Academic identities and academic work in contemporary higher education: a study in Portugal and Brazil

Author(s):

Carolina Santos(presenting / submitting)Fátima Pereira Amélia Lopes

Conference:

ECER 2015

Network:

Emerging Researchers' Group (for presentation at Emerging Researchers' Conference)

Format:

Paper

Session Information

ERG SES D 14, Sociology and Education

Paper Session

Time:

2015-09-07

13:30-15:00

Room:

393. [Main]

Chair:

Fiona Hallett

Contribution

Nowadays, the educational system tends to follow the political, economic and social changes which allows us to state that the current academic setting is characterized by continuous modifications. Therefore, contemporary universities are being controlled by the market invisible hand that reconfigures their concerns, structures and goals (Magalhães, 2011). Hence, universities are embedded in a competitive logic, mostly associated with the market tendencies and needs, and this inflicts pressure on universities to respond, for examples, to students’ employability.

The development of human capital able to adapt to the demands and flexibilities of the new labor market becomes one of the universities goals (Beck & Youn, 2008). As a consequence of the dominance of economic values, to which the higher education system have become subordinated, the relation between higher education and knowledge has changed (Gibbons et al, 1997). Consecutively, this situation has significant consequences regarding higher education dynamics. Universities are becoming more utilitarian and specifically vocational (Wheelahan, 2014) and higher education system is changing in order to achieve knowledge productivity regarding its validity from the economic point of view (Reed, 1999). Within knowledge society context, social and cultural issues are replaced by an economic relevant knowledge (Santiago, Magalhães & Carvalho, 2005), with emphasis on economy and efficiency (Becher & Trowler, 2001). It is possible to recognize the university attenuation (Cowen, 1996) in different levels and the crisis of its legitimacy (Santos, 1994) as consequence of the academic capitalism (Slaughter & Rhoades, 2004; Paraskeva, 2009).

The changes in higher education have a considerable impact on academics’ activities, placing them under the pressure of an administrative and bureaucratic logic of universities and higher education system that can be understood as a local of political transactions (Zabalza, 2004). Consequently, we identify an impact on academic identities that, considering this context of changes, need to be (re)constructed.

This research aims to understand academic identities in order to promote a reflection about the contemporary higher education teaching. We understand academic identity as the professional identity of higher education teachers, constantly (re)constructed (Dubar, 2006) in a process of interaction with the other, but also with teachers’ work context. This professional identity includes several aspects of the profession that go beyond the initial training. For this study, it is necessary to understand “identity” as a social process, in a continuing process of (re)construction. Intrinsically related with the concept of “alterity”, we consider identity as a dynamic process that articulates the other and the self-awareness, developed on the basis of the subject-society dichotomy (Berger & Luckmann, 2003).

Amongst the objectives of this study, we want to understand the meaning that teachers give to higher education teaching and to identify the expectations regarding the contemporary and the future of university. Considering that academic identity comprise different aspects, we understand that it is also necessary to reflect about how contexts may influence or not these changes effects on academic identities.

Method

Regarding academic identity as a social process, this research considers that both countries and the universities have impact on academics`work and their identities. Therefore, it is our purpose to investigate universities within different contexts, in order to comprehend how ecological contexts may influence, or not, the effects of university changes on academic identities. To better achieve its objectives, the investigation focuses on a multi-case study: Brazil and Portugal. Methodologically, it’s an adequate option to investigate in depth two cases and their academic identities. The participants are academics in the field of Education in two public universities: one in Brazil, the other in Portugal. The research will require an extensive literature review aiming at the characterization of portuguese and brazilian higher education systems. This systematic review of the literature includes a historical study about these universities’ systems. Also, the investigation about the universities as organizations and their history and particularities will require document analysis. The investigation highlights the narrative approach as the most important methodological option to listen academics’ voices in this study. Narratives mean the possibility of reflection about academic and higher education identities. Through them, it is possible to comprehend the sense of sameness and continuity and social participation that involves identity (Erikson, 1976). This approach may reveal teaching in terms of past, present and future (Clandinin e Connelly, 1990). Hence, it’s possible to comprehend an identity singularity, even understanding that, during his life, the subject can experience various aspects of identity (Lipiansky, 1998). Complementarily, focus group will be used as a source of information. Collected data will be organized, classified and submitted to content analysis for each context. The results will be interpreted using narrative approach. In the discussion, the study will articulate analysis and findings regarding the theoretical framework.

