Student Identity Development Research Articles

Exploring computing identity development for Latinx students at a Hispanic-serving community college.

Exploring computing identity development for Latinx students at a Hispanic-serving community college.

Using journey maps as a holistic, reflective approach to capture student engineering identity experiences

ABSTRACT Engineering identity has been repeatedly linked to the retention and success of engineering students, however, the current methods for understanding identity may not capture the holistic engineering identity journey. This study reviewed the method of utilising journey maps as a new approach to capture student engineering identity experiences. Interviews were conducted with 30 engineering students and early career engineers in which the participants responded to semi-structured, open-ended questions through the creation of their individual journey map. These maps were then thematically analysed to identify the key influences of engineering identity and the stage of their university journey when these influences occur. We determined that participants who strongly identify as engineers more often discussed and valued social identity experiences in the mid-year and final years of their degree, in contrast to participants who did not feel like engineers. We found that utilising journey maps as a tool for understanding identity allowed for a retrospective correlation between experience and impact, provided the participants space for authentic reflection and honoured the individuality of identity development. This method of journey mapping could be used to inform engineering education research in the further exploration and understanding of student identity development, reflective experiences and narrative storytelling.

Ретроспективное исследование становления этнической идентичности в детском возрасте: анализ этнических автобиографий старшеклассников

The contradiction between the necessity to identify the resource potential of ethnic identity in modern conditions, on the one hand, and the contradictory data on its development in persons whose socialization takes place in an ethnically homogeneous environment, on the other hand, makes the study issue relevant. The research purpose: a retrospective study of the ethnic identity development in high school students living in a mono-ethnic Russian region – the Smolensk region. Research questions: At what age do children living in a mono-ethnic environment acquire the first information about their own and other ethnic groups? How do children feel about their ethnic group in the process of identifying with it? What is the role of the family in shaping the ethnic identity of children? The study participants are 185 secondary school students from Smolensk who identify themselves as Russians, aged from 15 to 18; the average age is 16.3 years old; 59.5% of them are females. The research methods (tools) used: the technique “Ethnic autobiography” (by P. V. Rumyantseva), aimed at studying the development of ethnic identity in the childhood. The processing of the research results was carried out with the help of frequency and content analysis methods. The research results: most of the students acquired their first knowledge of Russian and other ethnic groups at preschool and primary school age and experienced positive feelings about their ethnicity. A third of the high school students showed an indifferent attitude to their ethnicity. The contribution of the family to the ethnic identity development weakens in a situation where parents belong to different nationalities or when the children do not know their parents’ nationality. The main conclusions. Development of the ethnic identity of the majority of high school students, who live in a mono-ethnic Russian environment, takes place in the process of family upbringing, it is smooth, without any shocks and changes, it is characterized by a positive attitude towards their belonging to the Russian ethnic group. The indifferent attitude of some high school students to their ethnicity may, on the one hand, indicate its irrelevance and insignificance for children living in a mono–ethnic environment, and on the other hand, it can be considered as an indicator of a “hidden” identity that can be actualized under certain conditions. The research findings should be taken into account in order to increase the effectiveness of intercultural interaction and to develop national civil Russian consolidation.

Asset-based Approaches to Multilingual Students’ Computer Science Identity Development

While computer science identity development has been examined in several studies, there is much to learn about the development of multilingual students’ computer science (CS) identities. To develop strong CS identities, multilingual students must engage in culturally and linguistically sustaining curriculum, pedagogy, and interaction that draws from their rich and varied resources. This theoretical paper is grounded in a justice-centered, asset-based framework that views the traditions and practices in students’ cultures and communities as strong contributors to knowledge construction in STEM. We draw on multiple studies exploring multilingual student CS identity development to better understand how their personal, familial, community-based, and intersectional experiences can be leveraged to promote equitable CS participation. Based on a synthesis of these studies, we find that educators should engage in the following practices: 1) leveraging multilingual students’ multiple meaning-making resources, 2) connecting classroom learning to informal learning spaces, 3) providing broader contexts for disciplinary practices, 4) offering multiple opportunities for self-expression, and 5) drawing on multilingual students’ strong intersectional identities. Through these practices, we discuss how researchers, practitioners, and policymakers can strengthen multilingual students’ disciplinary identification and overall persistence in CS.

