A Phenomenological Study on the Career Transition of Early Career Legal Secretaries

This article examines the early-and mid-career transition to research leadership in Africa. Much of the available African literature on research leadership indicate several challenges related to poor conceptualisations of career transitions and gaps in the availability of research training. Qualitative data were collected using individual interviews (n=24) and focus groups (n=27) to identify key transition points of early career researchers (ECRs) and mid-career researchers (MCRs) in selected African countries. The qualitative data was complemented with quantitative survey questionnaires (n=250) and a triangulation approach was adopted to analyse the results. The findings were themed into different categories describing the common career paths, stages and challenges of research leaders. The latter part of the findings present a discussion on development approaches to attract and retain researchers in African universities. By focusing on the African continent, this study contributes to the current body of literature on research leadership in the Global South.

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Early-career faculty practice learner-centered teaching up to 9 years after postdoctoral professional development

Science Advances ◽

10.1126/sciadv.aba2091 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (25) ◽

pp. eaba2091 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Nathan C. Emery ◽

Jessica Middlemis Maher ◽

Diane Ebert-May

Keyword(s):

Professional Development ◽

Student Perceptions ◽

Career Transition ◽

Early Career ◽

Teaching Approaches ◽

Learner Centered ◽

Early Career Faculty ◽

Development Outcomes ◽

Over Time

The goal of STEM professional development for teaching is that participants continue to practice what they learn in the long term. However, we do not know if the outcomes are achieved and ultimately persist. We tracked postdoctoral participants from the Faculty Institutes for Reforming Science Teaching (FIRST) IV program into their current positions as early-career biology faculty. We assessed their teaching approaches, practices, and student perceptions of the learning environment over 6 to 9 years after finishing the program. Simultaneously, we evaluated paired faculty in the same departments. We found that professional development outcomes persisted over time and across a career transition. FIRST IV faculty maintained their learner-centered practices and were more learner-centered than their peers. Last, we found that teaching approaches were correlated with teaching practices in all faculty participants. These results provide evidence for the success of the FIRST IV program and the long-term persistence of professional development outcomes.

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Physical activity status of academic professors during their early career transition: An application of the theory of planned behavior

Psychology Health & Medicine ◽

10.1080/13548506.2011.647700 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 17 (5) ◽

pp. 551-564 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Megan A. Kirk ◽

Ryan E. Rhodes

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Theory Of Planned Behavior ◽

Planned Behavior ◽

Career Transition ◽

Early Career

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Professional Ethics as Experienced by Student Teachers: A Neoliberal View

Phenomenology & Practice ◽

10.29173/pandpr29400 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 89-104

Author(s):

Marita Cronqvist

Keyword(s):

Teacher Education ◽

Beginning Teachers ◽

Student Teachers ◽

Lived Experience ◽

Professional Ethics ◽

Teacher Educators ◽

Phenomenological Study ◽

Early Career ◽

Ethical Practice ◽

Early Career Teachers

Student teachers’ experiences of professional ethics, as lived practice, need to be visualized and verbalized to support their ability to develop an ethical practice. The aim of this article is to discuss the lived experiences of professional ethics from beginning teachers’ internship, based on a phenomenological study. Some of the essential meanings are interpreted in relation to the tension between responsibility and accountability that is emerging from neoliberal influences in teacher education. Inspired by Reflective Life World Research (RLR), interviews were conducted with student teachers specializing in preschool and elementary school. The empirical data was analyzed in order to determine the meanings that constitute the lived experience of professional ethics for early career teachers. By identifying the implications of professional ethics in neoliberal times, teacher educators can more easily observe and communicate the manifestations this has for teaching. Discussions and observations of professional ethics can stimulate student teachers’ learning as part of teacher education discourse.

