Theory of Doctoral Student Professional Identity Development - Assignment Example

Theory of Doctoral Professional Identity Development al Affiliation Discussion Wk# 6: Opposing Perspectives A Brief Description of My Final Project Paper Before doctoral students attain a stable professional identity, their studying involves numerous challenges that are not worth being unnoticed. The theory of doctoral students’ professional identity is crucial given that some of these students drop-out never to complete learning. The drop-out rates are high and this is an indication that doctoral students experience challenges in the course of their learning and their interaction with the society. While learning, students relate with faculty members and colleagues and this contributes to the formation of their identity as teachers, researchers, and practitioners through socialization. Besides meeting the expectations of the society and the requirements by their faculties, doctoral students also keep in mind that their university costs are high and this can have high impacts on their personal lives, thus trickling down to affecting the society. Explain Two Opposing Perspectives in the Literature Related To Your Topic For this research, the major perspective is on the role of developmental networks on the development of professional identity amongst doctoral students. However, researchers such as Kovalcikiene & Buksnyte-Marmiene (2015, p. 2693) evaluates the development of professional identity amongst doctoral students using the perspective of the individual student in terms of the challenges that are not caused by the society or the faculty. The major challenge not arising from the society or the faculty is the academic costs for university and their inferences on the students’ individual lives. However, the two approaches are crucial for the effective social workers who are guided by health policies, practices, and research (Barnes & Hopton, 2007). Insights gained as a result From the two contrasting views on doctoral students’ identity development, my conclusion is that doctoral students are not just answerable to external forces that are academics and the society, but also need value for their investment in education (Bess, Prilleltensky, Perkins, & Collins, 2009). References Barnes, H., Green, L., & Hopton, J. (2007). Guest editorial: Social work theory, research, policy and practiceChallenges and opportunities in health and social care integration in the UK. Health & Social Care in the Community, 15(3), 191-194. Bess, K. D., Prilleltensky, I., Perkins, D. D., & Collins, L. V. (2009). Participatory organizational change in community-based health and human services: From tokenism to political engagement. American Journal of Community Psychology, 43(1/2), 134-148. Kovalcikiene, K., & Buksnyte-Marmiene, L. (2015). Towards An Understanding Of Doctoral Students’ Professional Identity Complexity. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 191, 2693-2698. ASSIGNMENT#1: Application: Literature Review In order to identify the development of professional identity amongst doctoral students, it is crucial to explore different theories and their role in identity development. The two main theories of focus, are the Role identity theory and the social role identity theory. Although these theories share numerous similarities, they have differences that will be the main focus in evaluating identity development in adults. However, understanding the identity and social identity theories will involve first understanding the the role identity concept. Role Identity concept Role identity is a crucial conceptual model for the examination of the experiences of doctoral students. According to Jazvac-Martek (2009), this concept posits humans as holding numerous roles and identities. Originally, the establishment of role theories believed that the attainment of role was formal, successive, and a staged process of socialization. However, with time, role acquisition was elaborated as a continuing process of social development that relied on the interplay between creative actions and social order of actors. Vignoles, Regalia, Manzi, Golledge, & Scabini (2006, p. 308), like the cognitive schema, role identities offer reference frames for actions and thoughts appraisal. It is the major form of plans for plans in the coming days and provides a lens through which individuals interpret and respond to events in life. According to Stryker & Burke (2000, p. 284) there are three relatively distinct uses of identity. First, identity refers to a people’s culture, and this undeniably eliminates the distinction between say ethnicity and identity. For some cultures, identity is presented in one’s ethnicity. Another form of identity refers to the shared identification with a social category or collectivity. This concept is applicable in social identity theory and in modern day social movement activities, thereby establishing a shared culture amongst participant. Thirdly, some researchers use the term identity to refer to the aspects of a self defined of meanings that humans attach to numerous functions they play in highly fragmented modern day societies. The two major forms of role identity theories are identity theory and the social identity theory. Identity Theory Stryker & Burke (2000) highlight that research on identity falls among numerous traditions that have developed the identity theory. The main focus by researchers such as Stryker was the linkage between identities and social structures. Another approach by Burke and his colleagues was the focus of self-verification processes internally. Identity theory began with the attempt to specify and make the society and self researchable concepts as defined in Mead’s frame and for the organization of explanations of particular conducts. According to Stryker & Burke (2000, p. 285), Mead’s social behavior transformed into the role choice behavior theory that sought to identify why people facing particular social situations choose a given course of action over others. Consequently, Mead’s frame adopted a “self-reflects society” implying that there are multifacets on self that constitute of independent and interdependent parts that mutually reinforce each other. Burke & Jan (2009) reveal that the origin of identity network was in deriving social processes from human interactions, and places less emphasis on social cognitive concepts. This causes the theory to pay little attention on the