Personal Professional Identity Research Articles

Education and ethnicity: personal-professional identity of Mizrahi teachers

ABSTRACT Israel is an ethnically diverse country. This diversity is expressed among teachers and students and impacts learning, socialization, and education processes. Ethnic diversity frequently translates into a hierarchy in whose framework a certain cultural background is preferred over another. Those at the bottom of the ranking may experience silencing and erasure of parts of their identity. This situation has negative implications for self-esteem, the quality of social relations, and for social mobility. Despite there being relatively extensive writing about ethnicity and Mizrahi identity, educational research on these topics is meager. Moreover, most of the relevant literature addresses the experience of students whereas the experience of teachers is barely examined. This article focuses on the ethnic identity of teachers and examines it from psychological and educational perspectives. It is based on a qualitative study in which 23 in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted. Through analysis of the responses we will seek to become more closely acquainted with the experiences of teachers with respect to the ethnic facet of their identity and to delve deeper into subjective perceptions related to ethnic identity, including their implicit and intimate aspects. Three main insights emerge which can promote sensitively cultural and socially responsible educational practice.

Supporting Teens’ Professional Identities and Engagement in Mindfulness Practices Through Teens-as-Teachers Programming

This study was situated in the context of the University of California 4-H Positive Youth Development Program. A convenience sample of teen teachers (N = 11) represents variation in age (11–17), gender, ethnicity, and geographic location. All teens delivered the 4-H Mindful Me curriculum from the University of California 4-H Program. Qualitative analysis provides evidence of positive developmental outcomes that support teen teachers’ personal professional identity and engagement in mindfulness. Teens described how involvement in the teens-as-teachers program provided the context in which they could explore their personal professional identity, build on self-efficacy as an instructor, and develop an improved understanding of mindfulness-based practices and mindful-based skills. Results inform the delivery of teens-as-teachers programming, specifically, an integrated approach to teen mindfulness programming.

Perfectly imaging imperfect science

How does one maintain a personal professional identity while part of a large collaboration in which everything is a team effort? Tensions will undoubtedly arise, but among the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration, at least, they are resolved as one would handle family dynamics.

Letter Writing and Critical Self-Reflection: An Insiders Account of Academic Casualisation in the Australian Neoliberal University

Sharing the lived experience of academic casualisation is challenging, based on a power imbalance with many oppositional points, including cost savings versus fair wages, precarity versus security. As researcher/participant, Jennifer initially struggled with sharing experiences emotionally and academically without stripping humanity and affect from her writing. Drawing on the tradition of critical autoethnography, this article uses letter writing as a means of investigating personal-professional experience through critical self-reflection. These letters are written to a fictional colleague (Q) for the purpose of ‘wondering aloud’ about her experience of casualised labour and the difficulties of constructing a personal-professional identity within the context of the Australian neoliberal university.

Personal and Group Professional Identity in the 21st Century Case Study: The School Counseling Profession

The current study focuses on the concept of professional identity in the school counseling profession, its definition and measurement. According to the definition in this study, the concept of “professional identity” is divided in two: personal professional identity, which is the practitioner’s sense of belonging to and solidarity with the profession, and group professional identity, which includes the features attributed to the profession, both by those who belong to it and by those who do not practice it, and makes it possible to discern between professions.
 
 The school counseling profession, occupied mainly by women, is contending with a lack of clarity regarding its role definition, role boundaries, and demands. Therefore, despite the change in the status of the profession in recent years, various issues impede the group professional identity of school counseling and the personal profession identity of its practitioners. This study is the first to examine the professional identity of school counselors on two levels: personal and group, among school counselors in Israel.
 
 The study included 174 school counselors who completed two professional identity scales constructed for the purpose of the study. Each scale underwent factor analysis, and a significant association was found between the two scales and the factors they comprised. The research findings indicate that the personal professional identity of school counselors is affected by their group professional identity, and vice versa.
 
