Representations of Academic Life: Institutional and Personal Values

Representations of Academic Life: Institutional and Personal Values

The way academics construct professional identities and operate in a complex profession that is under pressure depends on how they position themselves in relation to institutional cultures. In order to investigate faculty representations of academic life, a survey case study (questionnaire and inte...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Vieira, Flávia, Morgado, José Carlos, Almeida, Judite, Silva, Manuela, Sá, Joaquim
Format: info:eu-repo/semantics/article
Language:eng
Published: REDIE es una publicación del Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo Educativo (IIDE). 2014
Subjects:
Representations
Academic life
Values
Dissonance.
Representaciones
Vida académica
Valores
Disonancia.
Online Access:https://redie.uabc.mx/index.php/redie/article/view/379
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Summary:The way academics construct professional identities and operate in a complex profession that is under pressure depends on how they position themselves in relation to institutional cultures. In order to investigate faculty representations of academic life, a survey case study (questionnaire and interviews) focusing on potential dissonance between institutional and personal values was conducted at the University of Minho (Braga-Portugal), a research-teaching university. Dissonance was found related to teaching, research, working climate, relationships and leadership, suggesting a person-organization misfit. Dissatisfaction arising from values incongruence co-exists with efforts for self-fulfilment as academics struggle to preserve their identity while realizing that institutional priorities may run counter to their ideals. Acknowledging dissonance as a vital element within a culture of respect for diversity would foster the negotiation of understandings about what the academic community is and might be. Institution-specific inquiry into academic experience should not only be expanded but also become part of the strategic (re)definition of institutional development policies.

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