Identity matters: Validation of the professional identifcation scale in a sample of teachers in South Africa during the Covid 19 pandemic

Abstract

Professional identity has been linked to organizational outcomes such as job performance and commitment, as well as health and well-being indices such as burnout and depression. Professional identity is a powerful mechanism that can be afected by social and environmental factors. It is therefore important to establish a reliable and valid measurement of professional identity that is useful in diferent contexts. The current study examines the psychometric properties of Brown’s Professional Identifcation Scale (PIS) using three diferent but complementary approaches: classical test theory, Mokken analysis, and Rasch analysis. The study participants (N=355), school teachers recruited from all over South Africa, completed the PIS, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, and the Teacher Satisfaction Scale. The reliability and validity of a reduced 8-item version of the PIS was confrmed.