Increasing but insufficient polyphony: are there voices that could further enrich the discussion of LD professional identities?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.vi40.1752Keywords:
professional identities, professional practices, practitioner research, LD in ScotlandAbstract
The development of Learning Development (LD) in the United Kingdom (UK), and its sister disciplines in other countries, has been accompanied by intense conversations and reflection on the professional identities of those involved in it. This paper contributes to these debates by focussing on aspects of LD identities and practice that remain stubbornly uncertain. It argues that the growing consensus in the literature should not distract from questions about how well the literature represents the full community of Learning Developers (LDers). To this end, it reviews current literature on LD identities and practice, focussing on potential limitations to the emerging body of knowledge these publications represent. In response, it develops the rationale for a study among Scottish LDers that addresses some of the aspects currently underrepresented in the literature by including a wider scope of voices and focussing more strongly on practice.
References
Association for Academic Language and Learning (AALL). (n.d.). Our history. https://www.aall.org.au/our-history/
Association for Academic Language and Learning (AALL). (2010). Position statement. https://aall.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/3AALLpositionStatement2010Final.pdf
Association for Academic Language and Learning (AALL). (2021). Memorandum of understanding. https://aall.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/4Intl-Consortium-Memorandum-of-Agreement-final-draft-26Aug14.pdf
Association for Learning Development in Higher Education (ALDinHE). (2021). Manifesto for Learning Development. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KJnC7e2l5xnA44FWsOxaKkKNx4SQKlX2/view
Association for Learning Development in Higher Education (ALDinHE). (n.d.-a). Professional recognition. Retrieved June 19, 2026, from https://aldinhe.ac.uk/accreditation/recognition/professional-recognition-scheme/
Association for Learning Development in Higher Education (ALDinHE). (n.d.-b). Journal of Learning Development in HE. Retrieved June 19, 2026, from https://jldhe.aldinhe.ac.uk/
Association for Learning Development in Higher Education (ALDinHE). (n.d.-c). Blog. Retrieved June 19, 2026, from https://aldinhe.ac.uk/blog/
Association for Learning Development in Higher Education (ALDinHE). (n.d.-d). Values. Retrieved June 19, 2026, from https://aldinhe.ac.uk/about-aldinhe/
Ashton-Hay, S., Barthel, A., & Muller, A. (2021). Academic Language Learning centres/units - Australian universities, 2020-2021. Association for Academic Language and Learning (AALL). https://aall.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/ALLcentres01Dec21-Sheet1.pdf
Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action. Prentice Hall.
Bandura, A. (2008). Toward an agentic theory of the self. In H. Marsh, R. G. Craven, & D. M. McInerney (Eds.), Self-Processes, learning and enabling human potential: Dynamic new approaches (pp.15–49). Information Age Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-60752-618-620251005
Barthel, A., Bartlett, A., Chanock, K. & Morre, T. (2021). Changing identities: A history of academic language and learning in Australia. Association for Academic Language and Learning (AALL). https://aall.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/ALLhistoryFINAL10Sep2021.pdf
Bassett, M., & Macnaught, L. (2025). Embedded approaches to academic literacy development: A systematic review of empirical research about impact. Teaching in Higher Education: Critical Perspectives, 30(5), 1065–1083. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2024.2354280
Bickle, E., Allen, S., & Mayer, M. (2023). The future of learning development. In A. Syska & C. Buckley (Eds.), How to be a Learning Developer in higher education: Critical perspectives, community and practice (pp. 238-246). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003433347-32
Bishopp-Martin, S. (2025). A Case Study Analysis of the Discursive and Institutional Complexities Underpinning Learning Development Professional Practice in Higher Education. [Doctoral dissertation, Canterbury Christ Church University]. Pure. https://pure.canterbury.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/18336293/Thesis_-_Silvina_Bishopp-Martin.pdf
Bishopp-Martin, S., & Johnson, I. (2023). Research and scholarship in learning development. In A. Syska & C. Buckley (Eds.), How to be a Learning Developer in higher education: Critical perspectives, community and practice (pp. 155–163). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003433347-22
Briggs, S. (2025). Redefining the role of learning development practitioners. Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, (33), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.vi33.1203
Buckley, C., & Frith, L. (2023). The development of expertise and Identity within a community of practice: a networking model. In A. Syska & C. Buckley (Eds.), How to be a Learning Developer in higher education: Critical perspectives, community and practice (pp. 34–42). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003433347-6
Burns, T., Brazant, K., Davenport, E., Huda, N., Sinfield, S., & Smith, J. (2023). A day in the life: what the learning developer does. In A. Syska & C. Buckley (Eds.), How to be a Learning Developer in higher education: Critical perspectives, community and practice (pp. 53–61). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003433347-9
Cameron, C. (2018a). Tertiary learning advisors in Aotearoa/New Zealand: Part 1 – Building a profile of our profession. ATLAANZ Journal, 3(1), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.26473/atlaanz.2018.1/002
Cameron, C. (2018b). Tertiary learning advisors in Aotearoa/New Zealand: Part 2 – Acknowledging our contribution. ATLAANZ Journal, 3(1), 25–43. https://doi.org/10.26473/atlaanz.2018.1/003
Cameron, C. (2018c). Tertiary learning advisors in Aotearoa/New Zealand: Part 3 – Why do we stay? ATLAANZ Journal, 3(1), 44–66. https://doi.org/10.26473/ATLAANZ.2018.1/004
Canton, U., & Cuthbert, A. (2023). Mapping LD in Scotland. ScotHELD. https://www.scotelas.org/general-8
Chanock, K. (2011a). A historical literature review of Australian publications in the field of academic language and learning in the 1980s: Themes, schemes, and schisms: Part one. Journal of Academic Language and Learning, 5(1), A36–A38. https://journal.aall.org.au/index.php/jall/article/view/119
Chanock, K. (2011b). A historical literature review of Australian publications in the field of academic language and learning in the 1980s: Themes, schemes, and schisms: Part two. Journal of Academic Language and Learning, 5(1), A59–A87. https://journal.aall.org.au/index.php/jall/article/view/120
Coulson, K. (2023). The impact of learning development. In A. Syska & C. Buckley (Eds.), How to be a Learning Developer in higher education: Critical perspectives, community and practice (pp. 203–210). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003433347-28
Cuthbert, A., & Keenan, D. (2025, April 1–2). What are the pressures experienced by Learning Developers, and how do they impact on professional identity? [Conference Presentation]. The ICALLD Symposium 2025, online.
