Careering into third space activism as a non-academic in HE

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.vi33.1246

Keywords:

collaboration, third space, practitioner, network, theory and practice

Abstract

This case study takes the form of autoethnography to outline the experience of an non-academic third space practitioner embarking on their first professional research project. It outlines how accessing professional networks to seek support to deliver a research project can widen the third space and draw others into it. It shows how third space workers can become activists for the space while developing their network, increasing their visibility and enhancing the student journey. In doing so they can take control of their own career trajectory.

Author Biography

Stephanie Larkin, University College Cork

Stephanie Larkin is the placement programme manager of an undergraduate degree in Business Information Systems. She also coordinates and teaches on the professional development curriculum of this degree and contributes to the ongoing development of this curriculum using the lens of career theory. She is a qualified careers guidance practitioner in addition to having qualifications in Learning and Teaching. She is a member of the Irish Institute of Guidance Counsellors and the Career Development Institute UK.

References

Akerman, K. (2022) ‘Close encounters of the third kind’, in E. McIntosh and D. Nutt (eds) The impact of the integrated practitioner in higher education. London: Routledge, pp.126-132.

Anderson, M., Goodman, J. and Schlossberg, N. K. (2022) Counseling adults in transition: linking Schlossberg's theory with practice in a diverse world. 5th edn. Springer Publishing Company.

Campbell-Perry, S. (2022) ‘The blended professional: barriers and boundaries to collaborative institutional cultures’ in E. McIntosh and D. Nutt (eds.) The impact of the integrated practitioner in higher education. London: Routledge, pp.115-125.

Joubert, M. (2024) ‘The liminal space: academic literacies practitioners’ construction of professional identity in the betwixt and between’, London Review of Education, 22 (1). Available at: https://doi.org/10.14324/LRE.22.1.15

Little, D. and Green, D.A. (2022) ‘Credibility in educational development: trustworthiness, expertise, and identification’, Higher Education Research and Development, 41(3), pp.804-819. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2020.1871325

Whitchurch, C. (2008) ‘Shifting identities and blurring boundaries: the emergence of third space professionals in UK higher education’, Higher Education Quarterly, 62(4), pp. 377-396.

Whitchurch, C. (2024) ‘From ‘service’ to ‘partnership’: harnessing social capital in support of activity in third space environments’, Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 46(3), pp.243-256. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/1360080X.2024.2344132

Downloads

Published

30-01-2025

How to Cite

Larkin, S. (2025) “Careering into third space activism as a non-academic in HE”, Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, (33). doi: 10.47408/jldhe.vi33.1246.

Issue

Section

Careers and professional development