Expected Outcomes

The initial data analysis highlights the intensification of work as the element that describes the academic identity. In this sense, the term “everyday work intensification” is used to identify the work of contemporary teachers. Portuguese teachers experience a strong lack of time to accomplish all the demands that are expected from them. This situation can promote and increase the gap between the real responsibilities and the professional expectations. Results acknowledged “academic-bureaucratic work” as a consequence of this intensification, revealing that teachers accumulate a lot of tasks, often limited to administrative duties. These activities may steal time that would be destined to central and privileged academic tasks, like teaching and research. From teachers’ narratives it is possible to identify the expression “collective-isolated work”, taking into account the collective of teachers working alone, in an isolated way. In their office, alone, teachers complain that they have few possibilities to effectively work in group. They do not have the opportunity to develop peer-to-peer debates or group projects. As a visible consequence of this work overload, the study mentions some damages concerning professional relations (Candau, 2010). Therefore, the fragmentation of academic work that promote professional erosion emerge, increasing prostration and the feeling of loneliness among teachers (Lopes et al, 2013). The gap between expectations and real work promotes a sense of "derealization "and" professional devaluation" (Lopes e Ribeiro, 1996; Correia e Matos, 2001). On the other hand, through Brazilian teachers’ narratives, it is possible to identify some positive aspects concerning teaching in this new context: the possibility of resistance through professional autonomy and the choices that teachers are allow to do in their daily routine. In addition, it is pointed out as positive changes the increased funding for studies, research and students and the increased opportunities to take academic work to an international level.

References

Becher, T., & Towler, P. (2001). Academic tribes and territories. Second Edition, Buckingham: Society for Research into Higher Education & Open University Press. Beck, J., & Young, M. (2008). Investida contra as profissões e reestruturação das identidades académicas e profissionais. Cadernos de Pesquisa, 38(135), 587-609. Berger, P., & Luckmann, T. (2003). A construção social da realidade: tratado de sociologia do conhecimento. Petrópolis: Vozes. Candau, J (2010). Pour un movement Slow Science. Retrieved from http://slowscience.fr. Clandinin, J., & Connelly, M. (1990). Narrative, experience and the study of of curriculum. Cambridge Journal of Education, 20(30). Correia, J. A., & Matos, M. (2001). Solidões e solidariedades nos quotidianos dos professores. Porto: ASA Editores. Cowen, R. (1996). Performativity, post-modernity and the university. Comparative Education, 32(2), 245-258. Dubar, C. (2006). A crise das identidades: a interpretação de uma mutação. Porto: Edições Afrontamento. Erikson, E. (1976). Identidade, juventude e crise. Rio de Janeiro: Zahar Editores. Gibbons, M., Limoges, C., Nowotny, H., Schwartzman, S., Scott, P., & Trow, M. (1997). The new production of knowledge: The dynamics of science and research in contemporary societies. Londres: Sage publications. Lipiansky, M. (1998). Les fondements de l´identité. In J. C. Ruano-Borbalan, L´identité. L´individu, le groupe, la societé. Auxerre: Sciences Humaines Éditions. Lopes, A., & Ribeiro, A. (1996). A construção de identidades profissionais docentes: começas tu ou começo eu? In Formação, saberes profissionais e situações de trabalho, 1, 379-393, Lisboa: AIPELF/AFIRSE, Vol I, 379-393. Lopes, A., Lima, I., Pereira, F., Dotta, L., Ferreira, E., & Sousa, R. (2013). Identidades formadoras em enfermagem: Novos académicos em novos ambientes do ensino superior. In V. Fartes, T. Caria, & A. Lopes (Eds.), Saber e formação no trabalho profissional relacional. Salvador: EDUFBA. Paraskeva, J. (2009). Capitalismo académico. Mangualde: Edições Pedago. Santos, B. S. (1994). Pela mão de Alice. Porto: Edições Afrontamento. Slaughter, S., & Rhoades, G. (2004). Academic Capitalism and the New Economy: markets, state and higher education. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press. Reed, M. (1999). From the ‘cage’ to the ‘gaze’? The dynamics of organizational control in late modernity. In G. Morgan, & L. Engwall (Coords.), Regulation and organization: international perspectives. London: Routledge. Wheelaham, L. (2014). Babies and bathwater: revaluing the role of the academy in Knowledge. In P. Gibbs & R. Barnett (Eds.), Thinking about Higher Education (pp. 125-137). London: Springer. Zabalza, M. (2004). O ensino universitário: seu cenário e seus protagonistas. Porto Alegre: ARTMED.

Author Information

Carolina Santos (presenting / submitting)

University of Porto

Faculty of Psychology and Educational Science

Porto

Fátima Pereira

University of Porto, Portugal

Amélia Lopes