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9Психология
УДК 159.9.07
кандидат психологических наук, доцент Шутенко Елена Николаевна
Национальный исследовательский университет «Белгородский государственный университет» (г. Белгород); кандидат психологических наук, доцент Ковтун Юлия Юрьевна
Национальный исследовательский университет «Белгородский государственный университет» (г. Белгород); кандидат педагогических наук, старший научный сотрудник Шутенко Андрей Иванович
Белгородский государственный технологический университет имени В.Г. Шухова (г. Белгород)
СУБЪЕКТИВНО-ЗНАЧИМЫЕ СФЕРЫ САМОРЕАЛИЗАЦИИ СТУДЕНТОВ В ОБРАЗОВАТЕЛЬНОМ ПРОСТРАНСТВЕ ВУЗА
Аннотация. Цель исследования заключалась в выявлении различных видов деятельности студентов, значимых для реализации их потенциала в вузовском обучении. Применялись методы психологического опроса студентов. В результате был определен набор значимых сфер активности: учебно-познавательная, исследовательская, спортивно-оздоровительная, добровольческая, художественно-творческая, инновационно-предпринимательская, информационно-медийная, социально-гражданская, сфера межкультурных коммуникаций. Выявлена актуальная значимость данных сфер для студентов разных специальностей и разного уровня самореализации. Сделан вывод о влиянии вовлеченности студентов в привлекательные сферы деятельности вуза на успешность их самореализации в образовательной среде.
Ключевые слова: высшая школа, самореализация студентов, сферы активности студентов, личностный потенциал, полноценное развитие.
Annotation. The study was aimed at finding the various types of student activities that are significant for realizing their potential in higher school. The methods of psychological surveys were used. The study identified a set of these significant spheres: learning-cognitive, research, sports-wellness, volunteer, artistic-creative, innovative-entrepreneurial, information-media, social-civic, sphere of cross-cultural communication. The authors examine the actual significance of these spheres for students of various specialties and different levels of self-realization. The conclusion is made about the influence of students' involvement in appealing spheres of university activity on the success of their self-realization in education.
Keywords: higher school, students' self-realization, spheres of students activity, personal potential, full-fledged development.
Исследование выполнено при финансовой поддержке РФФИ
в рамках научного проекта № 18-013-01151 «Самореализация студенческой молодежи как показатель и
фактор ее психологического здоровья в условиях социокультурных вызовов российскому обществу»
на 2018-2020 годы
Introduction. Personality development is indissoluble connected with the educational process. It is through education and socialization that the basic structures of consciousness and worldview of the younger generation are germinated [3]. Higher education plays an essential role in this process. It acquaints young people with the world of the profession, forms the experience of scientific thinking and the culture of understanding current reality, provides knowledge about the world picture and their destination in it [2].
At the present stage higher school as an institution of socialization needs to be strengthened and improved its capabilities to provide a versatile development of youth, implementation of humanitarian values and standards of university education [4; 6]. Today, the success of higher school depends on the extent to which it creates space for students' self-realization, contributes to their full development as subjects of professional and other types of activity [9].
The harmonious education of students is increasingly understood as a process that builds and produces circumstances for their full development, formation of integral self-consciousness and productive patterns of behavior [8; 12]. In the personal dimension, such a process presupposes the creation of a certain educational environment that provides an opportunity for versatile and successful self-realization of students in various areas of university practice: educational, scientific, social, sports, cultural and other types of activity [1].
Presentation of the main part. The research is based on cultural-historical methodology and activity approach, which interpret self-realization as a process of disclosing and reproducing the essential abilities and forces of a personality who masters concrete-historical forms of social experience [7; 13]. Self-realization takes place when a person is involved in creative work within the framework of various activities and social relationships.
The research hypothesis was based on the assumption that the presence of a variety of attractive areas for student activity in the university system contributes to their fuller self-realization. That is, a direct relationship was assumed between the degree of students' self-realization and the level of their immersion, and participation in the orbit of intra-university spheres of activity [11].
