The auditioning academic from industry to academic professional: Stories of the journey.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the professional journey from industry practitioner to higher education academic. The research 'mapped' ten new academics' engagement within the institutional and subject team community throughout their first full teaching year within a higher education institute. A comprehensive literature review was undertaken which initially drew on several theoretical perspectives, such as transitions and socialisation, communities of practice and identity formation. These theoretical positions originated from a mini-focus group. The coding from this initial study together with the reflective thoughts of my own first year in academia led me to read certain topic areas. The literature was further developed throughout the course of the study with the data challenging some of the notions that arose from the initial literature sources. Subsequently new literature was identified which supported the data analysis and emergent themes.The study focussed on the lived experiences of new academics through the use of a narrative methodology which acknowledged that lived experiences are socially constructed. Ten new academics were interviewed at four key stages throughout their first full teaching year. The interviews were transcribed and coded, which led to the development of emergent themes. The key themes were scrutinised through writing narrative chronologies for each of the academics. The narrative chronologies laid the foundation for the development of the conceptual model and research findings.From the research findings a new academic progresses through what can be described as three key overlapping phases (The Reciprocal Phase; The Fragile Phase and The Engaged Phase) within the academic milieu. Within these phases the new academic is seeking to establish identity and legitimacy within the boundaries of the academic communities to which they initially belong. Fundamental throughout these phases is the relationship the new academic has with established academics, who act as gatekeepers to academic practice and communities. The research also finds that institutional policies and practices for new academic entry are found to be inadequate and in light of these key findings a number of changes in professional practice are proposed.