How do professional identities impact upon how postgraduate students of education within healthcare ‘make sense’ of learning to become teachers?

Burnett, Andrew 2024. How do professional identities impact upon how postgraduate students of education within healthcare ‘make sense’ of learning to become teachers? EdD Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

Preview	PDF - Accepted Post-Print Version Download (2MB) | Preview
	PDF (Cardiff University Electronic Publication Form) - Supplemental Material Restricted to Repository staff only Download (131kB)

Abstract

This study sought the espoused social identities of health professionals entering a UK university’s part-time postgraduate programme in health professions education (HPE) in 2019. It identifies the presence of changes consequent to attendance, and their influences on the initial ten participants (finally reducing to six), using data from three phases of semi-structured telephone interviews conducted over three years. These were analysed within a thematic method and applying the lens of Social Identity Theory (Tajfel 1974). This research found that these healthcare professionals’ social identities were entrenched within healthcare from adolescence. Concepts of the teacher within healthcare were often unclear initially, but the participants later demonstrated a sense-making and clarity arising from exposure to educational practice and theory within their programme of study, alongside subsequent reflection. The application of Social Identity Theory uncovered their espoused in-groups within healthcare, whilst shifting motivations for achieving teaching qualifications were unveiled. This appeared in addition to interviewees’ suggestions that formalised teaching roles would only be considered once seniority within explicitly healthcare roles were obtained. The work concludes that a greater understanding of the intended and consequent use of HPE qualifications by healthcare practitioners will both inform similar programmes’ curricula and delivery, whilst increasing their ability to attract greater numbers of much needed educators within healthcare.

Item Type:	Thesis (EdD)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Schools > Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	15 May 2025
Last Modified:	15 May 2025 13:52
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/178293

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item