A longitudinal, narrative case-study of interprofessional socialization among pharmacy students

IntroductionDespite growing evidence that interprofessional education (IPE) develops students' attitudes and competencies towards collaboration, there is a lack of theoretical, longitudinal research to inform the development of IPE initiatives. The purpose of this study was to examine pharmacy student interprofessional identity development during early professional and interprofessional socialization experiences in the pharmacy curriculum and at early entry into pharmacy practice. MethodsThis longitudinal, narrative case study used one-on-one, semi-structured interviews conducted at four time points; pre-entry, end of first term, end of first year, and two years post-graduation. Data were analyzed by narrative analysis. ResultsThree participants completed interviews at all four time points. Narratives revealed that participants focused on understanding the roles of pharmacists and other health professionals during early pharmacy curriculum and IPE experiences. Expansion of profession-specific role understanding and confronting pre-existing views or stereotypes were an emphasis early in the curriculum. Participants most valued IPE opportunities that allowed them to enact their own role while working with others in authentic case-based, simulated, or experiential experiences that enabled the development of professional relationships. Interprofessional identity development early upon entry into pharmacy practice varied based on the practice setting context and the ability to form relationships with other health care providers. ConclusionsThis study provides a preliminary exploration into the process of early interprofessional socialization for pharmacy students. Understanding the process of interprofessional identity development may affirm or enhance understanding of IPE curricula; further exploration in pharmacy curricula and practice is warranted.

A narrative analysis of clerkship reflections: Medical student identity development in a changing world.

Medical students' written reflections on their clinical experiences can be a useful tool for processing complex aspects of development as physicians. To create educational programs that scaffold adaptive professional identity development, it is essential to understand how medical students develop as professionals and process the dynamic sociocultural experiences of the current moment. To explore the developing professional consciousness of medical students through clerkship reflections. Narrative analysis of written reflections are produced by clerkship students, who were asked to tell a story that resonated with the physician's relationship with patient, self and colleagues. Two independent readers applied inductive labels to generate a homogenous codebook, which was used to generate themes that were then used to construct a conceptual model. Four themes were identified in the data that describe relationships between medical students' developing professional identities and the norms of their future professional and personal communities. These included: medical students as outsiders, conflict between the student identifying with the patient versus the healthcare team, medical students' own value judgements and, finally, the changing societal mores as they relate to social and racial injustice. The conceptual model for this experience depicts the medical student as pulled between patients and the social context on one side and the professional context of the medical centre on the other. Students long to move towards identification with the healthcare team, but reject the extremes of medical culture that they view on conflict with social and racial justice. Medical students in clinical training identify strongly with both patients and the medical team. Rather than viewing professional identity development as a longitudinal journey from one extreme to another, students have the power to call attention to entrenched problems within medical culture and increase empathy for patients by retaining their strong identification with the important issues of this time.

Exploring Students’ Perception of the Influence of PBL Elements on the Development of Engineering Identity

<italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Contribution:</i> This article illustrates a theoretical model and an analytical tool for understanding the influence of diverse elements of the project-based learning (PBL) environment on engineering identity development in students. Supportive elements in three dimensions that contribute to students’ identities as future engineers are identified to inspire the improvement of future PBL design. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Background:</i> Prior research has investigated the components and impact factors of engineering identity, emphasizing the importance of understanding engineering identity development in diverse learning contexts. While a wide range of educational activities has been regarded as contextual factors that influence students’ feelings about becoming engineers, it is still unclear what learning elements from the PBL context could contribute to engineering identity development in students, and limited analytical tools are developed from and tested in the PBL environment. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Research Question:</i> What elements of the PBL environment contribute to engineering identity development in students from the students’ perspectives? <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Methodology:</i> Considering the dimensions of internal motivation (IM), competence beliefs (CBs), and external support (ES), a survey was designed based on prior qualitative studies and conducted at a leading Danish university. The survey’s content validity, construct validity, and reliability were tested using expert review, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and Cronbach’s alpha. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Findings:</i> Supportive PBL elements for engineering identity development in students were reported in the dimensions of IM, CBs, and ES. Among the three dimensions, IM was identified as the most important for allowing students to develop the feeling that they would become engineers in the future. Comparisons between genders, educational levels, and academic subjects verified the different impacts of the three dimensions on engineering identity development.

