第 54 卷 第 6 期
2019 年 12 月
JOURNAL OF SOUTHWEST JIAOTONG UNIVERSITY
Vol. 54 No. 6 Dec. 2019
ISSN -0258-2724 DOI:10.35741/issn.0258-2724.54.6.62
Research article
Education
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UILDING A
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ROFESSIONAL
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AREER OF A
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NIVERSITY
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EACHER
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ASED ON THE
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NFORMATION
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NGINEERING
基于信息工程的俄罗斯联邦大学教师职业发展
M.G Sergeeva 1*, I.S. Samokhin 2, L.Zh. Karavanova 3, M.I Mukhin 4, S.V. Rachek 5, L.A. Egorova 6, M.L. Kunitsyna 7
1 Department of Social Pedagogy, Institute of Foreign Languages, Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia,
Moscow, Russia
2 Department of Theory and Practice of Foreign Languages, Institute of Foreign Languages, Peoples’ Friendship
University of Russia, Moscow, Russia
3 Department of Social Pedagogy, the Institute of Foreign Languages, Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia,
Moscow, Russia
4 Department of Theory and Practice of Foreign Languages, the Institute of Foreign Languages, Peoples’ Friendship
University of Russia, Moscow, Russia
5
Department of Transport Economics, Ural State University of Railway Transport, Ekaterinburg, Russia
6 Department of Theory and Practice of Foreign Languages, the Institute of Foreign Languages, Peoples’ Friendship
University of Russia, Moscow, Russia
7 Department of Foreign Languages, Academy of Engineering, Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia,
Moscow, Russia
Abstract
The issue of a university teacher’s professional career is considered. The relevance of the study is determined by the fact that the chosen subject is actively developed by supporters of the personality-activity theory, which underlies the design of the educational process in the substantive and methodological aspects. The notion of “career-forming education” (CFE) is interpreted as a non-situational amount of knowledge, applied skills and cognitive scenarios aimed at achieving high results in the profession (recognition within the community, well-paid and socially significant positions) and receiving positive emotions from the work. We understand the system of career growth as a subsystem that is a part of professional education. When studying this system, the authors of the article used the concept of Russian professional education proposed. According to this concept, there are four main ideas: the humanization of education, its democratization and an emphasis on continuity and being ahead of the time. The novelty of the study and its theoretical and practical significance consists in defining three conditions favouring the university teacher’s career growth: the integration of pedagogical work into the system of life meanings and the value hierarchy of the person as their most important component; constant creative search with a critical attitude to one’s professional level; the teacher’s readiness to implement innovative activities. Conditions for the university teacher’s professional development are the following: integration of pedagogical work into the system of life meanings; constant creative search; readiness for the implementation of innovative activities.
摘要 考虑大学教师的职业生涯问题。该研究的相关性是由以下事实决定的:选择的科目是由人格活动理论 的支持者积极开发的,这是在实质性和方法论方面设计教育过程的基础。 “职业形成教育”(CFE)的概念 被解释为旨在实现职业高成就的非情境知识,应用技能和认知情景(在社区内得到认可,薪水高和具有社 会地位的职位)并从工作中获得积极的情绪。我们将职业发展系统理解为专业教育一部分的子系统。在研 究此系统时,本文的作者使用了提出的俄罗斯专业教育的概念。根据这个概念,有四个主要思想:教育的 人性化,教育的民主化以及对连续性和超前性的强调。该研究的新颖性及其理论和实践意义在于,确定了 有利于大学教师职业发展的三个条件:将教学工作整合到生活意义系统中,并将人的价值等级作为最重要 的组成部分;对专业水平持批判态度的不断创意搜索;教师愿意进行创新活动。大学教师专业发展的条件 如下:将教学工作整合到生活意义系统中;不断进行创意搜索;准备实施创新活动。 关键词: 大学教师,职业发展,研究生,继续教育。
I.
I
NTRODUCTIONPersonal and professional development of a university teacher has been an object of intense scientific interest over the past twenty years. From the 1970s to – 80s, the perception of this profession underwent significant changes. Nowadays the teacher and his/her activities are studied within a subject-subject approach to the educational process, receiving more and more attention within competency-based and culture-oriented approaches. It is not surprising that this issue is being actively developed by supporters of the personality-activity theory, which is currently the basis for building up the educational process in fundamental and methodological aspects. The applied approaches and observations reflected in the contemporary literature proved to be effective [2], [3], [4]. In these studies, the issue was structured according to its level of complexity and scientific depth and presented in an accessible format. We use the definition of a career proposed [5], who regards it as the vertical evolution of the university teacher's professional role, recognized by the society and determined by the following factors: formation of the teacher's professional competencies; development of his/her self-determination abilities; self-representation and planning of social vectors; individual socio-economic factors, which do not depend on the teacher and are practically unexplored within pedagogical discourse [5].
