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 inter...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Vieira, Flávia, Morgado, José Carlos, Almeida, Judite, Silva, Manuela, Sá, Joaquim
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2014
País:México
Institución:UNIVERSIDAD AUTÓNOMA DE BAJA CALIFORNIA
Repositorio:Revista Electrónica de Investigacion Educativa
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ojs.redie.uabc.mx:article/379
Acceso en línea:https://redie.uabc.mx/redie/article/view/379
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Representations
Academic life
Values
Dissonance.
Representaciones
Vida académica
Valores
Disonancia.
Descripción
Sumario: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.