Immersive Intercultural Learning Experiences in High School: Reflections From Independent School Alumni

Many educators are considering ways to increase student intercultural competence and support student identity development as they seek to create more inclusive and equitable schools and contribute to more just societies. This study provides analysis of one type of learning experience intentionally designed around intercultural engagement—independent high school programs that immerse students in international contexts for short-term learning experiences. This mixed-method study included 191 young alumni from six different independent schools in North America and focused on better understanding how these learning experiences have lived with their participants over time. Due in part to adolescent neuroplasticity, the study demonstrates that intercultural experiences that immerse students in relational learning beyond their home culture can influence them over time, including in their intercultural and identity development. The study specifically demonstrates that participants self-report continued influence of the program on their intercultural communication and perspective-taking skills and behavior frequency. The study identified two areas of limitations, namely that participants reported a conflicted or negative response to community service-focused programs over time and that participants with a transnational identity reported limited influence. These limitations and the participant reflections on the importance of relational learning suggest a dialectic approach as an effective way to reach the full potential of immersive learning for adolescents. Educators who strive to teach essential intercultural competencies that support school or districtwide efforts to create more inclusive and equitable school cultures might gain insights from this study's findings on the power of relational intercultural engagement for student learning.

Using self-determination theory (SDT) to explain student STEM interest and identity development

Using self-determination theory (SDT) to explain student STEM interest and identity development

The Role of Emotional Experiences in Commitment Development in Internship Students

ABSTRACT In this study I address the relation between real-time experiences and vocational identity development in psychology students during their practical internship. By means of a multi-method approach I aimed to shed light on the role of salient emotional experiences in commitment development, and on the characteristics of these experiences. In a diary study internship students reported every week about their most relevant experience. For each student the most salient positive and negative emotional experience was selected. Most positive and negative experiences concerned competence-related issues. Salient emotional experiences were related to commitment change for a prolonged period of time. In line with the theoretical models, salient positive emotional experiences enhance the commitment strength, and salient negative emotional experiences reduce the strength. However, many experiences include different characteristics. In particular, negative emotional experiences are characterized by a diversity of both positive and negative characteristics.

"It's Like You're a Jockey Riding a Horse and You're in a World of Centaurs": Unmasking Autistic College Students' Identity Development

Abstract: As more autistic students enroll in postsecondary education, they embark on a journey that leads them to not only process their identities as college students but also as autistic individuals. This social constructivist grounded theory study elevated autistic college students' perspectives as they made sense of their identities while participating in an autism-specific college support program. The study presents a new conceptual framework: the Nachman Autistic College Student Identity Development Model. This model relays three key stages that influence the sense-making of autistic college students: (a) discovering their disabilities, (b) approaching independence, and (c) determining autistic affiliation. Scholars and practitioners can draw from this model and the study's findings to inform how to account more holistically for autistic college students' iterative identity development.

Student involvement as a catalyst for leadership identity development.

This article explores the connection between college student involvement and leadership identity development (LID), focusing specifically on the cocurricular experiences of student clubs and organizations, student government, sororities and fraternities, and student recreation/athletics. Key considerations for focusing on students' LID through student involvement opportunities are included.

Native American youth finding self through digital story telling

AbstractThis holistic single‐case study aimed to understand the impact of digital story telling (DST) on the identity expressions of Native American youth. The question that guided the study asks, ‘How do Native American adolescents in a rural, tribal‐run after‐school programme for Indigenous youth explore and express who they are through digital story telling?’ Five Indigenous youth enrolled in a tribal‐run after‐school programme participated in the study and completed a digital story telling project that contained multiple components and interviews. Data sources included funds of knowledge maps, shields, story scripts, storyboards, interview transcripts, and digital videos. Thematic analysis was the overarching method used to identify themes. The researchers also conducted constant comparison, content analysis, and/or intertextual transcription to analyse specific data types. Findings indicate the youth enjoyed the DST process, explored and solidified their personal identities, and discovered personal strength. The findings also suggest that DST enabled the youth to draw upon cultural knowledges, literacies, and personal experiences to establish their identities and make sense of the world around them. Furthermore, findings reveal the continued presence of racism in society and schools and the need to transform schools into sites that embrace and support Indigenous knowledges, languages, literacies, and identity development of Indigenous students.

