, facilitate stays at other universities, inform them about career success factors, and tailor faculty development programmes to the distinct stages of academic careers.     

More Than “Getting Us Through:” A Case Study in Cultural Capital Enrichment of Underrepresented Minority Undergraduates

Minority students continue to be underrepresented among those who seek graduate and professional degrees in the sciences. Much previous research has focused on academic preparation. Equally important, however, are the psychological–social barriers and lack of institutional support encountered by many minority students. We present a case study of a university-sponsored intervention program for minority science majors that addresses not only academics, but also socialization into the academic community, networking, and the ability to practice newfound skills and dispositions through undergraduate research. In examining this case, we suggest that concerted, formal efforts toward expanding habitus and thereby augmenting cultural and social capital may have positive effects for underrepresented minority (URM) college students’ academic and career prospects. Moreover, we argue that these differences complement the gains program participants make in academic preparedness, showing that attention to academics alone may be insufficient for addressing longstanding inequities in science career attainment among URM students.     

Integrating theory and practice to increase scientific workforce diversity: a framework for career development in graduate research training

Few, if any, educational interventions intended to increase underrepresented minority (URM) graduate students in biological and behavioral sciences are informed by theory and research on career persistence. Training and Education to Advance Minority Scholars in Science (TEAM-Science) is a program funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison with the twin goals of increasing the number of URM students entering and completing a PhD in BBS and increasing the number of these students who pursue academic careers. A framework for career development in graduate research training is proposed using social cognitive career theory. Based on this framework, TEAM-Science has five core components: 1) mentor training for the research advisor, 2) eight consensus-derived fundamental competencies required for a successful academic career, 3) career coaching by a senior faculty member, 4) an individualized career development plan that aligns students' activities with the eight fundamental competencies, and 5) a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats personal career analysis. This paper describes the theoretical framework used to guide development of these components, the research and evaluation plan, and early experience implementing the program. We discuss the potential of this framework to increase desired career outcomes for URM graduate trainees in mentored research programs and, thereby, strengthen the effectiveness of such interventions on participants' career behaviors.     

Post-Baccalaureate Wage Growth within Four Years of Graduation: The Effects of College Quality and College Major

This paper examines the impact of college quality and academic major on the earnings of a nationally representative sample of baccalaureate recipients. We extend previous work in this area by analyzing the magnitude of change in the influence of these factors at two points in the early career of these graduates. Our results demonstrate that, despite significant variation, graduates from higher quality colleges enjoy a greater rate of growth in earnings during their early career. We also show that growth in earnings varies significantly by the graduates major field of study. Wage growth for women and racial minorities is also examined.     

学缘关系对大学教师学术职业发展影响的实证研究——以H大学为个案

本文基于H大学2003-2006年的职称评审数据,采用Logistic回归分析方法,探讨学缘关系对大学教师学术职业发展的影响。研究发现,尽管人力资本仍是学术职业发展最重要的内在逻辑,但学缘关系对大学教师学术职业发展的影响日益显著。学缘关系越丰富的大学教师,取得学术职业发展的可能性越大;不同种类的学缘关系对大学教师学术职业发展的影响程度不同,在控制其他因素的条件下,本科、硕士与博士在同一所学校就读并留校任教的大学教师学术职业发展可能性最大,具有硕士学缘关系的大学教师学术职业发展可能性最小。基于上述结论,本文提出深化教师聘任制度改革、完善职称评审制度与加快学术劳动力市场建设等一系列政策建议。     

From apprentice to colleague: The metamorphosis of Early Career Researchers

While the studies of Early Career Researchers (ECRs) have contributed politically important insights into factors hindering ECRs, they have not yet achieved a theoretical understanding of the causal mechanisms that are at work in the transition from dependent to independent research. This paper positions the early career phase in a theoretical framework that combines approaches from the sociology of science and organisational sociology and emphasises the transitional process. In this framework, the early career phase is considered as containing a status passage from the apprentice to the colleague state of their career in their scientific communities. In order to capture the mechanisms underlying this transition, it is important to analyse the interactions of these careers as they unfold over time. The usefulness of this approach is demonstrated with a pilot study of Australian ECRs. We show (a) that misalignments of the three careers stretch the transition phase; (b) that the two major factors affecting the transition are a successful PhD and a research-intensive phase prior to normal academic employment; and (c) that the most important condition hindering the transition is the lack of time for research. It can be concluded that as a result of a ‘market failure’ of the university system, the transition from dependent to independent research is currently being relocated to a phase between the PhD and the first academic position.