Table Of ContentIdentity-Trajectories of
Early Career Researchers
Unpacking the Post-PhD Experience
LYNN MCALPINE AND CHERYL AMUNDSEN
Identity-Trajectories of Early Career Researchers
Lynn McAlpine • Cheryl Amundsen
Identity-Trajectories
of Early Career
Researchers
Unpacking the Post-PhD Experience
Lynn McAlpine Cheryl Amundsen
University of Oxford Simon Fraser University,
Oxford, UK Burnaby, BC, Canada
ISBN 978-1-349-95286-1 ISBN 978-1-349-95287-8 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95287-8
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017954350
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2018
The author(s) has/have asserted their right(s) to be identified as the author(s) of this work
in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the
Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of
translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on
microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval,
electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now
known or hereafter developed.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this
publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are
exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information
in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the pub-
lisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the
material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The
publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institu-
tional affiliations.
Cover image © Patrice Atwell
Printed on acid-free paper
This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by Springer Nature
The registered company is Macmillan Publishers Ltd.
The registered company address is: The Campus, 4 Crinan Street, London, N1 9XW,
United Kingdom
Many people have contributed to our being able to write this book.
At the heart of this book are the many early career researchers who willingly
gave their time and their stories so that we could better understand and
conceptualize their identity-trajectories. We are extremely grateful to them
since their stories have already helped not just us but many others like them
who are creating their post-Ph.D. trajectories.
Also essential to our work was the team of researchers, many also early career
researchers, who over the years engaged with the research participants to
collect their stories and help us organize and analyze the data that emerged.
We thank them not just for their diligent work but also for their enthusiasm
and their creative contributions.
As well, we thank the many reviewers who over the years in different
publications really pushed us to be clearer about how we represented our
work, and more importantly, to define better its potential contribution.
Lastly, we are grateful for the research funding we received; none of this
work would have been possible without it.
A
cknowledgment
The following contributed financially in varying degrees to the research
reported here: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of
Canada; CETL, Preparing for Academic Practice, Higher Education
Funding Council of England; John Fell Fund, University of Oxford;
Donald Bligh Fund, UK Society for Research in Higher Education;
Elsevier New Scholars Program; University Skills Group, University of
Oxford; University of Cambridge internal funds; Leiden University inter-
nal funds.
And, we thank Patrice Atwell, Atwell Design, for creating the identity-
trajectory image.
vii
c
ontents
Part I Introduction 1
Chapter 1: Overview 3
What Led Us to Write This Book? 3
What Is Our Intent in Writing This Book? 5
Who Do We Imagine as the Reader? 6
How Have We Structured the Book? 6
Part II Conceptual Contributions to Understanding Identity 6
Part III Empirically-Based Insights into Academic and
Non- academic Work 7
Part IV Methodological Creativity and Transparency 7
We Could Not Have Done It Alone 8
A Word About Terminology 8
References 9
Chapter 2: The Global Context 11
Introduction 11
What Do We Know Empirically About Early Career Researchers? 12
The Terms We Use in Describing Careers 13
How Has Early Career Researcher Experience
Been Conceptualized? 15
Balancing Structure and Individual Agency: A Social
Sciences Dilemma 17
ix
x CONTENTS
The Prevailing Perspectives in Identity Studies of Early Career
Researchers 18
What Methods Have Been Used? 20
References 21
Part II Conceptual Contributions to Understanding
Identity: Overview 25
Chapter 3 : Identity-Trajectory 27
Introduction 27
Elements of Identity-Trajectory 29
Trajectory: Learning and Development Through Time 32
Agency and Affect Through Time 34
The Personal 39
Workplace and Its Contribution to Career Development 43
Integrating Work and the Personal: Opportunity Structures
and Horizons for Action 51
References 55
Chapter 4: Structure and Agency Revisited 57
Introduction 57
What We Have Learned to Inform Future Research on Careers 58
Individual Elements 59
Structural Elements 60
The Bidirectionality of the Relationship 65
References 69
Conclusion and Implications 71
References 72
Part III E mpirically-Based Insights into Academic and
Non-academic Work: Overview 73
CONTENT S xi
Chapter 5 : Post-PhD Researchers—What is in the Cards? 75
Introduction 75
Navigating Post-PhD Research Work 76
Categories of Work 76
Agency, Motivation, and Resilience 80
The Personal and Work 84
Work Environment: Positive and Negative Influences 85
Building Profiles Within the Work Environment 87
Where Do They Hope to Be in Five Years? 88
Still Hoping 88
Considering Alternatives 90
Implications for the Future 91
References 92
Chapter 6: Choosing to Invest in a Teaching-Only Position 95
Teaching-Only Positions in Different Types of Institutions 95
Limited-Term and Part-Time Teaching Positions 103
Implications for the Future 104
References 105
Chapter 7: Research-Teaching Academics—The Road
to Stability 107
Introduction 107
Establishing Oneself as a Researcher in an Institutional Context 110
Joys and Challenges of Teaching 115
Student Supervision 116
The Personal 118
Looking Forward Five Years 121
Implications for the Future 121
References 123
Chapter 8: Electing an Alternate Future: Professionals,
Research Professionals, and Academic Professionals 125
Introduction: Types of Positions 125
Where Do Those Who Chose Alternate Careers Work? 128
What Do Professionals, Research Professionals, and Academic
Professionals Actually Do? 130
xii CONTENTS
Higher Education Sector 130
Public Sector 132
Para-Public Sector 134
Private Sector 136
How Did Their PhDs Contribute to This Work? 138
Institutional Context 139
Networking Strand 139
Intellectual Strand 141
What Do They Foresee as Their Careers in Five Years? 143
Higher Education 143
Public Sector 144
Para-public Sector 145
Private Sector 145
References 147
Conclusion and Implications 149
Reference 150
Part IV Methodological Creativity and
Transparency: Overview 151
Chapter 9: Our Experience of Narrative 153
Introduction 153
The Team 153
The Research Process 155
Narrative and Longitudinal Research: Clarifying
the Methodology 156
Conceptually Situating Narrative with Identity Development 159
Negotiating Interest in and Access to the Research 161
Recruiting 161
Reporting Back 162
Working with Participants: Negotiating an Ethic of Care 163
Challenges of Using a Narrative Longitudinal Team Approach 168
References 170
