DYNAMICS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF A STUDENT-VOLUNTEER IN THE PROCESS OF PROFESSIONALLY-ORIENTED VOLUNTEERING ACTIVITY
Authors: Kuznetsova A. A. , Solovyeva N. A. 
Published: September 2018

Introduction.In the modern world, volunteering is one of the most effective ways for successful social development and improvement of the quality of human life. By the Decree of the President of Russia Vladimir Putin, the year of 2018 has been declared the Year of Volunteer in the Russian Federation. Voluntary activity has a positive impact not only on people who are provided with help but also on volunteers. Volunteering is beneficial for the formation and strengthening of moral position and citizenship, development of philanthropy, responsiveness, sense of justice, leadership skills. Besides, youth volunteering abroad has long been used as an important element of preparation to perform professional duties. Participating in the professionally focused volunteering, the student has an opportunity to gain professional experience, to check the correctness of own professional self-determination and career aptitude. Similar volunteer service is especially relevant for representatives of the “caring” professions – teachers, social workers, psychologists and doctors, i.e. people who have to be a priori ready for pro-social activity and have such qualities as goodwill, communicability and conscientiousness.

The aimof the paper is to study the dynamics of the psychological characteristics of future health-care professionals regularly participating in professionally-oriented volunteer activities.

Methodology and research methods.The research is based on competency-based and activity approaches to education. Also, research methodology involves the key provisions of the concept of a humanization of the pedagogical process of the higher education institution, and the basic principles of volunteers’ activity declared in documents of the “United Nations Volunteers” (UNV) programme. The survey among students was the main method of information collection. Psycho-diagnostic tools involved: the assessment technique for communicative and organizing tendencies of an individual (V. V. Sinyavsky, V. A. Fedoroshin); the questionnaire for assessing the development level of empathic tendencies (A. Megrabyan, N. Epstein); the methodology for studying of valuable orientations of the individual (M. Rokich); the questionnaire “Motivation of Assistance” (S. K. Nartov-Bochaver). To objectify the data obtained, the Mann–Whitney U Test statistical technique was applied to reveal a difference in values of the parameter between small selections.

Results and scientific novelty.The volunteer team was organized at the Department of Psychology of Health and Correctional Psychology of the Kursk State Medical University. This team is engaged in volunteering at the boarding school for children with disabilities. The authors came to the conclusion that the real directions of quasi-professional voluntary student unionism substantially correspond to the abilities and skills required of future health professionals. The authors analyzed the two-year dynamics of changes in students’ psychological characteristics and professional competencies under the influence of their constant involvement in the volunteer movement. The key personality traits of an experienced student volunteer were designated: orientation towards humanistic values; motivation and readiness of providing assistance to needy people; well-developed communicative abilities and empathy. It has been established empirically that the level of development of these professionally important qualities among the student volunteers is initially above, compared with fellow students who were not involved in volunteering. Also, the level mentioned above continues to evolve actively due to the performance of the professionally focused and socially important volunteer mission.

Practical significance. Results of the undertaken research prove convincingly that inclusion in the pedagogical process of higher education institution of professional volunteering as one of the priority activities contributes to the spiritual-moral education of students, the formation of professional and general humanistic outlook. In addition, student volunteering allows future graduates to find the necessary experience in the chosen field of employment.