Imposter syndrome and the accidental academic: an autoethnographic account

Abstract

In this paper I use an autoethnographic approach to explore my everyday experiences as an early career lecturer at a UK-based university. I uncover some of my underlying experiences of Imposter Syndrome, presenting the ways Imposter Syndrome manifests in my teaching activities. This paper recommends areas in which Higher Education Institutions can offer support to early career academics, for instance through mentoring/training in: dealing with nerves; classroom behaviour management; and dressing for confidence. An unexpected finding to emerge from this study is the potential therapeutic role of keeping a diary for early career lecturers struggling with self-doubt.

Strictly teacher-researchers? The influence of a professional RE conference on primary RE teachers’ agency and self-identities as teacher-researchers

“…Whilst most of the literature emphasises the positive outcomes of conference attendance Orland-Barak and Tillema ( 2006) point out that there are downsides too such as teachers feeling intimidated by highly experienced researchers or considering that they have nothing to offer. Wilkinson (2020) has also shown that 'imposter syndrome' can inhibit the learning that could take place in conferences. Our findings indicate that teachers' attendance at a professional conference in a subject within their field of professional interest and expertise ultimately mitigated against feelings of low self-confidence.…”

25 years of accomplishments and challenges in academic development – where to next?

“…More recently, and perhaps partly as a result of this 'fuzziness' around the academic developer role, topics relating to the work conditions of academics are increasingly raised in IJAD. Wilkinson's (2020) frank account of imposter syndrome for early academics in this issue is a good example. Unfortunately, there is an increasing need for a focus on the well-being and health of academic staff as we need to find solutions for sustainable work conditions and practices for individuals, which applies to academic development as well.…”

“…Adaptations of well-established theories or concepts, like Taylor et al's (2020) adaptation of Chickering and Gamson (1987) to extrapolate seven principles for good practice in midterm student feedback, are a not uncommon approach. Both Hunter's (2020) and Wilkinson's (2020) papers are autoethnographic-an approach used to give voice to the lived experience of academic development-and both use metaphor to discuss issues such as imposter syndrome and perceived lack of agency in the construction of one's own professional identity as an academic developer. Furthermore, MacFayden, English, and Coates (2020) use action research to explore the collective experience of supervisors, while Cunningham and Mills (2020) employ a creative methodology and explore academic development through the use of metaphor and poems.…”

The HDR Process: Reflection on the Motivational Factors, Academic Model, Influences and Challenges That Enabled an Academic to Complete Her Thesis Part-Time

“…She explained that I needed to gain my PhD to obtain ongoing employment in a competitive sector of the workforce. However, I soon realised that Academic workloads are substantial, involving teaching, cultivating collaborations, research, meetings as well as substantial academic administration leaving little time for study, let alone production of publications, and maintaining regular contact with your HDR supervisors [1].…”

“…However, at times I felt lost and felt unsure of my new HDR student role. My 'imposter syndrome self' reared its head and the experience of studying became a battle or hurdle marred by bouts of perfectionism [3], [1].…”