Perceptions Of Professional Identity Research Articles

Singapore nurses’ perception of professional identity

Introduction: Nurses’ professional identity is important for their career orientation and clinical practice. This study explored Singaporean nurses’ perceptions of professional identity. The results provide an understanding of how guided learning and reflection could help nurses in their professional identity formation and development. Methods: Using an exploratory descriptive qualitative research study and purposive sampling by researchers teaching in the programme, 64 Registered Nurses with a diploma qualification pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree with Honours in Nursing programme in Singapore were invited to participate. They responded to open ended survey questions online, which were analysed using a thematic analysis. Ethical approval was obtained. Results: All 64 first year students were invited to participate at the start of the module and upon the completion. The response rates were 94% and 81% respectively. Two overarching themes – “nurses as professionals with knowledge and moral character” and “the construction of professional identity” - emerged from the data. Conclusion: The nurses perceived their professional nursing identity as a construct comprised of knowledge and moral characteristics, which is consistent with international literature. A professional nursing identity, relationships with other healthcare professionals, patients and confidence in practice were all interrelated. Guided reflection and discussion on clinical experiences and social interactions helped students become aware of their professional identity and responsibilities. Such purposive educational effort needs to be started early and supported through the students’ educational journey into clinical practice. Keywords: Professional Identity of Nursing, Singapore Nurses, Image of Nursing, Social Perception of Nursing in Singapore, Nurse Education

Exploring the Complexities of Professional Identity Formation Among English Teachers at a Korean University

This study explored the perceptions of professional identity among three English teachers from diverse academic disciplines at a Korean university. The teacher participants were chosen based on their diverse sociocultural and academic backgrounds that created a small yet diverse sample of cases. Furthermore, each of them possessed a minimum of 10 years of teaching experience. This extensive experience enabled them to engage in profound reflections regarding the development of their professional identities through the lens of these experiences. Taking a poststructuralist approach, we utilized semi-structured interviews, class observations, and course-related documents to delve into the professional identity formation process and the factors influencing their identity formation. Our findings underscore that professional identity construction is an intricate process, shaped by sociocultural and institutional dynamics. Specifically, two dominant factors emerged: the implications of “native speakerism” and the distinctions between tenure and non-tenure academic tracks. These insights contribute to a deeper understanding of professional identity complexities among English instructors in Korean higher education institutions.

Türkiye'deki Öğretmen Kimliği Üzerine Yapılan Araştırmaların Sistematik İncelemesi

This study aims to examine the studies on teacher identity in Türkiye as a systematic review. The research was carried out using descriptive model. In this review, firstly, inclusion and exclusion criteria were determined, then search terms and databases to be searched were decided. Studies obtained from HEC Thesis, HEC Academic, TANIC and ERIC databases were evaluated in terms of research method quality. PRISMA flowchart was used to clearly show the search strategy. The studies included in the study were recorded in Research Information Form developed by the researchers. Descriptive content analysis was used in the analysis of the data. As a result of the research, it is concluded that 104 studies on teacher identity are published between 2005 and 2022, 30 of which are master’s thesis, 18 are doctoral dissertations, and 56 are articles. It is concluded that most of the studies aimed to examine the formation, nature and development of teacher identity, qualitative research method, case study design and interview forms as data collection tools were used the most frequently. Also, the sample/research group of the studies mostly consist of teacher candidates. When the findings of the studies are examined, it is determined that the professional identity sub-theme of teacher candidates included identity development and perception of professional identity, and the professional identity sub-theme included the findings related to identity development and characteristics, identity perception and correlated factors.

Diagnostic radiographers' perceptions of professional identity in Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa.

The study explored and described the professional identity of diagnostic radiographers in Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa. The methodology employed for the study was qualitative, exploratory and descriptive design. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with thirteen diagnostic radiographers from private, public practices and individually owned practices. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and the responses underwent thematic analysis and used Braun and Clarke's six steps for analysing qualitative data. The thematic analysis revealed three themes and six categories. The three themes identified were: perceptions of identity, environment influences and organisational institutions. This study provided an insight into the current perspectives of the professional identity of diagnostic radiographers in Johannesburg, South Africa, which reflected a positive professional identity. The three themes identified could inform guidelines for education in diagnostic radiographers' professional identity in the future.

Prelicensure Undergraduate Nursing Student Perceptions of Professional Identity in Nursing.

