Becoming a midwife in Saudi Arabia: A qualitative study of the professional identity formation of students.

A Qualitative Evaluation of a Longitudinally Integrated Professionalism Curriculum in the Surgery Clerkship.

Language and literature, which have long served as core elements of cultural identity, continue to play a crucial role in shaping and sustaining collective memory and social values. This paper examines the historical and contemporary dynamics of multilingual literary traditions in Lalbagh, Murshidabad, and analyses their contribution to cultural identity formation. It explores the interaction of Persian, Urdu, and Bengali across different historical periods and identifies the key factors influencing their continuity and transformation. There is limited research that comparatively analyses the coexistence of these linguistic traditions within a localized socio-cultural context. The study reveals that despite the dominance of Bengali in formal domains, Urdu and traces of Persian persist in cultural and religious practices, supported largely by oral traditions such as marsiya, nauha, and Baul songs. However, challenges such as modernization, language shift, and inadequate institutional support threaten the sustainability of these traditions. The study situates Lalbagh within a broader historical and cultural framework and highlights the importance of community participation, documentation, and institutional support in preserving linguistic diversity and sustaining cultural identity.

This study focuses on the role of language in shaping identity in postcolonial literature. It explores how English and indigenous languages work together to express cultural identity, personal experiences, and social realities in postcolonial societies. In many postcolonial contexts, English is often seen as a global or powerful language, while indigenous languages represent local culture, tradition, and history. The research examines how writers use both English and native languages to reflect their mixed identities and cultural backgrounds. It highlights that language is not just a tool for communication but also an important way of expressing identity, resistance, and belonging. By using indigenous languages alongside English, writers challenge colonial influence and reclaim their cultural voice. The study also shows that this blending of languages creates a unique literary style that reflects the complexity of postcolonial identity. Overall, the research emphasizes that language plays a key role in shaping how individuals and communities understand themselves in a postcolonial world.

ABSTRACT Transitioning from a K-12 teacher to a teacher educator involves a significant transformation in professional identity, characterized by intellectual, pedagogical, and cultural challenges. This self-study explores the first author’s journey as an international graduate student transitioning from teacher to mathematics teacher educator in the United States. In this study, I investigate how my identity developed through reflective experiences, challenges, and tensions during the transition from traditional to inquiry-based teaching environments. Drawing on a staged perspective of identity development and a framework emphasizing competence, performance, and recognition, the findings highlight the dynamic and ongoing nature of teacher educator identity formation. Findings suggest that professional identity development involves periods of advancement and hesitation, influenced by external recognition, social participation, and the ongoing negotiation of past and new identities. The implications highlight the necessity for targeted support, including induction programs, mentoring, and communities of practice to foster the growth of novice teacher educators, especially international students navigating dual transitions. This study emphasizes the importance of continuous reflection and adaptation in professional growth as a teacher educator.

Abstract Teacher identity is crucial for aspiring teachers as they shift from learners to teachers, navigate multiple identities in various contexts, and develop professionally. This study explores the perceptions and emerging teacher identities of prospective teachers at a public university in New Jersey, USA, utilizing data collected through draw-and-write tasks and reflections. Guided by the grounded theory process, the findings revealed that initial perceptions of teachers ranged from simplistic and authoritarian to overly idealized, influenced by stereotypes and prior educational experiences. Fieldwork experience in an urban elementary school was identified as pivotal in challenging and transforming these perceptions, initially creating a sense of disequilibrium that led to a more nuanced understanding of the teaching profession. Furthermore, the study underscored the significance of inclusivity and cultural diversity in teacher identity formation, particularly among participants of color, emphasizing the desire and necessity for representation in the teaching workforce. Insights and implications for teacher education programs were discussed.

<p class="ql-align-justify">This study examines how the nexus between trauma, memory, and identity within digital spaces in Patricia Lockwood’s <em>No One Is Talking About This</em> elucidates the societal impact of life “in the portal”—an immersive digital world where public and private selves become indistinct. It analyzes how the narrative reflects the psychological ramifications of online immersion, where identity formation and memory are subjects to constant online visibility and performativity. The study scrutinizes the novel’s portrayal of digital trauma through fragmented consciousness, mapping the protagonist’s struggle with memory loss and identity dislocation through close textual analysis and an interdisciplinary framework combining trauma theory, digital culture studies, and identity theory. Employing qualitative content analysis, the study also incorporates secondary insights from digital sociology and psychoanalysis to explore how Lockwood’s depiction corresponds to real-world experiences of digital-induced alienation. The outcome indicates the erosion of privacy and the impact of digital mediation on personal and collective memory, demonstrating how digital spaces heighten psychological and emotional vulnerability and destabilize identity. The study, thus, emphasizes the necessity to critically examine the effects of the digital environment on mental health and self-perception, offering broader implications for understanding the poetics of trauma in the digital age. </p>