aspect of the resulting self responsiveness to the surrounding contextual cues. Stets & Harrod (2004, p. 156) reveal that in each interaction, individuals hold a given social position, and each party posses their own expectations towards themselves and towards others in specific social positions. For instance, graduate students expect that a tenured expert possesses knowledge regarding a given subject given the academic position they hold. Consequently, graduate students find it normal to seek for clarification from the academic and from their beginner student function. Besides the identity theory, social identity theory presents an individual’s sense of who they are depending on their belonging to a defined group. According to in understanding the behavior individuals, social identity theory tends to offer an heuristic, explanatory integration of various qualities of intra- and inter-group conduct in the form of two casual processes (Tajfel, 2010, p. 17). First, the aspect of social identification processes involves social categorizations’ cognitive functioning. Secondly, social cognitive processes involve extension of the self-aspect thus expanding social identification sphere of operation of motives linked to it. This implies that the need for positive self-esteem inspires social assessments to differentiate self from others through positively worth group qualities, therefore differentiating an individual’s group from the groups of others. Consequently, one offers a crucial role in both inter- and intra-group conduct. Capozza (2000, p. 63) confirms that as one seeks to enhance their own social identity, they validate their collectivistic groups and people, while individualists distance themselves from in-groupers in search of separation and self-independence. Collectivism qualities confirm that a person has numerous selves that align with the broadening of the group membership. Consequently, individual seek to evaluate others as them or out-group, and as us or in-group. The differences in evaluations arise from changes in social contexts triggering an individual to feel, think, and act depending on their personal, national, or at family level of self (Hogg & Vaughan, 2002). For instance, ‘us’ links to assumed group membership that create self-categorization and enhancement in ways that favour in-groups while forfeiting out-group (Alexander, 2001). References Alexander, H. (2001). Psychology in Organizations - The Social Identitty Approach. London: Sage Publications Ltd. Burke, P., & Jan, S. (2009). Identity Theory. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Capozza, D. (2000). Social Identity Processes: Trends in Theory and Research. London: Sage Publications. Hogg, M., & Vaughan, G. (2002). Social Psychology. London: Prentice Hall. Jazvac-Martek, M. (2009). Oscillating Role Identities: The Academic Experiences of Education Doctoral Students. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 46(3), 253-264. Stets, J., & Harrod, M. (2004). Verification Across Multiple Identities: The Role of Status. Social Psychology Quarterly, 67, 155-171. Stryker, S., & Burke, P. (2000). The Past, Present, and Future of an Identity Theory. Social Psychology Quarterly, 63(4), 284-297. Tajfel, H. (2010). Social identity and intergroup relations. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Vignoles, V., Regalia, C., Manzi, C., Golledge, J., & Scabini, E. (2006). Beyond Self-Esteem: Influence of Multiple Motives on Identity Construction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 90, 308-333. Discussion - Week 7: Research and Data Collection A brief explanation of two reoccurring methods of data collection Two reoccurring data collection methods are grounded theory and case studies. Through case studies, researchers manage to involve in an in-depth and detailed evaluation of an area of study and its associated contextual conditions. Case studies are also used as empirical inquiry that investigates a phenomenon within its natural context. Since multiple sources of information are sufficient to offer valid quantitative evidence, most studies use more than one case study. Multiple case studies also provide the advantage of facilitating generalization of findings for general problems (Knight & Ruddock, 2009). Conversely, grounded theory is a research method offering guidelines regarding data collection issues while providing detailed procedures for analyzing data. For any area of interest, researchers use grounded theory as a way of enabling them to conceptualize latent structures and patterns concerning an area of interest in the society through constant comparison. In order to generate substantive codes, grounded theory begins by allowing the user to apply an inductive approach. Grounded theory, then offers suggestions for the step of data collection, such as the type of questions to ask. Describe one benefit and one limitation of each method of data collection Strengths of Grounded Theory Method Though grounded theory offers the researcher a methodology to establish an understanding of social issues without pre-performing using existing theories (Gustavsson). Limitations of using Grounded Theory However, data subjectivity causes difficulties in determining information and approach reliability and validity (Knight & Ruddock, 2009). In addition, it is difficult to establish any researcher-induced bias. Strengths of using Case Studies Case studies, on the other hand, permit the collection of richer and greatly deep data compared to other research designs such as experiential designs. Limitations of Multiple Case Studies Multiple case studies do not offer data that can easily be generalized to fit a wider population. Consequently, some data gathered through longitudinal case studies are irrelevant. Engelke (2006) reveals that studies contain study of observations and perception of individual person and this introduces chances that there are other missing aspects. References Knight, A., & Ruddock, L. (2009). Advanced Research Methods in the Built Environment. Chichester: John Willey & Sons. Engelke, M. (2006). The limits of meaning : case studies in the anthropology of Christianity. New York: Berghahn Books. Gustavsson, B. (n.d.). The Principles of Knowledge Creation: Research Methods in the Social Sciences. United States: Edward Elgar Publishing. ASSIGNMENT#2: The Literature Review section Sokol (2009) reveals that Erik Erikson’s theories on development have inspired numerous research