Identity Matters: Validation of the Professional Identification Scale in a Sample of Teachers in South Africa During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Professional identity has been linked to organizational outcomes such as job performance and commitment, as well as health and well-being indices such as burnout and depression. Professional identity is a powerful mechanism that can be affected by social and environmental factors. It is therefore important to establish a reliable and valid measurement of professional identity that is useful in different contexts. The current study examines the psychometric properties of Brown’s Professional Identification Scale (PIS) using three different but complementary approaches: classical test theory, Mokken analysis, and Rasch analysis. The study participants (N = 355), school teachers recruited from all over South Africa, completed the PIS, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, and the Teacher Satisfaction Scale. The reliability and validity of a reduced 8-item version of the PIS was confirmed. Mokken and Rasch analyses indicated that the scale consists of more than one dimension, and classical test theory (exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis) supported a two-factor structure. Ancillary bifactor indices indicated that professional pride and professional discontent explained a sufficient amount of the variance over and above that explained by the professional identity as a total scale. Overall, the findings support an 8-item PIS for use in a South African teacher population.

Drawing Insights from the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…56 This works also suggests a causal relationship between the pandemic restrictions and these adverse symptoms, finding that these elevated levels of loneliness, anxiety, and reduced life satisfaction are statistically significant compared to pre-pandemic times from similar groups. 57 Even more saddening is the findings by Goto et al, which show a major spike in youth suicides during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic levels. 58 The investigators suggest that this was due to disruptions in social life and underlying mental health issues exacerbated by the stressors from the pandemic.…”