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УДК: 378:37.013
Ponomarenko A.Iu.
PhD in Pedagogy, head of postgraduate and doctoral studies department, National Academy of the Security Service of Ukraine
Ivanenko I. V.
PhD in Pedagogy, lecturer of the Department of Romance and Germanic Languages,
National Academy of the Security Service of Ukraine DOI: 10.24411/2520-6990-2019-10340 RESEARCH COMPETENCE FORMATION OF THE ACADEMIC STAFF: FEATURES OF
DEFINITION
Пономаренко А.Ю.
Кандидат педагогических наук, заведующий отделом аспирантуры и докторантуры,
Национальная академия Службы безопасности Украины
Иваненко И.В.
Кандидат педагогических наук, преподаватель кафедры романо-германских языков,
Национальная академия Службы безопасности Украины
СФОРМОВАН1СТЬ ДОСЛ1ДНИЦЬКО1 КОМПЕТЕНТНОСТ1 НАУКОВИХ КАДР1В:
ОСОБЛИВОСТ1 ВИЗНАЧЕННЯ
Анотацш.
У статтi розглядаеться проблема оцтки до^дницько'1 компетентностi наукових кадрiв. Охарактеризован критерИ, використання яких дозволить здшснити об 'ективний анал1з стану сформованостi до^дницько'( компетентностi наукових кадрiв. Визначенi показники, ят розкривають основт ознаки кри-терИв та передбачають можливiсть вимiрювання з використанням вiдповiдних методик, опитуваль-ниюв, тестiв тощо.
Abstract
The paper deals with the issue of assessing the research competence of the academic staff of military higher educational institutions. The criteria for carrying out an objective analysis of the state of research competence formation of the academic staff are described. Indicators that reveal the main features of the above mentioned criteria and imply the possibility of assessment using appropriate techniques, questionnaires, tests, etc. are defined.
Ключовi слова: до^дницька компетенттсть, науковi кадри, критерп, показники, комуткативна компетенттсть, оцiнювання.
Key words: research competence, academic personnel, criteria, indicators, communicative competence, assessment.
Introduction. The development of research activity in education is one of the important directions of state educational policy. In military higher educational institutions, special attention is also paid to scientific research, since it assumes studying topical issues and is aimed at increasing the academic progress. Carrying out scientific research requires from scientists a high level of theoretical and experimental knowledge, relevant skills and abilities, corresponding personal qualities, among which the research competence is of utmost importance.
Significant role in the research competence formation of the future academic staff plays the participation in well-organized and systematic result-oriented research activity. The research work consists in the search activity, which is expressed in an independent creative research.
Moreover, military higher educational institutions are often faced with various research tasks, which require an analytical approach, critical thinking, executive initiative, the ability to make the right decision under conditions of contradictory information dissemination. In this context, the research competence plays an important role in the professional activity of the academic staff and promotes the effective performance of their functions.
Proceeding from the above-mentioned, the issue of substantiating criteria and indicators of the research
competence formation of the academic staff is urgent and timely nowadays.
Analysis of recent research and publications.
The issue of competence assessment is being paid more and more attention today. Among the relevant scientific studies within military higher educational institutions of Ukraine the following scholars should be noted: V. Kushchiov in the context of military specialists' training [1], Iu. Romanyuk in terms of the assessment of professional competence development of employees of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine [2], V. Ya-gupov concerning the training of intelligence officers [3], etc.
Nowadays, in pedagogy and psychology, there are many approaches towards training of the future specialists for the research activity in general and their research competence formation in particular. These are, first and foremost, the achievements of such researchers as: O. Chmir, I. Gerasimov, N. Kushnarenko, M. Skatkin, N. Solovyov, D. Stechko, V. Shake V. Zhurav-lev et al., who investigated the features of research activity, its essence and structure. The scientific papers by M. Evtukh, V. Savchenko, V. Moliak, N. Yakovleva who studied the research activity of students as a part of future specialists' training, are of great importance as well.
However, a thorough analysis of scientific and pedagogical literature has shown that, despite numerous publications dealing with this topic, the issue of diagnostics of the academic staff research competence still remains undisclosed.
There are different approaches to the interpretation of the notion of "criterion" in the scientific literature (from the Greek crition - a means for judgment). It is considered as the basis for the evaluation, determination or classification of something; measure [4, p. 588]; a set of qualitative characteristics used to judge a performance, product performance, or as a tool for evaluation [5, p. 217]; the most general essential characteristic on the basis of which the evaluation, comparison of real pedagogical phenomena is carried out, with the degree of expression, qualitative formation, certainty of the criterion expressed in specific indicators, which are characterized by a range of features [6, p. 93].