This article examines the psychological and pedagogical conditions for the development of professional competence among future healthcare professionals under martial law. An analysis of contemporary approaches to the training of medical personnel is conducted, and the necessity of comprehensively accounting for crisis realities is substantiated, in particular limited access to clinical practice, high emotional stress, and the need for rapid decision-making in extreme situations. A set of psychological and pedagogical conditions is substantiated, including the creation of a psychologically safe educational environment, the integration of a competence-based approach taking into account military challenges, the digitalisation and flexibility of the educational process, the development of psychological resilience and emotional intelligence, the support of motivation and the formation of professional identity, as well as special training for teachers to work in crisis conditions. A model is proposed for combining innovative educational technologies (simulation-based learning, distance and blended learning) with systematic psychological support, ensuring not only the acquisition of professional competencies but also the development of personal qualities necessary for effective medical practice in wartime conditions. The prospects for implementing the developed set of measures in the practice of higher education medical institutions to improve the quality of training for doctors prepared to work in extreme circumstances are explored.

Purpose This study aims to enhance the definition of wellness tourism as a continuous, culturally embedded process of self-regulation, identity formation and transformation, rather than as a singular, destination-based experience. Design/methodology/approach This study examined the interactions among Baby Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y and Gen Z from the USA and Turkiye with wellness products and services, using generational cohort theory (GCT), the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) model and a holistic and integrative health framework as guiding frameworks. To gain insights, we conducted 32 interviews and carried out both thematic and content analysis on the gathered data. Findings The results reveal that Baby Boomers and Gen X are more inclined toward integrative and alternative wellness services. In contrast, Gen Y and Gen Z demonstrate a stronger interest in preventative, aesthetic and digital wellness options. Younger generations often view wellness to emotionally navigating their identities considering the limitations posed by traditional healthcare. Research limitations/implications This research highlights the potential to effectively promote wellness services in the healthcare sector and tourism destinations, positioning them not only as valuable economic opportunities but also as significant therapeutic experiences. Originality/value This study contributes to the existing body of literature on wellness tourism and consumer behavior by exploring the intersections of generational identities, cultural influences and decision-making processes. Furthermore, it provides essential insights for destinations and health and wellness service providers aiming to develop targeted and inclusive wellness offerings that address a diverse array of consumer needs.

The article actualizes the potential of the academic subject "Informatics" as a tool for patriotic education of students. It is proved that informatics has unique opportunities for the formation of civic identity due to the interdisciplinary nature of project activities, the presence in the content of the subject of examples of the contribution of Russian scientists to the development of science and technology, the possibility of solving personally significant practice-oriented tasks, the inclusion of legal aspects in the content. As an example, the article presents the interdisciplinary project "The combat path of a veteran". Its implementation includes searching for information about relatives of students who participated in the Great Patriotic War on the "Memorial of the People" portal, analyzing this information, comparing the veteran's personal combat path with key historical events of the Great Patriotic War, and creating a multimedia presentation. Students' work on such projects contributes to the formation of their systemic knowledge of the country's history, the development of a sense of pride and respect for the heroic past of the people, the fostering patriotism and civic responsibility, and the formation of analytical abilities.

Undergraduate research experiences are among the most powerful predictors of persistence and identity formation in STEM education. Yet, ironically, access remains limited by faculty time, laboratory resources, and scalability. The MCDB SkillsCenter is a novel course at the University of Colorado, Boulder, targeted at these challenges by combining modular skill-based learning, peer mentorship, and digital infrastructure to make authentic research training accessible to large student populations. Documenting the SkillsCenter’s evolution from a small program into a scalable course, this thesis evaluates its pedagogical foundations, digital footprint, and next phase of innovation through artificial intelligence (AI). At its core, the SkillsCenter is grounded in mastery-based pedagogy, emphasizing iteration, feedback, and agency as drivers of persistence and confidence in scientific training. Between 2021 and 2025, the results depict that enrollment expanded nearly nine times while maintaining individualized mentorship through a peer-proctor system. Meanwhile, the adoption of Microsoft Power Platform cloud infrastructure paved the way for automation of student submission, proctor grading, and micro-credentialing, helping increase certification output from 76 to 575 per semester. Essential feedback cycles between pedagogy and technology also promoted transparency, standardization, and efficiency. Looking at its next innovation, an AI study demonstrated that GPT-5 nano and GPT-5 mini models achieved up to 80% agreement with human evaluators, performing the strongest on objective rubric items. While interpretive assessment remains a limitation, the evidence suggests AI’s capability to increase efficiency as a supplemental tool. Taken together, the SkillsCenter illustrates that authentic undergraduate research training can scale, especially when pedagogy and technology evolve together, creating a transferable framework for expanding equitable research education across STEM.

