| In order to better understand the development of chemistry graduate students throughout the research phase of their Ph.D. degrees, we conducted a study on graduate students' self-concept of being chemists. This research is motivated by our previous results that forming identities as chemists is a key step in the transformation of organic chemistry graduate students from laboratory technicians into practicing chemists. In this research study, analytical, inorganic, and physical chemistry graduate students participated in a single, semi-structured interview designed to probe how their beliefs on what it means to know and practice chemistry affect their graduate training. Results from these interviews will be presented along with previous results from our work with organic chemistry graduate students.;Although research has been conducted in other professional fields, such as medicine, nursing, law, and teaching, there has been little research done relating professional identity development to the chemical sciences. How and when professional identity is formed in chemistry graduate students is an essential component of becoming a practicing chemist. Our research investigates, from the perspectives of the students, the identity formation of chemistry graduate students at a large, publicly-funded, Southeastern university. This thesis will primarily focus on the professional identity development of chemists, through means of interviewing graduate students in the four traditional areas of chemistry. |
