Shaping Of Value-Motivation Sphere Of Future Socionomic Specialists

Abstract

The article presents findings of longitude research of university students’ value-motivation sphere, shows the motive changing dynamics in the process of professional establishment and gives recommendations for shaping and increasing professional motivation in view of age dynamics. The authors found the periods of rise and decline of motivation of students of socionomic specialties. Social activity is a powerful resource for the formation of professional culture of first-year students, but these students idealize the chosen specialty, can’t accurately assess the prospects for the future profession. The desire for material benefits motivates second-year students. The authors found a significant decrease in motivation for learning activities and increasing desires to relax, have fun. It is necessary to make sure that the hobby and leisure of students also helped them to form some professional competence. The third year is a turning point in the formation of professional culture, because there is a desire to achieve great success in the chosen profession. By the third year, the value of family and family life increases. Third-year students are striving for self-development and self-improvement, as they begin to understand the fact that it is impossible to stand still. It is in the third year there is a rise in research activity of students. Education in the fourth year is characterized by the fact that students deepen and strengthen the confidence that to succeed in their professional activities need to develop themselves. This knowledge can improve the efficiency of the educational process at the University.

Keywords: Educational-professional activitiessocionomic specialitiesvalue-motivation sphere

Introduction

Klimov (2004) suggests dividing professions into five types according to the labour object, one of which being the «person - person» type. This group of socionomic professions presents special requirements to professional competences and personal qualities of specialists working in that field. The requirements primarily include creative thinking, emotional intellect, following ethical norms and principles in humanistic attitude towards people, tolerance and love of fellow men. The above-mentioned values sometimes contradict those of modern pragmatic, materially oriented society (Sokolova, Pylkin, Safonova, & Stroganova, 2017; Gashkova, Berezovskaya, & Shipunova, 2017), that is why students specializing in socionomic field are not always ready later to meet their professional tasks in practice (Kashapov, 2011; Kiseleva & Oparin, 2015). At the professionals having similar motivation the syndrome of emotional burning out develops over time (Kashapov, Kiseleva, & Ogorodova, 2016). The result is the outflow of young specialists - graduates from socionomic departments, such as teachers, social workers, doctors and psychologists. In view of this, it is extremely important not only to shape students’ professional skills, but also pay special attention to forming value motivation sphere of future socionomic specialists.

Problem Statement

The problem of shaping a specialist, a professional in his field, has always been the key subject of psychological analysis of activity. Professional success of a specialist, especially a beginner, depends very much on the quality of pedagogical activity of his mentors. Analysis of theoretical basis of pedagogical thinking and formation revealed certain regularities and psychological mechanisms responsible for the efficiency of mentor’s personality and his thinking influence on the quality of professional training of his students (Bobkova & Bobkov, 2014; Shadrikov, 2010). Teachers thinking and acting creatively can not only see the «point of his student’s personality and professional growth», but also find adequate means of his creative potential research realization. Such a mentor creates ways of reaching the top of his professional development himself and engineers conditions for self-realization of his students (Dweck, 2004). The acme of professional development (professional acme) is characterized by the psychic condition designating the top level of professional and personality development at a given time (Maslow, 1954; McClelland, 1987; Keller, 2010; Almazova, Khalyapina, & Popova, 2017).

The civic acme, as the conquered summit of civic maturity formed through both spontaneous and purposeful development, integral personal quality formed in socio-cultural conditions and providing for successful social and professional self-realization, becomes especially important for representatives of socionomic professions. This quality of teacher, primarily his thinking peculiarities, manifest most clearly in the process of solving pedagogical problems (Molaee, 2016; Thomas, 2011). It is in such situations that basic characteristics of both teachers and students are completely revealed. One such characteristic is value-motivation sphere peculiarities.

We share the view of Frade and colleagues that that motivation constituent plays the main role in professional establishment; it is especially important when we look into education and professional activities of students (Frade & Veiga, 2014a, 2014b, 2017). Motivation has a great influence on acquiring and using your profession; transformation of normative activity and ways for its realization into creative one; defining personalized meaning of your activity. Working purposefully on formation of socionomic profession specialists one needs to lean on a theory clearly and soundly showing regularities of formation and transformation of students’ motives and values. System genetic approach worked out by Shadrikov (2010) provides for holding system research and, if necessary, introducing purposeful corrections in the teaching and education process, as far as forms, methods and, maybe, contents of professional education are concerned.

