ABSTRACT

Early career researchers’ journey (i.e. doctoral researchers and post-PhDs) is increasingly challenging, but little is known about how they live and interpret their significant experiences, that is how they attribute meaning to these experiences and their associated feelings. Moreover, research about how doctoral researchers and post-PhDs deal differently with such experiences remains scarce, especially when accounting for the interpretation of significant experiences across countries. This paper explores how role (doctoral researchers or post-PhDs) and country (Spain, UK and Switzerland) can influence individuals’ interpretation of significant events. It draws on the most significant events reported by 544 early career researchers in two open-ended questions. Analyses revealed differences between roles only regarding the sense-making, especially in the future implications, and across countries in both the sense-making and the associated feelings. This interaction between role and cultural/workplace practices, is the most compelling, especially given the high mobility expected of post-PhDs.

摘要

早期职业研究人员的旅程（即博士研究人员和博士后）越来越具有挑战性，但人们对他们如何生活和解释他们的重要经历知之甚少，即他们如何将意义赋予这些经历及其相关感受。此外，关于博士研究人员和博士后如何以不同方式处理此类经历的研究仍然很少，尤其是在解释对各国重要经历的解释时。本文探讨角色（博士研究人员或博士后）和国家（西班牙、英国和瑞士）如何影响个人对重大事件的解释。它借鉴了 544 名早期职业研究人员在两个开放式问题中报告的最重要事件。分析揭示了角色之间的差异，仅在意义构建方面，尤其是对未来的影响，以及跨国家的意义构建和相关感受。角色和文化/工作场所实践之间的这种互动是最引人注目的，尤其是考虑到博士后的高流动性。