Promoting Student´s Professional Identity in the Opinion of Professors in Valencia - Spain and the National Autonomous University of Mexico

Author(s):

Anita Hirsch-Adler(presenting / submitting)Judith Perez-Castro

Conference:

ECER 2012

Network:

01. Continuing Professional Development: Learning for Individuals, Leaders, and Organisations

Format:

Paper

Session Information

01 SES 01 C, Teacher Educators

Parallel Paper Session

Time:

2012-09-18

13:15-14:45

Room:

ESI 1 - Aula 23

Chair:

Gilada Avissar

Contribution

The topic is the way which professors promote professional identity of university students in three universities in Valencia - Spain and in the National Autonomous University of Mexico. The objective is to widen the knowledge in relation to this theme, which is part of a research project about professional ethics. The basic research question in the paper is: “how we promote the student´s professional identity?” The theoretical framework is about the conceptualization of professional identity and of some of it´s different approaches, based on important authors, such as: diversification and segmentation of professions and their relation to professional identity; professional jurisdiction; professional identity as a process; identities are formed in professional communities; the necessary articulation between teaching and research; relation between professional identity and professional life; professional identity and social capital and problems to construct and preserve a professional identity, because of unemployment of high qualified professionals.

Method

An interview guide, with eight questions, was designed and applied to the forty graduate program coordinators in the National Autonomous University of Mexico (which cover the four knowledge areas in which the university classifies the forty graduate programs: Physics - Mathematics and Engineering, Biological and Health Sciences, Social Sciences and Humanities and Arts) and to fourteen professors in three universities in Valencia – Spain: Valencia University, Polytechnic University of Valencia and Catholic University of Valencia “San Vincent Martyr” of different sciences.

Expected Outcomes

With the Valencia transcriptions, we defined nine categories about the student´s professional identity: a) it depends of a vocational election of the discipline, b) to promote the relation with professionals with a large trajectory, c) emphasize the meaning of the profession, d) to see themselves as part of a professional community, e) even though professional identity is mainly constructed in the working places, it should be promoted during the studies, f) it is related to the identification with the institution they study, g) the universities do not promote it, h) it is important to promote and integral vision of each discipline and interdisciplinary studies, i) societies and professions are changing rapidly which complicates maintaining a professional identity. With the information given by the graduate program coordinators of UNAM the following categories were constructed: a) it is promoted through the investigation projects and by tutors, b) it is done with intentional actions, c) students already have a clear professional identity, d) they have multiple professional identities because of the specialization fields and the interdisciplinary orientation, e) the professional identity is related to university identity. We will be able to compare the categories and to refer them to the theoretical framework.

References

Evetts, Julia (2003). “Identity, diversity and professional segmentation: The case of Engineering”, in: Sánchez Martínez, Mariano; Sáez, Juan and Svensson, Lennart (coordinators), Sociology of Professions. Past, present and future, Diego Marín Librero Editor, Murcia - España, p. 141 – 154. García-López, Rafaela; Jover, Gonzalo and Escámez, Juan (2010). Professors Professional Ethics, Madrid, España, Editorial Síntesis. Hirsch, Ana y Pérez – Castro, Judith (2005). “Attitudes and professional ethics in graduate students in Valencia University and in the National Autonomous University of Mexico”, in: Reencounter. Analysis of University Problems, No. 43, August, Mexico, p. 26-33. Hirsch, Ana y Pérez – Castro, Judith (2006). "Features of being a good professional. The cases of Valencia University and the National Autonomous University of Mexico”, in: Hirsch, Ana (coordinator). Education, values and moral development. Volume I: Values of university students and professors, México, Ediciones Gernika, 73 -102. Martínez - Navarro, Emilio (2010). “Ethics in teaching in the university”, in: Professional Ethics of Teachers, Bilbao, Spain, Desclée de Brouwer, S.A., p. 243 – 260. Moratalla, Agustín Domingo (2010). “Professional ethics and university training: three models of professional responsibility”, in: The ethical wealth of professions, RIL Editors, Santiago de Chile

Author Information

Anita Hirsch-Adler (presenting / submitting)

National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico

Judith Perez-Castro

Juarez Autonomous University of Tabasco

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