Therefore, the criterion expresses the general essential characteristics for the evaluation, comparison or diagnostics, and the degree of manifestation of this feature, i.e. the qualitative characteristics of the criterion, is determined by the indicators.
The system of criteria in scientific research needs to satisfy certain requirements. First of all, they should adequately reflect the essence of the pedagogical concept, taking into account the dynamics of the pedagogical process, all its features and sides. Secondly, each criterion should be manifested at all the levels of activity, and also reflect the interaction between structural components of the research competence content.
There are various approaches to the definition of criteria and indicators. In particular, scientists suggest to develop them on the basis of personal and professional development features [7]; special requirements; professional creativity [8]; from the point of view of the competence approach [9]; etc.
Scholars also argue about the implementation of sociological, epistemological, psychological and axio-logical approaches regarding the definition of research competence criteria. M. Frolova adds her personal approach, distinguishing the following criteria: the attitude to research activity, awareness of the content and technology of research activity, the nature of its organization [10, p. 106-110].
I. Bets [11, p. 14] considers the main criteria for determining the research competence to be motivational, cognitive, and activity; Y. Komarova [12, p. 35] distinguishes research, communicative, interactive, perceptual, self-organizing, reflexive and correction-regulatory criteria, each of them being a combination of special knowledge, abilities, skills; V. Klymentyev [13, p. 95] adds value and knowledge-based orientation, knowledge, abilities, skills, manifestations of personal qualities (frequency, degree of manifestation in behavior and communication) and acquisition of research experience (duration, efficiency, independence and practical importance).
We believe that the research competence development of the academic staff involves development of theoretical knowledge, improvement of practical skills and abilities, development of personal and professional skills aimed at successful fulfillment of the set tasks. This is due to the fact that we distinguish five components within the research competence structure: episte-
mological, motivational, communicative, praxeologi-cal and reflexive. In our opinion, the definition of research competence development levels should be carried out according to criteria that reflect the essence of its structural components.
Thus, the goal of the paper is to substantiate the criteria and indicators of the research competence formation of academic staff in higher military educational institutions.
Presentation of the basic material. Taking into account the achievements of the above-mentioned scholars in terms of determining the formation of the motivational component of the research competence structure, we consider it necessary to highlight, first of all, a motivationally oriented criterion. Satisfaction with the research results is an important condition for increasing the level of research competence and it also promotes the advanced activity of academic staff while solving the set tasks. In this regard, as the indicators of a motivationally directed criterion, the following ones were chosen:
- positive attitude to the research competence formation and understanding of its importance in professional activity;
- cognitive interest in research competence;
- the desire to develop research competence and implement the latest pedagogical technologies and modern technical means into the research process;
- the desire to actively acquire knowledge about the features of research competence;
- focus on the continuous self-development as a researcher;
- awareness of the social significance of your scientific activity.
Therefore, the motivationally directed criterion of the research competence formation depends not only on the motivation to the educational activity of the scientific and pedagogical staff, but also on the research work of the academic staff, their self-development; reflects the interest in research as a condition for the effective implementation of scientific and professional tasks, the degree of satisfaction with its results.
Taking into account the characteristics of the knowledge necessary for the research competence formation, the gnosiological component (from the Greek "gnosis" and "logos" - the science of knowledge) of the structure of the above mentioned competence is measured using a cognitive and strategic criterion. The academic staff should understand the essence of the research approach in education in general and in specialized educational institutions in particular. That is to say, they should have both general and specialized knowledge.
Various scholars (I. Bets, N. Loginova) while determining the legal knowledge level suggest to use such gnosiological component indicators as: the scope of knowledge (volume, depth), awareness (independence of judgments, raising topical issues). Moreover, they also point out signs of knowledge: adequacy (objectivity, systematicity) and sustainability (accuracy of reproduction, subjective significance).
Thus, the cognitive and strategic criterion is specified by means of defining:
- amount of knowledge (basic, medium, high);
- volume, depth and sustainability of knowledge about the features of research activity;
- knowledge about the essence, stages and methods of scientific research;
- requirements for research activity (awareness of a conceptual apparatus, documentary base, specific features of working with information sources).
Therefore, the cognitive and strategic criterion makes it possible to give characteristics to the knowledge of the academic staff that is necessary for scientific activity and research competence development. This criterion helps to determine the level of knowledge about the features of research activity and ways of working with information sources. It can be used to assess the degree of completeness and differentiation of awareness about the features of research activity. In addition, the cognitive and strategic criterion allows to determine in an indirect way, which research experience (positive or negative) has been acquired by the researcher.