 The research findings indicate the need to distinguish in future studies between personal and group professional identity, both in the school counseling profession and in other professions, particularly in a world characterized by professional mobility where current professions will become irrelevant while others will be in demand and there may be a need to define the personal and group professional identity of workers.

Creative Expression as Transitional Object: Bridging Personal-Professional Identity.

The authors share their observations on the implications of concepts originated in object relations theory in art therapy students' and clinicians' identity development. Through the lens of object relations theory, students considered how the personal informs the professional, as reflected in assemblage and artwork inspired by personal or found objects. Through their own creative expression, students learned how to apply object relations theory beyond its original formulation, and how their artwork acts as a transitional object between their personal history and professional individuation. The authors explore how creative expression may serve as a bridge between these two aspects of the self, thus facilitating an educated and creatively informed personal/professional integration in the process of clinical training and practice.

SUBSTANTIATION OF PSYCHOLOGICAL-PEDAGOGICAL CONDITIONS OF STUDENTS’ PERSONAL-PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY FORMATION AT VOCATIONAL EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

The article substantiates theoretically the psychological-pedagogical conditions of students’ personal- professional identity formation at vocational educational institutions. The concepts and structural organizations of personal and professional types of identity were analyzed theoretically. The structure of the personal-professional identity includes four interrelated components: cognitive, emotional-evaluative, motivational-axiological and behavioral. The age characteristics of students at vocational educational institutions were considered; educational and professional training programs for various specialists in these educational institutions were analyzed. The professional qualities developed during professional training include: the abilities to communicate with customers and to solve specific production situations; technological literacy, good theoretical knowledge and professional skills; the ability to apply this knowledge in everyday work; knowledge on the advanced technologies and new equipment. Personal-professional identity of students studying at vocational educational institutions was defined as a complex personal formation characterized by self-attitude, emotional attitude to oneself, emotional stability, stability of professional motivation, personality orientation, which are determined by the goals and psychological characteristics of future specialists’ professional work. The psychological- pedagogical conditions of students’ personal-professional identity formation at vocational educational institutions were considered. The most influential conditions included: development of the emotional-volitional sphere; the formed value component of personality; the creative atmosphere in the educational process; usage of modern learning methods and innovative training forms. The indicated groups of conditions were interrelated and affected the formation of students’ personal- professional identity at vocational educational institutions. The research on these conditions will create the basis for elaboration of the practice-oriented measures supporting formation of the examined personal-professional identity. &nbsp

Headship as policy narration: generating metaphors of leading in the English primary school

ABSTRACT This paper explores how doing headship may be considered as a form of policy narration. A key role of the headteacher as policy narrator is to tell/sell a story about their school to themselves, their staff and the outside world of parents, inspectors and other stakeholders. The accounts they construct will depend to some extent on their perspectives, commitments and personal-professional identities as well as an interplay between national priorities and situated contexts. They will also depend on who they are speaking to and what they take to be a ‘professional’ response in relation to their policy work in school. Drawing on in-depth interviews with two experienced English primary school headteachers, Hazel and George, and Lakoff and Johnson’s claim [1980. Metaphors We Live By. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press] that metaphors are not just linguistic devices, but technologies of reasoning and understanding, this paper explores the ways in which headteachers deploy different tropes to explain what it is that they do. Metaphors of leadership explored include headship as branding, persuasion and not dropping the ball as well as fighting and parenting although there is an absence of any direct political critique in these two accounts.

Significados sobre el arte del cuidado desde la perspectiva de los estudiantes de Licenciatura en Enfermería

