https://doi.org/10.53656/ped2024-6.05

2024/6, стр. 788 - 808

LEVELS OF SELF-EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY OF STUDENTS OF HUMANITARIAN FACULTIES OF THE UNIVERSITY

Резюме: The research at the Mykolaiv V. Sykhomlynskyi National University provided diagnostics of levels of self-educational activity of students of humanities faculties. It has been determined that self-education activity actualizes the subjective characteristics of future specialists: level of self-awareness, professional motivation, self-regulation, self-realization. Analysis of diagnostic results of 593 students revealed a predominantly low level of self-education activity. The theoretical and empirical research made it possible to predict its growth in the traditional educational process in the conditions of activation of students’ self-education. The results of the study can be applied in the process of psychological and pedagogical support of students.

Ключови думи: self-education; self-education activity; levels of self-education activity; activation of students’ self-education; subjectivity

Introduction

Self-education as a person’s ability to consciously pursue self-improvement is an interdisciplinary problem that has interested scientists from different fields of knowledge since ancient times. However, the need for selfdevelopment in order to maximize personal and professional self-realization is becoming increasingly relevant in the current conditions. Rapid scientific and technological progress, global transformations and global challenges place high demands on the modern person as a person and a professional, necessitating the need for continuous education, the need for constant updating of knowledge, mastering the latest technologies, developing a nonstandard thinking and developing a strategy for active thinking and strategy own activity.

The ability of a person to conscious, active, sustainable self-improvement is now an important condition of world socio-cultural development. According to the recommendations of the European Parliament and the Council of the Council 2018/0008 (NLE), up to 8 key competences for lifelong learning include personal, social and learning competences as well as cultural awareness and expression competence.

The development of active forms of self-education and self-improvement is one of the priority tasks of higher education institutions, as they are intended to maximize the personal and professional development of students as future specialists. The search for ways to optimize vocational training in a modern educational space actualizes research in the field of self-development and self-education of students, in particular, the development of their self-educational activity.

A comparative analysis of current scientific sources indicates the study of the outlined problem in a rather wide range: self-education studies relate to various age and social aspects of personality development, in particular, student youth. The approaches to the problem of self-education of foreign and domestic researchers are differ somewhat. A significant part of world studies of recent years, in the particular works of O. Aliyev, A. Amirkhanova, İ. Aşkin Tekkol, P. Beach, Stefanie L. Boyer, I. Boyazitova and M. Erkenova, A. Gil, Frank G. Giuseffi, K. Olart, A. Ovens, R. Sagitova, A. Swart, Marilyn E. Gist and Terence R. Mitchell, Xu Yidan, and others are mainly relevant to the direction of students’ self-education and the development of their self-efficacy. Scientists study the issues of self-study of future specialists of a certain educational level or specialty, models of self-education skills in the higher education system, self-directed learning as a tool for lifelong learning, the role of the Internet in self-learning, online self-study, strategies for self-learning in the digital age, determinants of student selfefficacy development, self-efficacy as a factor of their personal potential, vitality, subjective well-being, etc.

Scientists are actively searching for models, ways and forms of student involvement in the process of self-education. In the particular study of A. Amirkhanova and co-authors (Amirkhanova et al. 2015) proposed a model of self-education skills in the higher education system based on the formation of students’ readiness for professional self-education. The model is implemented by training students in a specially created educational company that performs diagnostic and consulting activities based on the use of modern information technologies. In higher education institutions, variant and selective self-education training courses are widely introduced to specialist education programs. For example, optional course “Education for Life” (Sagitova 2014) directs students to study modules: developing an individual educational route, creating a European language portfolio, developing the ability to work with different sources of information. Scientists N. Boyer, M. Gömleksiz, A. Kazan, C. Slater analyzed the problem of students’ readiness for learning, identified factors of success in learning, particularly the relationship between self-study, personal qualities and academic achievement of students, studied the skills of self-regulation in the process of self-study.

Scholars have argued for the importance and necessity of using the Internet in self-education as a basic form of learning and an additional element of education (Gil 2015). Exploring new self-study strategies in the context of digital technologies, F. Giuseffi (Giuseffi 2018) analyzed innovative projectbased learning (PBL) models, student goal setting, and self-efficacy theories that are proposed to be used as a possible basis for individual self-education programs. P. Beach (Beach 2017) views on-line self-study as a modern motivational approach to professional development, proposing a theoretical model of such learning for teachers.