Taking into account the structure of research competence, we distinguish the communicative and search criterion, which is defined as the ability to build contacts at appropriate levels with different people in order to get reliable information about the subject of the study.
We agree with V. Proshkin that research competence is a powerful factor in increasing the professional competence, provided that a reflection and dialogical space for scientific research is created [14, p. 90].
Communicative competence is an integrative and relatively stable phenomenon which provides effective communication by implementing communicative strategies via verbal and non-verbal actions. The complex of communicative knowledge, skills and abilities influences the efficiency of the communicative process and social interaction in general.
Therefore, the indicators of communicative and search criterion are:
- ability to attract people and establish trust;
- ability to quickly come into contact with new people;
- ability to find the right tone, the relevant "formula" of communication, taking into account the individual characteristics of the interlocutor;
- ability to hold a scientific discussion, to defend your point of view;
- ability to listen and tactfully switch the conversation to the research subject;
- ability to apply communicative and psychological techniques in order to collect information.
Taking into account the essence of research activity, the praxeological component (from Greek "praxe-ology" - a science that studies human activity from the point of view of its efficiency), the structure of research competence is assessed through the activity and practical criterion, which main indicators are research skills and abilities. In particular, the scientific staff should be aware of the methods, techniques, forms and skills of pedagogically correct selection and use of modern technologies for an effective organization of the research process; be able to analyze, synthesize, summarize and compare information; make use of information on the latest research in scientific and professional activity; make use of documentary base and normative technol-
°gy.
Determination of the level of research competence formation of the academic staff using the activity and
practical criterion assumes defining the level of skills and abilities necessary for efficient research activity.
The research competence also implies being an active computer user, working with text processing applications, spreadsheets and graphs; using Internet for self-development, search for additional material, establishing contacts with experts, scientific societies, etc.
Therefore, the indicators of activity and practical criterion include:
- developing organizing skills;
- being an active user of scientific sites, documentary bases and normative terminology;
- ability to search and critically select information on the latest theoretical and experimental studies;
- ability to use innovative and traditional methods of work that meet the demands and needs of scientists, activate the cognitive and research process and promote the development of research competence;
- ability to navigate the professional literature, work independently with it and systematize the material;
- ability to independently determine the goal of research, to analyze phenomena and facts, i.e. the ability to compare, distinguish, find relationship between various phenomena;
- ability to analyze the situation, identify problems, find possible ways of solving them;
- ability to conduct an experiment and summarize the results of the study, draw general conclusions.
Thus, to the activity and practical research competence component belong: organizational, communicative, managerial, methodological and technological skills and abilities; a set of methods and techniques of research impact and interaction; the ability to develop new research technologies; creative skills and abilities for successful implementation of the research results.
Reflexive and corrective criterion of research competence includes assessment of your own competence (undervalued, overestimated, adequate), the ability to consciously control the efficiency of your activity, the level of your own development and personal achievements via self-observation, self-examination, self-knowledge, the result of which is self-regulation and self-improvement.
The indicators of the reflexive and corrective criterion, in our opinion, are the following:
- ability to adequately assess your own level of research competence, awareness and ability to use the latest technologies in professional education;
- ability to choose the most effective manner of behavior in different situations, to regulate your own emotional state, to overcome critical life situations;
- ability to consciously control the effectiveness of your activity, the level of your own development and personal achievements through self-examination, with self-regulation and self-improvement as a result;
- ability to self-development by means of trial and error method, through self-education.
The set of indicators of the above mentioned criteria (Picture 1) defines a certain level of research competence of academic staff provided there is a goal-directed motivation, the cognitive platform of strategic direction, the communicative process with search tasks, including self-reflection with the correctional basis, which will result in an efficient practical activity.
Pic. 1. Criteria for defining the research competence formation of the academic staff
Conclusions. The research competence of the academic staff plays an important role in optimizing the scientific process. In our paper, for determining the research competence formation of the scientific staff, the following criteria were used: motivationally directed, cognitive and strategic, communicative and search, activity and practical, reflexive and corrective. As a whole, these criteria cover all the structural components of research competence. By defining the level of the research competence according to these criteria, the academic staff can further develop their skills and abilities by using research and technological resources in the scientific process, which will increase its efficiency.
Future research in this sphere should consider the issue of determining the research competence level of the academic staff of the military higher educational institutions of Ukraine.
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