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АКМЕОЛОГИЯ ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ
Известия Саратовского университета. Новая серия. Серия: Акмеология образования. Психология развития. 2022. Т. 11, вып. 2 (42). С. 100-111
Izvestiya of Saratov University. Educational Acmeology. Developmental Psychology, 2022, vol. 11, iss. 2 (42), рр. 100-111
https://akmepsy.sgu.ru https://doi.org/10.18500/2304-9790-2022-11-2-100-111
Article
Developing the individual teaching style in foreign language teacher training universities
G. N. Nikitina
Saratov State University, 83 Astrakhanskaya St., Saratov 410012, Russia
Galina N. Nikitina, dimgalnick2@yandex.ru, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2941-287X
Abstract. The present study is of relevance due to the necessity to develop an individual style of professional activity of intending teachers or their individual teaching style (ITS). This necessity is determined by the social and cultural significance of the phenomenon under study and by the rapid pace of changes happening in the educational context today. The purpose of the study is theoretical interpretation of the concept of ITS of intending foreign language (FL) teachers and of its social and cultural significance in the context of teacher training case study. The author hypothesizes that to a large extent the ITS of intending teachers is formed within the framework of the professional courses in the first three years of the university studies. An important condition that contributes to the effective ITS development is the use of practical training, quasi-professional activities, analysis of professional tasks and case-study in the educational process, creation of the digital environment to support students' individual professional growth. The prevailing design of the study is of a qualitative nature. However, the applied methods of observation and statistical analysis are implemented, too. The research methods include theoretical justification of the key concept of the work through comparative analysis, interpretation, classification and specification, case study and experience analysis of the ways a FL teacher training programme is implemented. The case study is based on the survey results. The survey was carried out on a sample of the 3rd- and 4th-year students of the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Linguodidactics of Saratov State University (methodology by A. M. Markova and A. Ya. Nikonova was implemented, the sample size was n = 126 people). As a result, the article specifies the concept of ITS for the context of FL teacher training, identifies the components of the ITS hierarchical structure, and singles out particular factors and methods of ITS development at the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Linguodidactics. Our results cast a new light on the phenomenon under study in the context of FL teacher training. The initial hypothesis was confirmed, since the research revealed no strong correction of the ITS of the 4th-year students in correlation to the data collected for the 3rd-year students.
Keywords: individual teaching style, teaching, teaching proficiency, foreign language learning
For citation: Nikitina G. A. Developing the individual teaching style in foreign language teacher training universities. Izvestiya of Saratov University. Educational Acmeology. Developmental Psychology, 2022, vol. 11, iss. 2 (42), рр. 100-111. https://doi.org/10.18500/2304-9790-2022-11-2-100-111
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0)
Научная статья УДК 37.07:159.943
Особенности формирования индивидуального стиля деятельности в процессе подготовки учителя иностранного языка
Г. А. Никитина
Саратовский национальный исследовательский государственный университет имени Н. Г. Чернышевского, 410012, Россия, г. Саратов, ул. Астраханская, д. 83
Никитина Галина Александровна, кандидат педагогических наук, доцент, заведующий кафедрой английского языка и методики его преподавания, dimgalnick2@yandex.ru, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2941-287X
Аннотация: Актуальность исследования обусловлена необходимостью формирования индивидуального стиля профессиональной деятельности (ИСПД) будущих учителей. Это определяется социокультурной значимостью данного явления и быстрыми темпами изменения того контекста, в котором осуществляется образовательный процесс сегодня. Целью исследования стало теоретическое обоснование понятия и социокультурной значимости ИСПД будущего учителя иностранного языка в контексте существующей практики подготовки учителей. Предполагаем, что в значительной степени ИСПд будущих учителей формируется в рамках дисциплин профессионального цикла уже на первых трех курсах вуза. Важным условием эффективности данного процесса являются включение в учебный процесс практической подготовки, квазипрофессиональной деятельности, анализа профессиональных задач и кейс-ситуаций, создание цифровой среды индивидуального профессионального развития. Преобладающий дизайн исследования носит качественный, теоретико-прикладной характер. Методами исследования стали теоретическое обоснование ключевого понятия работы посредством сравнительного анализа, интерпретации, типологизации и конкретизации, анализ опыта реализации образовательной программы подготовки учителя иностранного языка, который мы обобщили путем опроса студентов 3-го и 4-го курсов факультета иностранных языков и лингводидактики (методика исследования индивидуального стиля педагогической деятельности А. М. Марковой и А. Я. Нико-новой, объем выборки n = 126 чел.). В результате было конкретизировано понятие ИСПД в контексте подготовки будущего учителя иностранного языка, выявлены составляющие иерархической структуры индивидуального стиля, а также факторы и способы его формирования на факультете иностранных языков и лингводидактики. Полученные результаты позволяют по-новому оценить возможность построения модели развития ИСПД учителя в контексте современного иноязычного образования. Исходное предположение нашло свое подтверждение, поскольку сильной коррекции ИСПД студентов 4-го курса в сравнении с данными по 3-му курсу выявлено не было. Ключевые слова: индивидуальный стиль профессиональной деятельности, педагогическая деятельность, компетентность учителя, иноязычное образование