To confirm this hypothesis we carried out a special survey of students studying at humanitarian and technical specialties. 214 secondary and senior students involved the study, 106 of them were students from the Belgorod National University (NRU BelSU) (psychological and pedagogical specialties) and 108 of them were students from the Belgorod State Technological University named after V.G. Shukhov (BSTU). Empirical research and data processing methods included: survey methods, content analysis, thesaurus analysis, focus-group method, parametric statistical methods, comparative analysis, and analysis of the significance of differences (Student's t-test).
As a result of a survey of students at the first stage of the study, their preferences, expectations and orientations were revealed regarding significant areas and areas of activity, occupations and forms of activity in which they could better realize themselves.
The stimulus material of the survey consisted of unfinished proposals list that the students proposed to complete at their discretion by themselves:
«Studying at our university, I would like to study ...».
«Over the years of study at our university, most of all I would like to prove me in the field of...».
«Of all the possible areas of work of our university, I am most attracted to such areas of activity as ...».
As a result of a content analysis of the students' collected answers, the most expressive and frequently encountered topics, indicating subjectively the areas of self-manifestation were recorded. The totality of such topics was subjected to thesaurus analysis [5]. As a result of such analysis they were combined into related semantic clusters of a more capacious and self-contained content. In the course of clarifying discussions within the framework of focus-group work, a list of 9 stable, thematically distinct associations of answers indicating one or another preferred sphere of activity and occupation was formulated. We identified this spheres as attractors of self-realization: educational, cognitive, research, sports and recreation, volunteer, artistic and creative, innovative and entrepreneurial, information-media, social-civil, intercultural communications sphere.
We give brief characteristics of the selected spheres below.
1. The sphere of learning-cognitive activities acts as the traditionally dominant factor in the attractiveness of university training which is of high value for the professional self-fulfillment of students. The deep knowledge, gaining professional competencies and experience orientation distinguishes learning activity as a leading attractor for students. At the same time its attractiveness has noticeably weakened recently. The intellectual level of university education, its depth, cognitive orientation, informativeness, personal interaction, fundamental and professional orientation is declining, as the students note. The attractiveness of educational activities and classroom work at the university is significantly inferior to the capabilities of the Internet and the latest information and communication technologies (ICT). ICT is distinguished by a bewitching interface, accessibility, visibility, amusement, highly informative, interactivity, visualization capacity, manufacturability, network mass, sensitivity to user requests, etc. These and other advantages of ICT reduce the attractiveness of traditional teaching and classroom work for students. This problem is solved by organically linking and interweaving the latest ICTs into the learning process without losing the meaning of academic work (developing cognitive resources of the personality, not easing them), as well as strengthening the interpersonal basis and cooperation in learning. Those training courses in which teaching is based on the widespread use of modern ICTs cause an increased interest and enthusiasm throughout the semester, as students noted.
2. The sphere of research activity stands out for its importance for students who are particularly striving to realize themselves as future highly qualified and competitive specialists. The presence of a strong scientific potential at the university can serve as a fertile ground for the creative and professional self-realization of students. To increase the attractiveness and effectiveness of the research sphere, it is necessary to personalize the scientific work itself more, to rely on the personal scientific initiative of students.
3. The sphere of sports-wellness activity is directly related to ensuring healthy well-being of students as fully functioning subjects. Development of University network of sports and tourist societies, circles, clubs, as well as presence of University-developed sports infrastructure (a stadium, a swimming pool, a court, a gym, etc.), regular sporting events, health days, etc. contributes to a youth spirit of competition is the basis for disease prevention and acquires a taste to the culture of a healthy life. Therefore, to promote the health of students, it is important to cultivate an intra-University atmosphere of fashion and prestige of sports, to make certain places and forms of sports and recreation work accessible for all students who want to join sport activities, to overcome the formal approach and commercially champions' dominant in pursuit of high rates at competitions.
4. The sphere of volunteer work has become noticeably actual in the student community recently. Volunteerism is a unique vocation of social service that is selflessly performed and aimed at caring, providing social assistance and support. Volunteer work has a positive impact on the social situation of development, it contributes to the expansion of students' self-consciousness and self-realization as solidarity citizens. Discovering new forms of socially useful experience and meaningful activities, it expands the horizons of students' life prospects, brings more clarity in understanding the social world, their role and place in it. Moreover, volunteering helps to overcome a certain paradox in the youth consciousness, disunity and alienation in the youth community.