Ukrainian researchers clearly distinguish between categories of selfdevelopment, self-education and self-teaching. Self-development is interpreted as a broader scientific concept that combines various aspects of selfimprovement. Self-education is defined as social-educational activity for the formation of certain qualities of personality or leveling defects, which also contains the direction of self-education as independent acquisition of new knowledge by a person. Self-teaching is always seen as a conscious, active and volitional process based on self-regulation. In this area, domestic studies are of interest: V. Bobritskaya, O. Glavatskaya, L. Ivantsev, A. Kalinichenko, I. Krasnoshchok, O. Kucheryavy, S. Malazoniya, T. Novachenko, V. Paskar, V. Radula, I. Tymoschuk, S. Kharchenko, I. Yavorskaya-Vetrova, which analyzed the views of modern youth on their professional careers, considered a professionally oriented context of education of humanistic values, formation of self-educational competence of future specialists, development of the ability to consciously self-regulate, develop self-regulation, self-education of activity, problems of social maturity and students’ self-realization, conditions of their becoming as subjects of life-giving, meaningful life-orientations of student youth.

Much of modern domestic research – T. Galtseva, M. Drigus, V. Kobets, O. Krevska, O.Muzika, N. Skakun, etc., as well as foreign ones, turns to the analysis of students’ self-efficacy, considering it in the space of self-determination of personality, as a factor of professionalization and creativity, studying the influence on it of motivational and socio-psychological factors, tracing the connection of self-efficacy with students’ satisfaction with the future profession, etc.

In the research of Ukrainian scientists, at the level with the issues of improvement of the system of formal and non-formal education, problems of informal component or self-education take on special importance. Thus, considering the ways of practical realization of information education at the level of magistracy of a modern higher educational institution, V. Bobritskaya (Bobritskaya 2015) defines “self-educational competence” as a dynamic combination of knowledge, skills and practical skills, ways of thinking, moral and ethical values and professional, world-view and civic qualities that are the result of the specialist’s cognitive activity and the basis for the willingness to teach the younger generation to independently acquire a variety of information throughout life.

The analysis of current scientific sources on the problem of research and the world experience of educational activity of higher education institutions convinces that effective training of students is possible only if they are conscious, active and responsible participation in this process. Self-education of future specialists is an integral part of their professional growth and development, which helps them to develop a stable professional position, transform their acquired knowledge into a tool of self-development, stimulate the search for the most optimal ways of personal and professional self-realization. Therefore, in order to optimize the professional training of students, it is important, from the first years and even months of study, to activate the process of their personal and professional self-improvement, to create the necessary conditions for it, to motivate and stimulate such activities. The first step should be to determine the initial level of self-educational activity of students.

The purpose of the article is to represent the results of the study of the levels of self-educational activity of students in the conditions of the traditional educational process of the humanities faculties of the University.

Theoretical basis of the study

In the context of modern psychological and pedagogical research, selfeducation is interpreted as a conscious, active and systematic activity of a person aimed at self-improvement of the individual. It is a subjective social experience in which the personality independently defines ideals, goals according to social and own value criteria, specifies the content of self-improvement in specific tasks, selects methods and means of achieving results, exercises self-control, makes necessary adjustments.

Scientists consider the most favorable, sensitive period for self-education in different spheres to be the student’s age. At this age, there is optimum analyzer sensitivity, the highest speed of RAM, transferring attention, and solving verbal-logical tasks. Adolescence (to which the student body is predominantly) is characterized by increased self-control and self-regulation (Kon 1989), and its formation of self-consciousness is considered the quintessence and the main result (Vygotsky 1991). The student’s age is a time of learning new social roles, professional self-determination, building up one’s own system of values, formation of professional competences. In mastering the profession, students are forced to adapt to new conditions, overcome the difficulties of learning and socio-professional development, while acquiring important social, professional and other skills. According to T. Galtsevа (Galtsevа 2017, p. 74), in the student period, belief in one’s own educational abilities, ability to overcome difficulties, striving for continuous selfimprovement, ability to manage their development are important factors of future professionalism and professional self-realization.

The problem of student activity in self-education is considered in the context of existing scientific approaches to the category of personality activity. This category is investigated in the framework of self-concept – R. Burns, E. Erickson, the problem of human “I” and personality consciousness – I. Dubrovina, I. Kon, K. Rogers, V. Stolin, self-regulation of activity –M. Boryshevsky, O. Konopkin, Y. Myslavsky, self-determination of personality – E. Klimov, I. Chechel, self-education of personality –O. Kochetov, L. Ruvinski. Some approaches consider the activity of the individual from the standpoint of life creation: the concept of life aspirations –Sh. Buhler, thematic structuring of life (K. Levin), the theory of personality as a subject of life (S. Rubinstein), the concept of self-development of personality – G. Kostyuk, life personality program – L. Sohan, I. Martyniuk, N. Sobolev, life strategy – K. Abulkhanova-Slavska and others.

