Research and Teaching in a Pandemic World: The Challenges of Establishing Academic Identities During Times of Crisis

Contents
Editors and Contributors
List of Figures
List of Tables
Part I An Introduction to Research and Teaching in a Pandemic World
1 Preface: Research and Teaching in a Pandemic World
1.1 Seeking Catharsis
1.2 Academic Identity Development in Times of Change
1.3 Book Outline
1.4 Conclusion
References
2 Introduction to the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Impact on Higher Education
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Surveying the Damage: The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Higher Education
2.2.1 Retention and Turnover of Academic Staff
2.3 Attitudes Toward Remote Learning and Research
2.4 Academic Identity: How the Pandemic Changes What It Means to Be an Academic
2.5 Conclusion
References
3 A Harmony of Voices: The Value of Collaborative Autoethnography as Collective Witnessing During a Pandemic
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Autoethnography
3.3 Collaborative Autoethnography
3.4 Conclusion
References
Part II Academic Identity Development Amidst Pandemic-Induced Loss, Trauma, and Grief
4 Processing Uncertainty During COVID-19: A Collaborative Autoethnography of Two Stranded International Ph.D. Students
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Understanding Uncertainty
4.3 Uncertainty in Academia and Resilience
4.4 Chapter Design
4.5 Engaging in Collaborative Autoethnography (CAE)
4.6 Looking Back to Look Ahead: Change is Necessary
References
5 Balancing Growth and Grief: Narratives of an Immigrant Doctoral Student Navigating Academia During the COVID-19 Pandemic
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Being an Immigrant Doctoral Student and an EC Educator
5.3 Methodology
5.4 Storying My Journey
5.4.1 Past: Beginning a New Journey as an Immigrant Doctoral Student
5.4.2 Present: Feeling the Chaos Inside and Outside as My Roles Intersect
5.4.3 Future: Reimagining Motivation and Fighting Positive Toxicity
5.5 Concluding Remarks
References
6 Rediscovering Myself Through Fear of Failure: My Journey as an International Doctoral Student During a Pandemic
6.1 Introduction
6.2 COVID-19’s Impact on a Lab-Based Ph.D. Candidate’s Life
6.3 How an Unexpected Event Led to Significant Mental Distress
6.4 Conclusion
6.5 Take Home Messages
References
7 My PhD Saved My Sanity and My Life
7.1 Introduction
7.2 The COVID-19 Pandemic
7.3 Black Lives Matter During the Pandemic
7.4 Psychological Distress
7.5 Racial/Race-Based Trauma
7.6 Coping with Psychological Distress
7.7 How the PhD Became a Saviour
7.8 Conclusion
References
Part III Locality and Internationality in Shaping Academic Identities During a Pandemic
8 “Locked Down, But Inspired”: Beginning Our Research Studies During COVID-19
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Transformative Learning as a Conceptual Metaphor
8.3 Sharing Our Personal Journeys
8.3.1 “You’re on Mute”: Finding Our Researcher Voice
8.3.2 “Together and on Our Own, All at the Same Time”: Community and Collaboration
8.3.3 “The Restrictions Gave Us More Freedom”: Transforming Our Research
8.4 Continuing to Research in Times of Significant Change
References
9 Establishing Academic Identities Through Professional Socialisation During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Doctoral Student, Institutional Member, or Early Career Researcher?
9.1 Introduction
9.2 Conceptualising International PhD Students’ Professional Identities
9.3 International Doctoral Students’ Professional Identities Formation During COVID-19
9.4 Analytical Framework: Experiential Learning Cycle
9.5 Method
9.6 Authors’ Context
9.7 Findings and Discussion
9.8 Acquiring Knowledge: A Doctoral Student Identity
9.9 Establishing Networks: An Institutional Identity
9.10 Gaining Validation: An Early Career Researcher Identity
9.11 Implications and Conclusion
References
10 An International Student, a Researcher, or a Work-Ready Graduate? Exploring the Self-formation of International Students in Coursework Master’s Programmes
10.1 Introduction
10.2 Conceptualising the International Student Experience
10.3 International Student Experience of COVID-19
10.4 Methodology
10.4.1 Collaborative Autoethnography
10.4.2 Authors’ Context
10.4.3 Data Collection and Analysis
10.4.4 Practical Considerations
10.5 Findings and Discussion
10.5.1 Pre-positioning: Establishing Academic Interests
10.5.2 Positioning: Exploiting Academic Potentials
10.5.3 Performing: Choosing One’s Own Path
10.6 Implications and Conclusion
References
11 Adaptation of Environmental and Sustainability Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic
11.1 Introduction
11.2 COVID-19 Conditions and Remote Learning of ESE
11.3 Collaborative Autoethnography
11.4 Lived Experiences that Informed Our ESE Thinking
11.5 ESE Adaptation
11.6 Situated Intersectionality
11.7 Our Present Location
11.8 Conclusion
References
Part IV Resilience and Growth—Features of Academic Identity Development During a Pandemic
