This is a presentation that considers the academic identity of nurse lecturers. It gives an overview of the literature that should be considered as I start out investigation this topic. The imagery of a dinner party is used to show that the journey in finding out what literature to use can be as messy as the tea party in Alice and Wonderland, with chaos all around but once the focus comes in a literature review, it can emulate a fancy dinner party with only the people you want at the party there.

1. Literature Review
Sinead Hahessy
Academic Identity amongst Nurse
Lecturers in the Higher Education
Context in Ireland.

2. Persuading an Octopus into a Glass
Kamler & Thompson (2006) Chapter 3

3. Reflection, Reflexivity and Self
Nov 13th 2008 11.50am.
 It has taken me 11 years to start this PhD. It is 11.50am and I have not
written a word. I sat down at 10am. I am terrified and a bit panicky. I
light a cigarette. I was going to read about the concept of
empowerment but I am not ready for that. I don’t have enough
resources to go there yet, but I am going to have to meet empowerment
again. But I have to be ready. I manage to read the article by Kamler
and Thompson (2006) where they speak of water but not in the same
way as I do. Navigating the literature is not stormy for me. The
literature is calm and confident and enticing but I feel like an outsider
trying to emulate that feeling. It does not make me feel tumultuous but
resigned in a way to feel like I cannot get in there. I need to become
part of it but that is the problem. I don’t feel worthy. Later on Kamler &
Thompson liken the literature review to a dinner party conversation
but is up to me who I can invite to the table. I am calmer. For now I will
invite them for tea…a tea party… it is all I can manage. The dinner
party is a long way off.

5. Selecting the Topic
 I am a lecturer in Nursing & Midwifery with 13
years professional experience in Higher Education.
 Personal experience of the phenomenon.
 “That others would not consider personal
experience to be a legitimate source of knowledge”
Etherington, (2010 p. 19)
 Lack of Empirical Data.

6. The Guest List Theoretical framework
Academic Identity
Habitus
Ambiguity
Freedom
Autonomy
Threat
Nature of Change
Nursing & Midwifery
Higher Education
Transformational
Learning
Social Psychology
Socialisation
Social Identity
Theory
Psychology of
Work

7. The VIP List
Stronbach et
al (2002)
Nixon et al
(1998)
Williams (2008)
Knight et al
(2006)
Kreber
(2000)
Akerlind &
Kayrooz (2003)
Williams (2008)
Henkel (2005)
Clegg (2008)
Bleiklie &
Byrkjeflot
(2002)
Findlow (2012)
Mc Namara
(2006; 2010)
Trowler &
Beecher (2001)
Trigwell et al
(2000)

8. Research questions
 How did academic identity develop for nurse
lecturers since their transition to the higher
education context?
 What was the experience of the development of
academic identity for nurse lecturers?
 How do nurse lecturers describe their academic
identity?
 What do nurse lecturers consider to be the central
components of their academic identity?

9. Challenges
Insider
•I am a native. (Mercer, 2006; Brannick & Coughlan,
2007)
Reciprocal
•Therapeutic interaction (Eide & Kahn, 2008)
Ethics
•Confidentiality

10. Method
Sinead Hahessy UL 2012 Semester 1 Yr 1
 Qualitative
 Humanism
 Self as research
instrument
 Holistic
 Phenomenography
 1970’s Sweden
 Educational research
 Variation in experience
 Interviews