Research on the Professional Identity of College Students in the Context of Information Technology Development

Abstract

Regarding the rapid development of information and communication technology, this study examines the determining factors in formation of professional identity (PI) for the undergraduate students. Moreover, an attempt is made to compare the PI between two groups of students who were studying in different majors. Participants consisted of 393 students who were majoring in Information Management and Information System(IMIS) (n=149, 38%) and E-Commerce(EC) (n=244,62%) in Lingnan Normal University. Survey data shows that the level of PI of the overall students is not high. In terms of the majors, the average level of PI with the various dimensions for students in Information Management and Information System is lower than the average level of that for students in E-Commerce. On the other hand, there are significant positive correlations between students’ PI and the development of information technology, as well as talent development program. Findings are also discussed in terms of their relevance among various factors of PI.