Early career research pathways: A narrative inquiry during Covid-19 times

The study discussed in the presentation acknowledges the growth globally in the number of doctoral graduates and the precarious nature of their future employment prospects. The presentation details initial findings based on Zoom conversations with eight PhD graduates from the Humanities and Social Sciences. The participants experiences were explored through the collection of narratives during conversations held during the COVID-19 pandemic. All participants had completed Australian doctorates in Humanities and Human Services and included citizens from and residents of four different countries with varying ages, gender, work experience and employment types and statuses.To study Early Career Researcher pathways, participants were invited to discuss their experiences during the pandemic: How were they adjusting to working from home? Had their experiences as PhD candidates informed their response to the pandemic? and If and how their job had changed; the likely impact of the pandemic on their career plans. Narratives generated covered topics including the relevance of research education to their work, and the strategies, priorities and goals framing their careers and career planning.The methodological approach, Narrative Inquiry, explored Early Career Researcher narratives using the Narrative Thinking Commonplaces of Temporality, Place and Sociality (Abramo, D’Angelo, & Di Costa, 2009; Clandinin, 2007, 2013; Clandinin, Steeves, & Caine, 2013). Through the transcription and analysis of the narratives, using Narrative Thinking, three themes were revealed: resilience, agility and ways of seeing. A Narrative Inquiry methodology offers the opportunity to reveal hidden voices that harness the power of the particular, and reveal in the moment sense making. The intention is not to ensure generalisability or representation, but rather to highlight individual Early Career Researcher experiences. The Early Career Researcher narratives revealed experiences, practices and values that can inform researchers, employers and educators from a range of contexts.