The activity of the subject (Abulkhanovа-Slavskaya 1991, p. 272) is based on the ability to mobilize its capabilities and determine ways to achieve the goals - to realize them in the activity. According to V. Lozova (Lozova 2000), human activity is not a natural feature, it can change in accordance with the change in the surroundings, in which a person lives, and the development of his or her personality. Summarizing the existing approaches, I. Krasnoshchok (Krasnoshchok 2002) emphasizes that personality activity is considered as a system of relationships aimed at: assimilation, enrichment of elementary universal means of existence in the micro and macro environment (assimilation of labor actions and creativity of all social norms); creation of the world of things and actions (reproductive and creative); forming relationships in the microenvironment and creating your inner world; participation in the regulation of macro-environment transformation; selfcreation, self-affirmation, self-regulation.

Scientists consider the most productive strategy of realization of activity of the person of self-perfection - such way of life when the person searches for the ways of their embodiment in life most adequate to the possibilities (Abulkhanova-Slavskaya 1991, p. 262). Indicators of vital realization can be: contribution to culture (material, social, spiritual and moral, culture of human relations), to history; completeness and versatility of self-expression; measure of satisfaction of a person with the degree, means, results of his activity, the way life has taken place as a whole (Sohan et al. 1996, p. 214). I. Krasnoshchok (Krasnoshchok (2002) considers such a form of personality activity as self-creation, which is realized through self-knowledge and self-regulation, the formation of the subject himself as a self-realizing personality.

Although many scholars consider self-education and its individual aspects in the context of the category “activity”, the concept of self-education activity stands out only by some scholars. Particularly, O. Kucheryavy (Kucheryavy 2002, p. 54), exploring the theoretical and methodological foundations of the organization of professional self-education of future preschool teachers and primary school teachers, determines the following structure of their self-educational activity: knowledge about the content of the model of the specialist-teacher and the theory of self-education (as self-education) ); the intimate nature of knowledge about the content of the specialist model, theory and technology of professional self-education; motives of the student’s self-educational activity (presence of his personal meaning and acts of goalsetting); activity in determining the direction, tasks-self-commitments in self-education (based on the comparison of the content of the professional’s specialist with the already formed elements of the image “I” of the professional); activity in the implementation of self-education procedures (ways, forms and means of planning, execution and self-correction of tasks-selfcommitments); self-stimulation by the student of self-educational actions and stimulation of his professional self-education by the teacher; results of self-education activity (expressed in the growth of acts of self-education of the future teacher).

Research on the problem of self-education activity is to some extent related to the study of student achievement issues as a result of their activity in various fields, first of all, in the educational field. The concept of self-efficacy (Bandura 1997) is of scientific interest in this context. The scientist defines self-efficacy as a cognitive component of a person’s self-consciousness, which refers to a person’s ideas about their own ability to act successfully in a particular situation. He views self-efficacy as a situation-specific construct and considers it a key determinant of human behavior. Modern scholars share the opinion about the close connection of this psychological and pedagogical phenomenon with the activity of students, their confidence, belief in their own abilities, a sense of ability to perform certain activities or individual tasks, and overall vitality. In particular, I. Boyazitova & M. Erkenova (Boyazitova & Erkenova (2018) point out that self-efficacy as a person’s belief in one’s ability to cope with activities that lead to the desired result determines activity, readiness for change of environmental reality, which in turn promotes development vital beliefs. Belief in one’s self generated activity, actions helps one to discover one’s inner potential and be successful, which in combination promotes one’s readiness to overcome difficult life circumstances. Having carried out a comprehensive study of the motivational factors of professional self-efficacy, O. Krevska (Krevska 2018) notes that her overall goal for the individual is both the realization of her own abilities and competences, as well as the modeling of external behavior that meets the professional requirements. The scientist distinguishes 2 components of professional self-efficacy: personal, which combines the sense of self-esteem and self-esteem of the individual with its real competence (ability, ability to solve vital problems) and the resultant, which characterizes the integral ability of the individual to be effective in terms of activity. While not disputing the generally positive impact of self-efficacy on students’ vocational training and other areas of their self-actualization, scholars also draw attention to the potential risks involved. An excessively high level of self-confidence can adversely affect the quality of students’ preparation as they do not feel the need and need for deep and systematic learning activities (Pervin & John 2001). However high self-efficacy can even lead to personality degradation, creating a false sense of self-confidence (Clark 2012). Such a person resorts to choosing the wrong behavioral strategy, sometimes spending extra effort in completing impossible tasks or deliberately taking unjustified risk.