Objetivo: Comprender los significados sobre el arte del cuidar desde la perspectiva de los estudiantes de la Licenciatura en Enfermería de la ENEO-UNAM en el marco del enfoque humanístico que construyen durante su formación.Metodología: Estudio cualitativo fenomenológico-hermenéutico desde la óptica de Heidegger y Gadamer, respectivamente, mediante la técnica de grupo focal, realizado con estudiantes de 2º, 6º y 8º semestre de la Licenciatura de Enfermería de la ENEO-UNAM, tras obtener el consentimiento informado, se inició el trabajo grupal con una guía de preguntas generadoras.Resultados: Se identificaron cinco categorías generales y diecisiete subcategorías; las primeras son: 1) Autopercepción de la enfermería, 2) Arte del cuidado, 3) Interacción enfermera-persona, 4) Conducta profesional y 5) Espiritualidad vs. Religiosidad, estas denotan los significados que le asignan los estudiantes al cuidado y al arte del cuidado en su proceso formativo.Conclusiones: Para los estudiantes el arte del cuidado significa desarrollo de la sensibilidad, creatividad en el cuidado a la salud, autoconocimiento, reconocimiento del otro en una relación de alteridad, respeto a la dignidad de la persona, desarrollo de la espiritualidad en el contexto de la conducta profesional. Se destaca que la formación humanística se centra en cualificar al cuidado como holístico, con extensión a la familia, donde se reconocen los sentimientos implicados; hacen énfasis en el desarrollo de la identidad profesional-personal, como componente esencial de la enfermería.

МОТИВАЦІЯ ЯК ВАЖЛИВИЙ ЧИННИК НЕПЕРЕРВНОГО ПРОФЕСІЙНОГО РОЗВИТКУ ВИКЛАДАЧА ЗАКЛАДУ ПРОФЕСІЙНОЇ ОСВІТИ

Успішність професійної діяльності викладача детермінується його мотивацією до власного неперервного професійного розвитку. У процесі особистісного професіогенезу викладача відбувається формування внутрішньої та зовнішньої особистісної професійної ідентичності, формуються та удосконалюються внутрішні засоби професійної діяльності. Мотивація, як психологічний чинник, виступає засобом саморозвитку, самовдосконалення та самореалізації особистості педагога. Мотивація особистості до професійної діяльності виконує спонукальну, організаційну, регуляторну та корегувальну функції. Управління мотивацією викладача закладу професійної освіти до власного професійного розвитку передбачає створення оптимальних умов для набуття та удосконалення професійно-педагогічної компетентності на основі комплексу взаємопов’язаних організаційно-педагогічних і науково-методичних заходів. Важливим є урахування індивідуальних потреб педагога, його індивідуальної освітньої траєкторії та уявлень про професійну кар’єру, а також запитів і очікувань суспільства, навчального закладу і соціальних партнерів-роботодавців. Визначено шляхи формування стійкої мотивації викладачів закладів професійної освіти до власного професійного розвитку.Успешность профессиональной деятельности преподавателя детерминируется его мотивацией к собственному непрерывному профессиональному развитию. В процессе личностного професиогенеза преподавателя происходит формирование внутренней и внешней личностной профессиональной идентичности, формируются и совершенствуются внутренние средства профессиональной деятельности. Мотивация, как психологический фактор, выступает средством саморазвития, самосовершенствова-ния и самореализации личности педагога. Мотивация личности к профессиональной деятельности выполняет побудительную, организационную, регуляторную и корректирующие функции. Управление мотивацией преподавателя учреждения профессионального образования к собственному профессиональному развитию предусматривает создание оптимальных условий для приобретения и совершенствования профессионально-педагогической компетентности на основе комплекса взаимосвязанных орга низационно-педагогических и научно-методических мероприятий. Важен учет индивидуальных потребностей педагога, его индивидуальной образовательной траектории и представлений о профессиональной карьере, а также запросов и ожиданий общества, учебного заведения и социальных партнеров-работодателей. Определены пути формирования устойчивой мотивации преподавателей учреждений профессионального образования к собственному профессиональному развитию.The effi ciency of the teacher’s professional activity is determined by their motivation towards their continuing professional development. In the process of the teacher’s professional development, they are able to reveal their internal and external personal professional identity, to develop and enhance the internal means of professional activity. Motivation, as a psychological factor, acts as a mechanism of self-development, self-improvement and self-actualization of the teacher’s personality. The individual’s motivation towards professional activity performs incentive, organizational, regulatory and corrective functions. The process of managing motivation of professional education teachers towards their professional development involves creating optimal conditions for acquiring and enhancing professional pedagogical competency based on a set of interrelated organizational, pedagogical,scientifi c and methodical activities. It is important to take into account the teacher’s individual needs, their individual educational trajectory, the views on professional career, as well as the demands and expectations of the society, educational institutions and social partners-employers. The ways of developing a stable motivation of professional education teachers towards their professional development have been determined.