This qualitative descriptive study explored the perceptions of 63 prelicensure undergraduate nursing students about their learning experiences and the formation and development of professional identity in nursing (PIN). Students enrolled in a required course that included PIN concepts completed a guided reflective writing assignment. Four themes emerged with data analysis: 1) learning and applying ethics and values, 2) nursing knowledge is specific to nursing practice, 3) all nurses should be leaders, and 4) demonstrating professional comportment. Implications include effective use of reflective writing assignments to facilitate student PIN formation. Future research is warranted.

Divided Village, Divided Identity? Exploring the Professional Identity of Teachers Amid the Geopolitical Configuration in Al-Ghajar.

This quantitative research is based on a validated research questionnaire. It presents a preliminary exploratory study examining perspectives of professional identity as reflected in self-reports of the teachers of Al-Ghajar, a village on Israel's northern border, given its unique geographical and geopolitical configuration. The current study is the first of its kind, clarifying the teachers' perception of their professional identity in the unique space in which they live and work via a questionnaire completed by 61 teachers of both genders from kindergarten through high school. The findings show that there are strong positive correlations: "love for the profession" and "self-fulfillment" have a very strong positive correlation (0.831). There is also a positive correlation (0.430) between the indicators of "professional skills" and "professional unity" suggesting that the teachers' perceptions of professional identity are holistic in all examined dimensions. These perceptions are motivated by a strong sense of mission that influences their profession and their sense of satisfaction. Al-Ghajar, as a unique enclave, has created a geopolitical configuration that contributes to the construction of the professional identity of teachers in the village. The research conclusion indicates that the ability to legitimize one's role has important implications for the quality of teaching, as it can help teachers form familiar, affiliated, and secure identities. These are key traits since a positive sense of professional self is a prerequisite for job satisfaction and resilience.

Healthcare students’ perceptions of professional identity and program support

ABSTRACT To assess the self-reported professional identity of healthcare majors at a large public university, and to understand the degree to which the students perceive their healthcare programs support the development of this identity. An online, modified version of the Professional Identity Five-Factor Scale (Tan, Van der Molen, and Schmidt [2017]. ‘A Measure of Professional Identity Development for Professional Education.’ Studies in Higher Education (Dorchester-on-Thames) 42 (8): 1504–19) was completed by 588 respondents with majors in dietetics, nursing, social work, and speech-language pathology. The 551 respondents who completed all survey items were included in the statistical analysis. Self-reported measures of students’ professional identity during preparation for practice were captured along with perceptions of program support. Findings indicated: (1) professional identity and perceptions of program support increase with age; (2) first-generation college students are more likely to have a professional role model and feel positive about program support for having a role model and in developing professional self-efficacy; (3) monolingual English-speakers had a higher professional identity and more positive perception about program support than multilingual students; (4) White students showed a higher sense of professional identify than non-White groups; and (5) there was no significant difference in professional identify or program support between genders as well as between four sexual orientation identities. Healthcare training programs benefit from supporting professional identity among pre-professionals to better prepare the workforce of tomorrow. Non-White, multilingual, and first-generation college students would especially benefit from professional role models and targeted programming to increase their sense of professional identity. Such efforts may support their persistence in healthcare fields where they are often underrepresented.

“Renegades, outsiders and lone warriors”: A qualitative study exploring perceptions of professional identity among counsellors working with children and young people in the United Kingdom

ABSTRACT The present study investigates how counsellors working with children and young people (CYP) perceive their professional identity, and how the ‘Practitioner Manual’ and BACP Competence Frameworks, commissioned by the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP; 2014/2019a), can contribute to the strengthening of CYP counsellor professional identity. Participants were qualified counsellors working with CYP clients in England and Scotland. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to analyse data. Findings were organised under three master themes: individual perception of professional identity; others’ perceptions of professional identity; role of resources on formation and development of professional identity. Sub-themes included: discomfort with the concept of professionalism; misunderstandings and misconceptions; a desire for a recognised professional identity. Findings indicate that the provision of counselling for CYP clients could be enhanced by establishing a recognised professional identity underpinned by required minimum training standards and leading to registration with a recognised professional body.

