1 New European Young Researchers’ IdentitiesNew European Young Researchers’ Identities. Exchanges and Doctoral studies – an international study of processes and outcomes in the EU EUROMEC Strand 2

2 Participants EUROMEC Durham - University of Durham (England)Krakow - Jagiellonian University (Poland) University of Luxembourg (Luxembourg) Sofia - St Kliment Ohridski University (Bulgaria) Associate partners Aveiro - University of Aveiro (Portugal) Beijing Language and Culture University (China)

3 Main outcome: The Doctorate as Experience in Europe and Beyond Supervision, Languages, IdentitiesIntroduction - Michael BYRAM and Maria STOICHEVA Part I – Case studies 1 University of Aveiro, Portugal - Helena Araújo e SÁ, Nilza COSTA, Susana PINTO, Cecília GUERRA, Mónica LOURENÇO and Betina LOPES 2 Beijing Language and Culture University, China - Lihong WANG 3 Durham University, England - Prue HOLMES, Melissa CHAPLIN and Judith REYNOLDS 4 Krakow - Jagiellonian University, Poland - Natasza STYCZYŃSKA 5 University of Luxembourg - Adelheid HU, Michael BYRAM and Md Mizanur RAHMAN 6 Sofia - St Kliment Ohridski University, Bulgaria - Maria STOICHEVA and Nina TSVETKOVA

4 Book contents continuedPart II – Comparative studies 7 Supervision - Prue HOLMES, and Nilza COSTA 8 Languages - Adelheid HU, Helena Araújo e SÁ , Md Mizanur RAHMAN and Lihong WANG 9 Identities - Natasza STYCZYŃSKA, Maria STOICHEVA and Nina TSVETKOVA Conclusion – Michael BYRAM and Maria STOICHEVA

5 Processes Pilot study Initiated in Durham, Luxembourg and Sofia on ‘the experience of the doctorate as seen by student-researchers, supervisors, examiners – and through documents NB problem of terminology e.g. ‘student’, ‘doctorand’, etc. Seminars under aegis of EUROMEC Main study Included pilot plus emphasis on ‘identity’ as European researcher Data collection – interviews [programme coordinators, supervisors, Doctoranden/students, examiners 10-15 students AND 5-10 supervisors etc. in each university Data collection - documents of regulations etc

6 Processes The informantsDoctoral graduates (at completion or within 6 months of completion) in faculties of arts and social sciences; included both international (studying in an additional language) and “home” graduates Supervisors (most of whom had examination experience) Deans/programme co-ordinators (of postgraduate education) Identifying the informants Doctoral graduates - via PGR and other networks; newsletters; social media sites; personal networks Supervisors and deans – via personal networks and invitations Miss this out?

7 Processes The interviewsInterview protocol covered three key areas: supervision, language, identity Protocol developed collaboratively, drawing on pilot and guided by established RQs Interviewing: f2f; skype; phone; in offices and rooms on campus Semi-structured interviews, each approx minutes Interviews transcribed Miss this out?

8 Processes Coding proceduresAll interview data coded thematically (Braun & Clarke, 2006) Ethics Ethical approval for each case study sought in each university Informants provided with information sheet and asked to sign consent form Ethics procedures followed (anonymity, right to withdraw, right to refuse to answer any question) Miss this out?

9 Identity codes I1 National identity and language I2 ‘Us’ and ‘Them’I3 Speaking about one’s ‘professional identity’ I4 Speaking about feeling of commonality with other European doctoral students/ as being ‘like us’ I5 Professional identity and a shared language I6 Identifying with a group of fellow researchers/PhD students I7 Speaking about aspirations I8 European identity I9 Speaking about European standards in PhD studies I10 The idea of European researcher I11 Innovation and doctorate studies I12 Research Excellence I13 Attractive Institutional Environment I14 Interdisciplinary Research Options I15 Exposure to industry and other relevant employment sectors I16 International identity Miss this out?

