Factors influencing the professional identity of students in medical university: a cross-sectional study

Factors influencing the professional identity of students in medical university: a cross-sectional study | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Factors influencing the professional identity of students in medical university: a cross-sectional study Wen Yu, Hong Sun This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3955098/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background: Currently, university students lack in-depth understanding of the diverse study fields which decreases their professional identity. Therefore, strategies aimed at improving students’ professional identity need to be formulated. This study aimed to determine the current factors influencing medical university students' professional identity. The findings of this research will provide ideas for improving the professional identity level of university students. Methods: students at a medical university in China participated in a survey in 2022. In the first part of the survey, a Professional Identity Questionnaire was used to determine their professional identity level as the dependent variable. In the second part of the survey, four dimensions including personal, family, peer and professional circumstance were investigated as the independent variables. Subsequently, the correlations between factors and professional identity were explored, as well as the degree of influence each factor on professional identity. Results: The analysis showed that all dimensions affected the professional identity of the students. Students with one of the following characteristics were found having lower professional identity level than others: male, in the graduating year, poor academic performance, change of major against their intention,with poor academic performance, from rural areas, and in poor economic status, students who cannot get along well with their peers and students whose peers had intention to change their majors. All factors of professional circumstance dimension had significantly positive influences on professional identity, with the prospect and status element having the most significant effect. Conclusions: Students with one of the following characteristics should be paid attention: male, in graduating year, change of major against their intention, with poor academic performance, from rural areas, and in poor economic status. The interpersonal relationship between students and their peers also deserve attention as well as the majors' value, learning environment, training objectives, prospect and status. Several initiatives should be developed and implemented to enhance students’ professional identity according to the above results. Medical University Professional identity Influencing factors China Figures Figure 1 1. Background As society develops, occupational classification is becoming more detailed and this has necessitated the creation of more advanced technical subjects 1 . Therefore, hundreds of new majors have emerged in recent years, such as Biostatistics, Biomaterial and Medical engineering. However, many university students lack in-depth understanding of their selected majors. After studying for a while, some may realize that their chosen major does not align with their initial perception, leading to a decline in their professional identities 2 . Professional identity is a social concept that is built on three key cognitive components: social categorization, social identification, and social comparison. It is a dynamic and continually evolving entity, shaped and developed through the interplay of individual, organizational, relational, political and economic factors 3 . Professional identity is often defined as career, occupational or even vocational identity 4 . It is a component of people’s overall identity and is augmented by the "position within society", "interactions with others" and their "interpretations of experiences" 5 . Medical students' professional identity level not only influences their service proficiency once they enter the medical profession but is also a crucial determinant of the success of reforms within the medical and health system 6 . Medical students undergo very professional training that prepares them to practice as doctors. Given the high intensity of the training that involves efforts from the society, family, and students themselves, if their professional identity is not strongly fostered, it will lead to massive loss of training costs. It has been reported that students who harbor negative attitudes about their majors may exhibit more psychological problems and hence poor professional identity, both of which worsen their academic performance 7 . In addition, low professional identity not only negatively affects the students’ self-perception but also becomes a major obstacle preventing the development of their majors. Therefore, it is important to develop strategies for enhancing professional identity of university students. To achieve this, there is a need to study its influencing factors as the initial step. Identification of such factors may allow colleges and universities to effectively formulate educational policies, adjust educational contents and teaching methods, and improve the professional learning environment, thereby enhance professional identity. Investigating the professional identity of medical university students is instrumental in enhancing the overall excellence of the university. It will also generate ideas that can be leveraged to improve the quality of training and hence produce professionals who will advance the social health sector. Several studies have investigated the factors influencing university students' professional identities. In the study by Alba (2017), the influencing factors were classified into several categories as follows: social experience, educational context, perceived congruence with the profession, demographic characteristics, professional image, professional experience, personal development, and self-engagement 8 . WU et al. (2020) found that clinical learning experiences extending beyond eight months and a positive perception of the clinical learning environment were the dominant factors that were positively associated with professional identity 9 . According to Wurth et al. (2021), the influencing factors of nursing interns’ professional identity include education level, the first choice of major, residential status, work atmosphere, and teacher capacity 10 . XU (2021) reported that the identity of college students majoring in preschool education was influenced by factors such as voluntary application, academic performance, professional interest, and early understanding of the major 11 . In 2021, Wang et al. found a new dimension of professional identity, referred to as professional support, and developed a scale of professional identity based on four dimensions: professional cognition, professional attachment, professional status, and professional support 12 . In recent years, studies investigating professional identity have focused on specific majors, such as nursing. However, few studies have comprehensively compared the professional identity of different majors in medical universities. In addition, it should be noted that the factors affecting professional identity will progressively change, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. In the present study, we comprehensively compared the professional identities of different majors in a medical university in China using a large sample size survey. The survey was conducted in 2022 and identified several factors influencing professional identity of students after the COVID-19 pandemic. Analysis of the results reveal differences between the current influencing factors and those reported previously. Previous studies on professional identity have not paid significant attention to the influence of students' peers, such as classmates, roommates, and friends. In this study, we considered peer-related factors as an important dimension affecting professional identity. The aim of this study was to identify current factors influencing medical university students' professional identity. Our results provide ideas for improving their professional identities. The survey was conducted in Xuzhou Medical University, one of the universities that is scheduled for expansion in Jiangsu Province, China. There were about 13,000 full-time undergraduates and 29 undergraduate majors. One student from each college, two teachers and two parents were interviewed using the subjectivist inductive approach 13 following an initial interview protocol which was designed according to previous studies 8,9,10,11 . The final content of the questionnaire is shown in Fig. 1 . It comprised four dimensions: personal dimension, family dimension, peer dimension, and professional circumstance dimension. The personal dimension included 5 factors: gender, grade, intention to choose a major and academic performance. The family dimension included 3 factors: home location, highest education of family members and family economic status. The peer dimension included 2 factors: interpersonal relationships and herd behavior. The professional circumstance dimension included 4 factors: prospect and status, value, learning environment, and training objectives. The survey data were used for this investigation. 2. Method 2.1 Study setting and participants This survey research was conducted between March 10 and March 29, 2022, and targeted 1943 students from 5 grades at a medical university in China. Informed consent was obtained from all participants or, if participants were under 18, from a parent and/or legal guardian. Briefly, at the beginning of the study, all participants were informed that their participation was voluntary and that the results of the study may be used to improve the quality of teaching for various majors, promote scientific research, and enhance the international influence of our university education. All participants provided informed consent to the publication of their opinions which will be kept anonymous. 2.2 Ethical considerations This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Xuzhou Medical University (XZMU-2022-SK005). 2.3 Questionnaire design The questionnaire contained two sections. The first section consisted of the Professional Identity Questionnaire (PIQ) developed by Brown et al.(1986) 14 . This tool was employed to measure the professional identity level among students. It contained 10 items which were scored on a 5-point Likert scale. The score of professional identity from low to high ranged from 1–5 points and the mean value of these 10 items was calculated to represent the student’s level of professional identity. The second section of the questionnaire comprised factors affecting professional identity. The factors were grouped into four dimensions as follows: personal, family, peer and professional circumstance. The Professional Circumstance Questionnaire (PCQ) developed by Qin (2009) 2 was used to determine the scores of professional circumstance dimension. The reliability and validity of all scale questions (questions of PIQ and PCQ) were tested before it was administered in this survey. Through reliability analysis, the Cronbach’s Alpha of PIQ was 0.942 and the Cronbach’s Alpha of PCQ was 0.931. Alpha values of 0.70 or greater are generally considered to be acceptable, indicating good internal consistency of questionnaire or scale 15 . Through principal component analysis, we found that the KMO of PIQ was 0.901 and the KMO of PCQ was 0.929, higher than 0.9, indicating satisfactory validity 16 . 2.4 Data collection and analysis The survey was performed using electronic questionnaires. The collected data were exported in Excel form from the questionnaire network ( www.wenjuan.com ). All data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics (version 26.0). The normality testing of all scale questions revealed absolute kurtosis values below 10 and absolute skewness values below 3, indicating a generally acceptable normal distribution of the data 17 . Consequently, the Independent-Samples T-test was employed to compare professional identity between two groups, such as male and female. The One-Way ANOVA test was utilized to compare professional identity among multiple groups, such as different grades. The Pearson correlations test was used to test for correlation between two Likert scale questions, such as testing the correlation between value and professional identity. A multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to further identify the positive and negative effects each factor on professional identity. Results were presented as unstandardized coefficients B and standardized coefficients β together with their significance levels. P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. 