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СТАТЬИ АСПИРАНТОВ И НАЧИНАЮЩИХ ИССЛЕДОВАТЕЛЕЙ
QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF PERSISTENCE OF STUDENTS WITH DIFFERENT LEVELS OF PROGRESS IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING
Yu.V. Kozhukhova
The Chair of Social and Differential Psychology
Peoples' Friendship University of Russia Miklukho-Maklay str., 6, Moscow, Russia, 117198
The article deals with the results of the quantitative and qualitative analysis of the parameters of persistence of students with different levels of progress in learning a foreign language carried out in the vein of the system-functional approach to the research of the personality.
Key words: persistence, personality traits, quantitative analysis, qualitative analysis, the system-functional approach to studying personality traits.
In recent years the interest in studying human personality has become universal. In this connection the problems of the structure of individuality and psychological aspects of the personality and also the methods of their studying come to the foreground. Persistence represents one of the most important basic personality traits. This trait is formed in the early childhood later on it becomes particularly important for developing the abilities and determining the future occupation of an individual.
In our research we were guided by the provisions of the multidimentional-func-tional organization of the personality and individuality traits developed by A.I. Krup-nov [1—3]. We investigated persistence with the help of the paper-and-pencil test developed by A.I. Krupnov on the basis of the system-functional model of the analysis of the personality traits. The paper-and-pencil test renders possible to diagnose various components of persistence: attitudinal-target, motivational, cognitive, emotional, dynamic, regulatory, reflective-evaluative and the difficulties in the realization of persistent behaviour. In the course of the current research the properties of persistence were examined in a sample of 134 students of the preparatory department of PFUR ranging in age from 16 to18 years old studying a foreign language (English, French, German, Spanish) within the framework of the program of the department. According to the data on their progress in the studied aspects of the foreign language, the sample
Kozhukhova Yu.V. Quantitative and qualitative characteristics of persistence of students with different...
of participants was divided into two groups: more successful and less successful in studying a foreign language.
In order to disclose the quantitative and qualitative features of motivational-semantic and regulatory-dynamic variables of persistence of the students with different levels in studying a foreign language the hierarchical analysis has been carried out. The reliability of distinctions in the mean values of the variables of persistence of students was estimated with the use of Student's t-test (see tab.).
Let's consider the data on the motivational-semantic attributes of persistence. Here significant distinctions are found only in the mean values of the objectivity variable of the productive component. There have not been revealed any statistically significant distinctions in the data on the target, motivational and cognitive components.
The table
Statistical estimate of distinctions of parameters of persistence in two groups of students
Variables Successful Less successful t-test Significance level
Socially Significant Purposes 34.13 33.26 0.366 0.716
Personally Significant Purposes 36.74 36.83 -0.034 0.973
Sociocentric Motivation 30.91 29.52 0.487 0.629
Egocentric Motivation 35.39 34.70 0.262 0.795
Profound Knowledge 36.91 33.48 1.527 0.134
Superficial Knowledge 15.83 15.13 0.201 0.841
Objectivity 35.87 30.78 2.087 0.043
Subjectivity 34.78 34.04 0.268 0.790
Energy 35.78 23.17 7.739 0.001
Inactivity 11.00 23.70 -5.140 0.001
Sthenic Emotions 36.04 32.78 1.642 0.108
Asthenic Emotions 24.17 29.43 -2.315 0.025
Internal Regulation 32.22 31.17 0.517 0.608
External Regulation 14.83 16.78 -0.758 0.453
Operational Difficulties 10.83 17.87 -2.662 0.011
Personal Difficulties 5.65 13.26 -2.692 0.010
The note: the significant distinctions are marked with the grey background.
As it can be seen from the table the more successful students are characterized by a higher degree of manifestation of the subject-activity attributes of the productive component of persistence than the less successful students (35.87 and 30.78 respectively).
Using the qualitative approach we must say that their persistent behaviour most often promotes their successful mastering of the studied subjects (91%) and their becoming proficient in their chosen field (87%).
The three attributes with the same rate of display have come out first in less successful students. Their persistent behaviour leads to greater productivity in various kinds of activity, better foreign language acquisition and gaining a wide range of knowledge and experience (78% each).
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Thus, it is necessary to note, that objective attributes are more pronounced in the successful students, and the greatest distinctions between the two groups are observed in the attributes which come on top in their hierarchy such as the successful mastering of the studied subjects (91% successful and 52% less successful students), with a difference of 39%.
Considering the regulatory-dynamic components of persistence, it is possible to say, that the greatest distinctions have been revealed in the variables of the dynamic component. The received data testify that the persistence of more successful students is notable for higher manifestation of energy and lower manifestation of inactivity (35.78 and 11.00) while in the less successful students the mean values of these variables practically coincide (23.17 and 23.70).