Для цитирования: Nikitina G. A. Developing the individual teaching style in foreign language teacher training universities [Никитина Г. А. Особенности формирования индивидуального стиля деятельности в процессе подготовки учителя иностранного языка] // Известия Саратовского университета. Новая серия. Серия: Акмеология образования. Психология развития. 2022. Т. 11, вып. 2 (42). С. 100-111. https://doi.org/10.18500/2304-9790-2022-11-2-100-111
Статья опубликована на условиях лицензии Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY 4.0)
Introduction
The style of any specialist's activity, including a teacher, is somehow connected with their adaptation to certain professional situations. The generalized analysis of different approaches to the interpretation of the concept "a professional activity style" shows that this concept can be considered in a broad context as a particular activity component. In this respect, it has no connection with the personality of an individual or, in other words, of the subject of the activity. At the same time, there is another approach to the interpretation of the concept associated with the specialist's personal, individual attitudes, sets, values, level of intellectual reflection, thinking style, emotional characteristics, stress resistance, etc. In this study, we consider the individual style of a teacher's professional activity. The emphasis here is not only on the psychological interpretation of the concept, but also on the pedagogical aspect of its understanding, as well as on the study of its development in a pedagogical university in the context of its social and cultural significance. Thus, Yu. P. Povarenkov, raising the question of the individual style development of meta-professional activities, includes professional training among them [1]. In the context of teacher training, morality, professionalism, social maturity, and their interrelation and interconnection are attributed by E. P. Belozertsev to the characteristic features of the profession of a teacher [2].
E. A. Klimov considers the individual activity style as a system of psychological means used by a person to balance their individuality with external conditions of the activity [3]. Following him, a number of researchers (G. G. Gorelova, A. V. Torkhova, L. N. Makarova, V. V. Serikov, V. A. Tolochek) emphasize the correlation between the teacher's individuality and the objective requirements to teaching [4-8]. V. A. Tolochek points out that this approach is typical for the psychological science in general when studying the problem of styles within the activity approach framework. A style is determined by "the interaction of requirements to the activity and the individuality of a person" [8]. The way such interaction is carried out during a particular professional activity is one of the vital and topical issues nowadays, since the conditions for work performance are changing significantly and rapidly; the social and cultural context and the set of tools for implementing professional tasks are also changing.
The relevance of the study of the individual teaching style development for students doing a course on pedagogical education is determined by the urgent necessity to find such approaches to training intending teachers that will help them, already during their university education, develop their individual style of teaching to a large extent and then to quickly integrate into the educational environment of the school.
The purpose of the study is theoretical interpretation of the concept of ITS of intending foreign
language (FL) teachers and of its social and cultural significance in the context of teacher training case study. To achieve this goal, we have attempted to solve several research tasks, including the interpretation of the concept under study in the context of personal professional development and regulatory legal acts in the sphere of teaching; analysis of approaches to the typology of individual professional styles; identification of possible tools for the development of ITS of intending foreign language teachers. We assume that to a large extent the ITS of intending teachers is developed within the framework of the professional courses in the first three years of the university studies. Important conditions that contributes to the effective ITS development include the use of practical training, quasi-professional activities, analysis of professional tasks and case-study in the educational process and creation of digital educational environment.
Literature review
The teacher's ITS and its development represent a significant social and cultural aspect in the field if higher pedagogical education. One can hardly overestimate the importance of the teacher's professional activity for the development of society. The formation of a student's personality and, at the same time, the development of a citizen during the educational process is carried out directly by the teacher. Thus, the prevailing individual teaching style of a particular teacher cannot but ultimately determine the type of citizens educated by the school and the type of social, cultural and economic development of the state and society in general. Further on, we shall consider the approaches to the concept of the teacher's ITS that are presented in the works of recognized and contemporary researchers.
The concept of the activity style as a whole is associated with a combination of techniques and methods as elements of any activity [8].
