Väitöskirjatutkijat akateemisessa maailmassa

Kultapoikia, ”huijareita”, haamututkijoita ja lannistuneita

• Anni Piironen Jyväskylän yliopisto https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6735-4634
• Minni Matikainen Jyväskylän yliopisto https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4037-9417
• Minna Maunula Jyväskylän yliopisto https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7968-705X

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33336/aik.122022

Abstract

The preconditions of doctoral researchers’ expertise and four different paths into academia are examined in this article. While doctoral education as a context of becoming an expert has been studied in various separate perspectives, the holistic view that combines personal and systemic preconditions has been minor. Doctoral students (N = 54) were asked to write about their experiences concerning the possibilities and challenges when developing their expertise in doctoral education. On the strength of the analysis, we argue that interpreted personal and systemic preconditions frame the experience of developing one’s expertise. Besides, preconditions direct doctoral students to different paths of expertise which either limit or enable the growth as an expert and the future position in academia. These preconditions and paths reveal the silent practices of academia in order to evolve them and diversify the discussion regarding doctoral student’s position.