Reimagining informal STEM learning opportunities to foster STEM identity development in underserved learners

Informal science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning opportunities offer great potential to position learners as insiders to STEM and to foster their positive STEM identity development. Despite their goal to create equal insights and access to STEM learning for all, however, these informal STEM learning opportunities often fail to reach underserved students, hindering their STEM identity development and perpetuating inequity. To address this issue, out-of-school programs need to be designed with underserved students in mind, and concepts, as well as practical approaches that foster STEM identity development, need to be identified. In this article, we review 13 peer-reviewed publications that investigate informal STEM learning opportunities for underserved learners at a young age. We synthesize concepts such as competence, performance, recognition, supportive relationships, sense of belonging, agency, interest, and attitudes that influence underserved learners’ STEM identity development, and corresponding practical approaches such as personal relationships, role models, authentic settings, hands-on-activities, and non-stereotypical structures fostering agency. We also discuss theoretical frameworks for underserved learners’ STEM identity development. We suggest that recognition, a sense of belonging, supportive relationships, and agency play important roles in fostering STEM identity development in underserved students. The paper concludes with recommendations to change traditional patterns in informal and formal STEM education to empower underserved students to construct their own STEM identity as agentic individuals.

Qualitatively recognizing the dimensions of student environmental identity development within the classroom context

AbstractThis study qualitatively explored the process of student environmental identity development (sEID) within the highly social and structured context of elementary school science. Social practice theory was used as the lens to distinguish the dimensions of sEID that were visible during a curriculum‐based, in‐school program focused on the issue of pollution. Student narratives, collected from small group interviews and reflective journals, were prioritized to capture the process of students in context identifying as “being for the environment.” Data collected from 35 grade six students were qualitatively coded, a network diagram was used to visualize the relationships in the data, and a research vignette was constructed. Eight dimensions were recognized as contributing to sEID; the opportunity to be an environmental actor with peers, increased awareness of environmental threat, emotional responses, self‐recognition for environmental action, perceived agency, changed behavior across social contexts, social recognition for identity actions, and personal meaning. While many of these dimensions have been directly or indirectly discussed in the research on adult environmentalists, shifting the emphasis from group membership to the individual student in context led to the addition of two dimensions—personal meaning and emotional responses. Recognizing the eight dimensions of sEID is an important contribution to the literature as students engaging in environmental action as a requirement of school is distinct from the existing research. Identifying the dimensions of sEID can support the intentional design of learning sequences that foster environmental identities in school and beyond.

Professional identity development of international counseling doctoral students: A hybrid approach of deductive and inductive thematic analysis

AbstractWe explored the professional identity development of nine international counseling doctoral students. Our findings broadly corroborated Dollarhide et al.’s general model but revealed further nuances that need to be carefully contextualized at the intersection of a constellation of identities and experiences that international students bring to the counseling profession.

‘I Feel Like I Identify as a University Student, I Just Don’t Identify with My University’ – how First-Year Students Developed their Identities during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study explored, in detail, the development of student identity as students transition to university, during the global COVID-19 pandemic. The study explored the journeys of four first year students from two United Kingdom (UK), Higher Education (HE) institutions and compared their expectations of the transition to HE to their experiences during their first six months of study. The study was underpinned by the principles of case study research with four &lsquo;cases&rsquo; across two institutions. This study adopted a narrative approach, utilising paired interviews to explore student identity in relation to social integration and academic belonging. The data analysis was conducted using principles from Lincoln et al.&rsquo;s (1994) audit trail. Three key themes emerged from the paired interviews: &lsquo;academic belonging&rsquo;, &lsquo;informal learning conversations&rsquo; and &lsquo;intrinsic motivation to study.&rsquo; In conclusion, this small-scale, qualitative study has identified that first-year students can develop a sense of &lsquo;academic belonging&rsquo; via an online learning environment. Nevertheless, the participants did report experiences of low motivation and isolation, which hindered the development of a student identity. While the longer-term impact on students is uncertain, this study may also serve as a documentation of the experiences of students during the pandemic.

