PhD project

Academics' role identities and role transitions at new universities: Novel researcher roles alongside current teacher roles

How do academics develop into novel researcher roles alongside current teacher roles in the context of new universities in transition?

Duration: 2011 - 2018
Funding: HAN UAS, Business & Managementstudies

Researchers

drs. Monica A. van Winkel - external doctoral candidate
prof.dr. J.H. van Driel (Melbourne Graduate School of Education, The University of Melbourne) - supervisor
dr. R.M. van der Rijst - co-supervisor/operational supervisor

Project description

Social relevance

The transition from ‘Institutions of Professional Education’ to ‘new universities' is not a topic that is specific to the situation in the Netherlands. Scholars from various countries have described transitions of academics into researcher roles as second chance in career at these institutes (Van Winkel et al., 2011a, b, December). Studies on these transitions were conducted in both Western oriented countries (UK, USA, and Australia) and in non-Western oriented countries (Philippines and South Africa) (Baum, T., 1998; Calma, A., 2009; Case-Smith, J., 1999; Chetty, R. & Lubben, F., 2010).

Scientific relevance

Roles in organizations, also in higher education institutes, are nowadays proliferating. Individuals are continuously in a state of becoming, of moving between and through various roles and their attached identities and relationships. In educational studies, research on academics' understandings of their role portfolio from an holistic approach is rather seldom, except e.g., Åkerlind (2005).

In general, most research focuses on profession-bound transitions. And, research in educational studies is predominantly oriented on growing and development in teacher roles. Research on profession-bound transitions in researcher roles is rather scarce but growing. In our research, the transition in research roles concerns a second chance in career, a special situation in terms of role identification and competence development.

In general, relatively little attention in research is paid to the nature of micro role transitions. What makes role transition just intriguing is that one must switch between different social domains. The challenge for academics is to attain a workable equilibrium within and across researcher and teacher roles and attached social domains. The challenge is moreover to enrich teaching from research. This confronts lecturers with the intricacies of boundary work: the creation and maintenance of role boundaries at one hand and crossing boundaries at the other hand. Relatively little attention in research is paid to the nature of micro role transitions, neither in organizational studies, nor in educational studies. However, research on the research-teaching nexus is growing from more perspectives, such as students' and academics' perspective. Studying micro role transitions is relevant because employees are increasingly performing multiple roles simultaneously.

Concerning role innovation, we aim to broaden insights in the dynamics of employees' innovation from the bottom of the organization. We are interested in their role identities in innovation, and in their narratives concerning action and reaction in the interplay between institutional change and academics' attempts to innovate their roles and the attached environments. Many studies in Higher Education have focused on academics' tensions as a consequence of changing institutional policies. In this study we aim to get more insights in academic's role identities and strategies as change agents in educational reform.

Professional publications
Winkel, M. van, Poell, R.F., Rijst, R. van der, & Jurriëns, J. (2011a). Expansion of lecturers’ work portfolio at new universities: Researcher roles alongside teacher roles. A conceptual framework and a research design. In G.J. Schuiling (Ed.), Rolgerichte competentieontwikkeling: Rollenportfolio's in beroepsonderwijs, industrie en dienstverlening (pp. 79-94). Nijmegen: HAN Press.

Winkel, M. van, Poell, R.F., Rijst, R. van der, & Jurriëns, J. (2011b). Lecturer´s acquisition of research competence in Dutch Universities of Applied Sciences: Theoretical perspectives and a research agenda. In R. Pieters & S. Weijers (Eds.), HAN Business Publications (pp. 63-78). Arnhem: HAN Press.

Peer reviewed individual paper and poster presentations
Van Winkel, M.A., Poell, R.F., Van der Rijst, R.M., & Jurriëns, J.A. (2011c, November). A conceptual framework for lecturers` role transitions at new universities. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for Practitioner Research on Improving Learning, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.

Van Winkel, M.A., Poell, R.F., Van der Rijst, R.M., & Jurriëns, J.A. (2011d, December). Lecturers’ transition into novel researcher roles at new universities: The heuristic value of a new developed conceptual framework. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Research into Higher Education, Newport, U.K.

Van Winkel, M.A., Poell, R.F., Van der Rijst, R.M., & Jurriëns, J.A. (2011e, December). Lecturers’ second chance in their careers: An integrative literature review on the transition into researcher roles. Paper presented at the annual Newer Researcher Conference of the Society for Research into Higher Education, Newport, U.K.

Van Winkel, M.A., Van der Rijst, R.M, Poell, R.F., & Jurriëns, J.A. (2012, September). Lecturers’ conceptions of the expansion of their portfolio of teacher roles with research roles at new universities. Paper presented for individual presentation on the European Conference on Educational Research, Cádiz, Spain.

Peer reviewed symposia presentations
Van Winkel, M.A., Van der Rijst, R.M., Poell, R.F., & Jurriëns, J.A. (2012, June). Opvattingen van hogeschooldocenten over verbreding van hun werkportfolio: doceren in combinatie met onderzoeken. In M. van der Klink (chair), Onderzoeks- en onderwijsrollen van hogeschooldocenten: leren en werken in verbinding? Symposium presented for the Onderwijs Research Dagen, Wageningen, The Netherlands.

Van Winkel, M.A., Van der Rijst, R.M., Poell, R.F., & Jurriëns, J.A. (2012, December). Understanding lecturers’ development in novel researcher roles in the context of new universities in transition. A longitudinal, qualitative analysis of weekly written narratives. In J. Malcolm (chair), Methodologies in researching academic work. Symposium accepted for the annual meeting of the Society for Research into Higher Education, Newport, U.K.

Van Winkel, M.A., Van der Rijst, R.M., Poell, R.F., Jurriëns, J.A. & Van Driel, J.H. (2013, May). Leerwegen van docentonderzoekers in hogescholen: een longitudinale analyse van weeklogboeken. In R.M. van der Rijst (chair), Leren van docenten en middenmanagers in het hoger onderwijs. Symposium presented for the Onderwijs Research Dagen, Brussels, Belgium.

HAN UAS, Business & Management Studies, Research Centre Business Development and Co-creation.