The Disappearing Research Agendas of Mother–Scholars in Academia during the COVID–19 Pandemic: Autoethnographic Studies

• Published in: New Horizons in Adult Education & Human Resource Development Vol. 34; no. 3; pp. 40 - 53
• Main Authors: Lekchiri, Siham, Chuang, Szufang, Crowder, Cindy L., Eversole, Barbara A. W.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01-06-2022; Wiley; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: academic mothers; Autobiographies; Autoethnography; Beginning Teachers; Caregivers; College Faculty; COVID-19; derailed research agendas; Ethnography; Experienced Teachers; Family Work Relationship; Mothers; Pandemics; Parent Responsibility; Productivity; Scholars; Scholarship; Teacher Researchers; Teaching Experience; Tenure; Women Faculty; Work life balance; COVID-19; academic mothers; derailed research agendas; autoethnography
• ISSN: 1939-4225; 1939-4225
• DOI: 10.1002/nha3.20357

It is not new for mother–scholars to face challenges in balancing work and life demands; however, the COVID–19 pandemic has redefined the meaning of mother–scholars as they maneuver working from home, caring for their dependents, and maintaining their research productivity. The following manuscript is a collection of autoethnographic studies of the experiences of four women of differing ranks in the academy: pre–tenure, mid–career, and late–career. What they all have in common is caregiving responsibilities that abruptly derailed their research agendas when the pandemic interrupted their lives.