5. The sphere of artistic-creative activity and amateur activity plays an important role for the self-realization of students, opening them up opportunities for full-fledged self-expression as talented and outstanding individuals. Development of the network of theater, art, music, chorus, dance studios, circles, clubs and workshops, various amateur creative associations, clubs of the cheerful and sharp-witted, etc. activates the inner potential and creative abilities of students, contributes to the versatile self-manifestation of personality, forms their culture of self-expression and self-presentation, promotes to the harmonious development and emancipation of their creative potential.
6. Today the sphere of innovative-entrepreneurial activity is a component of organization of students' intra-University life that is really advantageous for their self-employment as skillful and competitive subjects of the market economy in various areas of business. In the activities of Belgorod leading Universities this attractor has been developed in the activities of various small innovative enterprises (SIE) University SIEs greatly enhance the professional training of students, complementing the scientific knowledge gained during the training with the necessary practical skills.
7. The sphere of information-media activity involves students' working in various bodies of the University press, University press center, their participation in cooperation with the media, as well as their work to ensure electronic information-educational environment of the University (information-educational portals, online courses, etc.), information and network communities, online discussion platforms, etc. The attractiveness of this field for students is determined by the expanded range of opportunities for social recognition and cognition in the information space, remotely distributed mode of work, opportunities for continuous communication and information exchange, original design of new forms of communication and interaction, rapid replication and disclosure of personal experience and knowledge.
8. The sphere of social-civic activity involves students' participation in the work of various student and civil public organizations, student councils, trade unions, military-patriotic, search, educational, civil law, environmental and other associations and organizations. The impact of this attractor is of great importance for the formation of students' full-fledged social identity, development of their civic position and responsibility, as well as growth of self-consciousness as responsible and full-fledged social subjects.
9. The sphere of cross-cultural communications stands out as an independent sphere as universities enter the international training and global cultural educational space. Today almost all faculties and training courses in Universities are attended by foreign students who form their own social environment and subculture. For their successful social adaptation and integration into the national culture and higher school system, the assistance and participation of Russian students as equal sensitive partners and potential friends are important. Many students are
actively and willingly involved in this interesting work; they consider it as a natural aid to their fellow students on the course, as a possibility of extending their language practice and linguistic cultural competence, etc. Work in the centers of cross-cultural communication, international student associations and organizations greatly improves the cultural holistic nature of the world for students, perfects their national and cultural identity, acquaints them with the values and traditions of the foreign-language culture, increases the cultural resources of their self-realization in future international cooperation.
Each of the described spheres as an independent area of student activity is allocated very conditionally, since in practice these spheres are closely intertwined and interconnected.
In order to determine the actual impact of the selected spheres for self-affirmation of students in University education, we organized the second stage of our study.
We conducted a survey of the students to assess the degree of influence of selected spheres on them and their involvement in the scope of these spheres.
The calculated results for this survey gave us the opportunity to present a rating of the subjective value of spheres and the extent of the students' partaking in them. Summary results of the spheres rating for the students of humanitarian and technical specialties are shown in tables 1 and 2, respectively. For ease of reading, the summarized data is presented in percentage (based on the maximum value of 100% for each sphere).
Table 1
Subjective significance rating of intra-university spheres of activity for humanitarian students
№ intra-university spheres of activity level of significance in % (N=106)
1. artistic-creative and amateur activities 67
2. learning-cognitive activity 65
3. volunteer activity 61
4. research work 59
5. information-media activity 47
6. social-civic activity 43
7. cross-cultural communications 35
8. sports-wellness activity 28
9. innovative-entrepreneurial activity 26
Table 2
Subjective significance rating of intra-university spheres of activity for students of technical specialties
№ intra-university spheres of activity level of significance in % (N=108)
1. research work 69
2. learning-cognitive activity 67
3. sports-wellness activity 66
4. social-civic activity 55
5. information-media activity 51
6. artistic-creative and amateur activities 46
7. volunteer activity 36
8. innovative-entrepreneurial activity 34
9. cross-cultural communications 31
According to the summarized spheres rating data the students of Humanities (NRU BelSU) consider the spheres of artistic-creative, learning-cognitive, volunteer and research activities to be the most significant ones. Moreover, artistic-creative and amateur activities attract them most, being ahead of educational and scientific spheres. In addition, the attractor of volunteer work is highlighted, which takes the third place exceeding the importance of scientific work. Among the spheres with the least appeal there is sports-wellness sphere, as well as innovative-entrepreneurial activity.