II.
R
ESEARCHM
ETHODSA professional career is the object of a multidimensional study in the works of many Russian and foreign authors representing psychological and sociological knowledge: K. A. Abulkhanova-Slavskaya, E. A. Klimov, N. S. Pryazhnikov, S. N. Chistyakova, D. Super, J. Holland, N. Schlossber and others. Nevertheless,
there is no substantial achievement in integrating this knowledge into the pedagogical space of a higher educational institution. The training system of university teachers does not include the knowledge-activity complex, which serves as the basis of career-forming education [26]. In this article, we will consider it as a multidimensional activity of a teacher and a student, which includes both the traditional (classroom) and consulting forms of transmitting/receiving information. A student is given a certain amount of information about the "career" phenomenon and scenarios for achieving high results in the appropriate professional field. Besides, several skills and abilities are being formed: 1) the choice of a career "trajectory" and specific actions necessary for its implementation; 2) the comparison of goals and needs with the achieved results; 3) the development of regular correctional skills.
The term “career” appeared in foreign works several decades ago, in the middle of the XX century, while our teachers and psychologists began using it only in the early 1990s. Abroad, especially in the United States, career is usually understood as broadly as possible: either as an individual’s professional evolution or as a system of functions, statuses and social roles inherent in a person’s “life path” [6]. At the same time, it is noted that a career is something more than an acquired profession or a chosen job. It is a lifestyle that combines the professional stages with various leisure activities carried out in different periods [7], [8]. Some researchers interpret a career as a continuous process of professional and personal self-improvement, realized through mutual "spillover" of events, roles, and social environments throughout life [9], [10]. The generally accepted definition of a career belongs to Donald Super, who defines it as a sequence of all life events, activities and roles [11]. Modern works on psychology and pedagogy
reflect an extended interpretation of the term “career”. A new subconcept “multi-career” represents the complexity and intensity of the career path, its dependence on personal characteristics. Therefore, this path is specific and even unique for each individual who is engaged in socially useful activities [12], [13].
More than twenty years ago Russian scientists presented numerous interpretations of a career, not equivalent in their theoretical significance [14]. Career has various general interpretations, while in the restricted sense most authors view it as an evolution of status and achievements within a professional activity, a gradual transition from one position to another, along with the transformation of the employee's abilities and qualification level [6], [27], [28]. Representatives of the Russian science interpret the career in a broad sense as a combination of all development stages of an individual in key life areas (family, work, leisure). At the same time, the career is considered to reflect a change in the socio-economic status, role properties, types and vectors of social activity. Defining the career, some modern scientists view it not only in the context of professional achievements: N. S. Pryazhnikov associates career with life success in general, which largely correlates with the approach developed by K. A. Abulkhanova-Slavskaya [15]. Within this paradigm, the current and psychologically correct definition of the concept “career” is offered [16]. According to his interpretation, it is not only ascending the “career ladder”, but also the process of professional self-realization [16]. Such a view contributes to the disclosure of the psychological and value content of a professional career.
In the 90s of the XX century, there was a need to develop special skills and competencies that go beyond a specific profession and have a significant impact on the personal and professional growth of a person, which led to the emergence of a new field of pedagogical activity, “education for a career” [14]. The term “career education” was proposed by the American psychologist Sydney Marland [16] almost half a century ago and is still widely used today. A similar concept of “career-forming education” (CFE) can be interpreted as a non-situational amount of knowledge, applied skills, cognitive scenarios aimed at achieving high results in the profession (recognition within the community, well-paid and socially significant positions) and receiving positive emotions from the work.
III. R
ESEARCHR
ESULTSIn this paper, the content of CFE is presented as a set of educational clusters, the essence of
which is not reduced to any specific academic discipline of a traditional type. Functional descriptions allow us to define the following clusters providing for diverse career support:
1) The motivation of an individual to build a career, to create a constructive self-concept, to comprehend the vector of his/her professional development, taking into account a level of realization of his/her inclinations, spiritual and social needs, professional ambitions;
2) Reflection on the career: transferring knowledge to a person to identify specific actions which can expand the "permissible zone" in a particular profession using one or another approach (from the trial-and-error method to developing detailed perspective plan); training a university teacher to conduct the critical analysis of intermediate performance results and potential success at the next stage.
3) The development of productive mental and behavioral models: the developed intellectual schemes facilitate the choice-making process and help to fulfill professional activities at a higher level.