G. G. Gorelova believes that an individual teaching style includes not only the style of communication with students, but also the personal aspect of "assessing the style of pedagogical activity" [4]. As a result, following the opinions of some researchers (B. S. Bratusya, L. M. Mitina, I. V. Dubrovina, I. Vachkova), the author identifies several teaching styles that are determined by the meaningful sphere of an individual: regulatory-pragmatic, egocentric, stereotype-dependent and subject-universal [4]. It is emphasized that at the regulatory and pragmatic level, the teacher's need for self-awareness is reduced, there are no clearly expressed elements of reflection and the regulation of behaviour is manifested to a minimal degree. At the egocentric level, satisfaction with oneself and one's activities becomes the most
significant issue, while teachers with a stereotype-dependent level are prone to aggression towards students, since their creativity is suppressed by the values of the surrounding groups. Against the background of these types, the subjective-universal level of professional self-awareness of a teacher should be accepted as the most adequate one to the situation of pedagogical interaction: "Its main characteristics are related to the inner meaningful aspiration of a person to create such results of their work that will benefit others" [4].
The interpretation of the individual teaching style in the context of a personality and its characteristics is found in the works by A. V. Torkhova, who, following the opinion of V. S. Merlin, notes that the individual teaching style results from "the interaction of the entire set of unique personality properties (as a hierarchical self-regulating system) with the objective requirements of the pedagogical activity within the boundaries of the subjective convenience, efficiency and satisfaction" [5]. Consequently, the structure of the individual teaching style activity can include not only objective requirements, conditions and teaching itself, but also the subjective individual characteristics (including affective, practical and cognitive ones), positions, reflection, and self-regulation of a teacher. In the interpretation of O. V. Kitikar and T. P. Ilyevich, who study the essence of a personalized approach to modern teacher training, it is necessary to develop both the personal component of a future professional and the universal professional strategies conditioned by the digital educational environment [9].
The latter statement seems to be of certain significance to us in connection with the crucial development of the digital component in education and vocational training system (see our interpretation of this idea in [10]). At the same time, we especially emphasize the importance of the spiritual and moral component in the development of the individual professional style of a teacher, since it is this aspect that allows us to balance the effects resulting from digitalization. Thus, L. N. Makarova draws our attention to the fact that the absence of moral qualities in the value component of the individual teaching style indicates vocational unfitness of a teacher [6]. Neda Soleimani also includes in the teaching style a set of philosophies, beliefs, values and teaching behaviour models regarding students and the educational process. The researcher emphasizes the connection of the theoretical component and the teaching experience in a pedagogical action [11].
We believe that, in the most general terms, the approach to the interpretation and understanding of teaching styles described above from the point of view of psychology has, nevertheless, much in common with the ideas of pedagogy on how to un-
derstand pedagogical activity and the proficiency of a teacher. Thus, V. V. Serikov identifies two components in the activity of a teacher associated with direct subject-based learning, i. e. with a subject plan, and with the child's development, i.e. a moral plan in the pedagogical activity [7]. At the same time, the researcher calls adaptability as a necessary element of the teaching style: "educational technology without the teacher experiencing a specific situation is just an external universal scheme" [7]. It is this ability to adapt the acquired knowledge to a specific educational situation that, along with other elements, is a part of a comprehensive competency-based model of a teacher [10]. A. V. Torkhova also refers professional competency to the objective requirements for effective teaching. Such requirements predetermine the individual teaching style [5].
Furthermore, we believe that the individual teaching style is based both on the teacher's ability to manage their emotions and to focus on the successful solution of tasks set, as well as on their style of pedagogical interaction and communication (for more details, see [11]).
Compensation and personal individuality are the principles that determine the teaching style, in the opinion of G. G. Gorelova [4]. The unifying element in the complex structure of the teacher's individual style is their self-regulation and reflection on the personal activity. In this regard, A. V. Torkhova emphasizes that self-development and self-realization are considered as the main functions of an individual activity style [5].
In general, the correlation between external factors, such as the regulatory framework and principles, and the internal characteristics of the person's individuality determine the variability of the individual teaching style development when training intending FL teachers. This idea is stated in the papers of V. S. Merlin, A. V. Torkhova, L. N. Makarova, E. V. Kryazheva and M. Y. Vinogradskaya and others [5, 6, 13, 14].
