Young Researchers in Germany: Different Forms of Examination and Evaluation of Academic Careers

To be under examination is a quite common experience for young researchers. In the German university system, young researchers are confronted with examinations in a narrow (e.g., the doctoral exam), as well as with examinations in a broader sense (e.g., regular evaluations of teaching, peer review). From our perspective, it is important for a comparative sociology of examinations to look at different forms/formats of examinations and evaluations within specific fields in the Bourdieusian sense. Thus, we intend to compare the various formal and informal processes and instances of examination and evaluation young researchers experience during their careers. In the same vein, we draw on phenomena of trust/mistrust in the academic trajectories.

In our presentation we will (a) differentiate between forms of examination and evaluation which are typical for academic careers in Germany. We will then focus on (b) how young researchers experience these different forms. Finally, we will ask (c) how young researchers cope with different forms of examination and evaluation. The presentation is based on a research project on academic careers in Germany with a special focus on trust funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). At the current stage of our project we mainly use qualitative interviews to analyze the relevance of trust for academic careers.