AAACE 2021 Annual Conference

transitions, tenure, narrative inquiry, development,

The purpose of this dissertation research presentation is to divulge the preliminary findings from a narrative inquiry on the endangered professor. Themes from the stories of recently tenured professors' journey from novice to expert are highlighted, with discussion on the implications and processes of the methods, theory, and findings.

The presentation critically assesses the climate, current knowledge, and issues surrounding obtaining and securing tenure, focusing on identity development. The literature review poises new insights to support the problem’s logic and provides themes from the reviewed literature. Moreover, exploring my methodology and methods from the narrative inquiry details the specific processes I conducted. The relations of methods, theoretical framework, epistemology, research design, and trustworthiness will ground the audience through the study's journey. Furthermore, the specific data collection and analysis technique is detailed as I provide lessons learned. More debate about the complexity of developing a professional identity demands a more situated context, which lends itself to a narrative analysis of expert scholars. In understanding professional identity development, I dive into the cognitive complexity using scholar's stories of transitions. Discussion of the findings with the extant literature provides an avenue to detail implications and practical use. In sum, what we know is that obtaining tenure is complex and challenging. What we do not know is how scholars navigate complex challenges. The stories of recently tenured professors' journey from graduate student to tenured professor implicate themes from transitions and identity development.