3. Results 3.1 Demographic characteristics and the mean value of professional identity A total number of 1,943 questionnaires were distributed. Finally, 1,642 students satisfactorily completed the questionnaires, translating to a response rate of 84.5%. Table 1 shows the summary characteristics of study participants. Among the students who participated in the study, there were 609 (37.1%) male students and 1033 (62.9%) female students. Students from five grades participated in the survey and were divided into three categories: 1st year, non-first-year and non-graduating year, graduating year. Notably, there were 911 (55.5%) students newly admitted to the university and only 70 (4.3%) students were in their graduating year.Further, 742 (45.2%) enrolled their majors as their first choice. Analysis of the data revealed that 776 (47.3%) students achieved academic performances ranging from 31–70% in their classes. The highest percentage of students with family members having an undergraduate degree was 37.7%. Compared to 10.8% of students in unstable environments, a majority (71.6%) of students lived a more stable life, while 17.5% reported having a good financial status. Table 1 Demographic data and the mean value of professional identity Variables Participants, N (%) Mean Std. deviation Gender Male 609 (37.1) 3.791 0.037 Female 1033 (62.9) 3.928 0.026 Grade 1st year 911 (55.5) 3.929 0.027 non-first-year and non-graduating year 661 (40.3) 3.866 0.033 Graduating Year 70 (4.3) 3.307 0.154 Intention to choose a major First Choice 742 (45.2) 4.02 0.029 Other Choices 615 (37.5) 3.864 0.031 Adjusted 285 (17.4) 3.579 0.07 Academic performance Top 30% 610 (37.1) 4.02 0.029 31%~70% 776 (47.3) 3.864 0.031 Bottom 30% 256 (15.6) 3.579 0.07 Home location Urban 942 (57.4) 3.95 0.026 Rural 700 (42.6) 3.78 0.035 Highest education of family members Primary School and below 27 (1.6) 3.856 0.15 Junior High School 233 (14.2) 3.889 0.056 High school/junior high school/technical school 456 (27.8) 3.873 0.042 Specialty 206 (12.5) 3.832 0.061 Undergraduate 619 (37.7) 3.883 0.034 Master's degree and above 101 (6.2) 3.934 0.089 Family economic situation Living in unstable environments 178 (10.8) 3.561 0.08 Relatively stable 1176 (71.6) 3.888 0.025 Financially well-off 288 (17.5) 4.031 0.04 Total 1642 *N represents the number of people 3.2 Overall status of professional identity In the PIQ settings, professional identity scores range from 1 to 5 points representing a spectrum from low to high, with 3 points being the middle score. Analysis of data from PIQ revealed that the mean value of the students’ professional identity was 3.8773, which was higher than the middle score. Therefore, overall professional identity level was considered high (Table 2 ). Table 2 Overall status of professional identity N Mean t p Professional identity 1642 3.8773 41.051 0.000 3.3 Influence of personal dimension factors on professional identity The results of the Independent-Samples T-test and the One-Way ANOVA test indicated that all factors in the personal dimension had significant effects on professional identity (p<0.05), i.e. there were significant differences between at least 2 options of the question. To find out which options were significantly different from each other and how they affected professional identity, pairwise comparisons were conducted and the mean value of each option were calculated. Comparison of the mean value of each option shown in Table 3 indicated that female students had higher professional identity level than male students. Moreover, professional identity level of graduating students was lower than that of other students. The professional identity of students whose majors were adjusted against their intention was significantly lower than that of other students, while the professional identity of students whose majors were their first choice was significantly higher than that of other students. Good academic performance was correlated with higher professional identity. Table 3 Personal dimension factors affecting students’ professional identity Variables Professional identity t or F p Pairwise comparisons Gender Male 3.79 ± 0.91 -3.035 0.002 13,2>3 Non- first-year and non-graduating year 3.87 ± 0.85 Graduating Year 3.31 ± 1.29 Intention of major choice First Choice 3.99 ± 0.70 21.777 0 1>2,1>3,2>3 Other Choices 3.88 ± 0.89 Adjusted 3.60 ± 1.11 Academic performance Top 30% 4.02 ± 0.72 24.223 0 1>2,1>3,2>3 31%~70% 3.86 ± 0.85 Bottom 30% 3.58 ± 1.12 *1 represents the first option of each column, 2 represents the second option of each column, 3 represents the third option of each column, 4 represents the fourth option of each column. 3.4 The influence of factors in family dimension on professional identity In the family dimension, the home location and family economic situation had significant effects on professional identity (p0.05). The mean value of each option in Table 4 indicated that students from the urban areas had a significantly higher degree of professional identity than students from the rural areas. The better the family's economic situation, the higher the level of their professional identity. Table 4 Family dimension factors affecting students’ professional identity Variables Professional identity t or F p Pairwise comparisons Home location Urban 3.95 ± 0.80 3.849 0 1>2 Rural 3.78 ± 0.94 The highest education of family members Primary School and below 3.86 ± 0.78 0.217 0.956 / Junior High School 3.89 ± 0.85 High school/junior high school/technical school 3.87 ± 0.89 Specialty 3.83 ± 0.87 Undergraduate 3.88 ± 0.85 Master's degree and above 3.93 ± 0.90 Family economic situation Living in unstable environments 3.56 ± 1.07 16.784 0 1<2,1<3, 2<3 More stable and able to afford the normal needs of life 3.88 ± 0.86 Financially well-off and able to afford everything needed for a normal life 4.03 ± 0.69 *1 represents the first option of each column, 2 represents the second option of each column, 3 represents the third option of each column. 3.5 The influence of factors in peer dimension on professional identity The correlation coefficient between interpersonal relationships and professional identity was 0.122 (p<0.01) indicating that students who got along well with their peers had a higher level of professional identity than students who did not. The correlation coefficient between herd behavior and professional identity was 0.143 (p<0.01) suggesting that students whose peers had no intention of transferring to other majors had a significantly higher level of professional identity than those whose peers wanted to change their majors. Table 5 Peer dimension factors influencing students’ professional identity Interpersonal relationships Herd behavior Professional identity Pearson Correlation 0.122** 0.143** Sig. (2-tailed) 0 0 ** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). 3.6 The influence of factors in professional circumstance dimension on professional identity The mean value of each question in the professional circumstance questionnaire is shown in Table 6 . Moreover, the correlation coefficients between professional identity and each of the four factors in the professional circumstance dimension were 0.522**,0.514**,0.490**,0.439** (p < 0.01, Table 7 ), which indicated they were all significantly positively correlated with professional identity. Table 6 Students' answers to Professional Circumstance Questionnaire Questions about the professional circumstance factors influencing the professional identity Mean Std. Deviation Prospect and Status 22. The material treatment after graduation of my major is better 3.880 1.245 23. The employment rate of my major is higher compared with other majors 3.858 1.222 24. The working environment is better after graduation 3.917 1.156 25. It is easier for my major's students to enter stable industries 3.927 1.155 26. The social status of my major is high 3.932 1.228 27. On the whole, the employment prospect of my major is good 3.884 1.230 Value 28. My major can realize my ideal 3.632 1.355 29. My major can realize my self-worth 3.674 1.362 30. The knowledge of my major is helpful to improve my ability 3.696 1.374 31. The major itself can attract people 3.698 1.376 Learning environment 32. The curriculum of my major studied is reasonable 3.451 1.444 33. The teachers of the major are appropriately configured 3.48 1.436 34. The learning atmosphere of the major studied is good 3.636 1.259 35. The teaching method of the major is appropriate 3.646 1.247 36. The teaching equipment and facilities of the major are perfect 3.568 1.368 37. I am satisfied with the basic situation of the major 3.520 1.409 Training Objectives 38. The training goal of the major is very unclear 3.815 1.345 39. I can't learn anything useful in my major 3.839 1.216 40. The knowledge system of my major is very vague 3.760 1.341 41. The professional knowledge system does not meet the needs of the market 3.845 1.298 Table 7 Professional circumstance dimension factors influencing students’ professional identity Prospect and Status Value Learning environment Training objectives Professional identity Pearson Correlation .522** .514** .490** .439** Sig. (2-tailed) 0 0 0 0 ** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). 3.7 Overall influence of professional identity To further explore the relationships between each variable's impact on the dependent variable, a multiple linear regression analysis was performed. The independent variables included gender, grade, intention to choose a major, academic performance, home location, family economic situation, interpersonal relationships, herd behavior, prospect and status, value, learning environment, and training objectives, while the dependent variable was professional identity. As shown in Table 8 , R²=0.495>0.3, which explained 49.5% of the variation in professional identity and indicated that the fit of this linear regression model was good. There was no multicollinearity among the independent variables, and all the VIFs were less than 5 18 . This linear regression model accurately and reliably reflected the influence of independent variables on the dependent variable. The regression equation was significant, F = 132.825, p < 0.001, which showed that at least one of the 12 independent variables significantly affected the dependent variable of professional identity. Of all the factors, home location (p = 0.103) and interpersonal relationships (p = 0.283) had no significant predictive effect on professional identity. Sex, herd behavior, and 4 factors of professional circumstance dimension had significantly positive effects on professional identity, which suggested that being a female student had a significant positive effect on professional identity relative to being a male student.. A positive correlation was observed between the family's economic situation and professional identity, indicating that a better economic situation contributed to a higher professional identity. Similarly, students whose peers exhibited no inclination to transfer to other majors demonstrated a higher professional identity. Further, higher levels of prospect and status, value, a conducive learning environment, and well-defined training objectives in a major were associated with high professional identity. Conversely, grade, intention to choose a major, and academic performance exhibited significantly negative effects on professional identity. Specifically, higher grades were linked to lower professional identity. Regarding intention to choose a major, professional identity rankings were as follows: first choice, other choices, and adjusted major against their intention, with the latter associated with the lowest professional identity. Additionally, poorer academic performance correlated with lower professional identity. Finally, the following regression equation was derived from the variables: Professional identity = 1.37 + 0.076*Gender-0.075*Grade-0.108*intention to choose a major-0.089*Academic performance + 0.87*Family economic situation + 0.071*herd behavior + 0.176*Prospect and Status + 0.154*value + 0.174*learning environment + 0.142*Training Objective Table 8 Multivariate linear regression model of factors associated with professional identity Model Unstandardized Coefficients Standardized Coefficients t Sig. VIF B Std. deviation Beta (Constant) 1.37 0.168 8.157 0 Gender 0.076 0.032 0.042 2.386 0.017 1.014 Grade -0.075 0.027 -0.05 -2.816 0.005 1.028 Intention to choose a major -0.108 0.021 -0.093 -5.198 0 1.026 Academic performance -0.089 0.022 -0.071 -3.958 0 1.04 Home location -0.053 0.032 -0.03 -1.632 0.103 1.095 Family economic situation 0.087 0.03 0.053 2.866 0.004 1.095 Interpersonal Relationships 0.022 0.021 0.019 1.074 0.283 1.052 Herd behavior 0.071 0.013 0.098 5.429 0 1.048 Prospect and Status 0.176 0.018 0.217 9.973 0 1.52 Value 0.154 0.015 0.223 10.526 0 1.452 Learning environment 0.174 0.014 0.247 12.337 0 1.288 Training Objectives 0.142 0.014 0.193 9.916 0 1.225 R² 0.495 F 132.825 p <0.001 a Dependent Variable: professional identity 4. Discussion This study found that the overall professional identity level among university students was high, suggesting that factors in all four dimensions influenced students' professional identity. Among these dimensions, prospect and status element was the most significant factor influencing professional identity. Within the personal dimension, the study identified that being male, in the graduating year, having lower academic performance. In the personal dimension, female students presented a more solid professional identity compared with their male counterparts. One explanation for this phenomenon could be the existence of objective differences in the psychological development of male and female students. Gur et al. (2012) revealed that females tend to outperform males in attention, word and face memory, and social cognition tests 21 . Consequently, females may be more inclined to adapt to the learning environment, adhere to teacher instructions, and cultivate professional identities. While initial gender differences stem from biological factors, they are heavily shaped by traditional cultural and social influences. In traditional Chinese culture, females were expected to embody qualities of quietude and stability, while males were encouraged to be bold, brave, and competent 22 . In the upbringing of children, parents often encourage girls to prioritize self-discipline and adopt a stable lifestyle. When choosing a study major, parents tend to provide more guidance to girls while giving boys more freedom to choose. This might explain why female students tend to seek stability and are less-inclined to embrace new challenges. In addition, we found that students with higher grades had a lower sense of professional identity, which was in line with the findings by Lai et al.