What is my academic identity? The complex role of an academic: Pastoral care of students within a tertiary institute in Aotearoa New Zealand.

What is my academic identity? The complex role of an academic: Pastoral care of students within a tertiary institute in Aotearoa New Zealand.

This study addresses a gap in the literature about the impact of pastoral care on the complex roles and identities of academic staff members in a tertiary institution in Aotearoa New Zealand. Through the use of narrative inquiry, five female academic staff members shared their experiences, stories and opinions over three interviews, each to explore their previous life histories, lived experiences and reflections on practice. Pastoral care is enacted in diverse ways, and, through the stories shared by the participants in this study, the components of care as part of an academic role were explored, including the tensions of competing demands on academic staff members’ time and organisational funding. The narrative gathered from the participants informed the development of a new conceptual framework, the lily pad and lily pond models, bringing together the aspects of role, care, and identity. This conceptual framework has its roots in theories from Schein’s (1985) organisational culture, identity theory from Gee (2000), Noddings’ (1984) notion of care, and Clandinin and Connelly’s (2000) three commonplaces. The complexity of the conceptual framework is reflexive of the diverse influences on pastoral care academic’s role and identity, which are not sufficiently explored in the current literature. Findings reveal ambiguity surrounding “pastoral care” in the tertiary environment, and themes from the participants’ narratives reflect diverse approaches to enacting pastoral care. This research deepens understandings of pastoral care, with implications for policy and practice improvements across the design of learning environments, staff training and mechanisms to recognise the value of pastoral care. The study highlights the vital role of pastoral care in supporting students and staff, and advocates for a sustainable vision of care in a changing educational landscape.