Considering the question of the ITS typology, we should start with the most general differentiation of individual professional activity styles between integral (that characterize the individual features of the professional activity as a whole) and partial (styles of individual components of the psychological structure of professional activity: goal-setting, planning, control, decision-making, etc. [1]). Moreover, according to some recent research, both in the field of psychology and pedagogy, several different approaches to style classification are distinguished. Thus, we have already described the selection of regulatory and pragmatic, egocentric, stereotype and dependent, subject and universal styles [4].
Another interpretation of the various ITSs is associated with the development of a certain Self-
Concept of the teacher. Teachers with a positive Self-Concept prefer methods of informal teaching, they are able to effectively build interpersonal relationships with students, and they are willing to accept the student's personality as it is, wasting less of the lesson time on subsidiary actions rather than teaching. Such teachers tend to be flexible in choosing means and methods of teaching. On the contrary, teachers with a negative Self-Concept are authoritarian in the style of their pedagogical communication, tend to prefer traditional teaching methods, contribute to the development of students' low self-esteem, tend to formal, stereotypical thinking, and try to avoid opinions, discussions in the classroom [15].
The idea of a significant influence of the individual teaching style on students, their behaviour, learning strategies, and success in learning is emphasized in a number of papers [16-19]. For example, D. A. Bernstein considers the influence of a teaching style on the behaviour patterns of students stating that "different teaching styles may encourage different patterns of student behaviour". The researcher identifies and describes permissive-neglectful, permissive-indulgent, authoritarian, and authoritative teaching styles [17].
N. S. Leng and N. L. Luan also support the idea of the impact of a teaching style on the results in foreign language learning, proving that a complex combination of different teaching styles in the teacher's work contributes to both the increase in learning efficiency and in motivation of students [19]. Moreover, the individual style of interpersonal interaction chosen by teachers, if it corresponds to the idea of developing students' independence, allows not only effective teaching, but also reducing procrastination behaviour of students [20].
One of the frequently used approaches, which formed the basis of the empirical part of the ITS study, is the approach of A. M. Markova and A. Ya. Nikonova, according to which emotional-im-provisational style (EIS), emotional-methodological style (EMS), reasoning-improvisational style (RIS) and reasoning-methodological style (RMS) are distinguished [21]. The weak part in the professional activities of teachers with EIS is lack of attention to weak students. Although, in general, such teachers are able to engage students in the lesson activity Good educational results are the positive side of teachers with EMS. However, dependence on the situation in the classroom and on the degree of students' being prepared can become a factor hindering the academic achievements. RIS is characterized by the even and fair attitude to all categories of students, but it is accompanied by a slow lesson pace and lack of sufficient involvement of students in the lesson activities. Teachers with RMS have a high methodological level and a high level of reflection, but
they are not quite able to maintain interest in their subject [21]. It is this approach that we have used to solve some of the research tasks, since it seems to contain the main methodological idea in identifying the teacher's ITS - compensation and correlation between individual characteristics of the teacher's personality and external regulations, conditions, i.e. knowledge, methodological skills and emotional-reflective component. In this context we can refer to the paper of T. V. Ledovskaya and N. E. Solynin who prove in their research that high authority of a teacher is associated with their competency and good methodological training, while low authority is due to the improvisational style of teaching [22].
Angelica Moe also points out the idea that a low level of productivity in the educational process is connected with the prevailing improvisational teaching style. The researcher singles out a motivating pedagogical style that promotes the growth of students' autonomy, and a controlling or chaotic style [23].
Social and cultural significance of foreign language teacher training and of the development of their individual teaching style, as has been stated, determines the necessity to optimize higher pedagogical education, its content, organizational and methodological components of the teacher training system. One of the tools of such optimization and socio-cultural conditioning, according to V. I. Teslenko and T. A. Zaleznaya is an individual methodological support of the professional training of intending teacher. This support can be based on a special grading and rating system for evaluating and measuring the quality of the professional teacher training [24].
A similar approach to the professional development of a teacher is described by L. N. Gor-bunova and E. V. Sorokina. The researchers consider this process as based on the resources of individual methodological routes [25].
Another quality of the educational process in teacher training, that is aimed at the ITS development, is the contextual and active methods of practical training, which is analogous to the future professional activity [5]. The ef ficiency of this method is determined by some educational needs. Firstly, it is necessary to ensure simultaneous impact of external and internal factors of ITS. Secondly, it is important to create the conditions in which the intending teacher will try out directly teaching (including all its components of planning, evaluating, reflecting, etc.) or solving some professional tasks within the framework of this professional activity and quasi-professional actions. In other words, according to L. N. Makarova [6], the intending teacher will carry out professional activities, during which and under the influence of which the ITS develops to
a large extent. Moreover, changing conditions, as psychologists note, also lead to a change in the ITS [8].