(2022) 19 . This might be ascribed to the possibility that students' expectations of future occupations decline as they gain deeper awareness of the professional value and social status of their occupations 20 . Importantly, most students were studying medicine. As the students increasingly became engaged with their medical studies, the reality of extended timelines and rigorous academic demands may make them consider giving up 21 . Furthermore, senior students entering internships were more likely to experience job-related pressures. For instance, clinical medicine students undergoing internships might encounter clinicians working extended hours, requiring communication with patients and their families. Some students may discover that the real work setting and rewards do not meet their expectations, which potentially reduce their professional identity level. Our study's findings align with those of Li (2014), suggesting that students who selected their majors as their initial choices during application exhibited a higher level of professional identity compared to others. Conversely, students studying in majors that were adjusted against their intentions had the lowest level of professional identity 22 . This finding suggested that a student's professional identity was significantly influenced by their intention of major choice. To enhance both student development and teaching quality, emphasis should be placed on increasing first-choice enrollments and reducing transfers. It is crucial to improve the acceptance rate for first-choice preferences, ensuring students are admitted to the majors they are most passionate about. To facilitate informed decisions during the application process, efforts should be directed towards promoting enrollment. This includes strengthening ties with high schools and implementing other measures to provide students with comprehensive insights into universities and majors. The study by Zhou (2018) found that professional identity level was a positive predictor of achievement 23 . This is consistent with our results. Particularly, we observed that those with higher academic performance had higher professional identity level. Therefore, universities need to pay attention to students with poor academic performance and provide timely interventions to help them regain their confidence in learning In the family dimension, students living in urban areas and those in better economic situations had higher level of professional identities. There was a correlation between the two factors, with rural areas exhibiting lower economic levels compared to urban areas 24 . Moreover, in urban areas, students can easily access information and correct guidance which allows them to make better choices of majors. Moreover, urban students were less likely to experience the pressure of supporting a family, unlike their rural counterparts. Families of rural students often faced financial difficulties, with many students needing to take on part-time jobs to cover tuition expenses. As a result, urban students, who were generally more financially stable, had greater resources and faced less economic stress compared to their rural peers, contributing to their higher level of professional identity. A support system should be established to assist students with poor financial status such as provision of student loans as this will make them dedicate their time and energy on studies. Of note, our study found that the highest education level of family members did not significantly impact students' professional identity. This phenomenon may be attributed to the fact that, as children grow up, they spend less time with their families, and their sense of autonomy and centrality gradually matures 25 . When applying for universities, children played an increasingly active and proactive role, while parents only provided opinions as a reference but the final decision was entirely made by their children. Therefore, regardless of education level, family members did not have much influence on the student's professional identity. In the peer dimension, a strong correlation was observed between peer factors and professional identity. This is because university students lacked sufficient self-awareness and independence. Their worldview, life view and values were not yet defined 26 . Moreover, they exhibited a strong herd behavior and a strong sense of collective belonging. Therefore, they tend to pay extra attention to the evaluation of group members and will imitate the behavior and psychology of the group around them. As a result, their outlook on life, worldview, and even employment will be greatly influenced by the group 27 . For university students, this group mainly consisted of peers, such as classmates, roommates or friends. In line with Li et al. (2020), we found that study status, professional attitude and behavior of friends tended to influence individual professional emotion and professional behavior 28 . In addition, interpersonal connections exerted some effects on professional identity 6 . Interpersonal tensions can lead to great psychological stress and affect their normal academic life 29 . Students facing unresolved conflicts or struggling to manage negative emotions have lower professional identity may decline. Hence, it is crucial to improve the social skills of university students. Enhancing their ability to seek support from classmates and friends will not only facilitate a smoother university experience but also contribute to the development of their professional identity. In the professional circumstance dimension, results showed that prospect and status of a major had the highest influence on students’ professional identity. This indicates that nowadays university students were most concerned about the employment, compensation, and social status of their majors. Geographical, economic, and political factors have contributed to the development of conservative and stable national characteristics among the Chinese 36 . These characteristics inevitably influence their perspectives on majors and careers. A precious study reported that most people preferred to work in professions with stable incomes, high social status and good reputations, such as doctors 30 . Despite the numerous classes and lengthy training cycles, as well as the intense and stressful nature of the work after becoming a doctor, students pursuing medical majors consistently demonstrated a high level of professional identity. Even during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the complex medical environment and other issues did not decrease the confidence of medical students to their medical work 31 . Another significant factor was the adverse impact of epidemic-related anxiety on employment confidence and perception of employment situations among Chinese university students 39 . The employment landscape, influenced by various factors like the COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn, became increasingly severe and complex. The uncertainties surrounding job prospects for university graduates continued to rise. Consequently, students became more apprehensive about the employment outlook for their respective majors than in the pre-pandemic period. Universities should establish targeted career guidance centers or improve existing ones to enhance students' professional identity. Tailored classes on career planning and guidance, designed according to the characteristics of different grades, need to be implemented. These courses will assist students to define short-term and long-term life goals, formulate practical development plans aligned with their individual traits, and steering them away from confusion in their chosen majors. Appropriate utilization of orientation education is vital for reinforcing students' professional identity. There is a need to create a sense of purpose by highlighting the societal contributions of their majors, while enhancing professional self-confidence through shared success stories of accomplished alumni 41 . Demonstrating the benefits of majors, such as showcasing employment rates, promotion statistics, and student achievements in academic competitions, helps students better recognize the value of their studies and fosters a stronger sense of their professional identities. 5. Limitations The participants in this study were enrolled from a medical university in Jiangsu province, China. Due to the small sample size, some important factors, such as internship, might not be identified. Therefore, further studies are needed to determine the impact of other factors on medical university students’ professional identities in a larger sample size. Furthermore, we did not discuss in detail the significance of our results with regard to their role in improving students' professional identity level. In future, we will advance the present findings. 6. Conclusion This study investigated four dimensions influencing professional identity: family, personal, peer, and professional circumstances. All factors within these dimensions were found to significantly impact professional identity, except for the highest education level of family members in the family dimension. Consequently, several strategies to enhance professional identity were identified. Emphasis should be directed towards students exhibiting characteristics such as being male, in their graduating year, change of major against their intention, having poorer academic performance, hailing from rural areas, and experiencing economic challenges. Moreover, attention should be given to interpersonal relationships among students and their peers, as well as considerations related to majors' value, learning environment, prospect and status, and training objectives. Declarations Acknowledgements The authors wish to thank all those who participated in this study. We thank Kexue Li, Nina Song and Chengjie Song for helping to distribute the questionnaires. We would also like to thank Jeremiah Ong’achwa Machuki for polishing the English of this article. Author contributions HS conceived the study, supervised the study, revised the subsequent versions of the manuscript for important intellectual content. WY wrote, revised, and coordinated communication among authors throughout the manuscript preparation process. She also contributed to questionnaire design and collection, performed data analysis and interpretation. Both authors approved the final version of the manuscript to be published and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work. Funding This work was supported by the Xuzhou Medical University Teaching Reform Key Project(Xjyzrd202204) and Higher Education Informatization Research Program of Jiangsu Province (No.2023JSETKT042). Data avalibility statement The data that support the findings of this study are available on reasonable request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions. Ethical approval This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Xuzhou Medical University (XZMU-2022-SK005). Consent for publication Not applicable. Competing interests No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s). References Zhang X.M, Chen H.R. & Hu J.W.(2021). Research on the Training Mode of Applied Logistics Management Talents under the Background of Big Data. Logistics Technology (09),174-177. doi:10.13714/j.cnki.1002-3100.2021.09.039. Wu P.Y.(2023).The Post-epidemic Era's Post-employment Tourism Management Undergraduates' Professional Identity and Learning Satisfaction: An Analysis of Self-efficacy's Mediating Effect(MA Thesis, Shenyang Normal University).https://kns.cnki.net/kcms2/article/abstract?v=p7sfyaWOx3NK3ttgJQ-hjWY1wF_BU_LnMgdvKSwNnEb uUEI9LM4kikgcAn7duK-WWHNKifqz5hkTIBX5EnOggEi1oXEaYQNNkPblbUXt04nVI8JJuJTKF0BTNZI cvUvb&uniplatf orm=NZKPT&language=CHS [1] Harrison, Gai, Healy, & Karen. (2016). Forging an identity as a newly qualified worker in the non-government community services sector. Australian Social Work. John, L., Holland, Joseph, A., & Johnston, et al. (1993). 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(2017), Professional identity development in higher education: influencing factors, International Journal of Educational Management, Vol. 31 No. 2, pp. 189-203. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEM-05-2015-0058 Wu, C., Palmer, M. H., & Sha, K. (2020). Professional identity and its influencing factors of first-year post-associate degree baccalaureate nursing students: A cross-sectional study. Nurse education today, 84, 104227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2019.104227 Wurth, S., Sader, J., Cerutti, B., Broers, B., Bajwa, N. M., Carballo, S., Escher, M., Galetto-Lacour, A., Grosgurin, O., Lavallard, V., Savoldelli, G., Serratrice, J., Nendaz, M., & Audétat-Voirol, M. C. (2021). Medical students' perceptions and coping strategies during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: studies, clinical implication, and professional identity. 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Frontiers in psychology, 13, 816767. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.816767 Lai T., Liang W., Zhong M., Zhu P., & Li B. (2022). Current Status of Chinese Medical Students' Professional Identity After COVID-19 and the Factors That Influence It. Frontiers in psychology, 13, 816767. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.816767 Zhang, L.N. & Ma, X.L. (2016). Survey on the current situation of medical students' career identity and countermeasures. The Party Building and Ideological Education in Schools (21), 72-74. https://kns.cnki.net/kcms/detail/detail.aspx?dbcode=CJFD&dbname=CJFDLAST2016&filename=XXDJ201621021&uniplatform=NZKPT&v=2M7MF0RaBYguU7N99GvSRrYZWrc6GMi80juXm3kLOSl2jPP-ttQzOZcEcPYzAFDB Li X. The status and influencing factors of major identity of stomatological undergraduate students—an example of foshan university [J]. Chinese Journal of Conservative Dentistry,2014,24(03):184-186.DOI:10.15956/j.cnki.chin.j.conserv.dent.2014.03.001. Zhou Q. college students' professional identity research and academic performance difference[D]. Shihezi University,2018. Chen,J.M., Dong, G.Y. (2021). Analysis and research on the reasons for the differentiation of economic development between urban and rural areas in China. Practical Rural Technology (01), 47-48. https://kns.cnki.net/kcms2/article/abstract?v=3uoqIhG8C44YLTlOAiTRKibYlV5Vjs7iy_Rpms2pqwbFRRUtoUImHS9kVDVpr6C6TqaFCmPag88piG-05Rp1rPpB_XDyPGq-&uniplatform=NZKPT [1] Xiao, L. (2006). Factors affecting the application of college entrance examination. Journal of Shanghai Educational Research (11), 31-33. https://kns.cnki.net/kcms/detail/detail.aspx?dbcode=CJFD&dbname=CJFD2006&filename=SJYY200611012&uniplatform=NZKPT&v=a66gOTF4MJ7h_5ldWF_zDU7oy14yk6o4_WufUvAmPB_cTyfkV4AnKD4PfBSjdNly [1] Chen, L.J.. (2010). Analysis of the causes of herd mentality among college students.Science and Technology Information (23), 254. doi:10.16661/j.cnki.1672-3791.2010.23.141. https://kns.cnki.net/kcms2/article/abstract?v=3uoqIhG8C44YLTlOAiTRKgchrJ08w1e7_IFawAif0mz5fqtAYvNNtFJpkOrxAAElbHrCVbBdaAGGLOXY7_51zm5XZFue8Yti&uniplatform=NZKPT [1] Chen, W.X. (2020). Study on College Students’Conformity Behavior in Dormitory in Employment. Journal of Hubei Open Vocational College (01), 44-47. https://kns.cnki.net/kcms2/article/abstract?v=3uoqIhG8C44YLTlOAiTRKibYlV5Vjs7i8oRR1PAr7RxjuAJk4dHXok4oZQEXIN9rPOWyinDjnSgYBjKAl35jfEtx4FS6v4f6&uniplatform=NZKPT [1] Li L., Yang H.H..