Pogledi na strokovno identiteto in njeno oblikovanje v času izobraževanja na Fakulteti za socialno delo Univerze v Ljubljani

Perceptions of professional identity and its formation during education at the Faculty of Social Work, University of Ljubljana Professional identity in social work can be described as a collection of identifiable and enduring professional qualities of social workers that bind them together as a professional group and make them different and unique compared to other professional groups. As the social work profession is devalued and stigmatized around the world, exploring the processes involved in developing a strong and positive professional identity is of great importance. The need to explore social work professional identity has been recognized in some places abroad and has mainly focused on researching professional identity formation during social work education. This paper presents findings on the definition and role of professional identity in social work, focusing on professional identity formation during education at the Faculty of Social Work, University of Ljubljana. Qualitative research on social work students' perceptions of professional identity is presented, as well as suggestions for a more frequent and discrete treatment of the topic during the education of future social workers.

Does Chinese Social Work Students’ Career Intention Match Their Professional Identity? The Role of Background Factors

Abstract Professional identity is essential for the career choice of social work. Exploring social work students’ perceptions of professional identity and career intention is necessary to understand the phenomenon of major-to-occupation mismatch in China. The present study involved a national sample of 2,018 social work undergraduates and postgraduates to investigate whether students displayed matching levels of professional identity and career intention and the association with their personal and educational background. To differentiate between social work as a discipline and an occupation, the concept of professional identity was split into two variables: disciplinary and occupational identity. Three groups of students were identified and labelled as having matching perceptions (49.8/44.1 per cent), lower disciplinary/occupational identity and higher career intention (7.8/5.6 per cent) and higher disciplinary/occupational identity and lower career intention (42.5/50.3 per cent), respectively. Multinomial logistic regression analyses revealed that students’ residential area, family economic status, degree programme, grade of study, university category and university location were significantly associated with whether they reported matching levels of professional identity and career intention. The findings can be explained by the imbalanced development of social work education and practice in China, implying the necessity of promoting social work employment benefits and cooperation between academic institutions and service organisations.

Arab nursing students' perception of the emotional experience of patient care: A phenomenological study.

A shared emotional response helps with understanding what other people are feeling and/or thinking; and it is a vital skill in clinical settings. Collectivist communities place more emphasis on the emotional components of their feelings in comparison to the cognitive aspects of their emotions. This study aimed to explore the emotions experienced by students at their first clinical placement. A hermeneutic phenomenological approach was used among nine baccalaureate students. Three major themes emerged from the data: overwhelming emotions; unbalanced perception of professional identity; and adjustment and adaptation. It is evident that nursing students from collectivist communities encounter challenges in dealing with their emotions and managing their patients' emotions; however, they were capable of empathizing with their patients using the two components of their empathy; affective (emotion) and cognitive (cognition), with prominence given to the affective part. As countries become increasingly multi-cultural, which in turn influences the characteristics of people entering pre-registration nursing programs, nursing leaders are invited to address both dimensions of empathy as part of the nursing curriculum. Attention should also be given in clinical settings to appropriate channeling of clinical empathy to cultivate a professional identity.

Perceived professional identity and related factors in Iranian nursing students: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundProfessional identity, an important process in the development and expansion of the nursing profession, is built over time and includes gaining insight into professional performances and fostering ideals and values for the profession. Several factors influence the formation of professional identity. This study investigates the level of professional identity in nursing students and its predictors using a localized tool.MethodsThis cross-sectional study recruited 195 nursing students at Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran, who were selected by census sampling in 2020. Data were collected using a researcher-made professional identity questionnaire and were then analyzed in SPSS-18 using descriptive and inferential (logistic regression) statistics.ResultsThe mean total score of the students’ perceived professional identity was 316.72, indicating a strong professional identity. The students’ professional identity had a significant relationship with variables including GPA above 16 (OR = 2.65, P = 0.002), choosing the field out of interest (OR = 2.15, P = 0.015), and having work experience while studying (OR = 3.10, P = 0.006).ConclusionThe findings showed that selecting the field of nursing out of interest, having a GPA above 16 and work experience while studying are associated with a higher perception of professional identity among nursing students. The professional identity of nursing students can be enhanced through reinforcing the mentioned factors and further attention to their role in the promotion and consolidation of professional identity. The researchers recommend that educational directors, nursing professors, and clinical nursing educators make greater efforts to develop and promote the professional identity of nursing students.