12 Hajime! はじめ! Karate as Academic Salvation
12.1 Introduction
12.2 Background
12.3 Philosophy
12.4 Methodology
12.5 Findings
12.5.1 Ritual
12.5.2 Place
12.5.3 Tradition
12.5.4 Movement
12.5.5 Foundations
12.5.6 Decelerating
12.5.7 Strength
12.5.8 Energy
12.5.9 Dynamics
12.5.10 Performance
12.5.11 Challenges
12.5.12 Breath
12.5.13 Danger
12.6 Discussion
12.6.1 Academic Identity
12.6.2 Self-Doubt
12.6.3 Self-Preservation
12.6.4 Academic Salvation
12.7 Conclusion
References
13 Uncertainty and Autism: How Changing with the Times is Harder for Some
13.1 Uncertainty and Autism: How Changing with the Times is Harder for Some
13.2 Defining Autism
13.3 What Are the Distinguishing Features of Autism?
13.4 How Have People with Autism Coped Since COVID-19?
13.5 Mental Health and Wellbeing
13.6 Social Lives
13.7 Support Networks and Medical Support Challenged
13.8 Diet and Food Preferences
13.9 Sleep and Screen Time
13.10 The Educational Experience
13.11 The Benefits of COVID-19
13.12 Masking
13.13 Differences Between Men and Women
13.14 Myths About Autistic People
13.15 Conclusion
References
14 Academic Motherhood in Times of Pandemic: Finding Silver Linings
14.1 Introduction
14.2 Challenges of PhD Student-Working Mothers During the Pandemic
14.3 Authors’ Positionalities
14.4 Methodology
14.5 Academic Motherhood
14.5.1 Navigating Multiple Identities
14.5.2 Doing Research from Home
14.5.3 Working from Home
14.5.4 Physical and Emotional Wellbeing
14.5.5 Finding Silver Linings
14.6 Conclusion and Recommendations
References
15 Lockdown, Online Learning, and Sense of Coherence: How I Managed to Finish My Master’s Degree During the COVID-19 Pandemic
15.1 Introduction
15.2 Salutogenesis and Sense of Coherence
15.3 Sense of Coherence and Autoethnography
15.4 My Sense of Coherence
15.4.1 Vignette 1
15.4.2 Vignette 2
15.4.3 Vignette 3
15.5 Conclusion
References
16 Cognitive Hardiness in the Face of Uncertainty: PhD-ing from Home During a Global Pandemic
16.1 Introduction
16.2 Standing at a Crossroads
16.3 Cognitive Hardiness: The Real Gamechanger
16.4 Stepping into a New World: Commencing Coaching and Mentoring
16.4.1 Commencing Coaching
16.4.2 Informal Mentoring
16.5 Time to Reflect
16.6 Where We Are Now
16.7 Conclusion
References
17 Mitigating the Challenges of Thesis Writing During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Autoethnographic Reflection of Two Doctoral Students’ Perezhivanie
17.1 Introduction
17.2 Theoretical Positioning
17.2.1 Perezhivanie
17.2.2 Perezhivanie as an Analytical Tool to Assess Development in Times of COVID-19
17.2.3 Applying the Concept of Perezhivanie to Autoethnography
17.3 Reflection
17.3.1 The Social Environment
17.3.2 Our Social Situation
17.3.3 Perezhivanie Revelations of Our Developmental Outcomes
17.4 Conclusion
References
18 PhD Candidature During the Pandemic: Hansel and Gretel’s Trip Through the Woods
18.1 Introduction
18.2 Cultural-Historical Theory as the Theoretical Framework
18.3 Stage 1: Dropping Breadcrumbs
18.4 Stage 2: Surviving at the Gingerbread House
18.5 The Treasures from the Trip
18.6 Conclusion
References
19 Empowerment in the Crisis: Narratives of COVID-19 Generation Researchers
19.1 Introduction
19.2 Literature Review
19.2.1 Pursuing a HDR Degree