(2020). Model Construction of Factors Affecting Professional Identities of Preschool Education Students Based on Grounded Theory. Journal of Shaanxi Xueqian Normal University (08),91-99. http://sxxqsfxy.ijournal.cn/ch/index.aspx [1] Yuan Y. (2020). On the Motivation and Mitigation Strategies for College Students’ Major Transfer in China. Application-Oriented Higher Education Research (04), 28-34. https://kns.cnki.net/kcms/detail/detail.aspx?dbcode=CJFD&dbname=CJFDLAST2021&filename=YYGJ202004005&uniplatform=NZKPT&v=TV8G5YLcuJGClGhyOVSCJOfAz4QBL0Yq17p02mQY0KRGnFjOyyG7wexZfyZKGhnq Meng, J.Y. & Guo, X.M.. (2022). A study of major selection and its influencing factors in college entrance examination volunteering. Journal of China Examinations (07), 59-68. doi:10.19360/j.cnki.11-3303/g4.2022.07.010. https://www.nssd.cn/html/1/156/159/index.html?lngId=ZGKS2022007012 Zhang Q.Y., Lu R.Y., Wei J.C., Chen Y.T., Chen J., Liao C.Y. & Xu J.X.. (2011) Analysis of career identity and employment choice tendency of clinical medicine students. Journal of Anhui Medical College (02), 100-102. https://kns.cnki.net/kcms/detail/detail.aspx?dbcode=CJFD&dbname=CJFDLAST2021&filename=AHWZ202102044&uniplatform=NZKPT&v=ep7ZxhVbZNFJjVkosHftdrYPelwnFZ7xy88wDnqie2Pqh2PO8fu-98rgS_2SEZZX Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. 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Background","content":"\u003cp\u003eAs society develops, occupational classification is becoming more detailed and this has necessitated the creation of more advanced technical subjects\u003csup\u003e1\u003c/sup\u003e. Therefore, hundreds of new majors have emerged in recent years, such as Biostatistics, Biomaterial and Medical engineering. However, many university students lack in-depth understanding of their selected majors. After studying for a while, some may realize that their chosen major does not align with their initial perception, leading to a decline in their professional identities\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eProfessional identity is a social concept that is built on three key cognitive components: social categorization, social identification, and social comparison. It is a dynamic and continually evolving entity, shaped and developed through the interplay of individual, organizational, relational, political and economic factors\u003csup\u003e3\u003c/sup\u003e. Professional identity is often defined as career, occupational or even vocational identity\u003csup\u003e4\u003c/sup\u003e. It is a component of people\u0026rsquo;s overall identity and is augmented by the \"position within society\", \"interactions with others\" and their \"interpretations of experiences\"\u003csup\u003e5\u003c/sup\u003e. Medical students' professional identity level not only influences their service proficiency once they enter the medical profession but is also a crucial determinant of the success of reforms within the medical and health system\u003csup\u003e6\u003c/sup\u003e. Medical students undergo very professional training that prepares them to practice as doctors. Given the high intensity of the training that involves efforts from the society, family, and students themselves, if their professional identity is not strongly fostered, it will lead to massive loss of training costs.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt has been reported that students who harbor negative attitudes about their majors may exhibit more psychological problems and hence poor professional identity, both of which worsen their academic performance\u003csup\u003e7\u003c/sup\u003e. In addition, low professional identity not only negatively affects the students\u0026rsquo; self-perception but also becomes a major obstacle preventing the development of their majors.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTherefore, it is important to develop strategies for enhancing professional identity of university students. To achieve this, there is a need to study its influencing factors as the initial step. Identification of such factors may allow colleges and universities to effectively formulate educational policies, adjust educational contents and teaching methods, and improve the professional learning environment, thereby enhance professional identity. Investigating the professional identity of medical university students is instrumental in enhancing the overall excellence of the university. It will also generate ideas that can be leveraged to improve the quality of training and hence produce professionals who will advance the social health sector. Several studies have investigated the factors influencing university students' professional identities. In the study by Alba (2017), the influencing factors were classified into several categories as follows: social experience, educational context, perceived congruence with the profession, demographic characteristics, professional image, professional experience, personal development, and self-engagement\u003csup\u003e8\u003c/sup\u003e. WU et al. (2020) found that clinical learning experiences extending beyond eight months and a positive perception of the clinical learning environment were the dominant factors that were positively associated with professional identity\u003csup\u003e9\u003c/sup\u003e. According to Wurth et al. (2021), the influencing factors of nursing interns\u0026rsquo; professional identity include education level, the first choice of major, residential status, work atmosphere, and teacher capacity\u003csup\u003e10\u003c/sup\u003e. XU (2021) reported that the identity of college students majoring in preschool education was influenced by factors such as voluntary application, academic performance, professional interest, and early understanding of the major\u003csup\u003e11\u003c/sup\u003e. In 2021, Wang et al. found a new dimension of professional identity, referred to as professional support, and developed a scale of professional identity based on four dimensions: professional cognition, professional attachment, professional status, and professional support\u003csup\u003e12\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn recent years, studies investigating professional identity have focused on specific majors, such as nursing. However, few studies have comprehensively compared the professional identity of different majors in medical universities. In addition, it should be noted that the factors affecting professional identity will progressively change, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. In the present study, we comprehensively compared the professional identities of different majors in a medical university in China using a large sample size survey. The survey was conducted in 2022 and identified several factors influencing professional identity of students after the COVID-19 pandemic. Analysis of the results reveal differences between the current influencing factors and those reported previously. Previous studies on professional identity have not paid significant attention to the influence of students' peers, such as classmates, roommates, and friends. In this study, we considered peer-related factors as an important dimension affecting professional identity.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe aim of this study was to identify current factors influencing medical university students' professional identity. Our results provide ideas for improving their professional identities. The survey was conducted in Xuzhou Medical University, one of the universities that is scheduled for expansion in Jiangsu Province, China. There were about 13,000 full-time undergraduates and 29 undergraduate majors.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne student from each college, two teachers and two parents were interviewed using the subjectivist inductive approach\u003csup\u003e13\u003c/sup\u003e following an initial interview protocol which was designed according to previous studies \u003csup\u003e8,9,10,11\u003c/sup\u003e. The final content of the questionnaire is shown in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e. It comprised four dimensions: personal dimension, family dimension, peer dimension, and professional circumstance dimension. The personal dimension included 5 factors: gender, grade, intention to choose a major and academic performance. The family dimension included 3 factors: home location, highest education of family members and family economic status. The peer dimension included 2 factors: interpersonal relationships and herd behavior. The professional circumstance dimension included 4 factors: prospect and status, value, learning environment, and training objectives. The survey data were used for this investigation.\u003c/p\u003e\n"},{"header":"2. Method","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e2.1 Study setting and participants\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis survey research was conducted between March 10 and March 29, 2022, and targeted 1943 students from 5 grades at a medical university in China. Informed consent was obtained from all participants or, if participants were under 18, from a parent and/or legal guardian. Briefly, at the beginning of the study, all participants were informed that their participation was voluntary and that the results of the study may be used to improve the quality of teaching for various majors, promote scientific research, and enhance the international influence of our university education. All participants provided informed consent to the publication of their opinions which will be kept anonymous.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec4\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e2.2 Ethical considerations\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Xuzhou Medical University (XZMU-2022-SK005).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec5\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e2.3 Questionnaire design\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe questionnaire contained two sections.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe first section consisted of the Professional Identity Questionnaire (PIQ) developed by Brown et al.(1986)\u003csup\u003e14\u003c/sup\u003e. This tool was employed to measure the professional identity level among students. It contained 10 items which were scored on a 5-point Likert scale. The score of professional identity from low to high ranged from 1\u0026ndash;5 points and the mean value of these 10 items was calculated to represent the student\u0026rsquo;s level of professional identity.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe second section of the questionnaire comprised factors affecting professional identity. The factors were grouped into four dimensions as follows: personal, family, peer and professional circumstance. The Professional Circumstance Questionnaire (PCQ) developed by Qin (2009)\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e was used to determine the scores of professional circumstance dimension.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe reliability and validity of all scale questions (questions of PIQ and PCQ) were tested before it was administered in this survey. Through reliability analysis, the Cronbach\u0026rsquo;s Alpha of PIQ was 0.942 and the Cronbach\u0026rsquo;s Alpha of PCQ was 0.931. Alpha values of 0.70 or greater are generally considered to be acceptable, indicating good internal consistency of questionnaire or scale\u003csup\u003e15\u003c/sup\u003e. Through principal component analysis, we found that the KMO of PIQ was 0.901 and the KMO of PCQ was 0.929, higher than 0.9, indicating satisfactory validity \u003csup\u003e16\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec6\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e2.4 Data collection and analysis\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe survey was performed using electronic questionnaires.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe collected data were exported in Excel form from the questionnaire network (\u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ewww.wenjuan.com\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e). All data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics (version 26.0). The normality testing of all scale questions revealed absolute kurtosis values below 10 and absolute skewness values below 3, indicating a generally acceptable normal distribution of the data\u003csup\u003e17\u003c/sup\u003e. Consequently, the Independent-Samples T-test was employed to compare professional identity between two groups, such as male and female. The One-Way ANOVA test was utilized to compare professional identity among multiple groups, such as different grades. The Pearson correlations test was used to test for correlation between two Likert scale questions, such as testing the correlation between value and professional identity. A multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to further identify the positive and negative effects each factor on professional identity. Results were presented as unstandardized coefficients B and standardized coefficients \u0026beta; together with their significance levels. P-value\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05 was considered statistically significant.