Sessions /
Higher Education Academic Identity Formation and Educator Implications #1006

Higher education is an important time in students’ lives, as it coincides with their identity construction of who they are and want to become. A review of the literature reveals students’ academic identity encompasses and relates to both psychological, internal aspects (beliefs, self-worth, and self-efficacy) and sociocultural/contextual factors (social interactions with peers/teachers, home-culture relevance, sense of belonging and acceptance). The kind of academic identity students develop ultimately shapes how they perceive learning and school, influences their behaviors and choices, and affects their overall academic achievement. Thus, it is imperative for educators to be aware of the various factors that influence students’ academic identity, as well as to design their curriculum and classroom instruction to best cultivate it. This literature review focuses on a discussion of four notable identity theories and concludes with educator implications and strategies to better foster students’ academic identity within our classrooms.