Also the students who are more successful in studying a foreign language are to a greater degree characterized by their constant aspiration to realize their ambition (100%). The persistent urge to achieve the pre-planned goal is also peculiar to them, the effort to finish every task, to continue pursuing the planned purpose without changing it even when they come across formidable obstacles and the effort to achieve the preplanned purpose, even when it does not yield any tangible results at once (96% each).
It is necessary to note, that the rate of display of the above mentioned attributes of energy is 22—44% higher than in the less successful students and the greatest distinction has been found in such attribute as the effort to finish every task (96% successful and 43% less successful students) with a difference of 53%.
As for the students who are less successful a considerably smaller rate of display of the attributes of energy is observed in their persistent behaviour. In their hierarchy of the attributes of energy of persistence the aspiration to continue pursuing the preplanned purpose without changing it even when they come across formidable obstacles comes out first (74%).
The distinctions in the degree of manifestation of inactivity of persistence between the two groups of students are also statistically significant. The more successful students show less evidence of inactivity in comparison with the less successful (11.00 in more successful and 23.70 in less successful students).
According to the results of the qualitative analysis among the attributes of inactivity in the more successful students only 26% have mentioned that they frequently resort to the help of others for the realization of their purposes and only 22% have remarked that at times they postpone the pre-planned work.
In the hierarchy of the attributes of inactivity in the less successful students the habits to sometimes postpone the pre-planned work for later (74%), to frequently squander their energies and be distracted by unrelated matters (70%) come to the foreground.
The most significant distinctions in the degree of manifestation of the attributes of inactivity of persistence in the students of the given groups are observed in the following attributes: to squander their energies and be distracted by unrelated matters (13% successful and 70% less successful students) with a difference of 57%; to sometimes postpone the pre-planned work for later (22% successful and 74% less successful students) with a difference of 54%.
Kozhukhova Yu.V. Quantitative and qualitative characteristics of persistence of students with different...
As for the asthenic emotions in more successful students the mean values of this variable appear appreciably lower (24.17) than in less successful students (29.43) and this distinction is statistically significant.
Using the qualitative approach it is necessary to say that the negative emotions when they are to blame for failing to fulfill the pre-planned task and the feeling of guilt and anxiety when they promised to do something, but could not (83% and 78%) are peculiar to both groups of students.
The greatest differences have been revealed in the following attributes: the feeling of apathy because of the tasks which do not yield any tangible results at once (9% successful and 43% less successful students) with a difference of 34% and the feeling of uncertainty and anxiety while performing the pre-planned actions (4% successful and 30% less successful students) with a difference of 26%.
The distinctions in the variables of the reflective-evaluative component turned out to be statistically significant. The successful students are distinguished from the less successful by the presence of considerably smaller amount of operational and personal difficulties (10.83 and 5.65). The less successful students are characterised by the greater manifestation of the component of difficulties (17.87 and 13.26).
In the conclusion it is necessary to note, that in the motivational-semantic block of persistence of both more and less successful students the common features prevail and only in the attributes of the subjective sphere of the application of the persistent behaviour statistically significant distinctions have come to light.
In the regulatory-dynamic block of persistence the statistically significant distinctions are found in the variables of energy, inactivity, asthenic emotional experiences, and also in the variables of the operational and personal difficulties. On the parameters of sthenic emotions, and also internal and external regulation no statistically significant distinctions have been found. On the one hand, it testifies to the presence of the common features in the regulatory-dynamic attributes of persistence of the students with different levels of progress in foreign language learning, on the other hand, it reveals the presence of some peculiarities.
REFERENCES
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[2] Крупнов А.И. Системная структура черт личности // Проблемы современного высшего образования: Материалы Международной научно-практической конференции 26— 27 апреля 2002 г.: В 2-х ч. Ч. II — М.: Изд-во РУДН; МАНПО, 2002. — С. 3—5.
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Вестник РУДН, серия Психология и педагогика, 2011, № 1
КОЛИЧЕСТВЕННАЯ И КАЧЕСТВЕННАЯ ХАРАКТЕРИСТИКИ НАСТОЙЧИВОСТИ У СТУДЕНТОВ С РАЗНЫМ УРОВНЕМ УСПЕШНОСТИ В ИЗУЧЕНИИ ИНОСТРАННОГО ЯЗЫКА
Ю.В. Кожухова
Кафедра социальной и дифференциальной психологии Российский университет дружбы народов ул. Миклухо-Маклая, 6, Москва, Россия, 117198
В статье рассматриваются результаты количественного и качественного анализа показателей настойчивости студентов с более и менее успешным освоением иностранного языка, проведенного в русле системно-функционального подхода к исследованию личности.
Ключевые слова: настойчивость, свойство личности, количественный анализ, качественный анализ, системно-функциональный подход к изучению свойств личности.