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"3. Results","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.1 Demographic characteristics and the mean value of professional identity\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eA total number of 1,943 questionnaires were distributed. Finally, 1,642 students satisfactorily completed the questionnaires, translating to a response rate of 84.5%.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e shows the summary characteristics of study participants. Among the students who participated in the study, there were 609 (37.1%) male students and 1033 (62.9%) female students. Students from five grades participated in the survey and were divided into three categories: 1st year, non-first-year and non-graduating year, graduating year. Notably, there were 911 (55.5%) students newly admitted to the university and only 70 (4.3%) students were in their graduating year.Further, 742 (45.2%) enrolled their majors as their first choice. Analysis of the data revealed that 776 (47.3%) students achieved academic performances ranging from 31\u0026ndash;70% in their classes. The highest percentage of students with family members having an undergraduate degree was 37.7%. Compared to 10.8% of students in unstable environments, a majority (71.6%) of students lived a more stable life, while 17.5% reported having a good financial status.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDemographic data and the mean value of professional identity\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVariables\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eParticipants, N (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMean\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStd. deviation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGender\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e609 (37.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.791\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.037\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1033 (62.9)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.928\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.026\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGrade\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1st year\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e911 (55.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.929\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.027\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003enon-first-year and non-graduating year\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e661 (40.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.866\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.033\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGraduating Year\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e70 (4.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.307\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.154\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIntention to choose a major\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFirst Choice\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e742 (45.2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.02\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.029\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOther Choices\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e615 (37.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.864\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.031\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAdjusted\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e285 (17.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.579\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.07\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAcademic performance\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTop 30%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e610 (37.1)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.02\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.029\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31%~70%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e776 (47.3)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.864\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.031\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBottom 30%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e256 (15.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.579\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.07\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHome location\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUrban\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e942 (57.4)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.95\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.026\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRural\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e700 (42.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.78\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.035\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"5\" rowspan=\"6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHighest education of family members\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrimary School and below\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27 (1.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.856\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJunior High School\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e233 (14.2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.889\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.056\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHigh school/junior high school/technical school\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e456 (27.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.873\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.042\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSpecialty\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e206 (12.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.832\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.061\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUndergraduate\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e619 (37.7)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.883\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.034\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMaster's degree and above\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e101 (6.2)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.934\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.089\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFamily economic situation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLiving in unstable environments\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e178 (10.8)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.561\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.08\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRelatively stable\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1176 (71.6)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.888\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.025\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFinancially well-off\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e288 (17.5)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.031\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.04\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTotal\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1642\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"5\"\u003e*N represents the number of people\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec9\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.2 Overall status of professional identity\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn the PIQ settings, professional identity scores range from 1 to 5 points representing a spectrum from low to high, with 3 points being the middle score. Analysis of data from PIQ revealed that the mean value of the students\u0026rsquo; professional identity was 3.8773, which was higher than the middle score. Therefore, overall professional identity level was considered high (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOverall status of professional identity\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eN\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMean\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003et\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ep\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eProfessional identity\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1642\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.8773\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e41.051\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.000\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec10\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.3 Influence of personal dimension factors on professional identity\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe results of the Independent-Samples T-test and the One-Way ANOVA test indicated that all factors in the personal dimension had significant effects on professional identity (p\u0026lt;0.05), i.e. there were significant differences between at least 2 options of the question. To find out which options were significantly different from each other and how they affected professional identity, pairwise comparisons were conducted and the mean value of each option were calculated.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eComparison of the mean value of each option shown in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e indicated that female students had higher professional identity level than male students. Moreover, professional identity level of graduating students was lower than that of other students. The professional identity of students whose majors were adjusted against their intention was significantly lower than that of other students, while the professional identity of students whose majors were their first choice was significantly higher than that of other students. Good academic performance was correlated with higher professional identity.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePersonal dimension factors affecting students\u0026rsquo; professional identity\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVariables\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eProfessional identity\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003et or F\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ep\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePairwise comparisons\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGender\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.79\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.91\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-3.035\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.002\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u0026lt;2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.93\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.84\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGrade\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1st year\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.93\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.82\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17.196\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u0026gt;3,2\u0026gt;3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNon- first-year and non-graduating year\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.87\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.85\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGraduating Year\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.31\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.29\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIntention of major choice\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFirst Choice\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.99\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.70\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21.777\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u0026gt;2,1\u0026gt;3,2\u0026gt;3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOther Choices\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.88\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.89\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAdjusted\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.60\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAcademic performance\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTop 30%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.02\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.72\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24.223\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u0026gt;2,1\u0026gt;3,2\u0026gt;3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31%~70%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.86\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.85\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBottom 30%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.58\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.12\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e*1 represents the first option of each column, 2 represents the second option of each column, 3 represents the third option of each column, 4 represents the fourth option of each column.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec11\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.4 The influence of factors in family dimension on professional identity\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn the family dimension, the home location and family economic situation had significant effects on professional identity (p\u0026lt;0.05), while the highest education of family members did not influence professional identity (p\u0026gt;0.05).