Resonance, dissonance, rejection: experiences of probationary lecturers in UK higher education

This thesis reports on an investigation into individuals‟ experiences of, and responses to, the academic probationary period in UK higher education. The theoretical lens of critical realism is applied to reports of probationary experiences in relation to perceptions of cultures and structures, and the potential for agency, articulated by probationary academics. These perceptions were gathered through a series of in-depth narrative interviews with 23 academics across a year of their probationary period, analysed thematically.