According to Shadrikov’s theory of system genesis (2010), there are six key components defining activity formation. From the standpoint of activity functional system, he worked out a model for professional standard of pedagogical activity as a system of requirements to knowledge, skills, abilities and personal qualities of teachers (their competence) allowing for the integral pedagogical activity and defining its success.

The basic change required in pedagogical education should lead to the process of learning aimed at a final result. The essence of pedagogical education is not in giving students certain information, but in forming competencies without which teachers would not be able to work at school.

The project of the standard consists of six parts – «Personality qualities», «Setting up goals and tasks of pedagogical activity», «Motivation in learning activity», «Information competence», «Working out programmes of pedagogical activity and making pedagogical decisions», «Education activity organization competences». The project offers a vector for the development of pedagogical education, so that universities could go ahead and education content be appropriate to the goals of teachers training. The proposed project has accumulated the experience gained by Shadrikov through his years of work.

The research held by Shadrikov and his colleagues (2010) proved that in the course of professionalization, the component content of abilities structure keeps changing and degree of separate component bonds keeps increasing. Abilities are engaged in activity and develop in the course of it mostly due to being endowed with efficiency features. They are restructured and completed according to specific activity goals, in view of its conditions and goals to be achieved.

Shadrikov (2010) recognizes the considerable role of value-motivation sphere as a means of realizing the spiritual principle in programmes for educating and developing the creative personality of a professional and citizen. He believes that spirituality unites conscious and subconscious. Until recently, spirituality has been seen as something irrational and subjective, beyond measurement and learning. Nowadays, this sphere of centuries-old experience of mankind is defined as a certain deep dimension with its own inner orderly structure and external manifestation through various influences on the life of man and society.

Shadrikov (2010) points out three criteria of cognitive ability efficiency: productivity, quality and reliability. Productivity is the amount of product made in a given period of time, speed of doing this or that job. Quality is correspondence of the activity results to the requirements. Reliability is ability to perform the required functions in the given period of time (quality aspect) and probability of performing these functions within the given time under the given conditions (quantity aspect). For the purposive formation of specialists in socionomics trade it is necessary to present the regularity of student’s motives and values formation that would allow to make adjustments in forms, methods, technologies of educational process (Cardosoa, Correiab, Rodriguesc, Felizardod, & Lopese, 2016).

Nowadays, in view of optimization of learning and cognitive activity, studying professional motivation of future specialists, acquiring new professions, as well as dynamics of its formation in the process of university studies is becoming most important. The actuality of research is defined by the need to increase the motivation of educational and professional activity of students. Comprehension of various motivation aspects of students’ learning, including cognitive and metacognitive ones, is of great importance for the increase of efficiency of university education. In that case, we see it appropriate to talk not as much of educational, but of educational and professional motivation, for the goal of higher education is preparedness of students as future specialists for creative solution of professional tasks.

Research Questions

In the course of research, the following points had to be worked out:

• What the dynamics of value orientation of socionomic students is;

• What the stages of educational-professional motivation formation are;

• What the specifics of motivation at various stages of learning are;

• What the ways (means) of value-motivation sphere formation among future specialists of socionomic field are

Purpose of the Study

The object of research was formation of value orientation and educational-professional motivation of students of various socionomic training (social workers, youth counsellors, psychologists and social pedagogues).

Research task – detecting the dynamics of educational-professional motivation and value orientation among 1st-4th year university students.

Research Methods

Research methods: Senin’s questionnaire of terminal values, Mehrabyan’s Test-questionnaire (M.Sh.Magomed-Eminov version), mathematical statistic methods.

