The graduation thesis explores how social work students at the Faculty of Social Work understand the meaning of the professional identity in social work. The social work profession was facing with providing the proper professional status in the past but today it is facing with providing the proper professional identity in the scientific field. Professional identity can be defined as the internalized values, mission, and skills of a particular profession by which the individual presents himself as a professional. In social work, a professional identity describes how social workers present themselves as social workers. Due to the devalued and stigmatized role that the social work profession has on a global scale, the research on how to improve the process of developing a strong and positive professional identity is of great importance. The research presents that social work students are aware about what the professional identity is and can clearly identify the role and factors that influence the development of the professional identity. They emphasise on the importance of their professional identity for further career and professional development as well as for their interdisciplinary cooperation. Consequently, social work students show a need for receiving more knowledge about the professional identity in social work. It is recommended that the topic of the professional identity in social work is addressed more frequently and directly in the future because more recognition about its contribution is needed.
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