4) Providing useful information and training to work with it: informing the university teacher on the state of the labor sector, on numerous subject areas, on the prospects of various professional fields.
5) Assimilation of information aimed at understanding the pace and characteristics of the person’s career evolution depending on his/her age and gender; knowledge of the key stages of human life and their intersection with various career difficulties; information on gender nuances, social roles and the importance of their harmonious combination in the course of building a career (along with the data on its development theories).
6) Formulation of value-based ideas and an integrated worldview: concern about the value aspects of education and the professional sphere, family and friendship, leisure time.
7) Development of adaptive individual skills (communicative, contributing to the increase in labor efficiency, helping to make important decisions, reducing the influence of stereotypes that hinder an adequate choice of profession or educational institution.
In our opinion, the status of CFE in the pedagogical context should be studied taking into account the achievements of andragogy – adult education. People of this age have to obtain and continuously improve their knowledge and skills, specific individual properties and value complexes required to build a successful career and achieve effective self-realization both in the
labor market and in other areas of human activity. The CFE’s potential for the implementation of a demagogic principle is particularly significant since they correspond to the adult person's goals and interests. After completing the course of training within the Qualification Programme, he/she immediately feels that his/her life is changing for the better in various aspects.
Also, the CFE content includes the idea of “lifelong education”. Training programs related to career issues can contribute to the proper planning of the educational process (taking into account its essence and continuous nature), help its harmonious interrelation with various aspects of social and personal life. It should also be noted that such a program itself is an element of continuing education, representing one of the likely scenarios for its implementation. The CFE refers to the innovations of continuing education, focused on supporting a person in many of his/her studies, including those not associated with intellectual or creative activity.
We understand the system of career growth as a subsystem that is a part of professional education. When studying this system, the authors of the article used the concept of Russian professional education proposed by the full member of the Russian Academy of Education [13]. According to this concept, there are four main ideas: the humanization of education, its democratization and an emphasis on continuity and being ahead of the time [1]. We decided to characterize the implementation of these ideas and relevant guidelines in the system of career growth support.
Let us correlate the value of the listed principles of professional education with their status within CFE (Table 1).
Table 1.
The principles of the Russian professional education (in accordance with the classification of [1]) and their content within CFE Professional education as a global idea (according to the concept of [1])
The essence of this idea in the career support system
1. Humanization of education: a) increasing the role of humanitarian disciplines b) taking into account the importance of
Enrichment of applied educational programs with innovative products of moral, aesthetic, legal, economic and other types, along with methods of their implementation in the course of
building a career.
The use of programs that pay special attention to professional mobility, the
ability to change the vector of
fundamental knowledge c) focus on the activity d) the national specificity
professional efforts based on acquired skills and knowledge; actualization of the role of minimal general and verbal literacy, the inclusion of undeservedly
forgotten components of general education in CFE. Appeal to the most diverse forms of intense activity, focused primarily on
the implementation of specific tasks awaiting the student on his/her
professional path. Considering national peculiarities, patterns of functioning of the local labor market and its interaction with
foreign markets. 2. The democratization of education: a) active participation of students in the educational activities, creative interaction between teachers and students b) transparency c) a wide choice of professional educational systems d) consideration of local specialties e) equal opportunities
Creation of favorable conditions for students to determine the essential side of education, the choice of work
forms, to assess the effectiveness of the provided services and to formulate
recommendations for improving the educational process.
The establishment of diverse relationships between organizations that help young professionals to build
a career; the formation of new contacts (both in ordinary and in “virtual” reality); location of data on electronic resources and at the pages
of popular editions. Differentiated approach to curricula;
designing different variants of the “union” of the three main training types (full-time, part-time and distance); providing a significant number of educational trajectories to accomplish certain professional tasks.
When planning the CFE’s content, two basic market factors are taken into
account: supply and demand (in this and adjacent regions), focusing on those areas of professional realization
that are the most promising in accordance with statistical
calculations.
Creation of training programs with varying content, providing various categories of the population with approximately equal access to the quality education in the relevant field. 3. Advance education: a) providing the population with educational services, considering the nearest Formation of an employee's knowledge, skills, abilities, and
competencies based on his/her potential, which allows him/her to
predict the vector and level of achievements.
development zone of national and international education b) the training of pedagogical personnel, taking into account regional specifics c) self-improvement of the student’s personality
Studying the regional labor market and encouraging students to obtain those specialties, which are in demand
in a given region.