Scientists consider the ability of students to take responsibility for its results and the level of motivation as important conditions for ensuring the quality of vocational training. A study by Nader Ayish & Tanju Deveci (Ayish & Deveci 2019), which compared students’ perceptions of personal and group responsibility with participation in learning projects, found a much higher level of personal responsibility. However, according to scientists, it cannot always be effective in mastering communication training courses, fulfilling team types of tasks. Analyzing the factors of college students’ educational motivation as an example of pedagogical disciplines, Rebecca A. Mattern (Mattern 2005) identifies 2 main goals that students are oriented toward: goals of skill (demonstrate understanding) and performance goals (demonstrate ability). The researcher notes that these goals can change depending on the content and objectives of the course, but in general, to obtain high learning outcomes, the priorities were goals of skill. It should be borne in mind that the motives of self-improvement can differ significantly at different stages of personal and professional development. The results of the study of the professional motivation of young people of different social groups (Glavatska 2016, p. 73), show that the main features of behavior for a professional career for working youth are professional self-realization, student youth has a specific orientation to external self-affirmation, for student audiences more characteristic is internal self-determination.

The study of A.-M. Cazan & B.-A. Schiopca (Cazan & Schiopca 2014) is essential for determining the conditions of activation of students’ selfeducation which analyzes the relationship between self-study, personal qualities etc., “Big Five” and students’ academic achievements. The qualities of the “Big Five” in psychological and pedagogical research mean the dispositional model of personality proposed by G. Allport, G. Eysenck & R. Kettel, which contains 5 characteristics: openness of experience, honesty, extraversion, benevolence, neuroticism. The results of the study revealed a correlation between students ‘self-study and students’ personal qualities, which allowed them to predict their academic achievement, depending on the quality and intensity of self-study. A study of self-study (SDL) and self-study readiness (SDLR) by prospective physicians (Slater, Cusick & Louie 2017), also confirmed an increase in such readiness in students with an increase in personality of “Big Five” as well as age and educational level. In a self-directed learning (SDL) the studies of S. Boyer, D. Edmondson, E. Artis & D. Fleming (Boyer, Edmondson, Artis & Fleming 2014) found a positive relationship between SDL and motivation, internal locus of control, self-efficacy, productivity, and support. Another group of scientists (Ashkin & Demirel 2018), examining the skills of independent study of undergraduate students, found that they did not depend on the institution of education, year of study, financial level of students. Instead, the differences between these skills vary depending on the field of study, academic success, motivation for further learning, and the direct link between self-study skills and life-long learning trends.

Thus, in the context of modern scientific approaches students’ self-education can be defined as the process of their self-improvement in order to maximize personal and professional self-realization. Self-education activity always requires a sufficiently high level of personality development: cognitive and emotional-volitional sphere, self-awareness, which manifests itself in the formation of the need for conscious self-improvement, which distinguishes self-educational activity from other types of self. The results of the analysis of research on the problems of self-education in the stage of obtaining a vocational education suggest that effective training of future specialists requires the mobilization, first of all, of internal, subjective reserves of the individual. The development of self-educational activity of students in the conditions of the traditional educational process will help to optimize the assimilation of external socio-pedagogical requirements of future professional activity, as well as accelerate the transition of educational and educational opportunities of this activity into internal factors of activation of personal and professional self-development.

Methodology of the study

In order to determine the levels of self-educational activity of students of the humanities faculties, a study was conducted at the Mykolaiv V. O. Sykhomlynskyi National University. It was attended by students of 1-4 courses of the faculties of foreign philology, philological and psychological educational level “Bachelor”. The total array of study participants was 593 individuals.

The objectives of the study were to develop criteria and indicators of self-educational activity of students, to clarify its structure and to diagnose levels of self-educational activity in students of humanities departments in the context of the traditional educational process.

The system of empirical and theoretical methods of diagnostic character was used for realization of the purpose and tasks of the research: questioning of students on the formation of target units and motives of self-educational activity and knowledge of the theory and methods of self-education; introspection by students of self-education activities and analysis of diaries of personal and professional self-development; analysis of creative work and student testing (J. Rotter’s method of “Level of subjective control”); systematization and generalization of the obtained results.