For students of technical specialties (BSTU), the most significant were the traditional spheres of activity at the university (scientific and learning). It is also noteworthy that there is a fairly pronounced level of spheres of sportswellness and recreation activities, the latter serve as a good prerequisite for strengthening the physical and mental health of students. The rating is closed by the spheres of entrepreneurial activity and cross-cultural communications, which indicates a slight business and international orientation of technical students.
In order to test the main hypothesis statement, we carried out a comparative study of the significance intra-university spheres among students with high and low self-realization in the university. The third stage of our research was devoted to solving this problem.
The empirical work involved referring to the results of a special survey about the level of students' self-realization in learning. On this sample of students, we applied a special technique that measures three general parameters of their self-realization in the university: 1) psychological immersion in the process of education, 2) implementation of internal potential in education, 3) social incorporation into the university environment [101.
Based on the results of this technique implementation, we identified two polar groups of students from the entire array of respondents (214 people of two Universities). Quantitatively, the data of the defined groups were distributed in the following ratio:
- students with increased self-realization - 52 people;
- students with reduced self-realization - 47 people.
For each selected group we processed and calculated the average values of the significance of intra-university spheres in percentage. Then we performed a comparative analysis of the obtained data in the polar groups of students for each sphere, respectively. Table 3 reflects the summary results of calculations for different categories of students - with increased and reduced self-realization in university.
Table 3
Subjective significance rating of intra-university spheres of activity for students of technical specialties
level of significance in %
№ intra-university spheres of activity students with reduced students with increased
self-realization self-realization
1. learning-cognitive activity 38 74
2. research work 36 71
3. sports-wellness activity 32 60
4. volunteer activity 33 62
5. artistic-creative and amateur activities 29 65
6. innovative-entrepreneurial activity 35 59
7. information-media activity 41 58
8. social-civic activity 25 67
9. cross-cultural communications 42 62
As shown in Table 3, the overall configuration of significance indicators differs significantly on all spheres in both polar groups of students (see Table 3). Students with increased self-realization had a higher depth of their involvement in the scope of intra-university spheres; in those group the significance indicators do not fall below 58%. Such spheres as learning-cognitive, research, social, artistic-creative and amateur one are of special attraction and significance for them, which is traditionally appropriate for students with an active life position and motivation for self-development in the university environment (see Table 3).
The data presented in Table 3 indicate that students with reduced self-realization do not show a strong interest or desire to participate in intra-university spheres of activity. According to the summarized results on the significance of these spheres, the latter do not act as attractors for them; since their attractiveness does not exceed an average of 42% on the significance rating scale (see Table 3). Particularly low ratings were associated with such spheres as: public, sports-wellness, artistic-creative one. It is important to pay attention to the significantly reduced values of the basic spheres - learning-cognitive, as well as research one, which are the core of university training of a qualified specialist.
The results of all monitoring used in our study provide grounds for confirming the hypothesis that the level of self-realization of students depends on the degree of their personal partaking in the spheres of intra-university activities. The more students participate in various forms and fields of the university's activities, the higher the likelihood of their dynamic self-realization in the space of university education.
Thus, if the main spheres of higher school life psychologically act in regard to students as actually acting attractors of their self-development, then with a significant share of probability it is appropriate to predict the successful process of students' socialization and self-realization.
Conclusion. This study presents the conceptualization of the phenomenon of subjectively significant spheres of students' self-realization as a value of successful university functioning. In the experimental part of the research these spheres in the university environment was studied and verified. In the course of empirical research such areas and spheres were identified which have the properties of an attractor: learning-cognitive sphere, research sphere, sportswellness sphere, volunteering sphere, artistic-creative sphere, innovative-entrepreneurial sphere, sphere of information-media activity, social-civic sphere, sphere of cross-cultural communications.
As a result of diagnostic surveys of the students from humanitarian and technical specialties, the degree of subjective significance of the selected spheres was determined. Moreover, the dependence of students' self-realization on the degree of their personal participation in the scope of attractive intra-university spheres of educational and extracurricular activities was confirmed.
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