Platformized markets increasingly organize consumer encounters through adaptive ranking and personalization systems that learn from behavioral traces and reorder what consumers see over time. Although consumer identity theory explains how consumers use marketplace resources to express and negotiate the self, it does not fully explain how recursive ranked exposure shapes identity trajectories. This article develops Algorithmic Consumer Identity Theory (ACIT) to address that gap. ACIT proposes that identity formation in platformized markets is conditioned by three interrelated mechanisms: algorithmic mirroring, through which consumers interpret personalized outputs as self-diagnostic signals; algorithmic steering, through which ranking and recommendation systems structure future exposure; and reinforcement-loop strength, which captures the inertia generated by recursive feedback among behavior, inference, and exposure. Together, these mechanisms produce the steered self, an emergent identity configuration shaped through repeated interaction with curated exposure environments. The theory specifies how adaptive personalization can increase identity salience, strengthen or fragment coherence, intensify dissonance under conditions of misrecognition, and reduce perceived data agency when contestability is weak. By distinguishing representational feedback from directional exposure governance, ACIT offers a mechanism-based and empirically falsifiable framework for understanding identity in AI-mediated markets. The article contributes to consumer identity theory, platformization research, and AI-in-marketing scholarship, and identifies implications for platform governance and identity-safe personalization design.

ABSTRACT This paper examines how students are using text-generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) when responding to assessments in higher education. It presents findings from a qualitative study and discusses the role that Gen AI could play at transitional moments in student-learner identity formation. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were undertaken with students studying a range of disciplines and levels to understand behaviour and emerging practices. This study supports previous findings on students’ motivation for using text Gen AI, such as developing an understanding of curriculum content and getting started with assignments. In addition, it provides a unique contribution to understanding the motivation for students to use Gen AI and their ability to build a secure learner identity. Participants report valuing immediacy and privacy above other factors, such as accuracy and depth of response. It was also clear that the homogenising and simplifying nature of the Gen AI response was seen by students as a useful way to bridge the learning gap between their level of entry and the level of tuition. This paper provides a contribution to the debate surrounding the impact that the use of Gen AI could be having on the development of learner identity.

Background: Professional identity formation (PIF) and wellbeing are increasingly being recognised in postgraduate Family Medicine (FM) education. Role models are central to both, yet traditional learning activities often struggle to implement them effectively. Podcasts offer a flexible medium that may support these goals. This study examines the potential of postgraduate medical education (PGME) podcasts, such as the European Young Family Doctor’s Movement (EYFDM) podcast, to promote PIF and wellbeing. Methods: This mixed-methods study analyses podcast use, role modelling effects, and PIF among young general practitioners (GPs). In 2024, 57 participants, including students, FM trainees, and specialists, completed an online questionnaire with quantitative and qualitative items. Descriptive and analytical statistics were combined with qualitative content analysis (Kuckartz). Sentiment analysis was conducted using artificial intelligence, and triangulation enhanced credibility. Results: Within the trainees and specialists of the study population, most participants (70%; 32/46 SPs) reported regularly using podcasts for PGME, and particularly young female GPs in Western Europe. In our study population, 90% (27/30 SPs) agreed that the podcasts broadened their perspective on professional opportunities in FM. Many participants reported reflections on potential career pathways and PIF. Exposure to role models significantly increased motivation to work in FM (χ2 (1) = 10.7, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Podcasts may help address gaps in affective competency training, including wellbeing and PIF, while integrating easily into busy routines. Findings suggest a positive influence on career attitudes, with role modelling supporting PIF and motivation in FM.

The research aims to describe the specifics of marketing communication within a specialized Russian-language Telegram channel designed for interaction with a target audience of marketing service consumers. The work analyzes the discursive practices of marketing communication in Russia’s contemporary digital media environment. The scientific novelty of the study lies in identifying and systematizing the specific characteristics of marketing discourse (MD) as it transitions to the Telegram platform, which allowed for the documentation of the transformation of Russian-language linguistic tools used to interact with the target audience. For the first time, the discursive specifics of B2B communication in professional marketing Telegram channels are characterized, highlighting the hybridization of formal and informal registers. The study identifies changes in the genre system of Russian marketing discourse driven by the unique features of the platform. Furthermore, the work compares existing theoretical models of institutional discourse with the realities of the new media environment, uncovering transformations in the characteristic features of marketing discourse at the level of socio-cultural practice within the messenger. The study also defines the mechanisms for professional identity formation and self-presentation among Russian marketers specializing in B2B digital interaction. As a result of the study, transformations in goal-setting, value aspects, and the genre repertoire of marketing discourse – conditioned by the shift of communicative practices to a digital format – have been identified.

