Constructing a conceptual framework for professional identity development in international social work students: A meta-ethnographic review

Abstract

There has been a significant increase of international students in Australian social work education over the past decade. Issues around international students’ language skills, cultural capital or competence, special needs and field education experiences have been explored in social work literature. However, the literature to date has a tendency to focus on international students’ deficits, or the strategies implemented to address the identified deficits. Professional identity, a critical aspect of social work education, remains an under-researched topic in international students. Professional identity development in social work is often considered a complex process which is influenced by interacting internal or external factors. For example, personal or cultural identities can contribute to professional identity development in social work students in general, while discrimination or institutional oppression is found to negatively affect professional identity development in social work students. Intersectionality sees a person’s identity as fluid and multifold, and offers a useful framework for understanding identity issues in international students. Applying the concept of intersectionality, this meta-ethnography reviews six qualitative studies, guided by the seven phrases established by Noblit and Hare. The findings show professional identity development in international students can be influenced by interacting personal, linguistic, professional, academic, cultural and social factors. An intersecting model incorporating the six identified key themes was developed to provide a conceptual framework for professional identity development in international social work students.

International social work students in field education- considerations for supervision

“…International students can feel pressured to fully assimilate to the dominant culture of the host country in order to succeed. Yao (2020) found that for international students, assimilation and adaptation were significant factors in the professional identity development at the personal, professional, academic and cultural levels.…”

“…International students have also identified the need to re-learn the basics, and some felt that their cultural, ethnic or linguistic backgrounds restricted their career opportunities (Yao, 2020). This is reflected in supervisors' view, that international students often did not meet the requirements for the future employer pool, despite the extra investment of time (Ross et al, 2020;Zuchowski, Hudson, Bartlett, & Diamandi, 2014).…”

The impact of diversity experiences and innovative learning environments on the personal development of international students studying in China

“…Furthermore, the process of foreign students' personal development is multidimensional and is constituted by several elements. Research has found that a range of personal, linguistic, professional, academic, cultural and social elements play a significant role in their professional identity formation and preparation for the labour market (Borisenkov et al, 2020;Yao, 2021). The authors note the importance of a well-designed overseas research experience to advance intercultural, intellectual, personal, professional and academic development (Schneider et al, 2023), and this is reinforced by work that underscores the importance of individual characteristics for foreign students' adjustment and success including independence, extracurricular activity involvement, self-efficacy, cultural empathy, maintaining relationships and open-mindedness (Chennamsetti, 2020).…”