Another method that contributes to the development of pedagogical and methodological thinking of intending teachers includes case study, situation analysis and problem solving [26]. In our opinion, readiness to find out solutions and to make argumentative decisions on psychological, pedagogical and methodological issues is an important component of the intending teacher's ITS.
In the situation of foreign language teacher training, the described issues and professional task of teaching and personal developing school students should be considered in the context of the primary and secondary language personality of intending teachers. This can be recognized as an additional element in the system of their ITS development. The argument for it is as follows. The developed secondary language personality cannot but influence both the process of perception, analysis and interpretation of information, events, phenomena, behaviours and the effectiveness of the individual pedagogical interaction style. This interaction takes place within the professional activity carried out by a FL teacher in two languages.
Referring to the idea of Yu. P. Povarenkov about the necessity to develop individual styles of various types of meta-professional activities in the vocational training [1], we should highlight several more components of the teacher's ITS that require attention during the university training: skills and abilities to develop and to realise educational programmes in the field of foreign language teaching, to develop students' personalities and qualities, to provide interaction with all the participants of the educational process, to set goals, to plan, to reflect and to correct the work results.
Materials
The process of scientific interpretation is based on a particular sequence of research acts [27]. In this paper we mostly build our reasoning on the interpretation of the key concept of work - the ITS of a foreign language teacher, which is the main research goal set in this article. Hence, the goal set predetermines the analysis based on general scientific methods of generalization, comparative analysis, interpretation, classification, specification, as well as that of a survey. The applied research methodology is mainly centred around such concepts as professional activity, pedagogical activity or teaching, individual teaching style, ITS development. Herein, the author's attention is focused both on the interpretation of the concepts under consideration in the aspect of interdisciplinary analysis, and on the study of possible approaches to the classification of ITS. Thus,
the prevailing research design is of a qualitative, theoretical nature. However, the applied aspect is also of importance in achieving the primary research goal. At the current stage of the research, we did not try to present either the developed pedagogical model of the ITS formation in FL teacher training universities, or any results of its testing. The fundamental task for us was to dwell on the existing approaches to understanding the concept of ITS, to analyse and to specify the concept under study in the context of foreign language teacher training, to compare theoretical judgements with practical observations. The latter was based on specification, case study and experience analysis of the ways an educational FL teacher training curriculum is implemented. The case study is based on the survey results. The survey was carried out on a sample of the 3rd- and 4th-year students of the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Linguodidactics of Saratov State University. To investigate the question statistically, and to perform the qualitative analysis we used the questionnaire by A. M. Markova and A. Ya. Nikonova. It was implemented on the sample of 126 intending teachers (n = 126). This was sufficient to re-estimate the complex nature of the phenomenon under study, to develop a methodological basis for the subsequent description of the system of foreign language teachers' ITS development, of the conditions for its successful implementation, determined by the social and cultural context, social requirements, labour market requirements and education policy, as well as to describe the criteria and levels of the phenomenon under study.
Data collection was based on the choice of materials for theoretical justification of the model being developed in accordance with the two main criteria: temporal validity and the relevance of the issue covered in a paper. In this way we primarily selected the research papers within the semantic framework of the present research using the keyword criterion. Moreover, the inclusion of the material was predetermined by the date of publication. We tried to make our assumptions analysing the combination of recognized sources and contemporary authors (with some exceptions regarding key terms or concepts). This limitation was set in connection with the research tasks: our interest lies in the field of modern requirements for the proficiency of a teacher, as well as the possibilities of the educational environment of a pedagogical university in the FL teachers' ITS development.
Another research tool that we used to justify the model being developed was practical observation of the experience. This empirical design was employed in order to collect some data through a survey of the students training to become FL teachers. The online questionnaire "Individual Teaching Style",
developed on the basis of the methodology by A. M. Markova and A. Ya. Nikonova [28], was conducted on a heterogeneous sample of students with respect to the year of their studies at Saratov State University. 3rd-year students (n = 43) have completed several training sessions (Introductory Methodological Practice, Organizational Pedagogical Practice, Camp Councillors' Summer Practice, Psycho-pedagogical Practice) and the basic courses aimed at the development of their professional competencies (Pedagogy, Psychology, Oral and Written Speech Culture of a Teacher, the module "Methods of Teaching and Personal Development in the Subject Area", Teaching Young Learners, etc.). Nevertheless, 3rd-year students have just prepared for their teaching practice without taking it, while the 4th-year students (n = 83) have already had two sessions of their teaching practice at schools.
