Motivational and personal differences of students with dissimilar degrees of self-realization in higher school education
Authors:   Belgorod State Technological University named after V.G. Shukhov, Shutenko Andrey I. , Shutenko Elena N. ,   Belgorod National Research University, Derevyanko Julia P. ,   Belgorod National Research University, Kanishcheva Marina A. ,   Belgorod National Research University
Published: January 2021

Effective training of competent specialists in a contemporary university requires the disclosure of personal abilities and internal potential of students who realize themselves as subjects of learning activity. The problem of studying the psychological factors of enhancing learning and self-realization of students in the educational space is of particular relevance. The hypothesis of the study was the assumption about the influence of motivational, personal-orientation and life-sense factors on the level of students' self-realization in university education. The study involved 224 students of the 4-5th courses from Belgorod National Research University and Belgorod State Technological University named after V.G. Shukhov. The author’s questionnaire for identifying the degree of students' self-realization in learning, as well as questionnaires and tests known in psychology for identification of motivational, personal and sense-purpose characteristics, served as diagnostic tools. The results were processed using cluster analysis, Student's t-test and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. As a result it turned out that students with varying degrees of self-realization in education had differences in personal characteristics. Students with stable self-realization had higher scores for such motivational parameters as: attitude to learning (t = 7.056, p ≤ 0.001), self-expression need (t = 3.08, p = 0.003), satisfaction of achievements (t = 5.33, p ≤ 0.001). Meanwhile, students with low self-realization had an increased safety need (t = 2.26, p = 0.016). According to personal orientations and self-attitude, students with articulated self-realization were characterized by higher scores in terms of self-regard (t = 2.77, p = 0.007), self-management (t = 4.34, p ≤ 0.001), reflected self-attitude (t = 3.18, p = 0.002) and self-esteem (t = 3.02, p = 0.005). With regard to life-sense orientations, students with stable self-realization were distinguished by higher values of internal locus of control t = 4.50, p ≤ 0.001), life management (t = 4.07, p ≤ 0,001), life productivity (t = 3.84, p ≤ 0.001) and interesting eventful life (t = 3.80, p ≤ 0.001). Based on the correlation analysis, a number of positive relationships of self-realization markers in according to the questionnaire with personal characteristics of students were revealed. A positive connection was remarked between attitude to learning and following markers: the intention to work intensively in the classes (r = 0.52, p ≤ 0.01), recognizing of the usefulness of learning for oneself (r = 0.50, p ≤ 0.01), minimal learning frustration (r = 0.49, p ≤ 0.01). Satisfaction of knowledge correlated with markers of achieving a better self-knowledge (r = 0.49, p ≤ 0.01) and developing of personal abilities (r = 0.48, p ≤ 0.01). Self-management correlates with marker of achieving a deeper self-understanding (r = 0.47, p ≤ 0.01). Thus, the study made it possible to present the differentiated personal characteristics of students with different levels of self-realization in learning. The results can be useful for improving university practice in creating psychological and pedagogical conditions for a more complete students’ self-realization in the training process.