Creativity-generating research styles and professional identity among doctoral students in China's Greater Bay Area

Abstract

<p>This study explored the contributions of doctoral students’ research styles to their professional identity. Moreover, it examined the psychometric properties of the newly constructed Professional Identity of Doctoral Students Inventory (PIDSI) and six slightly modified scales from the Thinking Styles Inventory-Revised II (TSI-R2) for measuring research styles. Participants were 203 doctoral students from nine universities in China's Greater Bay Area. A four-dimension (i.e., self-identification, professional knowledge, core competence, and career multiplicity) 18-item PIDSI was established, and the psychometric properties of the six TSI-R2 scales measuring doctoral students’ research styles were ascertained. Additionally, the research styles (i.e., the legislative, hierarchical, and liberal research styles) positively contributed to self-identification, professional knowledge, and core competence beyond the contributions of demographics. The monarchic style, a norm-conforming research style, negatively predicted self-identification and professional knowledge. These findings enrich the literature and have practical implications for doctoral students, supervisors, and university senior managers.<br></p>