The obtained data were analysed according to several indicators:
- the total sum of the indicators for each of the four ITS identified in the methodology used;
- the average grade for each of the four styles analysed;
- the prevailing individual styles for each sample group;
- comparative data analysis.
We tried to find out how the educational environment of the Faculty and the educational trajectory of students contributes to the formation of their ITS, whether intending teachers are ready to effectively perform their pedagogical functions determined by the current situation and regulatory documents.
The results of the analysis of scientific literature, as well as the empirical data, allowed us to support the assumptions made about the essence of the individual teaching style of a foreign language teacher, as well as to identify some tools necessary for effective teacher training on the basis of the individual teaching style development during university education.
Results and Discussion
The analysis of the previous studies on the research issue under consideration allows us to come to the conclusion that the individual teaching style cannot be considered solely from the point of view of psychology and individual characteristics of the teacher as the subject of pedagogical activity (we shall refer to it as an internal component of the ITS). Along with personal characteristics, the structure of this concept comprises some objective factors, normative and regulatory requirements for the teaching activity, basic knowledge, reflective and evaluation components, self-development component, and the teacher's proficiency as a
complex system. We shall call it herein the external component of ITS. Thus, our research enters the field of pedagogy and pedagogical psychology.
The analysed studies, as we can see, are limited, in most cases, to the interpretation of teaching styles in general. Most early studies as well as current works prove particular practical and social significance of teaching styles both for secondary and university education. However, the analysed materials do not address any particular ways and practical observations of the individual teaching style development. Another limitation of the reviewed literature (with very few exceptions) is connected with peculiarities of ITS development in FL teacher training. Our results cast a new light on the phenomenon under study in the context of FL teacher training. We believe that here ITS acquires a more complex character, since the individual teaching style manifests itself in the individual style of pedagogical interaction with all the participants of the educational process. Such interaction in the situation of a FL lesson or professional workshops
with colleagues is performed on the target foreign language, i.e. we are talking about the importance of the secondary language personality development and its influence on the ITS.
The analysis of the survey results on the sample of the 3rd- and 4th-year students, which was aimed at identifying the prevailing individual teaching styles, allows us to speculate on the data obtained for each sample group separately and in a comparative way.
Thus, the analysed data for the 3rd- and 4th-year students are presented in table 1 (Table 1). It should be noted that according to the survey procedure, each of the sample participants could get a certain ratio of positive answers for each style from 0 to 33 (according to the number of questions, since each question could be answered "yes" for several styles). We calculated both the total share of each style in the general sample, and the prevailing individual teaching styles. The prevailing styles were singled out automatically according to the greatest number of positive responses by a respondent.
Table 1
The Results of the Students' Survey (3rd and 4th years, 2021/22 academic year)
Sample size Average grade / Total sum EIS* Average grade / Total sum EMS* Average grade / Total sum RIS* Average grade / Total sum RMS* Prevailing style EIS Prevailing style EMS Prevailing style RIS Prevailing style RMS
n = 43 7,7 / 333 13,7 / 592 11 / 474 9,9 / 424 - 38 3 -
n = 83 7,3 / 608 13,7 / 1133 10,8 / 894 9,7 / 809 - 75 1 -
n = 126 7,5 / 941 13,7 / 1725 10,8 / 1368 9,8 / 1233 113 4 -
Note. * - EIS emotional+ improvisational style, EMS -tional style, RMS - reasoning+ methodological style.
The evaluation of the data presented in Table 1 makes it obvious that the students of the Faculty, regardless of the educational year, are dominated by the emotional + methodological ITS. The second place in the overall total indicator is occupied by the reasoning+improvisational style. Moreover, we can note that according to the criterion of the prevailing style with the maximum average score of positive responses, almost 87% of students have the EMS, getting, on average, 13.7 points. 3% of students have better developed the RIS. The collected survey data also show that neither EIS nor RMS are developed to a greater extent than any other style in any student.
