ERIC Number: EJ1055817
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1361-1267
EISSN: N/A
Reducing Intellectual Poverty of Outsiders within Academic Spaces through Informal Peer Mentorship
De Four-Babb, Joyanne; Pegg, Jerine; Beck, Makini
Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, v23 n1 p76-93 2015
Academia is changing and a growing number of academics are finding themselves in non-tenure-track positions, experiencing increasing numbers of career transitions, or following alternative career trajectories. Academics in these positions often find themselves positioned as outsiders within their institutions and/or the broader academic community. In this article, the authors draw on narratives from eight members of an international peer mentoring group to examine the nature of being an outsider within academia, and the role that informal peer mentoring can play in reducing intellectual poverty for academics in outsider spaces. The findings illuminate the nature of intellectual poverty they experienced--including isolation and invisibility--lack of access to institutional knowledge, and lack of resources for professional development. The participants' narratives also highlight the ways in which peer mentoring enhanced their professional development, allowed participants to access support beyond institutional and geographic boundaries, and provided social support and motivation to move forward in scholarly pursuits.
Descriptors: Peer Teaching, Mentors, Communities of Practice, College Faculty, Females, Cooperation, Equal Opportunities (Jobs), Foreign Countries, Qualitative Research, Inquiry, Personal Narratives, Faculty Development, Knowledge Level, Educational Resources
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A