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Breaking barriers: The effect of protected characteristics and their intersectionality on career transition in academics

10.1101/593905 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Klara M. Wanelik ◽

Joanne S. Griffin ◽

Megan Head ◽

Fiona C. Ingleby ◽

Zenobia Lewis

Keyword(s):

Socioeconomic Status ◽

Career Success ◽

Evolutionary Biology ◽

Career Transition ◽

Career Progression ◽

Early Career ◽

Women In Science ◽

Academic Disciplines ◽

Socioeconomic Background ◽

Underrepresentation Of Women

Lay summaryIn the past decade the scientific community has been trying to tackle the historical underrepresentation of women in science and the fact that gender can constitute a barrier to career success. However, other characteristics, such as being of an ethnic minority or coming from an under-privileged background, have received less attention. In this study we find that ethnicity and socioeconomic status impact detrimentally on career progression in early career scientists, despite the fact that gender is more likely to be reported as a barrier. Our data suggest we need to widen the discussion regarding diversity and equality in science to incorporate potential barriers to career success in addition to gender.AbstractThe academic disciplines of Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) have long suffered from a lack of diversity. While in recent years there has been some progress in addressing the underrepresentation of women in STEM subjects, other protected characteristics have received less attention. In this study, we survey early career scientists in the fields of ecology, evolutionary biology, behaviour, and related disciplines. We (i) quantitatively examine the effect of protected characteristics and their intersectionality on career transition, and (ii) provide practical suggestions, based on the qualitative responses of those surveyed, for overcoming some of the barriers we identified. We found that socioeconomic background and ethnicity impacted negatively on the quantitative measures of career progression we examined. Respondents that were female, LGBT, and from a lower socioeconomic background were more likely to report having faced a barrier, and the most frequent barrier named was related to gender. Our results suggest that respondents may have felt more confident discussing the experiences they have had related to their gender, potentially because there is now widespread discourse on this subject. However, respondents were less likely to discuss barriers they have faced in relation to ethnicity and socioeconomic status, despite the fact that the data indicates these are more detrimental to career progression. This may reflect the fact that these characteristics have received less attention, and are therefore deemed more sensitive. We hope that this study will stimulate wider discussion, and help to inform strategies to address the underrepresentation of minority groups in STEM subjects.

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Women’s Midlife Career Transition to Tenured/Tenure-Track Faculty in Adult Education

Adult Education Quarterly ◽

10.1177/0741713619867077 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 70 (1) ◽

pp. 44-63

Author(s):

Catherine A. Cherrstrom ◽

Mary V. Alfred

Keyword(s):

Phenomenological Study ◽

Transition Process ◽

Career Transition ◽

Women Faculty ◽

Theory And Practice ◽

Tenure Track ◽

Career Changers ◽

Development Models ◽

Adult Transition ◽

Faculty Characteristics

Faculty characteristics are changing, and traditional theories may not account for the intersection of increasing numbers of women faculty and career changers to higher education in examining faculty development. Using a conceptual framework composed of adult transition and career development models, this phenomenological study investigated the career transition and strategies of women midlife career changers to the professoriate. Findings included a midlife career transition process and related challenges, supports, and strategies to navigate the process with implications for theory and practice.

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A Phenomenological Study of Early Career School Counselor Clinical Supervision Experiences

Professional School Counseling ◽

10.1177/2156759x21997143 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 25 (1) ◽

pp. 2156759X2199714

Author(s):

Kenya G. Bledsoe ◽

Joy J. Burnham ◽

Ryan M. Cook ◽

Madeline Clark ◽

Alan L. Webb

Keyword(s):

Professional Identity ◽

School Counselors ◽

Clinical Supervision ◽

School Counselor ◽

Phenomenological Study ◽

Early Career ◽

Counseling Services ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Counseling Supervisors ◽

Qualitative Phenomenological

Researchers conducted a qualitative, phenomenological investigation of the clinical supervision experiences of nine early career school counselors using semi-structured interviews. Researchers discovered six themes and related subthemes regarding clinical supervision experiences, including (a) challenges, (b) support, (c) knowledge, (d) self-efficacy, (e) improved professional identity, and (f) improved counseling services. Implications for school counselors, counseling supervisors, and counselor educators are discussed.

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