Results of the study

The criteria for self-educational activity were determined on the basis of the provisions of the systemic, activity and criterion approaches, according to which the criteria should record the activity status of the subject, information about goals, motives, content, methods and means, conditions and result of his activity.

A special role in self-education belongs to the operational-activity sphere, practical possession of the skills and skills of self-education. Such basic skills are: realization of self-diagnostics of own individual features and personal qualities, clear planning of self-educational activity (formulation of tasks and prediction of results), independent selection and use of adequate methods, techniques and means of self-education, self-analysis and selfcorrection.

No less important role in self-education is played by the volitional sphere, in particular, the development of such qualities of personality as willpower, perseverance, endurance, vigor, determination and so on. However, students’ self-education activities become more effective if they are based not only on the willful efforts of the individual, but also with a motivated and personal value. This is possible under the condition of development of student subjectivity, which in the context of self-education activity was defined as a combination of active-creative position in personal and professional development and awareness of their own responsibility for its results (Sereda 2020; Sereda & Karskanova 2021).

Based on the approaches of O. Kucheryavy (Kucheryavy 2002), the structure of self-educational activity of students in the context of the initial research was proposed by him. In particular, an integration component is highlighted, reflecting students’ level of awareness of themselves as subjects of their own personal and professional development. This characteristic is largely reflected in the students’ self-esteem (undervalued, overestimated or objective), their subjectivity, their ability to create a holistic self-concept and to build a program of their own personal and professional development.

Self-education of students we consider as an essential characteristic of the result of activation of the process of self-education, which consists of four interconnected components:

– motivational – clearly aware and personally-important needs, motives and goals of personal and professional improvement;

– content – personal and valuable knowledge about the general tendencies of self-education of the person, his driving forces, content, directions, existing methods and technologies of self-education;

– operational – the skills and implementation of self-education activities that allow to increase personal and professional level of development;

– integration – an integration component that provides the established nature of self-education activities based on personal needs, motives, knowledge, skills and skills of personal and professional self-education.

Evaluation criteria for each component of self-education activity were determined.

As a criterion for the motivational component, the student’s general orientation to self-educational activity is expressed, which is expressed in the system of clearly defined motives and goals of self-education, both during his studies at the university and in further personal, social and professional life.

For the content component, the criterion is the nature of general pedagogical and methodological knowledge of the theory and practice of self-education, which is manifested in the degree of mastery of the content, structure, methods, techniques, mechanism of realization of self-education and independent substantiated choice of its directions.

The criterion of the operational component defines the possession of the skills and skills of self-education activity, which is manifested in the clarity of the development of plans and programs of self-education, appropriate choice and purposeful implementation of appropriate methods, tools and techniques of self-education, systematic implementation of such activities.

The criterion for evaluating the integration component is the awareness of oneself as a person and professional, which is manifested in the volume and adequacy of knowledge about their features and potential opportunities and their active use for their own development, availability and character of skills to build “I-concept” and the program of creativity, levels of subjectivity.

According to these characteristics, 3 levels of self-educational activity were determined: low, medium and high.

The low level of self-educational activity of the student of the humanities faculty is characterized by the following signs of manifestation:

– uncertainty of needs and motives for personal and professional improvement; fuzzy self-education goals; misunderstanding and rejection of motives and goals of self-education; lack of desire for self-educational activity;

– partial understanding of basic concepts of self-education theory; fuzzy understanding of the general features of self-education; partial knowledge of self-education techniques; lack of systematic understanding of the process of personal and professional self-education of the student of the humanities faculty;

– low level of pedagogical and methodological skills to carry out selfeducation activities; low level of technological skills: goal-setting, planning, selection of methods, tools and techniques of implementation, forecasting the result;

– lack of knowledge about their own potentials and their weak use during university studies; inability to organize their life; not by the systematic nature of self-education activity or its absence; low level of subjectivity.

The average level of self-education activity is characterized by:

– partial understanding of the need for personal and professional personality improvement; understanding of the motives and goals of self-education as a possible basis for personal and professional development; the emergence of the desire for self-educational activity;

– understanding of basic concepts of self-education theory; more specific understanding of the general features of self-education; knowledge of self-education methods in the absence of a systematic understanding of the process of personal-professional self-education of the student of the humanities faculty;

– average level of general pedagogical and methodological skills to carry out self-education activities; fragmentation in planning and selection of necessary methods, means and techniques of self-education activity;

– partial awareness of their own potential and occasional use of them to enhance their personal and professional development; partial ability to organize their own life; increasing the level of subjectivity.

