DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL SKILLS OF DOCTORS OF PHILOSOPHY IN PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION: CONCEPTUAL APPROACHES, METHODOLOGICAL TOOLKIT
Authors:   Alfred Nobel University, Volkova Nataliia , Lebid Olha ,   Alfred Nobel University, Korobeinikova Tetiana ,   Alfred Nobel University
Published: February 2025

The article addresses the issue of developing social skills of doctoral candidates in professional edu-
cation.
The purpose of the study is to substantiate the set of social skills of doctors of philosophy in profes-
sional education and outline approaches to their development, which are implemented at Alfred Nobel Uni-
versity.
The study used methods of comparative, retrospective and definitional analysis, categorization and
modelling of the set of social skills of doctors of philosophy in vocational education, and conceptualization
of advanced pedagogical experience in their formation in professional training.
Based on a study of domestic and foreign scientific literature, the authors demonstrate the diversity
of approaches to both the interpretation of social skills and the identification of their list.
The article substantiates the groups of social skills that are important for doctors of philosophy in pro-
fessional education: effective social communication and behaviour skills (ability to actively listen to the in-
terlocutor, persuade and argue, present themselves and their ideas; mastery of nonverbal communication
tools); collaboration and teamwork skills (ability to work effectively in a team and consider other points of
view; establish and maintain contacts; model relationships with various subjects of the educational process,
namely students, parents, teachers, university management, social partners, and stakeholders; ability to ef-
fectively resolve conflicts and achieve goals collaboratively); cognitive skills (critical thinking, creativity, pos-
itive thinking, self-education skills, and digital skills); self-organization skills (ability to set and achieve goals,
self-management skills, self-organization, volitional self-regulation, self-assessment, self-reflection, self-de-
velopment, identification and production of an internal resource base); personal skills (self-confidence, em-
pathy, responsibility, emotional intelligence, resilience, time management, criticality, stress resistance, tol-
erance, honesty, optimism, flexibility, entrepreneurship, active position and leadership, and adaptability).
The methodological foundations for the development of social skills of postgraduate students who
are obtaining the third (educational and scientific) level of higher education in specialty 015 Profession-
al Education (by specialization) in the field of knowledge 01 Education/ Pedagogy at Alfred Nobel Universi-
ty are determined including: systemic, competency-based, axiological, personality-oriented, andragogical,
participatory, and resource approaches; principles (the ones of social partnership, acmeological psycholog-
ical and pedagogical support for the activities of subjects of the educational process, and internal freedom
of the individual).
The article shows the expediency of using a set of teaching and learning methods in each academic
discipline of the educational and scientific program, including both mandatory and elective courses, which
would maximally contribute to the development of social skills in postgraduate students.
The educational potential of facilitation and coaching methods as an effective tool for developing so-
cial skills in PhD candidates in professional education is determined.
It has been concluded that the development of social skills by doctors of philosophy in professional ed-
ucation is the basis for their successful careers as effective teachers, researchers, and leaders in their field.
Their formation in the process of professional training will allow future doctors of philosophy to adapt to
the challenges of the modern educational space.