2017, Article / Letter to editor ((2017), pp. 1-17)This study explores how academics who expanded their teaching-only positions to include research view their (re)constructed academic identity. Participants worked in a higher professional education institution of applied research and teaching, comparable with so-called new universities. The aim is to increase our understanding of variations in academic identity and to be better able to support academics’ ‘role making’ within and across different worlds of practice. Data from semi-structured interviews with 18 academics at a Dutch new university were analysed using a grounded theory approach. This revealed six well-rounded academic identities reflecting participants’ personal scholarly objectives: the ‘continuous learner’, ‘disciplinary expert’, ‘skilled researcher’, ‘evidence-based teacher’, ‘guardian of the research work process’ and ‘liaison officer’. The researcher role served to promote the overall development of participants’ identities. The ‘disciplinary expert’ matured through participation in the academic world and research activities. Participants discovered what ‘being’ and ‘becoming’ a researcher in the new university might entail, and contributed to the professions’ knowledge base. Participants learned to apply various research-based teaching approaches. As brokers, they linked research projects to practices in meaningful ways. The six identities embodied an emergent power in creating and preserving a complete academic profession. Participants’ accounts showed tensions inherent in an extended role portfolio and constraints in ‘role making’ given inconsistencies between the university’s espoused research mission and the one in use. These imply challenges for university managers in aligning policies and practices, and scaffolding academics’ attempts to integrate their academic roles in different worlds of practice.
2012, Article in monograph or in proceedings (ECER 2012)Since 2001, newer universities in the Netherlands have expanded their core business of teaching by including research activities. The installation of professors and research groups at these institutions is one example of the change in policy. The current innovations place serious demands on the flexibility and innovative power of the lecturers. They have to engage in novel research roles, while maintaining the quality of their current teacher roles. In our study, we focus on theexpansion of lecturers’ role portfolios. Paper presented for individual presentation on the European Conference on Educational Research, Cádiz, Spain.
2012, Article in monograph or in proceedings (SRHE)Due to the changing role and context of (new) universities, roles of lecturers are renewed and diversified. In this study, weekly written narratives from lecturers on their development in novel researcher roles at new universities are collected over time and analyzed correspondingly. Understanding how individuals accomplish role transition is important to the health of individuals and organizations alike. The method provided examples of configurations derived from within-case analyses and illustrates lecturers’ work and learning activities, kinds of support and affirmation succeeded each other which resulted in changes of intermediate outcomes during lecturers’ development trajectories. In studying lecturers’ role transition, outcomes such as role learning, identity and competence development, and strides in building up research capacity are taken into account. The analysis of the narratives provides meaningful insights into the inspiring, challenging, and ambiguous, erratic nature of the transition into researcher roles at new universities, as experienced by the lecturers.
2011, Article in monograph or in proceedings (2011 SRHE Annual Research Conference)Universities of Applied Science in the Netherlands started in 2001 with an expansion of their core business
teaching with research. Lecturers are confronted with novel researcher roles in combination with current teacher roles. Enhancing their research expertise is seen as fundamental for achieving a sustainable research climate. The aim of this study is to increase our understanding of key features of learning arrangements in newer universities to enhance the research expertise of lecturers.
2011, Part of book or chapter of book (, pp. 63-78)The argument for many innovations in higher education provided by the Ministry of Education is the realization of a knowledge economy in the Netherlands (Ministerie van OC&W, 1999). A significant example of such an innovation to support the knowledge economy is the installation of professors (lectoren) at Universities of Applied Sciences (U.A.S.) (hogescholen) in 2001. The objectives of their research groups (kenniskringen) are: 1) development of knowledge to improve professional practice, 2) professional development of lecturers2 (hogeschooldocenten), (3) improvement of the curriculum based on practice-based research and professional experience, and (4) circulation of knowledge between society and U.A.S. Until recently U.A.S. in the Netherlands were teaching-only institutions. Since 2001 research has become part of their corporate identity (Ministerie van OC&W and HBO-raad, 2001).
2011, Part of book or chapter of book (, pp. 79-94)The argument for many innovations in higher education provided by the Ministry of Education is the realization of a knowledge economy in the Netherlands (Ministerie van OC&W, 1999). A significant example of such an innovation to support the knowledge economy is the installation of professors (lectoren) at Universities of Applied Sciences (U.A.S.) (hogescholen) in 2001. The objectives of their research groups (kenniskringen) are: (1) development of knowledge to improve professional practice, (2) professional development of lecturers1 (hogeschooldocenten), (3) improvement of the curriculum based on practice-based research and professional experience, and (4) circulation of knowledge between society and U.A.S. Until recently U.A.S. in the Netherlands were teaching-only institutions. Since 2001 research has become part of their corporate identity (Ministerie van OC&W and HBO-raad, 2001).
2011, Article in monograph or in proceedings (Annual Newer Researchers and Postgraduate Researcher Conference SRH)Since 2001, Dutch Universities of Applied Sciences are expanding their core business teaching with research. Lecturers have to engage in novel researcher roles while maintaining their performance in teacher roles. First, we present a framework that acknowledges the intricacies of this double role transition. We draw on theories on role transition and on work-related learning. We raise the question whether using Bourdieu’s theory of practice (1977) as a unifying framework, offers a practical way to strengthen an interdisciplinary and multilayered approach in studies on role transition. Second, the framework is applied in an explorative study on the role transitions of lecturers in a Dutch U.A.S. Using two vignettes, we show how role transitions are regulated both by lecturers’ personal identities and proactive agency, and measures taken in the institutional context. Despite measures taken, planned/implemented/in-progress, the findings suggests that the situation in the U.A.S. is still too weak to reach ambitions.