Dhillon, S. (2023). Critical self-reflection in learning development. In A. Syska, & C. Buckley (Eds.), How to be a Learning Developer in higher education: Critical perspectives, community and practice (pp. 109–117). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003433347-16
Fitzmaurice, M. (2013). Constructing professional identity as a new academic: A moral endeavour. Studies in Higher Education, 38(4), 613–622. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2011.594501
Golding, C., Adam, L., Scott, C., Johnson, K., Brook, P., McLean, A., Smith, N., Kumar, M., Hunter, C., & Kumar, V. (2015). Fix, heal, diagnose or guide. evaluating the metaphors for learning advisors. ATLAANZ Journal, 1(1), 1-15 https://doi.org/10.26473/ATLAANZ.2015.1.1/001
Higgs, J., & Titchen, A. (2001). Framing professional practice: Knowing and doing in context. In J. Higgs & A. Titchen (Eds.), Professional Practice in Health, Education and the Creative Arts (pp. 1-15). Blackwell Science. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470690659.ch1
Hill, P., Tinker, A., & Catterall, S. (2010). From deficiency to development: The evolution of academic skills provision at one UK university. Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, (2), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.v0i2.54
Hilsdon, J. (2010). What is Learning Development. In P. Hartley, J. Hilsdon, C. Keenan, S. Sinfield, & M. Verity (Eds.), Learning development in higher education (pp. 13–27). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-230-36505-6_2
Hilsdon, J. (2018). The significance of the field of practice 'Learning Development' in UK higher education [PhD thesis, University of Plymouth]. Pearl. https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/pioe-theses/60/
Hilsdon, J. (2023). Foreword. In A. Syska, & C. Buckley (Eds.), How to be a Learning Developer in higher education: Critical perspectives, community and practice (pp. xvi–xviii). Routledge.
Hood, S. (2023). Succeeding at learning development. In A. Syska, & C. Buckley (Eds.), How to be a Learning Developer in higher education: Critical perspectives, community and practice (pp. 195–202). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003433347-27
Hotho, S. (2008). Professional identity – product of structure, product of choice: Linking changing professional identity and changing professions. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 21(6), 721–742. https://doi.org/10.1108/09534810810915745
Johnson, I. (2018). Driving learning development professionalism forward from within. Proceedings of the 2018 ALDinHE Conference, UK, 1–29. https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.v0i0.470
Johnson, I. (2023). The framing and value of Learning Development work in British Higher Education: An illuminative evaluation of professional practice [Doctoral dissertation, University of Portsmouth]. Pure.
Kukhareva, M., & Buckley, C. (2023). Why and how you matter: Learning Development as everyday leadership. Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, (29), 1–8. https://journal.aldinhe.ac.uk/index.php/jldhe/article/view/1079/862
Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge University Press.