10 Example of examples for codesMiss this out?

11 SUPERVISION

12 Findings: Supervision (a “flavour” from the Durham data)1. Students’ experiences A highly bespoke process, varying widely between students Variation arose from the different needs of students, different approaches to supervision by students and supervisors, and different circumstances such as planned or unplanned absences, or distance study The relationship between student and supervisor(s) was central in all cases, and this varied

13 Competences Students expressed a need for discipline or the capacity for hard work, research expertise, independence, patience, persuasiveness, a structured approach, and the ability to separate the Ph.D from the self “You need three Ps and three Ds and then one H, you know. What are those three Ps? Patience, perseverance, and persistence. Three Ds? Diligence, determination and discipline. And then H, health, both mentally and physically. You need to be strong.” Students acquired subject knowledge, writing and research skills, self- confidence

14 Expectations and experiencesA responsive supervisor who gives direction, answers questions, gives feedback (but experiences varied); a mentor and guide “It was definitely a stretching process...It was pretty rigorous...they didn’t cut me any slack. So, I really felt like I trusted them.” For some international students - PhD experience in the UK is a lonely, unsupported process, requires independence and individual commitment One home student more proactive: “I basically demanded that I see them every two weeks...I created their expectations because I gave them...I made my own deadlines.”

15 The supervision process No set pattern or structure; based on students’ needs, the needs of the research, and supervisors’ other commitments Supervisions based around a piece of writing produced for the session; or conversations about “what was happening at the time” Contextual factors – health, family, financial matters, part-time and distance learning Relational matters – supervisors perceived as mentors, guides, friends (but not always positive, e.g., supervisor leaving, or absent due to research commitments or ill-health) Miss this out?

16 2. Supervisors’ experiencesEach supervision is unique and individualised, and must be tailored to the needs of the student Clear expectations from staff and supervisors about the duties of both the student and supervisor Challenging but rewarding Experience of changes in the process over time

17 A “typical” supervision?Highly individualised and varied However, there is a general formula dictated by university guidelines and handbooks as to procedures “Every student is different, every discipline is different and every context is different.” “The nature of Ph.D study is one which is much more individual, in terms of the relationship between the student and the supervisor.”

18 Expectations … “significant performance of the undergraduate level...evidence of commitment in the form of having done a dissertation of some kind before ...strong referees…[and] evidence of a capacity to think originally and systematically and analytically.” Language requirements - some students arrive for doctoral study without being completely prepared with regard to language, which can result in delays to their studies

19 Responsibilities Number of meetings; providing feedback; knowledge of the topic Interpersonal/ pastoral role (but with some reservations!) “You’ve got to sustain your student through those peaks and troughs.” Challenges Identifying excellent (as opposed to mediocre) PhDs – grading process doesn’t support this Managing communication; dealing with relationships (especially if/when they “sour”) “The straightforward Ph.D study is more like the exception to the rule.”

20 Rewards “I could tell many stories about how Ph.D changed my research and teach me a lot about…or that helped me develop my research.” towards the end of the writing up process: “It then becomes a learning experience for both and that’s a very nice experience and again very rich for everyone.”

21 Doctoral studies not as rigorous as they once were Changes over time Doctoral studies not as rigorous as they once were Technology – reliance on social media – “risks changing the way and their capacity to use their brains” Changes to funding structure – more students self-funding (=> quality issues!) Tuition fees have changed the nature of supervision: “The attitude has become…another student coming into your door, and you’re going to educate that student. And maybe the student has got a sort of expectation…you [the supervisor] are my teacher.” “There is less and less room for boldness in the Ph.D.” Miss this out?

22 IDENTITY

23 Identities – starting pointsSocial identity: a person’s sense of who they are based on their group membership(s) (Tajfel, 1979). European identity: process of identification with “the idea of Europe” as a cultural, historical and geographical construct  (Delanty, 1995); a cultural and civic perspectives (Bruter, 2005); a constructed narrative of political belonging OUR QUESTION (SIMPLIFIED) – DO RESEACHERS IN EUROPE IDENTIFY AS EUROPEAN RESEARCHERS?

24 Context The EHEA and the Bologna Process: continuous adaptation of higher education systems in the EU making them more compatible and strengthening their quality assurance mechanisms; increasing staff and students' mobility; facilitating employability. The Salzburg principles for the third cycle. Miss this out?

25 The Salzburg principles in shortAdvancement of knowledge through original research simultaneously meeting the needs of an employment market Embedding in institutional strategies and policies; A rich diversity of doctoral programmes in Europe – including joint doctorates – underpinned by quality and sound practice; Doctoral candidates - professionals who make a key contribution to the creation of new knowledge; Supervision and assessment – based on a transparent contractual framework of shared responsibilities; Doctoral programmes should seek to achieve critical mass and should draw on different types of innovative practice; Doctoral programmes should operate within appropriate time duration; Promotion of innovative structures: to meet the challenge of interdisciplinary training and the development of transferable skills; Doctoral programmes should seek to offer geographical as well as interdisciplinary and intersectoral mobility and international collaboration within an integrated framework of cooperation; The development of quality doctoral programmes and the successful completion by doctoral candidates requires appropriate and sustainable funding. Miss this out?