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe mean value of each option in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e indicated that students from the urban areas had a significantly higher degree of professional identity than students from the rural areas. The better the family's economic situation, the higher the level of their professional identity.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab4\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 4\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFamily dimension factors affecting students\u0026rsquo; professional identity\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVariables\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eProfessional identity\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003et or F\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ep\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePairwise comparisons\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHome location\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUrban\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.95\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.80\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.849\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u0026gt;2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRural\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.78\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.94\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"5\" rowspan=\"6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe highest education of family members\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrimary School and below\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.86\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.78\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\" morerows=\"5\" rowspan=\"6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.217\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\" morerows=\"5\" rowspan=\"6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.956\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\" morerows=\"5\" rowspan=\"6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e/\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJunior High School\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.89\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.85\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHigh school/junior high school/technical school\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.87\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.89\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSpecialty\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.83\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.87\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUndergraduate\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.88\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.85\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMaster's degree and above\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.93\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.90\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFamily economic situation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLiving in unstable environments\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.56\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.07\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16.784\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u0026lt;2,1\u0026lt;3,\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u0026lt;3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMore stable and able to afford the normal needs of life\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.88\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.86\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFinancially well-off and able to afford everything needed for a normal life\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026plusmn;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.03\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.69\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e*1 represents the first option of each column, 2 represents the second option of each column, 3 represents the third option of each column.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec12\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.5 The influence of factors in peer dimension on professional identity\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe correlation coefficient between interpersonal relationships and professional identity was 0.122 (p\u0026lt;0.01) indicating that students who got along well with their peers had a higher level of professional identity than students who did not. The correlation coefficient between herd behavior and professional identity was 0.143 (p\u0026lt;0.01) suggesting that students whose peers had no intention of transferring to other majors had a significantly higher level of professional identity than those whose peers wanted to change their majors.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab5\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 5\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePeer dimension factors influencing students\u0026rsquo; professional identity\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInterpersonal relationships\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHerd behavior\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eProfessional identity\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePearson Correlation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.122**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.143**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSig. (2-tailed)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec13\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.6 The influence of factors in professional circumstance dimension on professional identity\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe mean value of each question in the professional circumstance questionnaire is shown in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e. Moreover, the correlation coefficients between professional identity and each of the four factors in the professional circumstance dimension were 0.522**,0.514**,0.490**,0.439** (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01, Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab7\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e), which indicated they were all significantly positively correlated with professional identity.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab6\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 6\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStudents' answers to Professional Circumstance Questionnaire\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eQuestions about the professional circumstance factors influencing\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ethe professional identity\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMean\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStd. Deviation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"5\" rowspan=\"6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eProspect\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eand Status\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22. The material treatment after graduation of my major is better\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.880\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.245\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23. The employment rate of my major is higher compared with other majors\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.858\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.222\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24. The working environment is better after graduation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.917\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.156\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e25. It is easier for my major's students to enter stable industries\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.927\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.155\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26. The social status of my major is high\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.932\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.228\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27. On the whole, the employment prospect of my major is good\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.884\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.230\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"3\" rowspan=\"4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eValue\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28. My major can realize my ideal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.632\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.355\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e29. My major can realize my self-worth\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.674\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.362\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e30. The knowledge of my major is helpful to improve my ability\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.696\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.374\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31. The major itself can attract people\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.698\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.376\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"5\" rowspan=\"6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLearning environment\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e32. The curriculum of my major studied is reasonable\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.451\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.444\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e33. The teachers of the major are appropriately configured\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.48\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.436\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e34. The learning atmosphere of the major studied is good\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.636\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.259\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e35. The teaching method of the major is appropriate\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.646\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.247\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e36. The teaching equipment and facilities of the major are perfect\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.568\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.368\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e37. I am satisfied with the basic situation of the major\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.520\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.409\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"3\" rowspan=\"4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTraining Objectives\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e38. The training goal of the major is very unclear\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.815\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.345\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e39. I can't learn anything useful in my major\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.839\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.216\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e40. The knowledge system of my major is very vague\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.760\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.341\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e41. The professional knowledge system does not meet the needs of the market\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.845\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.298\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab7\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 7\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eProfessional circumstance dimension factors influencing students\u0026rsquo; professional identity\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eProspect and Status\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eValue\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLearning environment\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTraining objectives\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eProfessional identity\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePearson Correlation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.522**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.514**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.490**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e.439**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSig. (2-tailed)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"4\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec14\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.7 Overall influence of professional identity\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo further explore the relationships between each variable's impact on the dependent variable, a multiple linear regression analysis was performed. The independent variables included gender, grade, intention to choose a major, academic performance, home location, family economic situation, interpersonal relationships, herd behavior, prospect and status, value, learning environment, and training objectives, while the dependent variable was professional identity. As shown in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab8\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e, R\u0026sup2;=0.495\u0026gt;0.3, which explained 49.5% of the variation in professional identity and indicated that the fit of this linear regression model was good. There was no multicollinearity among the independent variables, and all the VIFs were less than 5 \u003csup\u003e18\u003c/sup\u003e. This linear regression model accurately and reliably reflected the influence of independent variables on the dependent variable. The regression equation was significant, F\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;132.825, p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001, which showed that at least one of the 12 independent variables significantly affected the dependent variable of professional identity.