However, there are trends in our data to suggest that a very limited number of respondents have some doubts about their individual teaching strategies before the real school teaching practice starts. However, this number grows, although in-
emotional+ methodological style, RIS - reasoning + improvisa-
significantly, after the teaching practice. Thus, it should be noted that only two respondents out of all the 3rd-year students have the same maximum indicators for the two styles of EMS and FIG. Among the 4th-year students, the number of those who have equally developed the two teaching styles is 7. In other words, 9 students out of the total number of respondents (n = 126) have two equivalent styles, which makes up 7.1%. This fact raises the assumption that deepening into the real educational environment some of the intending teachers re-evaluate the previously interiorized external factors and re-adapt their personal features to educational conditions. However, the limitation of this study is connected with the fact that we did not intend to analyse different education conditions created at schools, for our students usually have their teaching practice in a number of different educational institutions. Nonetheless, we believe that the percentage
of the respondents with two prevailing styles is not significant to greatly influence the accuracy of the conclusions drawn. Moreover, further development of the research might be helpful in dealing with the problem. Future research will be carried out with the 3rd-year students in order to delimitate possible reasons (internal or external ITS components) for such results.
Another observation connected with the data is that the highest indicator for emotional + methodological style (20 points) among all the respondents was noted in the sample of the 3rd-year students. However, again, this is a single case, not valid for analysis.
Furthermore, the data comparison is presented in the format of a bar chart, allowing us to clearly see the results obtained (Figure 1).
16 14 12 10
Av. grade EIS Av.grade EMS Av.grade RIS Av. grade RMS
8
6
4
2
0
■ Total ■ 3rd year ■ 4th year
Fig. 1. The average point of each style of the pedagogical activity (color online)
Interpretation of the data allows us to note only a slight predominance of the average score with the 3rd-year students in connection with each style except for emotional + methodological. The latter shows absolutely identical results for the two sample groups. Since students could give several positive
answers to each question (Table 2), the final result could be equivalent for several indicators. However, as it was indicated, there are very few students with equivalent indicators in two styles, and there are no respondents with three or four equally developed styles.
Table 2
Sample Survey Questions
No. Questions EIS EMS RIS RMS
1 Do you make up a detailed lesson plan? No Yes No Yes
2 Do you prepare just a general outline of a lesson plan? Yes No Yes No
3 Do you often change the lesson plan during a lesson? Yes Yes Yes No
A comparative analysis of the prevailing individual teaching styles from the point of view of the two sample groups was carried out according to the percentage-based rating, since the number of 3rd and 4th year students was different (Figure 2).
Obviously, it is possible to note a slight predominance of the emotional+methodological style
and of the two styles at the same time (EMS = FIG) among the 4th-year students. At the same time, RIS prevails among the 3rd-year students. In our opinion, this implies that at the stage of the 3rd university year, the volume of practical training is still quite limited. As a consequence, the 'external' component of the individual teaching style prevails, i.e.
100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
EMS
RIS ЭМС=РИС
I Total ■ 3rd year ■ 4th year
Fig. 2. Comparative data on the prevailing individual professional styles of future teachers
(color online)
the process of internalization of the regulatory, knowledge component, the process of adaptation of personal characteristics to certain conditions of professional activity, reflective and evaluation activity and self-development are still under development in the third year without practical training at schools.
Nonetheless, we believe that it is well justified that the ITS of intending teachers is indeed largely developed within the framework of the teacher training curriculum during the first three years of university education. However, in some positions, students still have open questions about how they prefer to act in certain pedagogical situations. During the school teaching practice, these doubts largely disappear or are correlated with the actual educational environment and teaching conditions. Overall, it is obvious that there is no significant correction of the data on the prevailing ITS for the 3rd- and 4th-year students.
The results obtained may have implications for understanding the correlation between the ITS development and the necessity to ensure such educational conditions under which external factors and ITS components become a personally significant acquisition of an intending teacher. These should be assimilated through the prism of the internal component. Simultaneously, the integral characteristics of a personality should get adapted in the course of study to the external factors, should be revised and reflected on and, thus, lead to the development of a certain individual teaching style.
According to our findings, several possible ways of creating the required educational conditions can be suggested. Firstly, ITS is developed through individual learning trajectories of the students of the pedagogical university. Digital educational environment is an effective tool for creating the individualized trajectories. Secondly, an important condition for effective ITS development is strengthening those educational content components of the curriculum that are aimed at developing creative thinking and critical understanding of the studied material, reflective and evaluative skills, self-development skills, comprehension of the most significant humanistic and teaching values, patterns, norms and principles in the behaviour of a teacher. Thirdly, ensuring the internalization of information, ideas, norms and principles for each student is possible, provided that the educational environment meets the principles of variability, the possibility of individual choice based on the students' personal characteristics, preferences, strengths, the possibility of having and justifying their own position on certain problematic issues, cases and situations of pedagogical interaction, etc.
