An Analysis of Academic Identity Construction During Doctoral Education

Year 2024, Volume: 14 Issue: 3, 91 - 106, 31.12.2024

Melike Günbey , Kasım Karakütük

https://doi.org/10.53478/yuksekogretim.1340067

Abstract

This study aims to determine how doctoral students and the faculty members make sense of academic identity, to examine how doctoral students’ academic identity is formed, to analyze the academic identity construction of doctoral students by associating them with the views and practices of faculty members on creating academic identity. It was carried out through a case study, one of the qualitative research methods. The study group was determined by maximum variation sampling, one of the purposive sampling methods, and consisted of 17 faculty members and 34 doctoral students in a public university in Türkiye. The data was collected using interviews, observation and analyzed using content analysis. The results showed that academic identity is multidimensional, including academic (role), social and individual, and each dimension affects the construction of the academic identity of the doctoral student; the past experiences of the doctoral students affect the construction of academic identity, the economic and spiritual support provided by the family paves the way for the construction of a positive academic identity; the quality of the social environment in which doctoral students grew up and the cultural capital characteristics helped to solve the problems they encountered. It is important for the doctoral student to feel a sense of belonging to the academic community and that congresses, symposiums or scientific events contribute the most to their belonging to this community.

Keywords

Academic Identity, Doctoral Education, Academic Identıty Construction, Social Capital, Cultural Capital

Akademik Kimlik Oluşum Sürecinin Doktora Eğitimi Bağlamında Çözümlenmesi

Abstract

Bu çalışmanın amacı doktora öğrencileri ve öğretim üyelerinin akademik kimliği nasıl anlamlandırdıklarını belirlemek, doktora öğrencilerinin akademik kimliklerinin nasıl oluştuğunu incelemek, öğrencilerin akademik kimlik oluşumunu öğretim üyelerinin akademik kimlik oluşturma konusundaki görüş ve uygulamalarıyla ilişkilendirerek çözümlemektir. Bu araştırma nitel araştırma desenlerinden durum çalışmasında tasarlanmıştır. Amaçlı örnekleme yöntemlerinden maksimum çeşitlilik örneklemesi ile belirlenen çalışma grubu, Türkiye’de bulunan bir devlet üniversitesinde görev yapan 17 öğretim üyesi ve öğrenimini sürdüren 34 doktora öğrencisinden oluşmaktadır. Veriler görüşme ve gözlem yoluyla toplanmış ve içerik analizi kullanılarak analiz edilmiştir. Sonuçlar, akademik kimliğin akademik (rol), sosyal ve bireysel olmak üzere çok boyutlu bir kimlik türü olduğunu ve her bir boyutun doktora öğrencisinin akademik kimlik oluşumunu etkilediğini; doktora öğrencilerinin geçmiş deneyimlerinin akademik kimlik oluşumunu etkilediğini, ailenin sağladığı ekonomik ve manevi desteğin olumlu bir akademik kimlik oluşumuna olumlu katkı sundıuğunu; doktora öğrencilerinin yetiştikleri sosyal çevrenin niteliğinin ve kültürel sermaye özelliklerinin karşılaştıkları sorunların çözümüne yardımcı olduğunu göstermiştir. Doktora öğrencisinin akademik topluluğa aidiyet hissetmesinin önemli olduğu ve bu aidiyetin sağlanmasında en çok kongre, sempozyum ya da bilimsel etkinliklerin katkı sağladığı belirtilmiştir.

Keywords

Akademik Kimlik, Doktora Eğitimi, Akademik Kimlik Oluşumu, Sosyal Sermaye, Kültürel Sermaye.