19.2.2 COVID-19 as a Community Crisis
19.2.3 Alternative Wisdom of Crises
19.3 Theoretical Framework
19.3.1 Resources
19.3.2 Agency
19.3.3 Achievements
19.3.4 The Interrelatedness of Resources, Agency, and Achievements
19.4 Methodology
19.5 Findings and Discussion
19.5.1 COVID-19: A Time of Transformation and Independence
19.5.2 Responding in Action: Hold on to the Support Systems and Personal Growth
19.6 Conclusion
19.6.1 The ‘Wēi’ and ‘Jī’ in the Crisis
References
20 Turning Crisis into Opportunities: New Insights for Academic Experiences During the Pandemic Inspired from a Cultural-Historical and Activity Theory Perspective in an Autoethnography
20.1 Introduction
20.2 Methodology: Autoethnography
20.3 Theoretical Framework
20.3.1 Cultural-Historical and Activity Theory and the Concept of Activity
20.4 The Concept of Crisis
20.5 Personal Experiences in the Crisis of COVID-19
20.5.1 Job Insecurity in Higher Education Caused by COVID-19
20.5.2 Online Teaching and Remote Researching Skills Required During COVID-19 Lockdowns
20.5.3 Work-Life Balance Issues Caused by COVID-19 Situations
20.6 Conclusion
References
21 A Shift in Doctoral Students’ Demands and Motives During the COVID-19 Pandemic
21.1 Introduction
21.2 Demand and Motive as a Theoretical Framework
21.3 New Educational Practices During the Pandemic
21.4 New Motives Emerged in Educational Conditions During the COVID-19 Pandemic
21.5 Dialectical Relation Between Demand and Motive
21.6 Alternative Strategies Addressing the Doctoral Journey Demands During the Pandemic
21.7 Conclusion
References
22 Entering a Career as an ECR in an Increasingly Shifting Academic Landscape: The Value of Different Forms of Capital
22.1 Introduction
22.2 Theoretical Framing
22.3 Developing Academic Identity as a PhD Student
22.4 Academic Identity and a Global Pandemic: Trying to Make it Work
22.5 Discussion and Concluding Remarks
References
23 The Kitchen Table: Mother-Academics Reconfiguring Their Emerging Identities While Aligning Family and Work
23.1 Introduction
23.2 Working Mothers: Reconfiguring Identities in Hybrid Architectures of Practice
23.3 Theoretical Approach
23.4 Methodology
23.4.1 Data Analysis
23.5 Shifting Narratives of Work–Life Balance
23.5.1 Megan: Bigger Kids, Bigger Problems
23.5.2 Fiona: The Kitchen Table
23.5.3 Venesser: All Aboard the Home Starship USS Enterprise
23.5.4 Sylvia: Juggling/Shifting Identities
23.5.5 Liang—Tracing My Academic Life Over COVID
23.6 Discussion
23.6.1 Juggling Our Voices
23.6.2 Slipping Space and Time
23.6.3 Colliding Connections and Commitments
23.7 Final Remarks
References
Part V Doing Research in Times of Change—Methodological Ethnographies of Coping
24 The Effects of the Pandemic on the Research Output and Strategies of Early Career Researchers and Doctoral Candidates
24.1 Introduction
24.2 Early Career Academics and Doctoral Candidates
24.3 Finding Space to Work
24.4 Gender-Based Differences
24.5 Teaching Load and Research Output
24.6 A Longitudinal Investigation of the Impact of the Pandemic on Doctoral Candidates
24.7 Positive Outcomes Associated with the Pandemic
24.8 Conclusion
References
25 (Dis)embodied Learning: Centring the Body and Emotions in Online Professional Learning