Learning Specialists Association of Canada (LSAC). (n.d.). Constitution. https://learningspecialists.ca/constitution/
Malik, M. (2021). Core competencies for the practice of tertiary learning advising in New Zealand. ATLAANZ Journal, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.26473/atlaanz.2021/005
Malik, M., & Chanock, K. (2018). Academic language and learning in Australia: An endangered or evolving species? Academic language and learning. Academic Language and Learning, 12(10), A15–A32. https://www.journal.aall.org.au/index.php/jall/article/view/518
Murray, L., & Glass, B. (2010). Learning Development in higher education: Community of practice or profession? In P. Hartley, J. Hilsdon, C. Keenan, S. Sinfield, & M. Verity (Eds.), Learning development in higher education (pp. 28–39). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-230-36505-6_3
Norman, E. A., & Newham, E. C. (2018). The role of learning advisors and support staff within an increasingly differentiated student community. Journal of Academic Language and Learning, 12(1), A128–A140. https://journal.aall.org.au/index.php/jall/article/view/545
Percy, A., & Stirling, J. (2004). Coming of age: Developing a genealogy of knowledge in the LAS field. Proceedings of the LAS 2003 National Conference, Australia, 37–45. https://hdl.handle.net/10779/uow.27692211.v1
Richards, K., & Pilcher, N. (2023). Study skills: Neoliberalism's perfect Tinkerbell. Teaching in Higher Education: Critical Perspectives, 28(3), 580–596. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2020.1839745
Sagiv, L., & Roccas, S. (2017). What personal values are and what they are not: Taking a cross-cultural perspective. In L. Sagiv, & S. Roccas (Eds.), Values and behavior: Taking a cross-cultural perspective (pp. 3–14). Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56352-7_1
Samuels, P. C. (2025). Learning developers as third space academics: a personal view. Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, (33), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.vi33.1231
ScotHELD. (n.d.). About us. https://www.scotelas.org/about
ScotHELD. (2010). Definition of effective learning advisors [Unpublished internal document].
Scottish Qualifications Agency (SQA). (n.d.) Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework. https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/71387.html
Simpson, C. (2025). Why can't higher education agree on terminology for third-space professionals? Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, (33), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.vi33.1268
Sinfield, S., Holley, D., Burns, T., Hoskins, K., O’Neill, P., & Harrington, K. (2010). Raising the student voice: Learning Development as socio-political practice. In P. Hartley, J. Hilsdon, C. Keenan, S. Sinfield, & M. Verity (Eds.), Learning Development in higher education (pp. 53–64). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-230-36505-6_5
Slawson, T., & Eyre, J. (2023). Theory in LD: We are all players. In A. Syska, & C. Buckley (Eds.), How to be a Learning Developer in higher education: Critical perspectives, community and practice (pp.7-14). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003433347-3
Stapleford, K. (2019). The LDHEN hive mind: Learning Development in UK higher education as a professional culture. Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, (16), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.v0i16.510
Syska, A., & Buckley, C. (Eds.). (2023). How to be a Learning Developer in higher education: Critical perspectives, community and practice. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003433347
Tan, C. P., Van der Molen, H. T., & Schmidt, H. G. (2017). A measure of professional identity development for professional education. Studies in Higher Education, 42(8), 1504–1519. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2015.1111322
Taylor, G. (2014). Theorising academic language and learning: Past, present and future. Journal of Academic Language and Learning, 8(1), A1–A13. https://journal.aall.org.au/index.php/jall/article/view/305
UK ENIC. (2023). Guide to the education systems of the UK. https://www.enic.org.uk/Documents/Guide%20to%20the%20UK%20education%20systems_final.pdf
UK Government. (n.d.) Find a regulated profession. https://www.regulated-professions.service.gov.uk/professions/search
Webster, H. (n.d.). About Rattus Scholasticus. Rattus Scholasticus. https://rattusscholasticus.wordpress.com/about/
Webster, H. (2018a, March 5). Constructivism and Learning Development. Rattus Scholasticus. https://rattusscholasticus.wordpress.com/2018/03/05/constructivism-and-learning-development/
Webster, H. (2018b, November 16). Up to you: Non-directive, non-prescriptive practice. Rattus Scholasticus. https://rattusscholasticus.wordpress.com/2018/11/16/up-to-you-non-directive-non-prescriptive-practice/
Webster, H. (2019a, February 4). Is emancipatory practice the defining value of LD? Rattus Scholasticus. https://rattusscholasticus.wordpress.com/2019/02/04/emancipatory-practice-the-defining-ld-value/
Webster, H. (2019b, April 18). Zen and the art of Learning Development. Rattus Scholasticus. https://rattusscholasticus.wordpress.com/2019/04/18/zen-and-the-art-of-learning-development/
Webster, H. (2019c, October 20). Teaching Study Skills = Learning Development? Rattus Scholasticus. https://rattusscholasticus.wordpress.com/2019/10/20/teaching-study-skills-learning-development/
Webster, H. (2020a, May 17). Developing wicked learners for an unkind university. Rattus Scholasticus. https://rattusscholasticus.wordpress.com/2020/05/17/developing-wicked-learners-for-an-unkind-university/
Webster, H. (2020b, May 23). Does LD have a signature pedagogy? Rattus Scholasticus. https://rattusscholasticus.wordpress.com/2020/05/23/ld3-does-learning-development-have-a-signature-pedagogy
Webster, H. (2023a, September 23). Learning Development learning outcomes. Rattus Scholasticus. https://rattusscholasticus.wordpress.com/2023/09/26/learning-development-learning-outcomes/
Webster, H. (2023b, June 2). Running a Learning Development deficit. Rattus Scholasticus. https://rattusscholasticus.wordpress.com/2023/06/02/running-a-learning-development-deficit/
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).