References

• Alexander, P., Harris-Huemmert, P., & McAlpine, L. (2014). Tools for reflection on the academic identities of doctoral students. International Journal for Academic Development, 19(3), 162–173. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360144X.2013.817333
• Bakhshi, H., Weisi, H., & Yousofi, N. (2019). Challenges of conducting qualitative inquiry in the Iranian ELT higher education context: Ph.D. students’ and faculty members’ voices. Journal of Language Teaching Skills, 38(1), 37–78. https://doi.org/10.22099/jtls.2019.34516.2725
• Barkhuizen, G. (2021). Identity dilemmas of a teacher (educator) researcher: Teacher research versus academic institutional research. Educational Action Research, 29(3), 358–377. https://doi.org/10.1080/09650792.2020.1842779
• Bourdieu, P. (1990). The logic of practice. Polity.
• Bourdieu, P. (1993). The field of cultural production. Polity.
• Bourdieu, P., & Wacquant, L. J. D. (1992). An invitation to reflexive sociology. The University of Chicago Press.
• Bryne, J., Jorgensen, T., & Loukkola, T. (2013). Quality assurance in doctoral education – Results of the ARDE project. European University Association.
• Burke, P. J., & Stets, J. E. (2009). Identity theory. Oxford University Press.
• Caskey, M. M., Stevens, D. D., & Yeo, M. (2020). Examining doctoral student development of a researcher identity: Using the draw a researcher test. Impacting Education Journal on Transforming Professional Practice, 5(1), 16–27.
• Castelló, M., Iñesta, A., & Corcelles, M. (2013). Learning to write a research article: Ph.D. students’ transitions toward disciplinary writing regulation. Research in the Teaching of English, 47(4), 442–477.
• Coleman, J., & Hoffer, T. (1987). Public and private high schools. Basic Books.
• Creswell, J. W. (2016). Nitel araştırma yöntemleri: Beş yaklaşıma göre nitel araştırma ve araştırma deseni (M. Bütün & S. B. Demir, Çev. Ed.). Siyasal Kitapevi. (Original work published 2013)
• Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (2005). Introduction: The discipline and practice of qualitative research. In The Sage handbook of qualitative research (3rd ed.). Sage Publications.
• Devos, C., Van der Linden, N., Boudrenghien, G., Azzi, A., Frenay, B., Galand, B., & Klein, O. (2015). Doctoral supervision in the light of the three types of support promoted in self-determination theory. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 10, 439–464. https://doi.org/10.28945/2308
• Emmioğlu, E., McAlpine, L., & Amundsen, C. (2017). Doctoral students’ experiences of feeling (or not) like an academic. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 12, 73–90.
• Gardner, S. K. (2008). What's too much and what's too little? The process of becoming an independent researcher in doctoral education. The Journal of Higher Education, 79(3), 326–350. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2008.11772101
• Geijsel, F., & Meijers, F. (2005). Identity learning: The core process of educational change. Educational Studies, 31(4), 419–430.
• Gopaul, B. (2016). Applying cultural capital and field to doctoral student socialization. International Journal for Research Development, 7(1), 46–62. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJRD-03-2015-0009
• Green, B. (2005). Unfinished business: Subjectivity and supervision. Higher Education Research and Development, 24, 151–163.
• Halls, L., & Burns, L. (2009). Identity development and mentoring in doctoral education. Harvard Business Review, 79(1), 49–70.
• Haslam, S. A., Reicher, S. D., & Levine, M. (2012). When other people are heaven, when other people are hell: How social identity determines the nature and impact of social support. In J. Jetten, C. Haslam, & S. A. Haslam (Eds.), The social cure: Identity, health and well-being (pp. 157–174). Psychology Press.
• Henkel, M. (2000). Academic identities and policy change in higher education. Jessica Kingsley.
• Henkel, M. (2005). Academic identity and autonomy revisited. In I. Bleikle, & M. Henkel (Eds.), Governing knowledge: A study of continuity and change in higher education (pp. 145–165). Springer.
• House, J. S., & Kahn, R. L. (1985). Measures and concepts of social support. In S. Cohen & S. L. Syme (Eds.), Social support and health (pp. 83–108). Academic Press.
• House, J. S. (1981). Work stress and social support. Addison-Wesley.
• Johnson, J. H., Jr., Farrell, W. C., Jr., & Stoloff, J. A. (2000). African American males in decline: A Los Angeles case study. In L. Bobo, M. L. Oliver, J. H. Johnson, Jr., & A. Valenzuela (Eds.), Prismatic metropolis: Inequality in Los Angeles (pp. 315–337). Russell Sage.
• Karadağ, N., & Özdemir, S. (2017). Türkiye'de doktora eğitimi sürecine ilişkin öğretim üyelerinin ve doktora öğrencilerinin görüşleri. Yükseköğretim ve Bilim Dergisi, 7(2), 267–281.
• Karsantık, İ. (2019). Yükseköğretimde akademik liderlik, yükseköğretim kültürü ve akademik kimlik arasındaki ilişkilerin incelenmesi [Doktora tezi, Marmara Üniversitesi]. YÖK Tez Merkezi.
• Keskin, M. (2023). Discovering and developing research interests: A narrative inquiry into three doctoral students’ experiences. Yükseköğretim Dergisi, 13(1), 9–18. https://doi.org/10.2399/yod.23.1225236
