The Professional Identity of Academic Lecturers in Higher Education Post-COVID-19 in Israel

Professional identity development in higher education and its implications is a growing interest in the literature. Research indicates that the professional identity of academic lecturers has been unstable and influenced by a variety of personal and contextual factors. With a lack of a clear definit...

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Main Authors: Ariela Giladi, Nitza Davidovitch, Lilach Ben-Meir
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-06-01
Series:Education Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/12/6/408
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author Ariela Giladi
Nitza Davidovitch
Lilach Ben-Meir
author_facet Ariela Giladi
Nitza Davidovitch
Lilach Ben-Meir
author_sort Ariela Giladi
collection DOAJ
description Professional identity development in higher education and its implications is a growing interest in the literature. Research indicates that the professional identity of academic lecturers has been unstable and influenced by a variety of personal and contextual factors. With a lack of a clear definition of professional identity in literature, we composed The Professional Identity COVID Scale (PI-COVID) specifically designed to measure lecturers’ professional identity in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. The items focused on three components: occupational security, academic skills, and combining teaching and research. The purpose of the present study was to examine the associations between lecturers’ age, years of seniority, academic rank, and work permanence on the professional identity of academic lecturers post-COVID-19 in Israel. Participants were 95 academic lecturers teaching in universities and colleges. Using self-report questionnaires, participants filled the PI-COVID scale. Results showed that age is negatively and significantly associated with PI-COVID. Moreover, seniority years, academic rank, and work permanence are associated with more COVID-19 challenges. Findings showed that lecturers without work permanence and with lower academic rank reported higher occupational insecurity during the pandemic, which emphasizes the vulnerability of younger lecturers and their need for confidence and stability, especially during a crisis event. Thus, our study contributes to the existing literature by better understanding the post-COVID-19 professional identity of academic lecturers. Implications and limitations for future research are discussed.
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spelling doaj.art-f46eb2e582294526b2afe6603182e1642023-11-23T16:23:20ZengMDPI AGEducation Sciences2227-71022022-06-0112640810.3390/educsci12060408The Professional Identity of Academic Lecturers in Higher Education Post-COVID-19 in IsraelAriela Giladi0Nitza Davidovitch1Lilach Ben-Meir2Department of Education, Ariel University, Ariel 40700, IsraelDepartment of Education, Ariel University, Ariel 40700, IsraelDepartment of Psychology, Ariel University, Ariel 40700, IsraelProfessional identity development in higher education and its implications is a growing interest in the literature. Research indicates that the professional identity of academic lecturers has been unstable and influenced by a variety of personal and contextual factors. With a lack of a clear definition of professional identity in literature, we composed The Professional Identity COVID Scale (PI-COVID) specifically designed to measure lecturers’ professional identity in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. The items focused on three components: occupational security, academic skills, and combining teaching and research. The purpose of the present study was to examine the associations between lecturers’ age, years of seniority, academic rank, and work permanence on the professional identity of academic lecturers post-COVID-19 in Israel. Participants were 95 academic lecturers teaching in universities and colleges. Using self-report questionnaires, participants filled the PI-COVID scale. Results showed that age is negatively and significantly associated with PI-COVID. Moreover, seniority years, academic rank, and work permanence are associated with more COVID-19 challenges. Findings showed that lecturers without work permanence and with lower academic rank reported higher occupational insecurity during the pandemic, which emphasizes the vulnerability of younger lecturers and their need for confidence and stability, especially during a crisis event. Thus, our study contributes to the existing literature by better understanding the post-COVID-19 professional identity of academic lecturers. Implications and limitations for future research are discussed.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/12/6/408professional identityacademic lecturershigher educationCOVID-19seniorityacademic rank
spellingShingle Ariela Giladi
Nitza Davidovitch
Lilach Ben-Meir
The Professional Identity of Academic Lecturers in Higher Education Post-COVID-19 in Israel
Education Sciences
professional identity
academic lecturers
higher education
COVID-19
seniority
academic rank
title The Professional Identity of Academic Lecturers in Higher Education Post-COVID-19 in Israel
title_full The Professional Identity of Academic Lecturers in Higher Education Post-COVID-19 in Israel
title_fullStr The Professional Identity of Academic Lecturers in Higher Education Post-COVID-19 in Israel
title_full_unstemmed The Professional Identity of Academic Lecturers in Higher Education Post-COVID-19 in Israel
title_short The Professional Identity of Academic Lecturers in Higher Education Post-COVID-19 in Israel
title_sort professional identity of academic lecturers in higher education post covid 19 in israel
topic professional identity
academic lecturers
higher education
COVID-19
seniority
academic rank
url https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/12/6/408
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