'Treat GTAs as Colleagues, Rather than Spare Parts': The Identity, Agency, and Wellbeing of Graduate Teaching Assistants

Autor/inn/en	Slack, Hannah Rachael; Pownall, Madeleine
Titel	'Treat GTAs as Colleagues, Rather than Spare Parts': The Identity, Agency, and Wellbeing of Graduate Teaching Assistants
Quelle	In: Journal of Further and Higher Education, 47 (2023) 9, S.1262-1275 (14 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Slack, Hannah Rachael) ORCID (Pownall, Madeleine)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0309-877X
DOI	10.1080/0309877X.2023.2241392
Schlagwörter	Graduate Students; Teaching Assistants; Self Concept; Personal Autonomy; Well Being; Foreign Countries; Predictor Variables; United Kingdom + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Graduate Study; Student; Students; Aufbaustudium; Graduiertenstudium; Hauptstudium; Studentin; Selbstkonzept; Individuelle Autonomie; Well-being; Wellness; Wohlbefinden; Ausland; Prädiktor; Großbritannien
Abstract	In recent years, the wellbeing of students and staff in Higher Education has received increased attention in pedagogical research. However, the experiences of Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs), or PhD researchers who teach alongside their doctoral studies, are notably absent from this literature. In this mixed-methods study, we examined predictors of GTA's wellbeing in UK institutions. This demonstrated that greater perceived agency and lower levels of over-commitment predicted higher wellbeing. Other variables, including social identity, role pride, work/life balance, effort-reward imbalance, and perceived effectiveness of teaching, did not predict wellbeing. We also qualitatively examined the identity management practices of GTAs, using a brief story completion task. A reflexive thematic analysis generated two dominant themes (1), the 'paradox of credibility', whereby GTAs reported grappling with a concern to be perceived as credible and worthy of teaching whilst also managing student expectations about their own knowledge, and (2) GTAs' desire to use their staff-student role to engage in 'approachability and advocacy' with and for students. We end with a set of recommendations for Higher Education Institutions that employ GTAs, informed by first-hand accounts of lived experiences. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01