• Lovitts, B. E. (2001). Leaving the ivory tower: The causes and consequences of departure from doctoral study. Rowman and Littlefield.
• Maher, A. M., Ford, E. M., & Thomson, M. C. (2004). Degree progress of women doctoral students: Factors that constrain, facilitate, and differentiate. The Review of Higher Education, 27(3), 385–408.
• Mason, M. M. (2012). Motivation, satisfaction, and innate psychological needs. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 7, 259–277. https://doi.org/10.28945/1596
• McAlpine, L., & Amundsen, C. (2009). Identity and agency: Pleasures and collegiality among the challenges of the doctoral journey. Studies in Continuing Education, 31(2), 107–123. https://doi.org/10.1080/01580370902927378
• McAlpine, L., Amundsen, C., & Martek, M. J. (2010). Living and imagining academic careers. In L. McAlpine & G. Akerland (Eds.), Becoming an academic: International perspectives (pp. 125–154). Palgrave Macmillan.
• Meeuwisse, M., Severiens, S. E., & Born, M. Ph. (2010). Learning environment, interaction, sense of belonging and study success in ethnically diverse student groups. Research in Higher Education, 51, 528–545.
• Merriam, S. B. (2015). Nitel araştırma: Desen ve uygulama için bir rehber (S. Turan, Çev. Ed.). Nobel Akademik Yayıncılık.
• Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook (2nd ed.). Sage.
• Milne, A., & Plourde, L. A. (2006). Factors of a low-SES household: What aids academic achievement? Journal of Instructional Psychology, 33(3), 183–193.
• Overall, N. C., Deane, K. L., & Peterson, E. R. (2011). Promoting doctoral students’ research self-efficacy: Combining academic guidance with autonomy support. Higher Education Research & Development, 30(6), 791–805.
• Özmen, M. Z., & Güç, A. F. (2013). Doktora eğitimi ile ilgili yaşanan zorluklar ve baş etme stratejileri: Durum çalışması. Yükseköğretim ve Bilim Dergisi, 3(3), 214–219.
• Qaleshahzari, A., Faghih, E., & Yazdanimoghaddam, M. (2020). Investigating Iranian TEFL Ph.D. candidates’ professional identity development in the course of their doctoral education. Journal of Teaching Language Skills, 39(3.1), 131–184.
• Renn, K. A., & Arnold, K. D. (2003). Reconceptualizing research on college student peer culture. The Journal of Higher Education, 74(3), 261–291.
• Rockinson-Szapkiw, A. J., Spaulding, L. S., & Bade, B. (2014). Completion of educational doctorates: How universities can foster persistence. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 9, 293–308.
• Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. Guilford Press.
• Sevinç, B. (2011). Türkiye’de lisansüstü eğitim uygulamaları, sorunlar ve öneriler. Ankara Üniversitesi Eğitim Bilimleri Fakültesi Dergisi, 34(1–2), 125–137.
• Sfard, A., & Prusak, A. (2005). Telling identities: In search of an analytic tool for investigating learning as a culturally shaped activity. Educational Researcher, 34(4), 14–22.
• Shulman, L. S. (2008). Foreword. In G. E. Walker, C. M. Golde, L. Jones, A. C. Bueschel, & P. Hutchings (Eds.), The formation of scholars: Rethinking doctoral education for the twenty-first century (pp. ix–xiv). Jossey-Bass.
• Şirin, S. R. (2005). Socioeconomic status and academic achievement: A meta-analytic review of research. Review of Educational Research, 75(3), 417–453.
• Taylor, S. E. (2007). Social support. In H. S. Friedman & R. C. Silver (Eds.), Foundations of health psychology (pp. 145–171). Oxford University Press.
• Tinto, V. (1993). Leaving college: Rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition. University of Chicago Press.
• Tonso, K. (2006). Student engineers and engineer identity: Campus engineer identities as figured world. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 1(2), 272–307.
• Waitere, H. J., Wright, J., Tremaine, M., Brown, S., & Pausé, C. J. (2011). Choosing whether to resist or reinforce the new managerialism: The impact of performance-based research funding on academic identity. Higher Education Research & Development, 30(2), 205–217.
• Wang, L., & DeLaquil, T. (2020). The isolation of doctoral education in the times of COVID-19: Recommendations for building relationships within person-environment theory. Higher Education Research & Development, 39(7), 1346–1350.
• Weidman, J. C., Twale, D. J., & Stein, E. L. (2001). Socialization of graduate and professional students in higher education: A perilous passage? Jossey-Bass.
• Wolters, C. A. (2003). Regulation of motivation: Evaluating an underemphasized aspect of self-regulated learning. Educational Psychologist, 38(4), 189–205.
• Xu, X. (2021). A probe into Chinese doctoral students’ researcher identity: A volunteer-employed photography study. SAGE Open, 11(3), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440211032151
• Yang, P. Q., & Kayaardi, N. (2004). Who chooses non-public schools for their children? Educational Studies, 30(3), 231–249.
• Yıldırım, A., & Şimşek, H. (2013). Sosyal bilimlerde nitel araştırma yöntemleri. Seçkin Yayıncılık.
• Yin, R. K. (2009). Case study research: Design and methods. SAGE Publications.
• Zimmerman, B. J. (2008). Investigating self-regulation and motivation: Historical background and methodological developments. American Educational Research Journal, 45(1), 166–183.