Key Components That Contribute to Professional Identity Development in Internships for Singapore’s Tertiary Institutions: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: A critical outcome of work-readiness programmes such as internships is the development of professional identity, which relates to one’s professional self-concept based on attributes, beliefs, values, motives, and experiences. The lack of professional identity development during internships might result the leakage of trained students from the respective industries they trained for. Objective: The aim of this study is to conduct a systematic review of the literature on professional identity formation in the context of internships in order to provide guidance on how internship programmes can be better implemented in Singapore. Methodology: A comprehensive search of electronic databases was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA Statement to identify papers related to professional identity development, internship programmes, and the roles of academic institutions and companies. Results: Of the 58 articles identified, 46.6% (n = 27) focused on the perception of professional socialisation, 41.4% (n = 24) investigated the roles of mentoring, 29.3% (n = 17) examined internship experiences, and 25.9% (n = 15) studied reflection as a practice for professional development. Further analysis of the interaction of these four components yielded a more focused set of five components that contribute to developing professional identity in the context of an internship programme. These components are: reflection, mentoring, professional socialisation, self-efficacy and goal orientation, and critical thinking. Conclusion: This paper generalises principles and processes into new insights for developing professional identity, and a framework is proposed as a guide to implement professional identity development. Our findings can be used by future research studies to validate workplace learning frameworks as well as explore models for training coaches and mentors in the workplace.