Abstract
Problems in the learning and identity development of nursing staff have been effectively
captured by the theory of participation in communities of practice proposed by
Lave and Wenger (1991). However, the changes in the identity of each nursing learner
who lives multiple social contexts, and the process by which other non-nursing social
contexts influence their identity have not been studied. In this study, interviews were
conducted with 2 nursing students, 5 times a year during their clinical training. The
changes in the identity of nursing students were examined by the positioning analysis
(Davies & Harr´e, 1990; Harr´e & van Langenhove, 1999), where identity is regarded
as the positioning of the self that is shown in an interview. Findings revealed that
one student had changed her position as a member of a marginal group in the nursing
school to a member of the group of nursing apprentices during clinical practice.
Another student had positioned himself as a member of the nursing community since
the beginning. However, there was a conflict in the positioning of nurse and student
during clinical practice. Two changes were thought to be related to their current and
past social contexts, namely their history of participation in communities of practice.
Finally, with reference to the ethics of care in education, the relationship between the
education and understanding of the learner’s history are discussed.
