Purpose This paper discusses the identity development of international postgraduate taught students at a Scottish research-intensive university during the academic year 2022–2023. This paper aims to contribute to a etter understanding of how students form a new academic identity under the conditions of rapid transition and recommend ways to facilitate this process. Design/methodology/approach This paper adopts an interpretative paradigm, undertaking a thematic analysis of qualitative data. Findings were derived from general inductive coding of focus group and interview data. Findings The analysis identified three distinctive themes relating to identity development: independent learning, intercultural communication and research community. Research limitations/implications The small sample size and brevity of the paper only allowed for a limited enquiry and each of the identified themes requires a more in-depth analysis and corroboration with samples from other institutions. Further research is needed, especially, about the process of academic identity development in various subject disciplines. Originality/value This study draws on a diverse sample of international students who studied for a postgraduate taught degree in Scotland. It reveals the hidden expectations levelled at them in relation to independent learning and intercultural communication. It, moreover, unearths how different disciplinary pathways contribute to academic identity formation.
Julia Bohlmann (2026) studied this question.