The underlying purpose of higher education lies in enhancing the well-being of society and in supporting the development of relevant professional skillsets that adhere to a level of professionalism in students so they may address social needs. Although universities and academic disciplines focus on the development of students' professionalism with the goal of enhancing their abilities to engage knowledge and skillsets within communities, professionalism and its components represent a wide spectrum of ideas and are not clearly defined in higher education. Presented as three journal-ready manuscripts, the dissertation consists of the following three chapters which include theoretical and practical examinations of professionalism. The first manuscript (Chapter 2) proposes a conceptualized three-dimensional framework for the development of professionalism in higher education. The three dimensions include domain-specific knowledge and skills, communication with epistemology, and responsibility with reflection. Implications for instruction in higher education are discussed. The following two manuscripts consist of two empirical studies to examine how professionalism is perceived by students and professors. In the second manuscript (Chapter 3), a qualitative study is employed to understand four incoming graduate students perceptions of professionalism and learning experiences that promote their development. The findings indicate that community-engaged and interdisciplinary collaborative experiences support the development of professionalism of graduate students. The third manuscript (Chapter 4) reports findings of interviews with three professors in a research institution to understand their perceptions of professionalism and experiences that promoted their development throughout their careers. Findings imply that professors understanding the impact research activities can have on societies, making meaning of their work through research, and interdisciplinary collaborative real-world experiences are related to how they perceive professionalism. The dissertation concludes with overall implications of the three studies, and limitations and suggestions for future research in Chapter 5.