“I definitely feel like a scientist”: Exploring science identity trajectories among Latinx students in a critical race theory‐informed undergraduate research experience

AbstractThe current study investigated science identity development among Latinx university students selected for a critical race theory (CRT)‐informed undergraduate research experience. Twenty students (12 female, 8 male; Mage = 22.00; SD = 2.77) enrolled in biomedical‐related majors at a 4‐year university responded to open‐ended questions regarding their identity as scientists at 2 weeks, 6 months, and 18 months after they began the program. Results illustrated a steady increase in the number of students identifying as scientists over 18 months. At 2 weeks into the program, only 35% of Latinx students felt like a scientist. At 6 months, 45% of Latinx students identified as a scientist. At 18 months, 70% of Latinx students reported feeling like a scientist. Results also revealed variation in science identity trajectories, with four trajectories viewed in the data: (1) consistent or fast achievement, (2) gradual achievement, (3) achievement adjustment, and (4) never reach achievement. The majority of students demonstrated a trajectory in which they reached science identity achievement (the feeling that they are “a scientist”). Our results provide evidence of the positive, longitudinal impact that a CRT‐informed curriculum has on the science identity development of Latinx students. Implications surrounding future research and strategies to facilitate long‐term Latinx student participation in the biomedical sciences are discussed.

“Pieces of Myself”: The Pedagogical Power of an Illness Narrative Assignment for Doctor of Physical Therapy Students

Purpose: Narrative medicine in healthcare education is used to promote a deeper understanding of the illness experience to promote compassionate, patient-centered care. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore first year physical therapy students’ perceived learning after completing a first-person illness narrative assignment within a required Whole Person Care course prior to clinical experience. Method: Fifty-nine first-year doctor of physical therapy students completed an illness narrative assignment of a known individual with an illness experience from the first-person perspective. Data from students’ reflections on completing the illness narrative assignment were analyzed. Themes organically emerged from the open-ended prompt “What do you feel you learned writing the illness narrative?” Results: Four primary themes of perceived student learning emerged: deeper understanding of oneself, cognizance of values, understanding the illness experience of others, and recognition of future professional role. Three of these primary themes correlate with constructs of professional identity formation. Results substantiate previous studies advocating the use of narrative medicine to facilitate patient-centered care and professional identity development in healthcare education. Conclusions: A single illness narrative assignment with reflection created deeper understanding of the human illness experience for patient-centered care and supported physical therapy student professional identity development prior to clinical experience. This study adds to the limited research on effectiveness of narrative in physical therapy curricula. It also informs educators of a pedagogical approach early in curricula to leverage student professional identity formation. The study additionally answers the recommendations for research on effective implementation of humanities, early integration of narrative pedagogy, and the creation of learning spaces to support student professional identity formation.

Moderated Mediation Model for the Association of Educational Identity and Career Identity Development of Physical Education Students.

Education and vocation are crucial to one's identity. The current study aimed to see the association between educational identity and career identity development among Chinese PE students. The mediating effect of self-efficacy on educational identity and career identity was explored. Further, the study intended to see the moderating role of gender for the mediating effect of self-efficacy between educational identity and career identity development. A total of 369 (age range= 16-22) Chinese PE students were recruited as participants in the study. There were 180 (48.8%) males and 189 (51.2%) females in the sample. Hayes process model 58 was applied to develop a moderated mediation model. The results reported that there was a significant positive association between educational identity with self-efficacy and career identity. However, self-efficacy was not related to career identity. Further, self-efficacy did not play a mediating role between educational identity and career identity development. On the other hand, gender significantly moderated the mediating effect of self-efficacy between educational identity and career identity development. The study suggests that individuals who have a strong sense of educational identity are more likely to possess higher levels of self-efficacy and a clearer understanding of their career goals. However, it is notable that self-efficacy did not directly impact career identity, suggesting the presence of other factors influencing this aspect of identity formation. Interestingly, moderating role of gender suggests that the influence of self-efficacy on career identity development may vary depending on one's gender, highlighting the importance of considering gender-specific factors in career-related interventions and counseling programs. The practical and theoretical implications of the study are discussed. The practical implications of this study suggest the importance of educational identity, the need for comprehensive career counseling interventions, and the consideration of gender-specific factors. The theoretical implications contribute to identity development theory, mediation and moderation frameworks, and cross-cultural research on career identity.