ERIC Number: EJ1406147
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0002-4805
EISSN: EISSN-1923-1857
Available Date: N/A
"I Wasn't That Good at It but I Pretended to Be": Students' Experiences of the Impostor Phenomenon in Academic Settings
Amy Menard; Michelle Bondy; Madison Jones; Lauren Desjardins; Lana Milidrag; Alanna Foulon; Laura Chittle
Alberta Journal of Educational Research, v69 n3 p363-383 2023
The impostor phenomenon (IP) is an internalized feeling of fraudulence characterized by beliefs that one's personal successes are due to external factors (e.g., luck) rather than internal attributes. Individuals who suffer from impostor feelings may feel that they are not really intelligent or capable but have instead fooled others. Written descriptions of IP experiences were provided by 879 graduate and undergraduate students and submitted to content analysis. Nine major themes were identified across three categories: causes (i.e., novel experiences, challenges, everyday academic interactions, and high expectations), feelings and impact (i.e., negative psychophysiological symptoms and negative thoughts and emotions), and management (i.e., negative, neutral, and positive). Implications for addressing these feelings in post-secondary settings are considered.
Descriptors: Student Experience, Self Concept, Graduate Students, Undergraduate Students, Expectation, Student Attitudes, Psychological Patterns, Self Esteem
University of Alberta, Faculty of Education. 845 Education Centre South, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G5, Canada. Tel: 780-492-7941; Fax: 780-492-0236; Web site: https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/ajer/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
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Authoring Institution: N/A
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