Personal professional identity formation through interprofessional learning and early patient encounter during preclinical years.

Personal professional identity formation through interprofessional learning and early patient encounter during preclinical years.

Positioning health professional identity: on-campus training and work-based learning

PurposeDrawing on positioning theory, the purpose of this paper is to characterize the activities and positions of students and supervisors at workplaces and on-campus skills training sites across the higher health professional educations of medicine, sports science, and nursing. Furthermore, the study explored the impact of work-based learning (WBL) and skills training on students’ personal professional identity development.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative case study was conducted across six workplace sites and three on-campus skills training sites with 20 days of observation and 21 in-depth interviews. The data were inductively analyzed resulting in the identification of 12 characteristic narratives. This was followed by abductive analysis using Harré’s concept of positioning as the theoretical framework.FindingsAcross the three higher health professional educations, work-based and on-campus skills training sites were characterized by two learning spaces with distinct positions, rights, and duties. The WBL sites gave the students rich opportunities to position themselves, act independently, and behave as professionals seriously striving for mastery. On the on-campus sites, the students behaved less seriously, and were conscious of their rights to try out things, get support, and have fun.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors recommend that future studies explore aspects of professional identity formation due to its consequences for curriculum design, including the distribution of simulated spaces and professional spaces in students’ learning environments.Originality/valueThis study adds to the empirical evidence and conceptual frameworks of personal and shared professional identity development in the field of skills and WBL, and it underlines the ongoing value of Harré’s positioning theory in educational research.

Coherence, dissonance, and personal style in learning to teach

Concern that practical realities in classrooms will ‘trump’ theories has led some universities to design residency teacher education programs that maximize coherence between university coursework and field experiences. Yet, some research suggests that student teachers can learn from dissonance. This qualitative case study of one cohort in an urban teacher residency program that sought to maximize coherence asks how the apprentice teachers experienced connections between the university and the field. Although apprentices experienced dissonance, they nonetheless expressed coherent philosophies aligned with university values. Coherence was something that individual apprentices constructed for themselves as they developed a personal ‘style’ or way of teaching in a program that welcomed their prior identities. Coherence was achieved through early development of a personal professional identity, not perfect alignment between field and university.

Framed autoethnography as an approach for uncovering pedagogic frailty

AbstractPedagogic frailty has been proposed as a concept that can be helpful in bringing a number of key ideas into simultaneous focus, with the aim of helping to integrate elements of teaching quality enhancement within a university (Kinchin, 2015; 2016). These elements include the relationship between personal values and the instructional discourse; the relationship between the discipline and its pedagogy; the nature of the research-teaching nexus; the proximity of the locus of control to the teaching environment. Key to the application of pedagogic frailty is the personal appreciation (at the level of the individual academic) of the ways in which the elements of this concept are connected. This must acknowledge the emotional aspects of teaching and learning and also the rich, subjective nature of personal professional identities within this context (Clegg, 2008). We have therefore investigated the potential of autoethnography (e.g. Anderson, 2006; Chang, 2008; Denshire, 2014) as an approach to uncovering the rich complexity of pedagogic frailty perceived at the level of the individual. We have combined this with a concept mapping approach (Novak, 2010) to frame the autoethnographic narrative and to help the autoethnographer to focus on connections between elements as these connections will determine how the framework functions in practice. This combined approach helps overcome the difficulties associated with writing about academia from the insider’s perspective (Archer, 2008). This paper offers reflections upon this process as a method for professional development of university teachers and institutional quality enhancement. Keywords: Autoethnography; concept mapping; faculty development; quality enhancement

A Curriculum for Clerkship Students to Foster Professionalism Through Reflective Practice and Identity Formation.

