Caught with their constructs down? Teaching development in the pre-tenure years

Although there are programs to prepare doctoral students for how to teach in post-secondary education, the neophyte academic must still adjust to the specific context of a new position. This transition is often characterized by multiple adjustments and corresponding anxiety of moving from the familiar role of graduate student to a new one as faculty member. While the first five years is described as a time of stress and discovery, there are discernible patterns of growth and role integration during this period. This paper outlines how seven pre-tenure professors developed as university teachers. Drawing on Kelly’s personal construct theory and Kegan’s developmental constructivism, I describe developing a teacher identity as similar to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.