Another brick in the wall? Staff belonging and mattering in higher education

This paper presents a conceptual framework of academic professional identity. The framework emerged from a study into the experiences of early career academics in a large post-1992 English university, who were undertaking or had recently undertaken a professional development programme. The research aimed to ascertain how these academics conceptualised their academic role and practice over time and what might account for this. A set of longitudinal interviews over the duration of the programme, three per participant, formed the data set. The research is situated within a constructivist paradigm and adopted a reflexive, interpretative approach to data collection and analysis. An iterative process of qualitative data analysis was used, with themes inductively generated from the data, using first open coding and then qualitative content analysis. Several interdependent factors influencing professional identity and practice were identified from the data. These were self-efficacy, agency, mattering, and belonging, which were interrelated with a fundamental aspect of a secure professional identity, resilience. These findings informed the creation of a conceptual model for professional identity, its formation, and its development, applicable across the diversity of roles within higher education. Given the rapidly changing nature of higher education, and the global challenges of post-pandemic learning and AI, this model has significant implications and utility for leaders, managers, and professional development in academic institutions. It also offers a navigational framework for individuals to recognise and reflect on the impact of their experiences as professionals in contemporary higher education.