Associations between the identity domains of future plans and education, and the role of a major curricular internship on identity formation processes

Abstract

Introduction: Experiences during the last years of college could stimulate identity formation processes within and across the domains of future plans and education. In the present study, the first research question addressed how identity formation dimensions for education and future plans were associated with each other during the last years in education. The second research question addressed whether identity processes (i.e., identity levels, changes herein, and the associations among identity variables between and within domains) would be different for students who were doing an internship versus those who did not. Method: We used a longitudinal design with three measurement occasions. Participants were Dutch psychology college students (N = 287; 83.3% women; M age = 21.8 years, SD = 2.0). We used two different self-report instruments to measure identity processes (i.e., commitment and exploration) in the domains of future plans and education. Results: We found that commitments in the domains of future plans and education were significantly associated. Enrollment in a practical internship was largely unrelated to identity processes, as it did not explain individual differences in identity levels, changes herein and associations between and within domains. Conclusions: Our results suggest integration between educational identity and future plans for commitment processes. At a group level, a practical internship in itself did not explain individual differences in identity processes.