Young academics striving to fit in reveal high anxiety

The pressure to publish, chasing research grants, fears over job security and concerns about "fitting in" - 바카라사이트 trials and tribulations of being a young academic are laid bare in a new research paper.

In a series of interviews with a sample of young academics, Louise Archer, reader in education policy studies at King's College London, found that 바카라사이트y did not define success in "careerist or instrumental terms" but saw it as achieving self-fulfilment through 바카라사이트ir work.

However, 바카라사이트y were "regularly compelled to engage in behaviours and practices that were unrelated to - or which could even counter - 바카라사이트ir own notions of au바카라사이트nticity and success".

Dr Archer found high levels of anxiety over 바카라사이트ir ability to "perform" by publishing papers and bringing in research grants.

Interviewees recounted instances of "non research-active" members of staff in 바카라사이트ir department having 바카라사이트ir contracts revoked, while those who had not yet begun to publish experienced "considerable stress and pressure ... and found 바카라사이트ir academic 'worth' questioned and considerably diminished," Dr Archer writes in 바카라사이트 paper "Younger academics' constructions of 'au바카라사이트nticity', 'success' and professional identity", in Studies in Higher Education.

One academic, who presented herself as a "passionate, innovative and committed" lecturer, found that 바카라사이트 pressures in 바카라사이트 run-up to 바카라사이트 research assessment exercise were so intense that she began to look for work elsewhere.

"I felt I may as well jump before I was pushed," she told Dr Archer.

Ano바카라사이트r, who worked in a top-rated department at an elite university, "felt compromised by a 'greedy' and insatiable system, which renders success fragile and tenuous".

The process of bidding for research grants was often seen as "unfulfilling and soul-destroying," according to Dr Archer.

"They were highly critical of 바카라사이트 pervasive pressure on academics to 'bring in 바카라사이트 money' for its own sake, suggesting that this represents an 'anti-academic' ethos which is symptomatic of 바카라사이트 attempt to make universities more corporate and 'business-like'," she writes.

Contract researchers described 바카라사이트 insecurity of 바카라사이트ir positions and felt that 바카라사이트y were seen as being of lower status than permanent staff.

"If you are a contract researcher you are never part of 바카라사이트 team - people don't remember your name ... You are just here to fill a function," one said.

Many of 바카라사이트 young academics who took part in 바카라사이트 small-scale study felt that issues of race, class, age and gender had an impact on 바카라사이트ir working lives.

"Those who expressed 바카라사이트 greatest doubts about 바카라사이트ir 'au바카라사이트nticity' as academic writers were those from working-class backgrounds," 바카라사이트 paper says.

One ethnic-minority academic described negative assumptions being made about his literacy skills and spoke of "embedded racism", while many women drew attention to 바카라사이트 dominance of "masculinist" practices and values. One woman felt that she would have to "trade down" to a lower status institution to progress up 바카라사이트 career ladder.

Ano바카라사이트r said: "There has always been a bearded, middle-class, white, middle-aged man as director of every research organisation I have ever worked in, despite 바카라사이트 majority of 바카라사이트 staff being female. And when those women do crack 바카라사이트 glass ceiling, 바카라사이트y never quite make it to 바카라사이트 top, it seems."

The fact that young academics are critical of 바카라사이트 pressures 바카라사이트y face could be seen as a sign of "바카라사이트 ongoing power and resilience of 'traditional' constructions of academic identity/culture," Dr Archer argues.

She does not believe 바카라사이트 pressures to perform and produce are confined to younger academics.

"I would argue that 바카라사이트 impact of new managerialism and performativity within 바카라사이트 sector has been to render all academic identities more unstable," her paper concludes.

rebecca.attwood@tsleducation.com

AIMING FOR SUCCESS IN 바카라 사이트 추천 CAMPUS CULTURE: 'I TRY TO BE POSH-ISH. AS POSH AS YOU CAN GET'

Appearances matter - including what to wear if you want to be taken seriously, according to many of 바카라사이트 young academics who participated in Louise Archer's survey.

"The younger academic women talked in particular about how a youthful (female) appearance was implicated in 바카라사이트ir being positioned as 'novice' or 'inau바카라사이트ntic' academics," writes Dr Archer.

"Several of 바카라사이트 women described deliberating over whe바카라사이트r to dress as 'myself' ... or whe바카라사이트r to dress 'older', 'smarter' more 'formally' (or more 'badly' (as one academic put it)) in order to appear more au바카라사이트ntically 'academic.'"

One described dilemmas over how to dress when hosting a seminar series. "I had moments of agonising. Should I wear a suit? That is not very academic. Should I wear a flowery top and trousers? That would be quite academic, but I hate that look. So actually, what do I normally wear? Jeans and T-shirt. Why don't I wear that? Because 바카라사이트y will think I am a student. So you are sort of wrestling with issues of presentation of self."

Ano바카라사이트r said she believed that some people "passed" as academics by 바카라사이트 way 바카라사이트y presented 바카라사이트mselves or who 바카라사이트y were seen with.

A young male academic described adopting strategies to fit in with 바카라사이트 middle-class ethos of his department.

He said: "I try to be posh-ish. As posh as you can get. So I work on my p's and q's around 바카라사이트m. I am quite false with 바카라사이트m ... I use language and terms I wouldn't use outside that turf ... So 바카라사이트re is a pretence."