University College London Identity Construction Amongst Knowledge Transfer Staff in English Higher Education Institutions
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UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION AMONGST KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER STAFF IN ENGLISH HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS DEBORAH ANNE LOCK THESIS SUBMITTED FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Declaration I, DEBORAH ANNE LOCK, confirm that the work presented in this thesis is my own. Where information has been derived from other sources, I confirm this has been indicated in the thesis. Deborah Anne LOCK Word count (exclusive of appendices and bibliography): 71,650 i Acknowledgements In my opinion, a PhD journey is akin to that of the Grand Tour of the 1800’s whereby reading existing, and formulating new ideas and concepts result in a form of creative, intellectual and cultural awakening. The journey is hard, but the voyage of self-discovery well worth it. There are several people I need to thank: my husband, Nick, and my family for their support and encouragement and their never-failing understanding of every missed party and occasion as PhD weekends became the accepted norm. There is my supervisor, Paul Temple, who without doubt allowed me to explore ideas, worked around my timetable as I changed jobs, changed locations and agonised over words – and very occasionally entered ‘headless-chicken’ mode. Then there are my friends, Linda Baines whose skype sessions were giggle-inducing sounding boards, Paula Sobiechowska, whose niftiness and dexterity with texts always managed to send messages at the right time when I was feeling overwhelmed, and finally there is Rosy Jones, who with huge amounts of patience talked me through the intricacies of grammar…. ii Abstract This research uses a case study approach to explore identity construction amongst Knowledge Transfer (KT) staff in English Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). A Bourdieusian framework is employed to organise and interpret the key factors of identity construction. Specifically, notions of capital, habitus, field and practice are used to examine and analyse the notion of the KT professional. In this context, the thesis attends to five factors that are influencing identity work. First, institutional understandings of, and responses to, the KT agenda and the catalytic nature of KT on institutional philosophies and structures are considered. Second, I discuss the various types of capital that KT staff bring to the institution and the tensions that exist between individual and institutional (mis)recognition of its relative value are discussed in the context of the impact on an individual’s credibility. Third, individual and institutional dispositions are identified as key mechanisms for field and context constructs which define the space in which KT staff operate. Fourth, the role of capital, field and habitus within practice are considered against the various strategies which KT staff appear to use in the KT process. In this area, the case study analysis reveals KT practice to be multifaceted and in constant flux: that is, KT work provides a conduit through which an individual’s habitus (their sense of being) converges with their everyday actions to create multiple KT identities. Finally, individual and collective understandings of KT as a profession are examined, and suggest that KT identity constructs are not dependent on membership of a recognised professional association or body, but instead are the result of a combination of attributes and assumptions. The study concludes by arguing that KT staff exist within a world of ambiguity that is subject to internal and external forces which are sometimes beyond the control of the institution, and at other times at the behest of the institution as it struggles to articulate the KT agenda. For practitioners, the struggle over KT identity produces issues with credibility, validity and clarity of position that results in the juggling of a plurality of roles as they restructure and reposition their identities in response to the shifting expectations and assumptions of KT antagonists and protagonists. iii Table of Contents CHAPTER ONE ................................................................................................................ 6 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 6 1.0 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 6 1.1 Contextualising and defining the research problem .......................................... 7 1.1.1 Issues of definition and common understandings ..................................... 7 1.1.2 Contextualising knowledge transfer within the Higher Education ........... 10 1.1.3 Knowledge transfer activities ................................................................... 14 1.1.4 Funding knowledge transfer in England .................................................. 15 1.1.5 Emergence of new identities ................................................................... 18 1.2 The research question ..................................................................................... 19 1.3 Situating the self and acknowledging personal motivations ........................... 19 1.4 Structure of the thesis ..................................................................................... 20 1.5 Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 21 CHAPTER TWO ............................................................................................................. 23 UNDERSTANDING THE LITERATURE .................................................................... 23 2.0 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 23 2.1 Identity and the self ......................................................................................... 23 2.2 Institutional logics and identity ........................................................................ 25 2.3 Academic capitalism ........................................................................................ 27 2.4 Knowledge transfer staff, contested roles and identity ................................... 29 2.5 Linking the literature to the conceptual framework ......................................... 32 2.6 Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 35 CHAPTER THREE ......................................................................................................... 37 RESEARCH METHODS AND METHODOLOGY ...................................................... 37 3.0 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 37 3.1 Positioning the research .................................................................................. 37 3.2 Case study approach ...................................................................................... 38 3.3 Methodology .................................................................................................... 39 3.3.1 Sample and selection criteria .................................................................. 40 3.3.2 Issues of timeliness and currency ........................................................... 41 3.3.3 Issues of robustness, validity and generalisability .................................. 41 3.3.4 Ethical considerations .............................................................................. 44 3.4 Pilot study and the initial data capturing exercise ........................................... 45 3.4.1 Approaches to analysing and interpreting the pilot data ......................... 46 3.4.2 Modifications to the data collection toolkit ............................................... 46 3.5 The main data collection ................................................................................. 47 3.6 Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 52 1 CHAPTER FOUR ........................................................................................................... 53 COMMUNITY CHARACTERISTICS .......................................................................... 53 4.0 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 53 4.1 Generic KT interviewee characteristics ........................................................... 53 4.1.1 Years in post ............................................................................................ 55 4.1.2 Private and Public Sector Experience ..................................................... 56 4.1.3 Qualifications ........................................................................................... 59 4.1.4 KT activities .............................................................................................. 60 4.2 Case study universities’ interviewee characteristics ....................................... 62 4.2.1 The Russell University ............................................................................. 62 4.2.2. The 1994 University ................................................................................. 63 4.2.3 The 1992 University ................................................................................. 65 4.2.4 The 2005 University ................................................................................. 66 4.4 Conclusion ......................................................................................................