Becoming a researcher – the role of the supervisor and others in the habituation of doctoral students

Abstract

While the development of skills and field relevant knowledge in the PhD programme is to a large degree codified in formal documents, the personal development of the researcher identity is a very important part of the PhD journey. Our aim is to begin to tease out the sources of influence for how doctoral students come to identify themselves primarily as researchers in contrast to other or previous professional identities. We draw on the key concept of habituation from Bourdieu to describe how doctoral students develop a researcher identity through socialisation in the academic environment and influences from specific individuals. We can infer that the becoming a researcher is a personal process that follows trajectories that are affected by the background and personality of the doctoral student and not just an outcome of the external pressures in the academic socialisation. While the supervisor is clearly a very important influence for doctoral students, other relationships, arenas, and networks provide crucial influences that the supervisor cannot. This must be acknowledged and appreciated by supervisors in their professional role.