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOf all the factors, home location (p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.103) and interpersonal relationships (p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.283) had no significant predictive effect on professional identity.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSex, herd behavior, and 4 factors of professional circumstance dimension had significantly positive effects on professional identity, which suggested that being a female student had a significant positive effect on professional identity relative to being a male student..\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA positive correlation was observed between the family's economic situation and professional identity, indicating that a better economic situation contributed to a higher professional identity. Similarly, students whose peers exhibited no inclination to transfer to other majors demonstrated a higher professional identity. Further, higher levels of prospect and status, value, a conducive learning environment, and well-defined training objectives in a major were associated with high professional identity.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eConversely, grade, intention to choose a major, and academic performance exhibited significantly negative effects on professional identity. Specifically, higher grades were linked to lower professional identity. Regarding intention to choose a major, professional identity rankings were as follows: first choice, other choices, and adjusted major against their intention, with the latter associated with the lowest professional identity. Additionally, poorer academic performance correlated with lower professional identity. Finally, the following regression equation was derived from the variables:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eProfessional identity\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;1.37\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;0.076*Gender-0.075*Grade-0.108*intention to choose a major-0.089*Academic performance\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;0.87*Family economic situation\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;0.071*herd behavior\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;0.176*Prospect and Status\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;0.154*value\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;0.174*learning environment\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;0.142*Training Objective\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab8\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 8\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMultivariate linear regression model of factors associated with professional identity\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"7\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eModel\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnstandardized Coefficients\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStandardized Coefficients\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003et\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSig.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVIF\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eB\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStd. deviation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBeta\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e(Constant)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.37\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.168\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.157\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGender\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.076\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.032\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.042\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.386\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.017\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.014\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGrade\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.075\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.027\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-2.816\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.005\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.028\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIntention to choose a major\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.108\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.021\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.093\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-5.198\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.026\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAcademic performance\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.089\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.022\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.071\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-3.958\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.04\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHome location\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.053\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.032\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.03\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-1.632\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.103\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.095\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFamily economic situation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.087\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.03\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.053\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.866\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.004\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.095\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInterpersonal Relationships\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.022\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.021\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.019\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.074\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.283\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.052\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHerd behavior\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.071\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.013\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.098\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.429\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.048\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eProspect and Status\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.176\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.018\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.217\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.973\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.52\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eValue\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.154\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.015\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.223\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.526\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.452\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLearning environment\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.174\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.014\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.247\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.337\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.288\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTraining Objectives\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.142\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.014\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.193\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.916\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.225\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"4\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eR\u0026sup2;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.495\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"4\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eF\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e132.825\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"4\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ep\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;0.001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"7\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ea Dependent Variable: professional identity\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"4. Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis study found that the overall professional identity level among university students was high, suggesting that factors in all four dimensions influenced students' professional identity. Among these dimensions, prospect and status element was the most significant factor influencing professional identity. Within the personal dimension, the study identified that being male, in the graduating year, having lower academic performance.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn the personal dimension, female students presented a more solid professional identity compared with their male counterparts. One explanation for this phenomenon could be the existence of objective differences in the psychological development of male and female students. Gur et al. (2012) revealed that females tend to outperform males in attention, word and face memory, and social cognition tests\u003csup\u003e21\u003c/sup\u003e. Consequently, females may be more inclined to adapt to the learning environment, adhere to teacher instructions, and cultivate professional identities. While initial gender differences stem from biological factors, they are heavily shaped by traditional cultural and social influences. In traditional Chinese culture, females were expected to embody qualities of quietude and stability, while males were encouraged to be bold, brave, and competent \u003csup\u003e22\u003c/sup\u003e. In the upbringing of children, parents often encourage girls to prioritize self-discipline and adopt a stable lifestyle. When choosing a study major, parents tend to provide more guidance to girls while giving boys more freedom to choose. This might explain why female students tend to seek stability and are less-inclined to embrace new challenges.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn addition, we found that students with higher grades had a lower sense of professional identity, which was in line with the findings by Lai et al.(2022)\u003csup\u003e19\u003c/sup\u003e. This might be ascribed to the possibility that students' expectations of future occupations decline as they gain deeper awareness of the professional value and social status of their occupations\u003csup\u003e20\u003c/sup\u003e. Importantly, most students were studying medicine. As the students increasingly became engaged with their medical studies, the reality of extended timelines and rigorous academic demands may make them consider giving up\u003csup\u003e21\u003c/sup\u003e. Furthermore, senior students entering internships were more likely to experience job-related pressures. For instance, clinical medicine students undergoing internships might encounter clinicians working extended hours, requiring communication with patients and their families. Some students may discover that the real work setting and rewards do not meet their expectations, which potentially reduce their professional identity level.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOur study's findings align with those of Li (2014), suggesting that students who selected their majors as their initial choices during application exhibited a higher level of professional identity compared to others. Conversely, students studying in majors that were adjusted against their intentions had the lowest level of professional identity \u003csup\u003e22\u003c/sup\u003e. This finding suggested that a student's professional identity was significantly influenced by their intention of major choice. To enhance both student development and teaching quality, emphasis should be placed on increasing first-choice enrollments and reducing transfers. It is crucial to improve the acceptance rate for first-choice preferences, ensuring students are admitted to the majors they are most passionate about. To facilitate informed decisions during the application process, efforts should be directed towards promoting enrollment. This includes strengthening ties with high schools and implementing other measures to provide students with comprehensive insights into universities and majors.