26 Identities – some key findingsThe data collected across partners proves that in terms of identity PhD students are aware of them undergoing a transition period. This holds true for all aspects of forging their identity which were studied –professional, European/international, etc. Doctorands are looking for identifications, trying to establish their status and find their own voice.

27 Factors impacting the forging of identitiesNetworking and communication with peers and supervisors Performing ‘research’ activities: attending PhD courses reading literature in languages other than L1 attending conferences and other academic events writing up and submitting papers for publication (in L1 and other languages) Undertaking a period of mobility abroad

28 Some key findings on identity from the Bulgarian perspective: ‘Us and Them’‘But I think their standards are higher than ours because they have libraries which are spectacular when compared to ours. And the starting point of their Universities and of their PhD students is much higher than ours… [but] in one of the libraries… in Austria they said that their students aren't interested although they have all those things, they aren't interested in using them. (BG 07) ‘…from time to time it is difficult to be a PhD student here in Bulgaria because of the money that you gain.’ (BG 12)

29 ‘…I think I have to gain more‘…I think I have to gain more. I have more to learn in order to say that I'm part of this community and that I am on the same page as they are. I feel that I have some more gain, to read, to write, to explore in order to say that.’ (BG 07) ‘I mean, the whole Sofia experience just… to emphasise I really enjoyed a lot… and I think that this university has a lot to offer… I hate to admit it but I‘ve been surprised, you know, because officially when you’re from western Europe, you still think… even if you’ve been studying the region for a while, you still think, you know, that when you’re going to Eastern Europe, you’re taking a step back. It’s terrible to say… It’s nothing like a step back for me. I’ve only now seen how international a university can be in its outreach and… its activities and all… yeah.’ (BG 05) Miss this out?

30 Some key findings on identity from the Bulgarian perspective: ‘Identifying with a group of fellow researchers’ Reading the same authors … ‘Yes, I think I feel a part of an academic community - my university's faculty of Philosophy, our Sociology department. But not the whole department because I have already mentioned there are different types of Sociology - more academic and theoretical one and more of this type of economical and the Sociology in the research agencies. So the theoretical part of the department are my people… we have read the same authors. We all know Alfred Schütz, Foucault. And it's not necessary to ask them what do they mean by the notion... or 'lifeworld' or 'everyday lifeworld'. So we can talk, discuss, analyze and share opinions and different type of reading these authors, but we have the same grounds.’ (BG 03) ‘It's kind of a virtual community because you do not have formalized contact with those people. But these other people who approve an article that you are reading and you enter sometimes a dialogue with their positions, you agree or you do not agree. You use the bibliography they have generously produced during their research.’ (BG 04)

31 European/ international researcher‘But I would define myself as European actually but becoming European researcher I think… here in Sofia yes… When I speak to other doctoral students we have definitely the same sort of thinking about doing research…’ (BG 05) ‘Yeah and also like it has nothing to do with where this researcher comes from. Because I know I can find someone from… somewhere like Singapore or Zimbabwe with the very same ideas that you do so… in this sense the research approach it’s very universal, international and that’s… yeah, you feel you’re speaking the same language.’ (BG 05)

32 Community ‘I can’t claim for sure… I aspire to this thing, I feel I would like to belong to such a community and this feeling of belonging is strengthening in time but I feel there is still a long way to go…’ (BG 6) ‘We are developing some kind of sharing and community but it's more open online than in person. And I have gained friends through one of the courses, with whom we manage to see each other and to help each other with our research or other problems. So I feel that PhD students are supportive of each other, but I don't know about the other academic community… I [have started to feel like a real researcher] from the moment I started doing the real research work.’ (BG 07) ‘I think I am part of this society but because of my ideas about life and my ideas about the humanity and my ideas about developing the world, or whatever and it’s nothing… it’s not connected with academic(s).’ (BG 12)

33 Some key findings on identity from the Bulgarian perspective: ‘The period abroad’‘So… there was a gathering with doctoral students and on this gathering you can clearly say which of them have been abroad and which have not. Because the ones that have been abroad were speaking more confidently, they were very focused on what they are interested in and they wanted to say that when you go abroad it is very important to do this because you see different way of working with people.’

