Identity formation in educational settings: A critical focus for education in the 21st century

There is growing recognition that identity formation must become an important focus in education. Particularly in the 21st century, when modes of knowledge construction and accessibility to different types of knowledge are rapidly increasing and diversifying, academic learning cannot be divorced from students’ development of values, goals, social roles, and worldviews. The articles in this special issue present a diverse collection of research on students’ identity formation in educational settings. Yet, despite the diversity in perspectives, educational contexts, samples, and research and analytic methods, all of the articles highlight the role of the educational context in identity formation processes. We begin this introduction with a brief review of the increasing attention to identity formation in education. We follow with synopses of each of the articles in this special issue.

► Identity formation must be a focus in education in the 21st century. ► The special issue presents diversity of articles on identity formation in educational settings. ► Research on identity formation in education highlights the role of context in identity processes.