In the last decades, higher education has gone through substantial structural and cultural transformation, including increasing precarity, intensified workload and performance expectations, and heightened competitiveness along with decreased job security. These changes particularly negatively affected early career academics, who are transitioning from being post-graduate students to faculty members. Early career academics, globally, are frequently employed on short or fixed-term contracts and burdened under unrealistic expectations for teaching, research, and institutional service (Cilli et al., 2023; Hollywood, et al., 2020). Previous research consistently showed that early career researchers struggle with high levels of stress, anxiety, and burnout (Cilli et al., 2023; Hollywood, et al., 2020).

Within this context, the concepts of well-being and mattering offer a valuable lens for understanding early career academics’ experiences. Well-being, although there are numerous definitions depending on context, refers to how people feel and function on an individual and societal level (Michaelson et al., 2012). Parallel to well-being, mattering refers to individuals’ perceptions of being valued, recognized, and significant to others (Prilleltensky, 2020; Rosenberg & McCullough, 1981). Research show that well-being and sense of mattering are significantly related (Flett et al., 2019; Paradisi et al., 2023). Indeed, it is argued by James (1890; as cited in Paradisi et al., 2023) that even when a person has a good sense of worth, but is not valued by others, they “cannot experience a complete sense of well-being”. In the same vein, Oyserman et al. (2007) suggested that mattering is “fundamental to well-being” (Flett et al., 2019). Despite this robust association, mattering and well-being have received comparatively limited association in research related to early career academics’ professional and instructional experiences.

Teaching constitutes a central component of academic work in higher education, and it is inherently relational and emotionally demanding. Conceptualizations of instructional quality extend beyond content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge to include instructors’ attitudes, passion for the topic, dynamism, and resourcefulness (Donohue & Bornman, 2021; Sogunro, 2017). Previous research suggest that effective instruction is shaped not only by technical competence, but also instructors’ emotional presence and ability to create meaningful engagement with students (Donohue & Bornman, 2021; Schunk et al., 2008).

For early career academics, teaching may, at the same time, represent an additional site of strain. Literature indicates that early career academics usually experience stress and burnout because of unrealistic expectations regarding teaching and research, as well as career progression and recognition (Hollywood et al., 2020). Although there are many studies on early career academics’ well-being, little is known about how they perceive their sense of mattering and well-being, and how it affects their instructional practices. The purpose of this study is to explore early career academics’ experiences of mattering and well-being, how they perceive the influences on those experiences, and how they understand the relationship between their mattering, well-being, and their perceived quality of instruction. Rather than establishing causal relationships or evaluating objective teaching outcomes, the study adopts an interpretive perspective focused on early career academics’ subjective sense-making processes.

The study addresses the following research questions:

1. How do early career academics describe their experiences of mattering and well-being within higher education institutions?
2. What institutional, relational, and work-related factors do early career academics perceive as shaping their sense of mattering and well-being?
3. How do early career academics perceive the relationship between their mattering, well-being and their perceived quality of instruction?

This study adopts an interpretive qualitative research approach, which is well suited to exploring early career academics’ lived experiences and meaning-making processes. Given the study’s focus on subjective perceptions of mattering, well-being, and instructional practices, qualitative methods enable an in-depth examination of how participants interpret and narrate their experiences. Participants consist of 15 early career academics employed at universities in Türkiye, defined as academics within the first three years of their employment at a university as assistant professors/faculty member. Snowball sampling was used to reach potential participants. Furthermore, maximum variation sampling method was also used to ensure to access participants from different university contexts and fields. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews developed by the researcher. The interview protocol included demographic questions and open-ended questions addressing participants’ experiences of recognition, value, and visibility within their institutions; their emotional and psychological well-being in relation to their academic careers; perceived sources of support and strain; and their reflections on their teaching practices and perceived quality of instruction. Questions related to instruction focused on participants’ own perceptions of planning, engagement, enthusiasm, and emotional availability in teaching, rather than on objective evaluations of teaching effectiveness or student learning outcomes. All interviews were audio-recorded with written informed consent and transcribed verbatim. Data analysis followed a thematic analysis approach, involving iterative cycles of coding and theme development. Initial codes captured experiences related to mattering, well-being, and teaching, followed by the identification of broader themes that reflect shared patterns and variations across participants’ accounts.

Although the data analysis is in progress, the results of the study are expected to generate rich insights into how early career academics experience and interpret mattering and well-being within higher education contexts. The findings are expected to illustrate how early career academics’ sense of mattering is shaped by institutional recognition practices, collegial relationships, workload arrangements, and employment precarity. Participants may describe experiences of feeling valued and visible, as well as experiences of invisibility or marginalization, and the emotional consequences of these experiences for their well-being. In line with existing literature, mattering is expected to emerge as a key relational component of well-being. In relation to teaching, the study is expected to reveal how early career academics perceive their mattering and well-being as influencing their engagement with instructional practices. Participants may describe variations in motivation, energy, enthusiasm, and pedagogical creativity, as well as tensions between professional ideals and everyday realities. Teaching may emerge both as a potential source of meaning and as a domain in which well-being challenges become particularly salient. The study aims to contribute to discussions on academic work, professional development, and teaching in higher education. The findings may inform institutional efforts to foster relational recognition and supportive environments that sustain both academic well-being and pedagogical engagement among early career academics.

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