34 Some key findings on identity from the Bulgarian perspective: ‘Innovation and doctorate studies’‘It is very innovative. It encourages the freedom of your thought.’ (BG 01) ‘…maybe if I have the possibility to draw some structures that are bound to different organizations that are working with blind people or in the structures of the community of blind people here in Bulgaria. If I can help them or if they think I am a person who is educated and could help them with my experience and my thoughts, I would love to join and help them.’ (BG 03) ‘[on the reasons of choosing a particular PhD topic] …I think that today it is important to develop new ideas for the library and for the possibilities of the library institutions, because our society is completely changed. We live in a digital era. Our days are completely different than some years ago. I think in this society, libraries have new role, but the librarians have to be ready for this role.’ (BG 11) Miss this out?

35 LANGUAGE

36 Language “Intellectual activity and language are therefore one and inseparable; one cannot even regard the former as the producer/creator, the latter as the produced/created. (Humboldt 1836, p. 152) (translation AH) „Die intellectuelle Thätigkeit und die Sprache sind daher Eins und unzertrennlich von einander; man kann nicht einmal schlechthin die erstere als das Erzeugende, die andre als das Erzeugte ansehen.“ (Humboldt 1836, S. 152).

37 Multilingual aspects in Doctoral Education (UL)Culture and language Multilingual academic culture Role of translation during research Disciplinarity and language in UL Socialization within an academic discipline and language English as an international language in science Skills and (self-) assessment Choice of language in UL Correct language and language proficiency Audience and career perspectives Reading, referencing and writing Motivation, challenges and practices Impact of working with, or in, a second/third language/Using an L2/L3 for teaching and supervision 5. Impact Role of language in the formation of doctoral researcher’s identity International vs European vs local doctoral perspective Impact on multilingual research in Luxembourg

38 Normative…. The importance of language, it’s crucial. Where it is the biggest problem is in fulfilling the requirement of this academic discussion, argument writing. And you see that when students have a problem with language, they struggle with the preciseness of the academic writing. (DP3) (Supervisor)

39 Normative…. Occasionally though, you do find that the second language does create a kind of block...It can take longer to get places because you can see that the student is talking to me in English, but having to translate in their head, particularly when you’re looking at kind of theoretical frameworks and conceptualisation...they’re having to learn to think and practise in English, which you know just can take time to develop. (DP2)

40 Multilingual potential….For scientific communication just in my field, the data collections I do are always with people so I have to speak people’s language. So for Europe, I have the advantage that I speak five languages and so I can speak with many people in Europe. Not from the rest of the world I guess but yeah this is especially important for European researchers. It’s not important if you’re in the United States I guess. [LS2, L9, 9] (PhD student)

41 Multilingual potential - methodologiesBut if you can (use several languages), then you’ll be also be able to, of course, to have access to the research literature, the secondary literature in German and in French and in English and maybe another language and see that there are different methodologies. And if you’re able to combine them or to take the best of both then you can actually develop something of your own which is even interesting for everyone else and a new way of seeing things. So it’s definitely enrichment. Absolutely.

42 Multilingual potential – research traditionsSomeone said to me that there are of course often disadvantages for those students who are working in a second or third language. But there are also advantages even for those working in the second language. The advantage of openness of their discipline or the traditions if you like and natural traditions which is evidence in the bibliographies (...) with a wider range of bibliography than you might in Germany or in France or in England. [LP1, L8, 12]

43 Multilingual potential - decentringSo, multilingualism certainly helps, in terms of realising about your own limits…cultural limits…in which you formulate research. And so, nationalism as a host culture of most emerging universities in the 19th century has done of bad things, because you think always in your own cultural and linguistic, of course, and having been able to read something else and to read things that you said, “Why is this interesting?” Or “How can I tell these people over there what we are doing and vice versa?” That helps you…I think this helps you to become a better academic person. (Laughs) [LP6, L8, 18] (Supervisor)

44 Multilingual awareness – translation as problem? I think translation always causes problems. It’s enriching but at the same time, you  understand something different. [LS5, L5, 16] It’s the same with représentation sociale since it was formulated in French but it gets discussed in another language and translated in some way. Maybe that was the problem or that caused problems. [LS5, L5, 16] We don’t translate (Grounded Theory). There are some who translated it, for example, ‘gegenstandsverankerte Theorie.’ But then it becomes German and it’s not a German methodology. You know what I mean? I think it’s good not to translate. [LS5, L5, 16-17] (PhD student)

45 The University as cultural, hybrid and plurilingual place of encounters and discourses; a place for identity development and construction of meaning (Hu 2015)