First-year nursing students’ initial contact with the clinical learning environment: impacts on their empathy levels and perceptions of professional identity

BackgroundResearch shows that the clinical learning environment can affect medical learners’ levels of empathy and formation of professional identity. However, few studies examined the impacts of early exposure to the clinical learning environment on first-year nursing students’ empathy levels and professional identity perceptions.AimThis study aimed to explore effects of initial contact with the clinical learning environment on first-year nursing students’ empathy levels and perceptions of professional identity.MethodsThis is a mixed-methods study conducted in a medical university and its affiliated hospital in Northeast China. For quantitative analysis, 220 first-year nursing students finished Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) twice before and after their five-day clinical placement in the hospital in June, 2021. Paired samples t tests were used to explore the changes in first-year nursing students’ cognitive empathy, affective empathy and total empathy levels as measured by IRI before and after the clinical placement. For qualitative analysis, 15 first-year nursing students’ diary recording their clinical learning experiences were analyzed. An inductive thematic analysis approach was adopted to extract themes from the content on professional identity in nursing students’ diary.ResultsAfter the five-day clinical placement, first-year nursing students’ cognitive empathy, affective empathy and total empathy levels all increased. Five themes emerged regarding nursing students’ perceptions of professional identity: (1) Love for the nursing profession; (2) Multiple roles nurses play; (3) Personal characteristics a good nurse needs to have; (4) Deeper understanding of the nursing profession; (5) New understanding of the relationships between patients and nurses, between patients and doctors, and between doctors and nurses.ConclusionsFirst-year nursing students’ initial contact with the clinical learning environment helped them enhance empathy levels and shape professional identity. Nursing educators may consider providing nursing students with opportunities of early exposure to the clinical learning setting to cultivate their empathy and develop their professional identity.

‘I’ve got no idea’: an ethnography of Critical Care Nurses’ nuanced and ambiguous professional identities in regional Australia

ABSTRACT Historical sociological perspectives posit professional identity to emerge from socialisation and attainment of ‘traits’ considered unique to and distinguishing of a profession. Such essentialist understandings, however, cannot account for group heterogeneity, nurses’ lived experiences, nor the fluidity of professional and personal identity. This article conceptualises professional identity as being both individual and collective, influenced by context, involving subjective meaning-making, and membership to a specific professional group. Drawing on ethnographic data gathered through participant observation and semi-structured interviews with Critical Care Nurses in an Intensive Care Unit in regional Australia, we identify four themes that reveal different aspects of professional identity: conceptualising professional identity; professional identity as a title and legislative requirement; professional identity as qualifications and training; and professional identity as a social performance. The findings demonstrate that Critical Care Nurses hold multifaceted perceptions of professional identity. While they collectively distinguish their nursing training, knowledge, and practice from other nurses, they struggle to articulate what professional identity is, while creating boundaries between different forms of nursing education and qualifications to construct their professional identity. These uncertain and diverse meanings of professional identity contribute to nurse identity ambiguity, while also reflecting the necessity of flexible individual and collective nursing identities.

Improving and validating a rating scale to assess student pharmacists’ perception of professional identity

BackgroundThere are limited data on the psychometric properties of instruments evaluating professional identity (PI) among student pharmacists. ObjectivesThis study analyzed the psychometric properties of an instrument to assess student pharmacists’ perception of their PI. MethodsData from a cross-sectional survey were used to establish validity and reliability evidence of student pharmacists’ perception of PI using Rasch analysis. Linear regression was conducted to evaluate the association of students’ characteristics with their perceived PI. Analyses were conducted in WINSTEPS (SWREG, Minnetonka, MN) and SAS (SAS, Cary, NC). ResultsThe analysis included 118 student pharmacists. Primary analysis suggested inadequate scale functionality; thus, some response categories were merged. With modified item anchors and the removal of the most misfitting item, the data fit the model as measured by student and item infit and outfit mean-squared values. The item-person map showed appropriate distribution of item difficulty, identifying medicine adviser and entrepreneur being the easiest and hardest items to agree with, respectively. Students’ abilities initially mismatched with item difficulty and exhibited a ceiling effect, requiring addition of items reflecting students’ higher perceptions of PIs. Although students’ reliability coefficient (RC) and separation index were 0.98 and 1.73, respectively, RC of the items was 0.94. Students who reported receiving formal PI training were 0.3 times more likely to have high perception of PI than those who did not report training. ConclusionThe instrument exhibited fair validity and reliability evidence for assessing the perception of PI among student pharmacists. Additional items to fill identified item gaps are needed to improve the instrument’s content validity.