Based on this, another significant condition for the ITS of intending FL teachers is the widespread use of some elements of practical training (PT) of students in the framework of academic courses. This is not limited only to practical training, which naturally takes place during the teaching practice at schools. Herein we mean that PT should be structurally integrated into the schedule and should be pro-
vided in the context of university courses, theoretic and applied disciplines and modules. This statement naturally results from the need for prevailing contextual and active methods of teaching in vocational education, which, in the opinion of some researcher (see, for example, [5]), is an analogue of the real professional activity, and in this way contributes to the ITS development.
Another observation resulting from the literature review and data analysis is that individualiza-tion of methodological training of future teachers is a significant component of the ITS development. The idea of individualization can be realized through methodological support of students and the construction of individual methodological routes. For example, while training foreign language teachers at the Faculty of SSU, the technology of methodological support is implemented through a special grading and rating system for evaluating and measuring the quality of the professional teacher training and through a methodological portfolio of a student created both in a digital and traditional formats. In order to build individual methodological routes, the intending teachers are supposed to develop and practically realise their own methodological packs, lesson plans, ideas of educational events and activities, participating in linguodidactic competitions.
According to the theoretical findings, one of the significant functions of the ITS is to provide further professional self-development and growth for teachers. Hence, the work described above, in our view, should be followed by the creation of a faculty bank of methodological packs so that further reflective activities for students' self-development could be provided. At the Faculty a number of a professional development competitions are arranged: the Contest of complete lesson plans with the use of multimedia components "Digitalization of Traditions in Foreign Language Teaching", Methodological workshop with poster presentations "My Teaching Experience: Synergy of Traditions and Innovations", Linguodidactic competition "Problem Solving Championship" (including a competition of best solutions for methodological problems, a competition of video pieces of lessons of English "My English Lesson is my Poem", a competition of workshops "Creating Creative Teachers").
Conclusion
In this article, we examined the teacher's ITS in the context of its social and cultural significance as an integral element of an effective educational environment that contributes to the development of a true citizen of modern society. Particular emphasis was placed on the development of the ITS
of the intending teacher within the framework of the university pedagogical education. In addition, another strong emphasis was put on the development of the individual style of intending foreign language teachers. The conclusion is made that the formation of a secondary language personality of a foreign language teacher cannot but influence the style of their professional pedagogical activity.
This study does not claim to be comprehensive, but it represents one of the primary stages of the theoretical and methodological justification of the issue of the ITS development when training future FL teachers. However, it is already possible to draw some conclusions that are significant for the following development of the research.
The study of the ITS concept and of its development was carried out on the basis of an activity approach, which determined the direction of our interpretation of the notion itself, of its structure and its typology.
Thus, the teacher's ITS is understood as a hierarchical system of interaction, mutual influence and balancing of external, normative, knowledge factors regulating the pedagogical activity, and internal qualities and characteristics of the individual. It is based on the processes of internalization and interpretation, awareness and reflection, compensation and adaptation. Hence, we believe that the structure of the ITS of an intending foreign language teacher should include: 1) ways of performing teaching action, 2) methods and means of performing the professional activity, 3) general professional and pedagogical proficiency, 4) the individual style of pedagogical interaction, 5) personal qualities and characteristics (affective, practical, cognitive), refracted through compensation, adaptation and balancing with external factors, 6) emotion management methods, 7) morality and social maturity of the teacher's personality, 8) reflective and evaluative components, 9) readiness for self-regulation, 10) inner self-perception, 11) the degree of striving for satisfaction with one's work and self-development, and, finally, 12) the primary and secondary language personality of the FL teacher.
Obviously, the development of this complex phenomenon in modern foreign language teacher training universities should take place with the provision of the digital educational environment. Creating the necessary conditions for the ITS development is a task facing pedagogical education today.
The problem of classification of possible individual teaching styles is also considered in most of the analysed sources from the point of view of the activity approach. The identified types of the teacher's ITSs are associated with one or another level of interaction and regulation of internal qualities and external conditions. In this study, in order to test
the initial hypothesis, we compared the prevailing types of ITS on the samples of the 3rd and 4th year students, based on the typology of A. M. Markova and A. Ya. Nikonova. As a result, the conclusions obtained allow us to confirm the initial hypothesis of this stage of the research. To a large extent, the ITS of intending FL teachers is developed during the first three years of education within the framework of several components of students' practical training. Moreover, only a small correction of the developed styles takes place after the two stages of the teaching practice at school.
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The article was submitted 20.03.2022; approved after reviewing 06.04.2022; accepted for publication 10.04.2022 Поступила в редакцию 20.03.2022; одобрена после рецензирования 06.04.2022; принята к публикации 10.04.2022