The substantive aspects of educational programs are aimed at developing the
most important personality traits: intellect, will, emotions. 4. Continuing education a) several structural levels b) optional character c) flexibility d) interrelating educational programs e) cooperation of educational structures e) the mobility of forms of organizing the educational process
The development of multi-level educational programs aimed at different levels of knowledge and skills and covering all stages of the teacher's personal and professional
development.
The implementation of educational programs can be carried out within
non-outcome-based education provided for the adult population, in
conditions of postgraduate (further) education.
The content of educational programs developed for various levels can be effectively combined even when used
in different educational institutions.
A "through" content of educational programs in the field of professional
education is being designed: final positions associated with the current
educational level correspond to the initial positions related to the next
level.
The combination of different educational institutions, which are
involved in CFE programs' implementation within the same
educational environment. Organization of the training process using a variety of innovative tools and
techniques.
IV.
D
ISCUSSIONHaving studied a significant number of scientific works [1], [6], [14], [17], we identified the following factors contributing to the successful professional development of the university teacher:
- the professional activity of the teacher is one of the key elements of the person’s value hierarchy and the system of meanings;
- constant creative search, continuous striving to surpass one's professional results (of course, taking into account objective limitations);
- readiness to implement innovation, which implies the ability to "keep abreast" of scientific progress in the area that underlies this academic discipline, along with several related ones; the ability to assess, analyze and integrate modern organizational forms, techniques, and methods into the educational process;
- the ability to organize all aspects of professional activity: determining one’s own level, formulating goals and objectives of professional improvement, elaborating effective work scenarios and ways to make the necessary adjustments; the establishment of optimal (or at least acceptable) relationships in the professional community; adequate perception of one’s abilities, needs and motives, along with the advantages and disadvantages of the programmes being implemented; a healthy reaction to the colleagues’ opinions; design of high-quality correction programmes [18], [19], [20], [21], [22].
All these provisions constitute a content complex associated with CFE, which is carried out at the stage of further pedagogical education. The practical implementation of these theses should help students to realize their real competitiveness level in the context of the pedagogical labor market.
Based on our analysis of further professional education provided by Russian universities, we can state the insufficiency of the mentioned factors and suggest our teaching model for building a career within further pedagogical education. The essence of this model can be presented through the following statements:
1. The concept of building a career does not contradict the content and structure of postgraduate vocational training and is aimed at providing a person with optimal conditions, allowing him/her to design and subsequently implement vectors of professional and personal development within the environment of a higher educational institution [23], [24].
2. In addition to the general tasks (which imply forming the aspiration for a continuous creative search, a willingness to carry out innovation activity and the ability to solve any problematic situations, including the most complex and large-scale ones), the concept of full-fledged CFE includes designing a special target module having two components: meaningful and practical. Its basic guidelines are the following:
a) enriching the substantive aspect of psychological and pedagogical disciplines with components that contribute to the career formation
and interpret career evolution as an activity consisting of several stages (motivation, goal setting, goal achievement, assessment and analysis of achieved results); b) the design of didactic units intended to solve a particular problem through special courses, elective classes, creative works on a certain subject;
c) the elaboration of active forms of learning the surrounding reality and the development of one's personality based on the broad application of the imitative approach by creating problematic
educational situations;
d) the formulation and practical implementation of the principles contributing to the support of the described activity outside the audience.
3. Creation of a CFE segment within postgraduate education as one of the key areas, suggesting an emphasis on such components of a successful career path as:
a) determining the structures of mental activity, known as subconscious reference points (stereotypical patterns) of career activity;
b) elimination of data from non-constructive samples by increasing the diversity of the teacher’s functions within career development;
c) continuous analysis of the intermediate results of the activity with the necessary changes in the diversification strategy [25].
V.
C
ONCLUSIONThe following prerequisites for the university teacher’s professional development have become the basis of the proposed career development model.
The first condition for the university teacher's career growth is the integration of pedagogical work into the system of life meanings and the value hierarchy as their most important component. Particular attention is paid to improving the level of workers' professionalism, their intensive development within the chosen specialty, the perception of the latter as a micro-societal and universal value. These factors favor building a more successful career in a shorter time.
The second condition for the university teacher's career development is a constant creative search with a critical attitude to the level of one's knowledge, skills, competencies, and scenarios of pedagogical activity. Besides, we should emphasize that it is important to reject stereotyped decisions, to engage in non-trivial problems of varying complexity and significance, to push the knowledge boundaries within the selected area and beyond.
The third condition for the university teacher's career evolution is his/her readiness for the implementation of innovative activities. It is about striving for pedagogical innovation in the teacher's daily practice, for the use of new technologies that contribute to forming the educational process in the context of higher education. This condition should be analyzed with due regard to the previous one.