Findings

In order to get an idea of basic motives influencing the formation of professional intentions, skills and competences, we have analysed the dynamics of value-motivation sphere among students during their 4 years of study to obtain a bachelor’s degree majoring in «Social work», «Youth counselling», «Psychology and social pedagogics». Getting education, including a university degree is the leading value only during the first year (t=1,64), further on, with each passing year the importance of this criteria in professional establishment keeps decreasing, to reach one of the lowest points in value-motivation structure of graduates, being above only one other criteria of «personal prestige» (t=2,01). It may be related to the insufficient practical orientation of university studies, when students do not see or understand how the degree obtained might help them in future life.

On the whole, first year students look rather favourable as compared to others. They want to be involved in the public life of their department, be useful, participate in volunteer activities (t=1,58), tend to establish new social contacts (t=2,103), dwell on spiritual values (t=1,65). Perhaps, compared to active educative work at school, universities look less successful, which leads to a certain one-sidedness in the formation of a future professional personality. This idea is especially significant when we talk of educating socionomic (assisting) specialists.

During the second year, students tend to reorient towards material values (t=-1,449) and increase their own prestige (t=-1,646). Such tendency is due to the fact that second-year students, inspired by the experience gained from practical things, start to be self-demanding, wishing to see themselves as professionals able to get paid. On the other hand, the same system of values makes the students who do not comprehend the prestige of their chosen profession start looking for quicker and more available ways to increase their material welfare.

While comparing the values of first- and second-year students, we managed to discover another tendency – the value of hobbies increases (t=-1,797). At a first glance, these results seem confusing: how can hobbies be related to professional activity? Observing second-year students, we understood that for them the process of adaptation to university course of studies is over, and they begin searching for balance between their studies and personal interests and hobbies. Such pastime as KVN (Club of Funny and Inventive People), creative contests (vocal, choreography) are widely spread among students. Second-year students try themselves at various teams, make media reports and many other things, therefore, the wider and richer extra-curriculum activities at the university are, the higher students motivation is, though being of unsystematic nature.

According to our research results, the crucial point in the formation of a future professional’s motivation nucleus is the third-year of a bachelor’s course of studies. First of all, material values start dominating among students (t=-1,99). Combined with need for achievements, it leads to re-orientation of their activity – students look for part-time or full-time job, as well as practice base, which would provide for a quick breakthrough and material well-being. They prove not to be ready for gradual acquiring of both professionalism and material welfare. This well explains the fact that full-time students switch over to correspondence (distant) education and find employment at such places as bars, cafes, restaurants, shops, regardless of their future profession. By the third year, students’ interest in their hobbies and public activities which used to increase during their second year tends to drop (t=1,797). It might be related to the fact that having had their fun during the second year, third-year students start thinking about their future profession more seriously during their education and field training.

Another definite thing was revealed in the course of research (t=1,67): the increase of family values by the third year of studies. Students of both sexes start thinking about and planning families, some of them get married. On the one hand, this motive can be seen as an obstacle to professional development, on the other hand, since we are evaluating socionomic specialists, those who have no experience in communication and overcoming problems in their own families will have difficulty in giving social, pedagogical, psychological and any other help to other people.

Third year students manifest significant differences with first-years and seniors as far as individuality being a value in itself (t=1,497). Preserving your own individuality, as well as manifesting yourself as a personality and professional, shows the desire to be independent from other people. This can be interpreted as professional growing-up, so it is important for students to keep their unique personality, views and convictions, style of life, trying to avoid being dependent on mass tendencies. This factor might be a condition for increasing prestige among third year students.

The value of social life is definitely different among third year students (t=-2,25). Participating in social life, these students try to obtain useful contacts and connections, which might turn out handy for future employment, and try to obtain a certain authority, therefore, it is especially valuable when social life intermingles with future professional activity. Since we are analysing the value-motivation sphere of future socionomic specialists, it makes sense to try and understand how social and professional spheres combine. It may be volunteer work at orphanages, residential schools, social rehabilitation centres etc.

Another important change taking place during the third year is comprehending the importance of self-development (t=-2,486). Under the circumstances, while communicating with professionals at practical training and analysing their own life experience, third-year students come to understand the fact that to be successful one has to keep moving. It is during the third year that students participate more in scientific conferences, contests, scientific-research work.