Research suggests that students become less patient-centered and empathetic in response to both internal and external factors, including the organizational culture, or hidden curriculum, of medical school. Students often feel compelled to make compromises when they experience tension between competing values in clinical teaching environments. To address this, we implemented a modular, longitudinal professionalism curriculum for third-year medical students, based on a conceptual model that highlights a student's ideal, as well as the internal and environmental forces that can either sustain or change their ideal over time. As students progressed through the third year, they participated in various modules linked to different clerkships, each focusing on a different aspect of the conceptual model. Each module includes a reflective writing exercise followed by a faculty-facilitated discussion. In general, students rated the group discussions and faculty facilitation as the most useful parts of each session and the writing exercises as the least useful. Written comments were mostly favorable and suggested that the session facilitated self-reflection and provided a safe environment for students to discuss stressors of third-year clerkships. This curriculum represents a unique approach to fostering professional role formation through its broad potential applicability to multiple types and levels of learners, its adaptability to fit various course lengths and learning environments, and its incorporation of a conceptual model that allows individual learners to address different facets of the sustaining and acculturating forces that impact their personal professional identity formation for future encounters.

The challenge to professionals of using social media: teachers in England negotiating personal-professional identities

Social media are a group of technologies such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn which offer people chances to interact with one another in new ways. Teachers, like other members of society, do not all use social media. Some avoid, some experiment with and others embrace social media enthusiastically. As a means of communication available to everyone in modern society, social media is challenging teachers, as other professionals in society, to decide whether to engage with these tools and, if so, on what basis --- as an individual (personally), or as a teacher (professionally). Although teachers are guided by schools and codes of practice, teachers as individuals are left to decide whether and how to explore social media for either their own or their students' learning. This paper analyses evidence from interviews with 12 teachers from England about their use of social media as to the challenges they experience in relation to using the media as professional teachers.. Teachers are in society's spotlight in terms of examples of inappropriate use of social media but also under peer pressure to connect. This paper explores their agency in responding. The paper focuses on how teachers deal with tensions between their personal and professional use of social media. These tensions are not always perceived as negative and some teachers' accounts revealed a unity in their identities when using social media. The paper reflects on the implications of such teachers' identities in relation to the future of social media use in education.

‘I wondered does this make me any less of a teacher …?’ Early childhood teachers in Aotearoa New Zealand claimed by and claiming authority within a dominant discourse

Early childhood teachers in Aotearoa New Zealand negotiate their personal professional identities within the context of a nationally organised and regulated education sector. Early childhood teaching has become increasingly professionalised. Emphasis on qualifications and professional standards has constrained possible ways of being early childhood teachers. This article discusses two newly qualified teachers’ perceptions of claiming and being claimed by authority as they engaged in facilitated self-study. These teachers were participants in a post-structural qualitative collective case study that was a master’s thesis study. They had recently graduated from a field-based initial teacher education course, so they had been practitioners in early childhood settings while student teachers. The dominant authority discourse that emerged from data positioned these teachers as claimed by authority of qualification requirements and hierarchical professional relationships, and as claiming authority as knowledgeable and responsible teachers. I propose that these two participants’ ways of being teachers were constrained by disciplinary discursive practices within the authority discourse. They also actively negotiated their personal professional identities within the authority discourse through seeking pleasure, resistance to positioning and through negotiation of their subjectivities. I suggest that early childhood teachers and teacher educators should critically reflect on how the dominant authority discourse limits possible ways of being teachers in Aotearoa New Zealand, and consider whether this discourse unfairly excludes some people from the teaching profession to the detriment of practitioners, parents and families, and children.

Use of Subjective Theories as a Way to Disclose the Personal Professional Identity of Social Workers

Use of Subjective Theories as a Way to Disclose the Personal Professional Identity of Social Workers