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe study by Zhou (2018) found that professional identity level was a positive predictor of achievement\u003csup\u003e23\u003c/sup\u003e. This is consistent with our results. Particularly, we observed that those with higher academic performance had higher professional identity level. Therefore, universities need to pay attention to students with poor academic performance and provide timely interventions to help them regain their confidence in learning\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn the family dimension, students living in urban areas and those in better economic situations had higher level of professional identities. There was a correlation between the two factors, with rural areas exhibiting lower economic levels compared to urban areas\u003csup\u003e24\u003c/sup\u003e. Moreover, in urban areas, students can easily access information and correct guidance which allows them to make better choices of majors. Moreover, urban students were less likely to experience the pressure of supporting a family, unlike their rural counterparts. Families of rural students often faced financial difficulties, with many students needing to take on part-time jobs to cover tuition expenses. As a result, urban students, who were generally more financially stable, had greater resources and faced less economic stress compared to their rural peers, contributing to their higher level of professional identity. A support system should be established to assist students with poor financial status such as provision of student loans as this will make them dedicate their time and energy on studies.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOf note, our study found that the highest education level of family members did not significantly impact students' professional identity. This phenomenon may be attributed to the fact that, as children grow up, they spend less time with their families, and their sense of autonomy and centrality gradually matures \u003csup\u003e25\u003c/sup\u003e. When applying for universities, children played an increasingly active and proactive role, while parents only provided opinions as a reference but the final decision was entirely made by their children. Therefore, regardless of education level, family members did not have much influence on the student's professional identity.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn the peer dimension, a strong correlation was observed between peer factors and professional identity. This is because university students lacked sufficient self-awareness and independence. Their worldview, life view and values were not yet defined\u003csup\u003e26\u003c/sup\u003e. Moreover, they exhibited a strong herd behavior and a strong sense of collective belonging. Therefore, they tend to pay extra attention to the evaluation of group members and will imitate the behavior and psychology of the group around them. As a result, their outlook on life, worldview, and even employment will be greatly influenced by the group\u003csup\u003e27\u003c/sup\u003e. For university students, this group mainly consisted of peers, such as classmates, roommates or friends. In line with Li et al. (2020), we found that study status, professional attitude and behavior of friends tended to influence individual professional emotion and professional behavior\u003csup\u003e28\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn addition, interpersonal connections exerted some effects on professional identity \u003csup\u003e6\u003c/sup\u003e. Interpersonal tensions can lead to great psychological stress and affect their normal academic life\u003csup\u003e29\u003c/sup\u003e. Students facing unresolved conflicts or struggling to manage negative emotions have lower professional identity may decline. Hence, it is crucial to improve the social skills of university students. Enhancing their ability to seek support from classmates and friends will not only facilitate a smoother university experience but also contribute to the development of their professional identity.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn the professional circumstance dimension, results showed that prospect and status of a major had the highest influence on students\u0026rsquo; professional identity. This indicates that nowadays university students were most concerned about the employment, compensation, and social status of their majors. Geographical, economic, and political factors have contributed to the development of conservative and stable national characteristics among the Chinese\u003csup\u003e36\u003c/sup\u003e. These characteristics inevitably influence their perspectives on majors and careers. A precious study reported that most people preferred to work in professions with stable incomes, high social status and good reputations, such as doctors\u003csup\u003e30\u003c/sup\u003e. Despite the numerous classes and lengthy training cycles, as well as the intense and stressful nature of the work after becoming a doctor, students pursuing medical majors consistently demonstrated a high level of professional identity. Even during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the complex medical environment and other issues did not decrease the confidence of medical students to their medical work\u003csup\u003e31\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAnother significant factor was the adverse impact of epidemic-related anxiety on employment confidence and perception of employment situations among Chinese university students\u003csup\u003e39\u003c/sup\u003e. The employment landscape, influenced by various factors like the COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn, became increasingly severe and complex. The uncertainties surrounding job prospects for university graduates continued to rise. Consequently, students became more apprehensive about the employment outlook for their respective majors than in the pre-pandemic period.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eUniversities should establish targeted career guidance centers or improve existing ones to enhance students' professional identity. Tailored classes on career planning and guidance, designed according to the characteristics of different grades, need to be implemented. These courses will assist students to define short-term and long-term life goals, formulate practical development plans aligned with their individual traits, and steering them away from confusion in their chosen majors. Appropriate utilization of orientation education is vital for reinforcing students' professional identity. There is a need to create a sense of purpose by highlighting the societal contributions of their majors, while enhancing professional self-confidence through shared success stories of accomplished alumni \u003csup\u003e41\u003c/sup\u003e. Demonstrating the benefits of majors, such as showcasing employment rates, promotion statistics, and student achievements in academic competitions, helps students better recognize the value of their studies and fosters a stronger sense of their professional identities.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"5. Limitations","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe participants in this study were enrolled from a medical university in Jiangsu province, China. Due to the small sample size, some important factors, such as internship, might not be identified. Therefore, further studies are needed to determine the impact of other factors on medical university students\u0026rsquo; professional identities in a larger sample size. Furthermore, we did not discuss in detail the significance of our results with regard to their role in improving students' professional identity level. In future, we will advance the present findings.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"6. Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis study investigated four dimensions influencing professional identity: family, personal, peer, and professional circumstances. All factors within these dimensions were found to significantly impact professional identity, except for the highest education level of family members in the family dimension. Consequently, several strategies to enhance professional identity were identified. Emphasis should be directed towards students exhibiting characteristics such as being male, in their graduating year, change of major against their intention, having poorer academic performance, hailing from rural areas, and experiencing economic challenges. Moreover, attention should be given to interpersonal relationships among students and their peers, as well as considerations related to majors' value, learning environment, prospect and status, and training objectives.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgements\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors wish to thank all those who participated in this study. We thank Kexue Li, Nina Song and Chengjie Song for helping to distribute the questionnaires. We would also like to thank Jeremiah Ong\u0026rsquo;achwa Machuki for polishing the English of this article.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor contributions\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHS conceived the study, supervised the study, revised the subsequent versions of the manuscript for important intellectual content. WY wrote, revised, and coordinated communication among authors throughout the manuscript preparation process. She also contributed to questionnaire design and collection, performed data analysis and interpretation. Both authors approved the final version of the manuscript to be published and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis work was supported by the Xuzhou Medical University Teaching Reform Key Project(Xjyzrd202204) and Higher Education Informatization Research Program of Jiangsu Province \u0026nbsp;(No.2023JSETKT042).\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eData avalibility statement\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe data that support the findings of this study are available on reasonable request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthical approval\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Xuzhou Medical University (XZMU-2022-SK005).\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent for publication\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompeting interests\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eZhang X.M, Chen H.R. \u0026amp; Hu J.W.(2021). Research on the Training Mode of Applied Logistics Management Talents under the Background of Big Data. 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(2011) Analysis of career identity and employment choice tendency of clinical medicine students. Journal of Anhui Medical College (02), 100-102. https://kns.cnki.net/kcms/detail/detail.aspx?dbcode=CJFD\u0026amp;dbname=CJFDLAST2021\u0026amp;filename=AHWZ202102044\u0026amp;uniplatform=NZKPT\u0026amp;v=ep7ZxhVbZNFJjVkosHftdrYPelwnFZ7xy88wDnqie2Pqh2PO8fu-98rgS_2SEZZX\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Medical University, Professional identity, Influencing factors, China","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-3955098/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3955098/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBackground: \u003c/strong\u003eCurrently, university students lack in-depth understanding of the diverse study fields which decreases their professional identity. Therefore, strategies aimed at improving students’ professional identity need to be formulated. This study aimed to determine the current factors influencing medical university students' professional identity. The findings of this research will provide ideas for improving the professional identity level of university students.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMethods: \u003c/strong\u003estudents at a medical university in China participated in a survey in 2022. In the first part of the survey, a Professional Identity Questionnaire was used to determine their professional identity level as the dependent variable. In the second part of the survey, four dimensions including personal, family, peer and professional circumstance were investigated as the independent variables. Subsequently, the correlations between factors and professional identity were explored, as well as the degree of influence each factor on professional identity.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResults: \u003c/strong\u003eThe analysis showed that all dimensions affected the professional identity of the students. Students with one of the following characteristics were found having lower professional identity level than others: male, in the graduating year, poor academic performance, change of major against their intention,with poor academic performance, from rural areas, and in poor economic status, students who cannot get along well with their peers and students whose peers had intention to change their majors. All factors of professional circumstance dimension had significantly positive influences on professional identity, with the prospect and status element having the most significant effect.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConclusions:\u003c/strong\u003eStudents with one of the following characteristics should be paid attention: male, in graduating year, change of major against their intention, with poor academic performance, from rural areas, and in poor economic status. The interpersonal relationship between students and their peers also deserve attention as well as the majors' value, learning environment, training objectives, prospect and status. Several initiatives should be developed and implemented to enhance students’ professional identity according to the above results.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Factors influencing the professional identity of students in medical university: a cross-sectional study","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-02-26 10:17:33","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-3955098/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"aa01f8d0-5136-42b8-a17d-7cd8fe295c8f","owner":[],"postedDate":"February 26th, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2024-11-08T09:08:51+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2024-02-26 10:17:33","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-3955098","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-3955098","identity":"rs-3955098","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"7rjqhiLT3MXkJMwkYKINL","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}