Factors predicting identity as educators and openness to improve: an exploratory study

Abstract

Context Researchers suggest that teachers’ work environment affects their sense of connectedness and appreciation, which affects their educator identity. However, sessional (also known as adjunct, clinical, contingent and non‐tenured) faculty members may struggle with their educator identity. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the extent to which perceived connectedness and received appreciation predicted identity as a medical (health care science) educator and openness to improve in tenure‐track and sessional faculty members. Methods We utilised an ‘identification with teaching’ scale to measure medical educator identity. We developed scales to measure perceived connectedness to university department, openness to improve teaching, and appreciation as a motivation to try a new teaching method. We then hypothesised a path model between these constructs. We surveyed faculty members at a health sciences school and performed confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation modelling using data from a sample of 73 tenure‐track and 146 sessional faculty members to explore support for the hypothesised model. Results Connectedness and appreciation predicted identity as a medical educator and openness to improve in different ways for sessional and tenure‐track faculty members. For tenure‐track faculty members, appreciation predicted medical educator identity and openness to improve, whereas a sense of connectedness trended towards predicting an openness to improve. For sessional faculty members, connectedness to their department predicted their identity as a medical educator, which acted as a mediator to predict an openness to improve. Discussion Our data supported the hypothesised model, but the sessional and tenure‐track faculty models differed in strength and focus. We explore reasons for these differences based on the working environment of each teacher type. We suggest that the two models partially explain the transformation from ‘a clinician who teaches’ to a medical educator. Finally, we make suggestions for how identity as a medical educator and openness to improve may be encouraged in both types of teachers.

Incentives for clinical teachers: On why their complex influences should lead us to proceed with caution

“…For others who want to build connections, networking and community building opportunities might be particularly beneficial. Others still may require support building resilience in the face of difficult learner encounters, suggesting that faculty development offerings focused on nurturing teaching identities and building communities of practice among preceptors could prove valuable 18,19 …”

“…Others still may require support building resilience in the face of difficult learner encounters, suggesting that faculty development offerings focused on nurturing teaching identities and building communities of practice among preceptors could prove valuable. 18,19 Regardless of what strategy (or, ideally, strategies) one adopts, the unintended consequences of well-intentioned incentive schemes suggest we need to think carefully about how incentives are crafted and delivered. Offering incentives in ways that undermine clinicians' motivations can have lasting consequences and build cynicism.…”

Influences on and Characteristics of the Professional Identity Formation of Clinician Educators: A Qualitative Analysis

“…Similar to findings from the previous research, they saw themselves as a physician who teaches, not a CE. 34 It is possible that this delayed introduction into a career in education at communitybased training programs limits an individual's professional productivity while also affecting a clinician's entrance into their EID; however, this should be further explored in future studies.…”

How do graduate students approach college teaching? Influences of professional development, teaching assistantships, and Big Five personality traits

“…Other research findings suggest that openness to improve one's teaching may be fostered by a supportive department, with implications for graduate student training. Snook et al (2019) interviewed both tenure-track and contingent (adjunct) faculty at a medical institution and used confirmatory factor analysis to identify relations between perceived appreciation for trying new teaching methods, perceived connectedness with colleagues, one's identity as an educator, and openness to improve. For contingent faculty, perceived connectedness with colleagues was associated with their identity as educators, which in turn predicted their openness to improve as teachers.…”