Doctoral Journeys —Beyond the Doctorate: Sarah Mercer
Author: Yumiko Fujita Imanishi
DProf in TESOL at University of St Andrews (Doctoral Student), Scotland, UK
Corresponding Author: Yumiko Fujita Imanishi [email protected]
Abstract
This article presents insights from an interview with Sarah Mercer, focusing on her doctoral and professional journeys and the development of her academic identity. It draws on materials reported in Imanishi (2025a, 2025b, 2026). By tracing her teaching-based PhD trajectory, the article highlights key intellectual influences, researcher well-being, and inclusivity in higher education. The reflections offered may resonate with practitioner-researchers and doctoral students navigating their own academic trajectories.
AI Declaration
AI was used solely for language refinement, and the authors created all content.
Conflict of Interest
The author declares no conflicts of interest regarding the content of this blog post.
Introduction
This article reflects an interview with Professor Sarah Mercer about her doctoral and professional journeys. The full interview is available on the Spotify podcast series Doctoral Journeys – Beyond the Doctorate (Imanishi, 2026). In addition, further insights into her specialist areas can be heard in the YouTube episode Beyond the Abstracts: Professional Curiosity – Sarah Mercer (Stringer, 2024).
Doctoral Journey
What does the doctorate mean to you?
For Professor Sarah Mercer, the doctorate is an apprenticeship, a process of learning and growth, but also the beginning of a longer journey. It is where you acquire the skills and culture of academic research and start carving out your own pathway into the academic community.
The Motivation for a Doctoral Degree
Although people around Mercer discouraged her from pursuing a doctorate, she wanted to become a better teacher and felt her academic journey was incomplete without it. These two factors led her to begin her doctoral studies.
Research Interests
Mercer’s initial interest grew from strategy training, the topic of her master’s thesis. She developed an experiential approach to strategy training to see whether it improved learners’ language development. Experiential learning theory positions experience as central to human learning and development (Kolb & Kolb, 2005). Her research emerged from classroom practice, but she found that the gains were non-linguistic: increased confidence, agency, control, and self-direction. She saw these as indirect pathways to language gains. This led her toward self-efficacy and self-concept, concepts rooted in psychology rather than applied linguistics.
Language teacher and Doctoral Student
Mercer worked full-time as a language teacher while pursuing her PhD for five years. Mercer et al. (2017) describe how teaching-focused PhD students constantly shift between teacher and researcher roles, with identities shaped by relationships, institutional contexts, and everyday teaching experiences. Mercer values the link between theory and practice and believes that teaching while researching makes you more critical because you see what works, what does not, and where theory may be overgeneralised. Time management was her main challenge, but she developed effective strategies and clear boundaries.
The Keys to Becoming a Successful Doctoral Student
She learnt that persistence matters and that you must keep going even when you doubt yourself. She believes intrinsic motivation is more important than extrinsic motivation, and that her passion and commitment helped her complete her PhD. Once you begin and keep moving forward, you eventually finish.
Academic Hero
As a language teacher, Mercer was drawn to the uniqueness of learners and the “messiness” of classrooms, which naturally led her to qualitative research. At a time when qualitative work was rare, Ema Ushioda broke new ground and gave Mercer legitimacy and a line of argumentation. Mercer sees Ushioda as an original thinker whose influence remains strong.
Professional Journey
After completing her doctorate, Mercer continued teaching at the same university. She enjoys research because it feels like solving a large puzzle and involves meeting people and having stimulating conversations, which motivates her to continue.
Post-Doctoral Qualification
The Habilitation is a traditional postdoctoral qualification in Central Europe that certifies independent scholarship and is often required for professorships, though its necessity is increasingly questioned due to workload and long training periods (Teichler & Höhle, 2013). Mercer pursued her habilitation cumulatively by bringing several articles together under one theme, which later enabled her to obtain a professorship. Still, she identifies primarily as a teacher.
Continuous Growth
Regarding learner engagement, she now thinks differently from what she wrote ten years ago. This shift reflects an ongoing process of reflective practice, in which she continually develops her thinking. She sees this continuous growth as a positive and necessary part of her professional development.
Influential Scholars
She describes Zoltán Dörnyei as a giant of the field and one of the most influential figures in the psychology of language learning. He broke new ground through his intellectual brilliance, deep curiosity, and willingness to try new things, while also being exceptionally generous with his time and ideas. His work played a central role in making the development of the psychology of language learning as a research area possible, and his impact on shaping the field remains particularly significant. She also acknowledges influential colleagues such as Marion Williams, Peter MacIntyre, Tammy Gregersen, and Diane Larsen-Freeman, emphasising how much she learns from diverse perspectives and collaborations.