A high level of self-education activity is characterized by the following features:

– deep understanding of one’s personal and professional improvement needs; formation of motives of self-educational activity; clear definition of the goals of selfeducation; aspiration of self-educational activity;

– sufficient knowledge of self-education theory; a clear understanding of the general features of self-education; sufficient knowledge of self-education techniques in systematic understanding of the characteristics of the process of personalprofessional self-education of the student of the humanities faculty;

– high level of general pedagogical and methodological skills to carry out the process of self-education; the integrity and systematic nature of this process;

– a clear orientation in their own potential personal opportunities and active use of them for personal and professional improvement; systematic implementation of self-education activities; ability to optimally organize their own life; high level of subjectivity.

In order to analyze the formation of motives and target units of self-education, a survey of students of the 1st, 2nd and 4th year was conducted. Students were asked to determine if they felt it necessary to self-educate and justify their answer. The results of the responses of 178 students of the Faculty of Foreign Philology showed that 86% of students are aware of the social importance of self-education. The first-year students have identified the following basic motives for self-education: becoming a versatile person (34%); adapt faster in the world (28%); achieve more in life (17%) to have the opportunity to educate others (12%); to become a true citizen of the state (9%). 2nd year students: do not stop in their development (36%); achieve success in life (30%); to develop qualities that are useful for the future (19%); to become an educated person (11%); become a happy person (4%). 4-year students: develop their own personality, improve themselves (32%); provide creative, intellectual, professional growth (29%); make their lives better (17%); develop their own personality (14%); be erudite and behave decently in any situation (8%). An analysis of student responses indicated that 1st year students were more interested in self-education problems (94%) than 2nd year students (90%) and 4th year students (80%). At the same time, self-education motivation is much deeper, more personally directed at senior students. It is obvious that as a result of the development of self-awareness, greater social and personal maturity, the motivation of selfeducation of the student of the humanities faculty becomes more profound, but the interest in this activity diminishes. Accordingly, 6% of 1st year students, 10% of 2nd year and 20% of 4th year stated that they were completely satisfied with their level of development and did not see any need for self-education or did not answer the questions at all. We see the reasons for this situation primarily in the lack of awareness of the personal importance of self-educational activity for students and the lack of stimulation of the development of their self-educational activity in the traditional conditions of the educational process at the university.

The analysis of students’ questionnaires on the content of self-education made it possible to conclude that a deep, sufficient level of understanding of the essence of self-education activities of 16% of students of 1 – 2 years and 22% of students of 4 years. In particular, the following answers were offered: self-education – “it is a process of personal improvement, its harmonization in the outside world”, “a process aimed at the development and improvement of personality through the inner self”, “the process of self-realization in society, moral and physical growth”, “The process of forming a person of his personality in accordance with the goal”, “the process of purposeful improvement of their knowledge, character, general erudition, internal work on their volitional qualities.” Partially aware of the essence of self-education 69% percent of first-year students, 71% of second-year students, 73% of fourth-year students, as evidenced by their answers: self-education is “a revelation of oneself as a person”, “a person’s efforts to change for the better”, “constant work on oneself, over the correction of one’s faults”, “the process of forming one’s personality, one’s qualities, character trait, or correction of this”. Self-education is understood at a simplified, primitive-everyday level by 15% of 1st year students, 12% of 2nd year students, 5% of 4th year students. This category of students gave the following answers: self-education – “it is the education of oneself”, “the cultivation of qualities that no one else nurtures”, “when a person cultivates certain qualities, attitude to the world and people”, “striving to achieve a certain goals”, “human ability to overcome difficulties”.

Questions were also asked about knowledge of the directions, methods and means of self-education. The analysis of the answers of students of 1, 2, 4 courses showed that they have a clear understanding of the existing directions, methods and means of self-education of 16% of students. Among the directions of self-education were: intellectual, moral, physical, aesthetic, labor, professional, strong-willed. As self-education methods were named: self-knowledge, self-esteem, self-analysis, self-planning, self-programming, self-management, self-training, an example of prominent personalities, self-suggestion, self-criticism. The students include: reading artistic, psychological, pedagogical and popular science literature, visiting cultural institutions (exhibitions, theaters, museums), sports sections, clubs of interest, keeping a personal diary, communicating with wise people, family, friends, God. Less specific answers were given by 67% of students, focusing mainly on the mental, moral and physical directions of self-education, and such methods as: selfcriticism, self-persuasion, situation analysis, self-discipline. 17% of students do not have a clear idea of the general tendencies of self-education. This category of students stated that they are trying to study themselves and improve themselves in the future profession and communication with people. As for methods and means, it was noted that for each person they should be their own. The results of the questionnaire testify to the students ‘deep knowledge of the theory and methods of selfeducation, and give us grounds to characterize the level of the substantive component of students’ self-education activity as insufficient.