Transformative Experiences of EFL Lecturers’ Professional Identity in Online Education

<p style="text-align: justify;">English teachers had to retrain and build a new normal in order to prepare for an online classroom while keeping their teaching pedagogy and professional identity as a result of the sudden changes brought by the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in education. In this study, the effect of English teachers' professional identity transformations, attitudes toward online teaching was explored. The study's sample comprises 130 English as a foreign language (EFL) lecturers from a state and a foundation university in Turkey. The research data was gathered from a questionnaire, the Teacher Professional Identity scale, and a semi-structured interview with 12 volunteers. Qualitative data collected via semi-structured interviews were apportioned into pattern coding and analyzed through content analysis. EFL lecturers did not appear to be properly prepared for their online pedagogical and technological difficulties, which had a deeply corrosive effect on teachers' professional identities as they shift away from face-to-face education. The results showed that participants who were educated on EduTech during their undergraduate education or as professional development affected their perceptions of professional identity throughout the transition to online language teaching. Future studies can broaden the field of study by making use of exploratory action research, awareness of the teaching community, and continued professional development.</p>

National Study of Nursing Faculty and Administrators' Perceptions of Professional Identity in Nursing.

Establishing a professional identity in nursing is integral to professional development, yet this area of inquiry remains understudied. This segment of a multiphased national study measured nursing faculty's perceived level of importance regarding key components of professional identity in nursing using the newly developed Professional Identity in Nursing Survey (PINS). Fifty subject matter experts from nursing education, practice, and regulation utilized the DeVellis scale development process to develop the PINS over the course of 2 years. Nearly 1200 nurse educators evaluated the importance of a 34-item scale relating to professional identity in nursing. At endorsement of 95% or greater, 28 items were found to be important components of nursing identity. Effective communication, integrity, and being trustworthy and respectful were reported as most important to nursing identity. Nurse educators identified the important items to assess professional identity in nursing. Item refinement and psychometric evaluation of the survey are the next phase of the multiphased study.

Civil Engineering Students’ Collective Agency and Professional Identity in a Problem- and Project-Based Learning Environment: Case from Qatar

AbstractThis study explores engineering students’ enactment of collective agency and perceptions of professional identity. Empirical data were drawn from observation and group interviews with 30 en...

What does it take to become a neurosurgeon? A mixed methods cross-sectional analysis of professional identity formation amongst neurosurgical trainees

Introduction The concept of professional identity (as distinct from technical skills development), and how it can be cultivated by trainees in neurosurgical training has not been explored before. Aims This study aimed to assess neurosurgical trainees’ perceptions of professional identity, how it develops and how it might be enhanced during the course of training. Methods A mixed methods cross-sectional analysis was conducted consisting of semi-structured, in-depth interviews with a small group of neurosurgical trainees to qualitatively identify common themes around professional identity. These themes were then quantitatively analysed via a national on-line questionnaire survey amongst the wider United Kingdom neurosurgical trainee cohort. Results Interviewed participants were fiveteen British neurosurgical trainees spanning across junior (n = 5), intermediate (n = 5) and senior (n = 5) levels of training at two University teaching hospitals representing high-volume tertiary centres for Neurosurgery in the United Kingdom. The on-line questionnaire survey returned complete responses by 80 trainees (30% response rate). These data demonstrated that at different stages of training, neurosurgical trainees self-identified differently, and engaged in different practices to develop their identity. However, all trainees irrespective of level appeared to perceive a common set of qualities that define the identity of a fully-fledged neurosurgeon. Conclusion A model has been constructed that describes professional identity formation amongst neurosurgical trainees at different stages of training, and how these feed into an aspired core identity profile of a Neurosurgeon. Based on this model, suggestions have been made to potentially improve professional identity formation amongst neurosurgical trainees.

The reproduction of gender differences in early career choices and professional identity of young dentist in Finland.

For over the last 20years, approximately 70% of working dentists in Finland have been women. However, there is internal division of the profession along gender lines. Female dentists work more often in the public sector and male dentists in the private sector. The aim of this study was to investigate the gender differences in young dentists' early career choices, specialization plans, values and perceptions of professional identity. The data were taken from a national e-mail questionnaire study called "Young Dentist," which was sent to 458 dentists who had received their licence to practise dentistry in 2014-2016 from all four universities with dental curricula in Finland. A total of 52% young dentists (n=238) answered the questionnaire. The results indicated that whereas female dentists were more likely to perceive themselves as comforters, social workers and health promoters, male dentists tended to perceive themselves as technicians. These professional identities were interrelated with early-stage career choices in which female dentists worked more often in the public than in the private sector when compared to male dentists. There were also clear gender differences in the importance of values and the specialization plans of the young dentists. Young dentists in Finland make career choices and develop professional identity in accordance with the attributes traditionally associated with cultural ideals related to femininity and masculinity.