25.1 Introduction
References
26 Leveraging Zoom Video-Conferencing Features in Interview Data Generation During the COVID-19 Pandemic
26.1 Introduction
26.2 Methodology
26.3 Defining Video-Conferencing Technology
26.4 Benefits of Using Video-Conferencing Technology to Generate Interview Data
26.4.1 Increasing Familiarity with Video-Conferencing Technology Within Society
26.4.2 Time-Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness
26.4.3 Flexible Participant Recruitment
26.4.4 Novel Intimacy
26.4.5 Development of Rapport
26.4.6 Quality Interview Data
26.4.7 Increased Participant Openness in Sensitive Topics
26.5 Challenges of Using Video-Conferencing Technology for Remote Interviews
26.5.1 Lack of Familiarity with Platform-Specific Features
26.5.2 Technical Issues
26.6 Distinctive Features of Zoom Video-Conferencing
26.6.1 Intuitive Functionality
26.6.2 Uniquely Generated Links, Waiting Rooms, and Locking Features
26.6.3 Virtual Background Feature
26.6.4 Screen Sharing Feature
26.6.5 Recording Feature
26.7 Conclusion
References
27 Pixelated Participation: A Ph.D. Student’s Notes of Online Data Generation During the COVID-19 Pandemic
27.1 Introduction
27.2 Pivoting to Online Data Generation
27.3 Reflecting on Online Semi-Structured Interviews
27.4 Private Facebook Group Forum as a Method
27.5 Zoom Focus Group or a Teacher Forum?
27.6 Conclusion
References
28 The Unforgotten Pre-service Teachers [Participants]: Did the Pandemic Affect Learning While on Practicum? What Uncompleted Pre-service Teachers’ Mentoring Experiences [Data] Can Tell Us
28.1 The Researcher and His Context
28.2 My Interviewees
28.3 Fernando’s Disappointment with the “Practicum” Experience
28.4 Francisca’s Optimism in Learning How to Teach and Commitment to Being a Teacher
28.5 Conclusions
References
29 The Impact of COVID-19 on PhD Research: An Autoethnographic Account by an International Student in Melbourne
29.1 Introduction
29.2 Introduction and Background
29.3 Theoretical Framework
29.4 Methodology
29.4.1 Data Analysis
29.5 Pre-COVID-19 Challenges
29.6 Challenges Related to the Onset of Covid-19
29.6.1 Change of Methodological Approach
29.6.2 Challenges in Participant Recruitment
29.6.3 Issues of Different Time Zones and Space
29.6.4 Technical Issues
29.6.5 Financial Constraints
29.6.6 Homophobia and Discrimination
29.6.7 Mental Health Issues
29.7 Conclusion
29.8 Recommendations
29.8.1 For Students
29.8.2 For Academics
29.8.3 For the Wider Society
References
Part VI Supporting Academic Identity Development During a Global Crisis
30 “Memeing It Up!”: Doctoral Students’ Reflections of Collegiate Virtual Writing Spaces During the COVID-19 Pandemic
30.1 Introduction
30.2 Reflective Autoethnography
30.3 Stage 1. COVID-19 and the Mental Health Crisis Amongst Doctoral Students
30.4 Stage 2. Memeing It Up!
30.5 Stage 3. Mitigating Research Disruption and Achieving Milestones
30.6 Conclusion
References
31 ‘Intertext’ in a New Context: Lessons Learnt from Collaborating, Contributing, and Connecting Through an Online Interdisciplinary Student-Led Symposium During COVID-19
31.1 Introduction
31.2 Background: The Intertext Symposium
31.3 What?
31.4 So What?
31.5 Now What?
31.6 Conclusion
References
32 “Let’s Talk About Wellbeing!”: Fostering Interdependence in Doctoral Communities
32.1 Doctoral Scholars’ Wellbeing Before and Leading Up to the Pandemic
32.2 Reflections on Advancing research Culture by Managing Environments & Networks (ACuMEN) Knowledge Exchange Webinar: An Autoethnographic Study
32.3 Insights into a Better Understanding of Wellbeing in Doctoral Practice
32.3.1 Transversality of Core Doctoral Challenges Requiring Differential Support
32.3.2 Direct Impact of Peripheral Doctoral-Related Challenges
32.3.3 Explicit and Implicit Impact of the Pandemic on Doctoral Scholars and Supervisors
32.3.4 Interdependent Efforts Towards Fostering Mental Health and Wellbeing
32.3.5 Communities for Doctoral Scholars and Supervisors
32.4 Concluding Thoughts
References
33 Tackling a Sense of Insecurity: Enhancing Digital Literacy as a Call to Action for Educators During the Pandemic
33.1 Introduction
33.2 Prerequisites for the Digital Transformation of the Russian Education System
33.3 Russian Schools During the First National Lockdown: A Mother’s View
33.4 Russian HEIs During the Pandemic: A Teacher’s View
33.5 Enhancing Digital Literacy as a Call to Action for Educators During the Pandemic
33.6 Conclusion
References
34 Education and ICT Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic: Teaching Reflections of Indonesian Educators
34.1 Introduction
34.2 Establishing Effective Online Learning
34.3 A Framework of Online Learning
34.3.1 Learner-Centred Learning
34.3.2 Knowledge-Centred Learning
34.3.3 Assessment-Centred Learning
34.3.4 Community-Centred Learning
34.4 Methodology
34.4.1 Participants
34.4.2 Data Collection and Analysis
34.5 Results and Discussions
34.5.1 Learner-Centred Learning
34.5.2 Knowledge-Centred Learning
34.5.3 Assessment-Centred Learning
34.5.4 Community-Centred Learning
34.6 Conclusions
References
35 Reflections on Developing Academic Identity During the Pandemic
35.1 Introduction
35.2 Learning, Transformation, and Becoming
35.3 Methodology
35.3.1 Data Collection
35.4 Findings and Discussion
35.4.1 Belonging as an Academic
35.4.2 Being an Academic
35.4.3 Becoming an Academic
35.5 Next Steps and Further Research
35.6 Implications and Conclusion
References
36 CODA The Challenges of Establishing Academic Identities During Times of Crisis
36.1 Multiple Voices, Multiple Perspectives
36.2 Marginalisation and Academic Identity
36.3 Parenthood and Academic Identity
36.4 Mental Health, Wellbeing, and Academic Identity
36.5 Virtual Participation and Academic Identity
36.6 Concluding Remarks
References