Exploring Factors Affecting Professional Identity of the New Generation of Chinese Seafarers

Based on semi-structured interviews, empirical analysis, and existing research results, this paper identifies four dimensions of factors that affect professional identity of the new generation of Chinese seafarers. This is established through exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The factors of analysis are professional prestige, professional characteristics, professional development, and social interaction. A scale with sound validity and reliability has been developed accordingly to serve as a tool for evaluating these factors. Investigations were done by means of questionnaires, T test and variance analysis approaches, were used to analyze the influence of seafarers’ backgrounds with focus on their professional identity. The feedback obtained from a total of 426 seafarer respondents is used to test whether there are any significant differences in marriage status, only-child status, and age, as well as the length of sea service. The findings of the present study show that the critical factors that influence these include diminishing salary advantage over shore, uncertainty of career development, and inconvenience of communication with the external world.