Constructing professional identity as a new academic: a moral endeavour

There is an emergent literature on the professional identities of academics working in higher education but little attention has been given to academics new to higher education. Yet, for new academic staff entering higher education, questions arise in relation to their identity and purpose, and the moral and value dimension of identity remains an important, but under explored, element of identity construction. This research draws on the literature on morality and ethics, and data from an interview study, in order to redress the absence of discussion and discourse about the role these latter two concepts play in the identity construction of new academics, in order to provide a fuller understanding of their identity construction. Attention is drawn to important aspects of morality evident in their experiences as they forge an identity. From the research it is clear that becoming an academic is experienced as a cognitive and emotive process, and is a moral endeavour grounded in virtues of honesty, care and compassion.