Against the backdrop of deepening global cultural integration, cross-cultural intimacy has emerged as a central narrative thread in North American English queer literature. For the Asian queer community, emotional expression embodies unique and intricate traits, shaped by the interplay of race, culture, and gender identity-each layer weaving into the next to forge a complex emotional tapestry. Taking contemporary North American English queer literature as its focus, this article centers on the authentic emotional experiences of Asian queer individuals in cross-cultural intimate bonds, systematically teasing out their emotional articulations, real-world predicaments, and viable paths toward reconciliation. Drawing upon the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 Asian Census, its 2023 official population projections, and empirical insights from the UCLA Williams Institute’s 2021 Special Survey on Asian Pacific Islander Queer Populations, this study delves into how racial, cultural, and gender dynamics exert a profound influence on the emotional formation of Asian queer people. Beyond mere analysis, it further offers a vivid portrayal of the diverse emotional landscape inhabited by Asian queer individuals in contemporary queer literature, illuminating the profound significance that literary narratives bear for their identity formation and emotional expression. In doing so, it seeks to serve as an empirical reference for related fields, including queer literary studies and cross-cultural research.

The article analyzes currency and banknotes as instruments of forming state identity and sovereignty amid globalization. The author considers money not only as an economic tool but also as a symbolic resource reflecting the state’s autonomy. Three key factors of monetary sovereignty are specified: the existence of a national currency, the capacity for its issuance, and the prestige of the national monetary unit. Via the example of the euro, the article demonstrates how abandoning a national currency can weaken monetary sovereignty. The experience of partially recognized states is featured as well, where issuing a national currency serves as an act of self-affirmation. Special attention is given to banknotes as bearers of symbols and historical memory. The study concludes that money represent a crucial instrument for national interests expression and state identity formation.

Historical sociolinguistic studies of the Irish abroad have examined both anglophone (Amador-Moreno, 2019; Amador-Moreno & Ávila-Ledesma, 2020) and non-anglophone contexts, including the Caribbean region (Brehony & Finnegan, 2019; González García, 2020). In the latter, however, most research has been conducted within the field of migration history, with little attention to language use. This paper builds on this scholarship by analysing the correspondence of Dublin-born enslaver and slave-trader, James Jenkinson Wright (1788-1845), who emigrated with his family from Ireland to the United States but spent most of his adult life in Santiago de Cuba. In the Caribbean country, James Wright became a leading coffee planter and merchant. His 37 surviving letters, written between 1833 and 1845, offer a rare insight into the discourse style, stance taking and identity work of this Irish English speaker. This study applies the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC-22) tool, specifically the Cognition category, to uncover patterns of linguistic involvement and assess how these contribute to the construction of Wright’s Irish diasporic identity. The findings show that Wright’s use of personal pronouns, mental verbs and memory-related lexis functions as a key resource for negotiating belonging and diasporic identity formation in his letters. By focusing on a non-anglophone setting, the chapter extends the scope of historical sociolinguistic research on Irish English and provides new perspectives on how identity is negotiated in Irish emigrants’ letters.

This study explored the transition experiences of newly graduated nurses in pediatric clinical practice through the lens of Meleis's Transitions Theory and examined how simulation-based education can support this transition. A qualitative study was conducted using focus group interviews with six novice nurses in a tertiary hospital in South Korea. Data were analyzed using directed content analysis based on Meleis's Transitions Theory. Three major themes emerged: Difficulty Managing Caregivers' Emotions and Building Trust, Limited Age-Specific Communication Skills, and Lack of Exposure to Diverse or Complex Pediatric Conditions. Participants reported that current simulation programs emphasize technical procedures and lack preparation for the emotional and relational aspects of care. Emotional preparedness is a critical yet underdeveloped component of continuing education for novice pediatric nurses. Incorporating emotionally immersive and developmentally diverse simulation scenarios may enhance clinical readiness and support professional identity formation.

ABSTRACT The 2026 World Cup Qualification represents a crucial milestone for Indonesian supporters, as they have never progressed this far before. This achievement boosts national pride across the country and is captivating to observe. However, supporters are known for displaying behaviours leaning towards hyper-nationalism, intolerance, and cyberbullying. By analysing these behaviours, we explore how supporter identity is formed and how the national image shapes Indonesian football culture. We adopted a Geertzian ethnographic approach, employing participant observation, in-depth interviews, and photo elicitation with 20 informants. Our findings identify three layers of supporters: local, national team, and modern fandom. Stadiums hold symbolic significance and function as ritual spaces on matchdays. Expressions of national loyalty, through chants, choreography, and jerseys, serve as a form of identity. Furthermore, supporters’ roles extend beyond mere spectators, actively fostering a more inclusive supporter culture. Ultimately, national identity constructs a moral narrative and emotional connection within Indonesian football culture.