On the other hand, from the first to the third-year students definitely tend to value their chosen future profession as less and less prestigious (t=1,901). Students stop looking through rose-coloured glasses, start to evaluate the prospects of their future profession and employment in a more realistic and rational way. On the one hand, it is a great step in the process of professional formation. But, on the other hand, this may explain a wave of students quitting during the third year, when young people comprehend that their teenage ideas of the profession do not coincide with reality, and one should find a profession to his or her taste while there’s still time.

Fourth year studies show no significant changes in motivation sphere, with motives of material welfare and family values still dominating. Undergraduates tend to achievements in various fields and manifestation of their individualities; there is a tendency of increasing interest in social life.

During the fourth year, students become more assured that self-development is vital for being successful in professional activity (t=-1,650). In the course of research, it was discovered that motivation to education and training tends to decrease through different years of studies, after being inspired by the first professional practice students get disappointed in the profession chosen. Later on, different values become dominating, distracting students from study process, making them look for obtaining material welfare through other professions or, in extreme cases, give up studying for a degree.

Analysis of the research results proves the necessity to do purposeful developing work aimed at motivating students to being educated for the profession chosen. In view of that, we have worked out a conceptual model of educational programme, which became the basis for a technology of psychological training encouraging students to choose socionomic professions and creating a need for educational-professional motivation. Psychological training within university walls seems to be the most efficient method of students’ professional motivation development through acquiring, analysing and re-evaluating their life experience within group interaction. Since professional- and personality development of university students directly depends on the values and personal senses they find in professional activity, we have stressed out the tasks of encouraging students to strive for self-knowledge, professional self-identification and professional personality identification in the course of university studies. Understanding and comprehension of personal and professionally important qualities, abilities and chances for professional development by students contributed to enriching the content of study process and meaningful ties. Through self-knowledge, students became better orientated in value-motivation content of the conscience. Emerging of and comprehending a meaningful professional goal, idea and sense, that is, meaningful professional component, served as an important condition for professional and personality development of students.

Technically, as part of professional training of university students, such training sessions can be held within the framework of psychological and pedagogical cycle, for instance optional subjects or through university psychological service, in students’ free time. The training session included tasks aimed at working out a positive image of future professions for each participant. The general goals of the training were: giving students systematic knowledge on the advantages of their future profession; developing through reflection of their personality peculiarities and emotional manifestations; analysis of professional orientation; development of identification with their profession.

The diagnostic results received at control point brought favourable response from students in the sphere of educational-professional activity motivation. There are considerable changes in students’ approach to definition of the significance of their future profession, its value and personality meaningfulness for each of them, as well as motives of professional activity. The data obtained proves the success of purposeful development of educational-professional motivation among university students.

Generalization of obtained empiric data allows for pointing out the following acmeological professionalism invariants: basic qualities and skills of a professional, providing for high productivity and stability of any activity regardless of its content and specifics. Acmeological invariants of professionalism are primarily displayed in the value-motivation sphere of future specialists in socionomic field. They act as inner incentives providing for active self-development of specialists and realization of their creative potential.

Acmeological invariants of professionalism have been revealed in the course of comparative analysis on the level of general and peculiar basic factors, providing high efficiency and reliability of activity of “person-person”, “person-team”, “person-large social groups”.

Acmeological invariants of professionalism can be: general, that is completely independent of specific activity: creative thinking, high level of self-regulation, ability to make decisions and steady sphere of images; specific or peculiar, reflecting to some extent the character of professional activity: social insight, sociability and communicative skills, ability to influence psychologically. Therefore, defining general and specific acmeological invariants is the basis for developing value-motivation sphere of future specialists in socionomic field.

Conclusion

The results of research are of special importance, because in the course of comparing professional motivation parameters among students of various specialities the dynamics of basic motives has been revealed. The obtained results help broaden theoretical knowledge of students motivation social and psychological factors, as well as pave the way for further optimization of conditions for full-scale personality development in the course of university studies. Considering the students’ educational and professional motivation patterns contributes to increasing the efficiency of university educational process

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