Establishing the formation of the operational component of self-education activity was carried out on the basis of the analysis of programs and plans of self-education of students of the first and fourth years, as well as their self-analysis on the systematic self-education activity. Analysis and generalization of plans for personal and professional self-education of students of 1st (88 plans) and 4th (62 plans) of the courses showed that 26% of 1st year students and 18% of 4- students have low self-education activities. This category of students could not make a plan for their own self-education, that is, to identify the main directions and tasks, to determine the appropriate methods of self-education and to predict the expected results. 69% of 1st year students and 75% of 4th year students showed partial mastery of such skills, as evidenced by quite detailed self-education plans, which define certain areas (mainly intellectual, professional, moral, physical), which are partially specified in the tasks. (to improve knowledge of a foreign language, to master computer skills, to learn to behave more confidently, to develop oratorical skills, to improve body figure), but are not supported by specific methods and techniques. This indicates a lack of students’ awareness of the basic stages of self-education and lack of self-education technology. At the high level, only 5% of 1st year students and 7% of 4th year students have the skills to carry out self-education activities. In practice, this is expressed in the ability not only to determine the directions and tasks of self-education, but also to carry them out through a set of personally acceptable methods and techniques. Thus, students named among the most commonly used methods of self-education self-diagnosis, self-analysis, self-esteem, self-education, following the example, self-order, auto training and quite clearly related them to certain directions and tasks.

Self-examination by students of 1 – 4 courses of systematic self-education activity was also used. According to its results, 5% of students of the 1st year and 7% of students of the 3rd year are regularly engaged in self-education; sometimes 53% of 1st and 2nd year students and 52% of 4th year students are self-educated; accordingly, they are self-educated in some cases (very rarely) or not engaged at all in 42% of first-year students and 41% of third-year students. According to the results of students’ self-analysis, the systematic activity of self-education activities has slight differences depending on the course of their studies. Most of the students have a fairly stable need for self-education, as evidenced by the fact that 53% of 1 – 2 year students and 52% of 3 – 4 students carry out self-education activities from time to time. However, these activities are non-systematic in nature and therefore do not provide stable dynamics of growth of self-education activity. It is not supported by sufficient stimulation in the educational process of the university, and therefore requires justification of the organizational and pedagogical conditions necessary for its activation.

The results of the students’ self-analysis also show that almost all of them have some difficulty in self-education. In response to the questionnaire: “What difficulties do you experience in self-education?” students were called: lack of desire to carry out such activity / lack of motivation (32%); insufficient development of volitional qualities (31%); lack of knowledge and skills of such activity (22%); negative impact of the social environment (9%); sloth (5%); other reasons (1%) (Fig. 1). In most cases, students’ self-education activities are not supported by sufficient positive motivation and strong-willed qualities. The negative role is played by the lack of awareness of students about technological aspects of self-education activities. The fact that quite a large number of students (9%) have sufficient motivation and self-education skills is a matter of concern, however, it has difficulties in its implementation due to the negative attitude towards such activity by the social environment, first of all, students of the academic group.

The analysis and generalization of students’ self-education plans, the results of self-analysis of their self-education activities showed a generally low level of skills development of such activities. In general, we found the level of the operational component of students’ self-education activity to be insufficient.

In the course of the study, students of the 1st year were asked to write a creative work on the topic: “I am a future philologist”, students of the 4th year – to create a self-professional self-portrait. The analysis of creative works showed that 74% of 1st year students do not clearly understand their own peculiarities and potential opportunities, and if they use them in the educational process, then spontaneously and unconsciously. 26% are only partially aware of them. However, some works indicate a strong motivation for future professional activity. Among the 4th year students are clearly oriented in their own potential and actively use them to improve the level of personal and professional development 16% of students, partially aware of them – 67% of students, not aware at all - 17% of students. Upgrading programs 92% of 1st year students are not able to develop at all and only 8% – partially. Among the 4th year students respectively – 6% of students develop highlevel personal and professional improvement programs, 58% of students – partially and 36% – do not develop at all.