studies, making him a crucial figure in social science field. According to Kroger (Kroger, 2007), though Erikson focussed more on the adolescent period, he also offered insights on identity during adulthood and childhood. It is this broad application of the development theory that saw it take root in numerous fields where identity development is studied. Instead of focusing on identity development from the perspective of a life-span, this paper concentrates on the development of identity during adulthood. Erikson’s Development Theory From Erikson’s perspective, identity development also refers to identification, identity consolidation, identity resolution, identity formation, and identity foreclosure and this attracted criticism as an ambiguous writing style (Jelenic, 2013). In order to achieve its objective, this research utilizes identity development amongst doctoral students who represent adults in Erikson’s theory. Hoare (2002) points out that unlike other researchers of his time, Erikson recognized the role of culture on development through his illustration of the nature of the social world within the psychological composition of each person. This applies to the doctoral students whose development of professional identity is influenced by socialization and their academic context. Socialization means that the students are part of a social context, and subject to continued change (Gardener & Mendoza, 2012). Furthermore, Hoare (2002) reveals that development does not stop at adulthood and is an ongoing process that reflects the investments by an individual throughout their adult lives. In summary, Erikson’s development theory as a process constitutes the formation of identity through the establishment of an articulate sense of self, and the definition of self in relation to the world. From the definition, Erikson’s identity theory represents both the identity theory and the social identity theory concepts. Identity theory and social Identity Theory Identity theory and social identity theory have nearly similar perspectives on the dynamic mediation of socially created self between societal structure and individual conduct. However, the two demonstrate remarkable differences that make them uniquely contribute to research on identity development. According to Hogg & Vaughan (2002), identity theory seeks to elaborate on an individual’s role relative to their behaviors. The main perspective is that of interactionism perspective where the behavior of an individual is due to influence on self from others. Consequently, this theory rejects any views that the society is more undifferentiated whole. Therefore, this theory argues that the society is complexly differentiated and organized. Furthermore, the identity theory confirms that individuals constitute of multiple components of self and each being unique particularly through role identities (Hogg, Terry, & White, 1995). It is for this reason that identity theory acknowledges the links between the broader social structure and self. Social identity theory on the other hand, is a theory regarding intergroup associations, social self, and group processes. The main idea is that a given social category within which one falls and feels to belong defines the person in term of the distinct attributes of the category (Tajfel & Turner, Art Integrative Theory of Intergroup Conflict, 1979). Consequently, social identity theory offers a self-definition that partially defines the self-concept of a person. Since different individuals demonstrate varying levels of discrete category membership, the minds of individual member determine and represent their membership, hence one’s characteristics as a member of that group. Comparison and Evaluation of Research Methods Qualitative research method is a scientific research that involves seeking answers to questions through systematic use of previously set procedures using collected evidence (Trevillion, 2008). The result of this process are findings that were determined after evidence acquisition, and the identification of findings applicable beyond the scope of the study. Since it involves participants from a local population, qualitative research seeks to answer research questions from their perspective. Consequently, qualitative research involves attaining culturally-oriented information regarding behaviors, values, social contexts, and opinions of that population. While qualitative research methods are exploratory, quantitative research methods are investigative as they seek to confirm a given hypothesis regarding a given phenomena. More often, collection of evidence involves structured methods like surveys, questionnaires, and structured observation. Instead of describing variations like qualitative methods, qualitative methods seek to quantify variation using closed-ended question format, for numerical data values to question responses (Trevillion, 2008). Finally, the summary of the responses provided by the respondents do not determine the questions the researcher asks next since study design is more of statistical assumptions and conditions than iterative. References Gardener, S., & Mendoza, P. (2012). On Becoming a Scholar: Socialization and Developmnt in Doctoral Education. London: Stylus Publishing, LLC. Hoare, C. (2002). Erikson on Development in Adulthood: New Insights from the Unpublished Papers. New York: Oxford University Press. Hogg, M., Terry, D., & White, K. (1995). A Tale of Two Theories: Comparison of Identity Theory With Social Identity Theory. Social Psychology Quarterly, 58(4), 225-269. Jelenic, M. (2013). Identity Status: The Impact on Academic Performance. UNLV Theses, Paper 1933. Kovalcikiene, K., & Buksnyte-Marmiene, L. (2015). Towards An Understanding Of Doctoral Students’ Professional Identity Complexity. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 191, 2693-2698. Kroger, J. (2007). Identity Development: Adolescence Through Adulthood. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. Sokol, J. (2009). Identity Development Throughout the Lifetime: An Examination of Eriksonian Theory. Graduate Journal of Counseling Psychology, 1(2), 1-10. Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. (1979). Art Integrative Theory of Intergroup Conflict. In W. Austin, & W. S, The Social Psychology of Intergroup Relations (pp. 33-41). Monterey: Cole. Trevillion, S. (2008). Research, Theory and Practice: Eternal Triangle or Uneasy Bedfellows? Social Work Education, 27, 440-450. Read More