Inclusivity in Higher Education
Mercer recently published an article on gender bias in higher education (Mercer, Gregersen, Thompson, & Yim, 2026). She has personally experienced discrimination based on gender, research area, and research method. Teichler and Höhle (2013) similarly highlight gender inequality in European academia. Although she recognises broader issues such as marginalisation, power hierarchies, race, and nativespeakerism, she remains hopeful that higher education will become more inclusive and diverse.
Recent Initiative
Mercer just started a large, three-year, funded research study on the dynamism of teacher and learner emotions and engagement with the University of Wroclaw, Poland. Although the research design is extremely complex, she is excited to start this project.
Researcher Well-Being
Mercer (2021) distinguishes between hedonic well-being, focused on the experience of happiness, and eudaimonic well-being, focused on meaning and growth. Regarding her own well-being, she describes it as an ongoing battle. Because she loves her research, she sometimes finds it difficult to set boundaries. She warns against becoming one-dimensional and encourages finding enjoyment outside of research.
Supervisor’s Support
Her supervisor, Alan Waters, greatly influenced her. Coming from the classroom, he shared her practical perspective. Although he did not always agree with her interests, such as complexity theory, he respected her thinking, allowed her to develop her own ideas, and never tried to force her into a mould or down a particular path. He also helped her become a better writer.
Messages for Doctoral Students
Mercer emphasises protecting one’s well-being during the doctorate and giving oneself permission to rest. Motivation naturally fluctuates, so supportive peers are essential. She recommends writing regularly, even a few sentences, as small, consistent efforts keep you connected to your work and prevent it from becoming overwhelming.
Closing Reflection
I was surprised to learn that she completed her doctorate part-time while working full-time as a teacher, just as I am doing now. Because the first article I read by Mercer focused on complexity theory, I had imagined a very different academic trajectory. Discovering her actual path has given me confidence that I, too, can grow as a researcher while pursuing a part-time doctoral programme, and it reassures me that choosing the DProf as a practising teacher was the right decision.
I started this academic blog to create a space for purposeful, regular writing. The word limit lowered my psychological barrier to academic writing, and I now see how important this practice has been for my development as a doctoral student.
I was also struck by the intellectual connection between Mercer and Ushioda. I realised that remaining faithful to one’s own interests and questions can shape a scholarly journey and inspire others.
Finally, I learned that embracing diverse perspectives is essential for the continued growth of our field. Inclusivity broadens our horizons and supports sustainable growth as educators and researchers.
Acknowledgement
I sincerely thank Professor Sarah Mercer for generously sharing her time and experiences for this interview, which formed the basis of this article.
References
- Imanishi, Y. F. (2025a). Doctoral Journeys – Beyond the Doctorate: Researcher voice, insight, and identity. St Andrews Journal of International and Language Education, 1(2), Article 2953. https://doi.org/10.15664/wpwk9350
- Imanishi, Y. F. (2025b). Doctoral Journeys – Beyond the Doctorate: Researcher Voice, Insight, and Identity [Blog post]. St Andrews Journal of International and Language Education (SAJILE). https://sajile.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/2025/08/03/doctoral-journeys-beyond-the-doctorate-researcher-voice-insight-and-identity/
- Imanishi, Y. F. (2026, February 1). Doctoral Journeys – Beyond the Doctorate: Sarah Mercer[Audio podcast episode]. In Doctoral Journeys – Beyond the Doctorate. https://open.spotify.com/episode/6AlJtMq358HtqnK3JhVoQu?si=bx1sScpTTFiJ_kT_rN2Jiw
- Kolb, A. Y., & Kolb, D. A. (2005). Learning styles and learning spaces: Enhancing experiential learning in higher education. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 4(2), 193–212. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMLE.2005.17268566
- Mercer, S., Glatz, M., Glettler, C., Lämmerer, A., Mairitsch, A., Puntschuh, S., Seidl, E., Težak, K., & Turker, S. (2017). Moving between worlds: Teaching-based PhD identities from an ecological perspective. Journal of Adult Learning, Knowledge and Innovation, 1(1), 15–26. https://doi.org/10.1556/2059.01.2016.002
- Mercer, S. (2021). An agenda for well-being in ELT: An ecological perspective.
- ELT Journal, 75(1), 14–21. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccaa062
- Mercer, S., Gregersen, T., Thompson, A. S., & Yim, S. Y. (2026). It’s not you, it’s the system: Women professors in TESOL and the persistence of gender bias TESOL Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.70069
- Stringer, T. (2024, August). Beyond the abstracts: Professional curiosity – Sarah Mercer (Episode 9) [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/-v0ekwYAD-w?si=zaYOH7SRrOffj1Ss
- Teichler, U., & Höhle, E. A. (Eds.). (2013). The work situation of the academic profession in Europe: Findings of a survey in twelve countries. Springer.