In order to determine the level of subjectivity with 1st and 4th year students (246 people), a test was conducted according to the method of J. Rotter’s “Level of subjective control”. This is a generalized characteristic of the system of human relations, which regulates various aspects of its behavior. A person with high levels of internality (subjective control) is able to better manage his life, takes responsibility for how his life as a whole develops, that is, shows a greater capacity for selfeducation. Accordingly, a person with a low level of internality (subjective control) is not aware of the connection between his or her actions and significant life events, does not consider himself capable of controlling his development and, accordingly, less capable of self-education. The level of subjective control can increase in the process of stimulating psychological and pedagogical influence on the individual.

Test results of 1st year students showed that 4% of them have very low level of subjective control, which is manifested in inadequately low level of self-esteem, misunderstanding of their role in their own development, blame for other people’s mistakes and adverse circumstances. Such students are characterized by a very low level of self-education. 27% of students found a low level of subjective control, which is closer to the previous category. 52% are in equilibrium on the internality / externality scale, that is, they have an average level of subjective control. Students in this category are aware of the connection between their own actions and significant life events, and they have a greater capacity for self-education. However, they are not always able to consciously exercise and control their development. In 16% of students a high level is detected and in 1% – even a very high level of subjective control. Students with such metrics consciously manage their lives, take responsibility for how it is shaped in general. They exhibit the greatest capacity for self-education. Testing of the 4th year students showed that 2% of them have very low level of subjective control, 24% – low level, 45% – are in equilibrium (average level of subjective control). 26% of students found a high level and 3% respectively a very high level of subjective control.

The results of the analysis of the creative works and testing revealed that the majority of students do not have a clear idea of their own personality or are only partially aware of their potential and sometimes use them to enhance their personal and professional development. Students are only partially able to organize their lives and create concepts and programs for personal and professional development.

Most students have low levels of subjective control, exhibit low activity in selfeducation.

The generalized results of the study showed that the self-educated activity of students of the humanities faculties of the university is formed mainly at a low level, which significantly reduces the overall motivation and purposefulness in mastering future professional activity. Among the students who participated in the experimental study (593 persons), the low level showed 62%, the average – 28%, the high – 10% of students (Fig. 2).

Therefore, the existing system of training students in the faculties of humanities needs some changes in order to enhance the students’ self-education. This will allow future professionals to be trained at a higher quality level.

Conclusions and perspectives for further studies

Self-education is an important vital competence of the modern man in the achievement of many personal, professional and socio-cultural tasks. It is especially relevant in the process of vocational training in view of the tasks of higher education and socio-psychological characteristics of the student’s age. The development of students’ self-education activity is considered as a powerful resource for optimizing their professional training.

The research revealed a link between the subjective characteristics of future professionals (level of self-awareness, professional motivation, ability to selfregulate and self-fulfillment) and the level of their self-education activity. It is stated that the current state of activation of self-education of students of the humanities faculties of the University does not contribute to optimization of their professional training. Self-educational activity of students is developed mainly at a low level, characterized by uncertainty of needs and motives of self-improvement; fuzzy understanding of the general features of self-education of the individual, lack of systematic understanding of the process of personal-professional self-education; low level of technological skills of self-education, not systematic self-education activity; lack of awareness of their own characteristics and potentials, low level of subjectivity.

An analysis of the existing university training practice revealed that students’ self-education opportunities in the context of the traditional educational process increase with increasing levels of self-awareness and responsibility, and the development of subjectivity; enrichment of the motivational sphere with motives and needs of self-improvement; accumulation of knowledge and personal experience of self-educational activity; ability to optimally apply methods, tools and techniques of self-improvement; development of the volitional sphere.

The results of the study allowed, without changing the basic goals and tasks of professional training of specialists of the humanitarian direction, to determine the conditions of activation of students’ self-education, among them: actualization of values of self-education in the educational process; enriching the process of vocational training with ideas, concepts and methods of self-education; application of interactive-reflexive forms and methods of work with students; ensuring subject-subject interaction between teachers and students; creation of conditions for students to gain personal and professional self-improvement experience. We assume that the implementation of the specified organizational and pedagogical conditions with the use of appropriate methodological tools, psychological, pedagogical and technological support can positively influence the motivational, cognitive, emotional and volitional spheres, contributing to the development of self-educational activity of students and their subjective characteristics. This allows to predict the increase in the efficiency of professional training of future specialists in the humanities in the context of the traditional educational process.

We see the prospects for further research in creating on the basis of the proposed conditions a model of activation of students’ self-education and its practical implementation in the educational process of the humanities faculties of the University.

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