ISSN 0798 1015

Vol. 38 (Nº 40) Año 2017. Pág. 30

Reflexivity as a professional and psychological quality of a preschool teacher personality

Reflexividad como una cualidad profesional y psicológica de la personalidad de un maestro preescolar

Ekaterina Nikolaevna PYANOVA 1; Albina Zulfatovna MINAKHMETOVA 2; Guzalia Rasikhovna SHAGIVALEEVA 3; Gataullina Reseda FARVAZOVAN 4

Received: 29/07/2017 • Approved: 05/08/2017

Content

1. Introduction

2. Materials and methods

3. Research results

4. Discussion of the results

5. Conclusion

References

1. Introduction

Teacher’s personality has always been the leading factor for the quality of education.

The essence of teacher’s activity constitutes in solving educational tasks influenced by social situation. Changes in economic and social fields of life determine the need to change the modern system of education, and as a result the requirements to all participants of education process also change (Ldokova, Ismailova, Gaifullina, Makarova and Muharlyamova 2015). It often happens that neither the level of education nor the teachers implementing it fit this new reality.

Therefore, teacher’s professional activity should also be significantly changed. According to A.K. Markova, the core factor of teachers’ professional activity is their personality which determines the essence of educational activity and communication. They are entrusted with the functions of education update, and progressive changes are impossible without their active and thoughtful participation.

Belonging to a profession manifests itself in the specific features of person’s activity, mindset, and personality. According to profession classification by E.A. Klimova, teacher’s profession is a profession of “person-to-person” type meaning the subject of this profession’s representatives is another person. However, teacher’s profession differs from the other ones, first of all, by its increased sense of duty and responsibility. As a result, the profession of a teacher stands apart and forms an individual group. This profession can also be considered both as a transforming and managing profession. With the goal of person’s development and transformation, a teacher at the same time controls the process of their intellectual, emotional, and physical development and the formation of their mental world (Vinnichenko, Gelfman, Revyakina and Rumbeshta, 2005).

Modern educational standards are based on the formation of basic competencies of a contemporary person: informational, communicative, self-organisation, self-education (Khlusova 2012). Teachers should possess all these competencies to be able to solve educational tasks.

It should be noted that contemporary teacher is able to recognise (“to see”) the diversity of pupils and difficulties of the educational process; to react to children’s different needs, to use individual approach to each child; to improve the educational environment, to create favourable atmosphere; to understand various contexts (social, cultural, national, etc.) of education; to generate new ideas, foresee new needs and necessities of education; to be responsible for the quality of educational activity. All this cannot be achieved without developed reflexivity which acts as an important competence of teacher’s work (Azbukina 2012; Baranova 2010; Gorenkov 2005; Biktagirova and Valeeva 2014).

In their works, A.A. Bizyaeva (2004), B.Z. Vulfova (1997), E.V. Piskunova (Piskunova and Sinitsyna 2011), I.A. Stetsenko (2006) and others note high importance of reflection for successful educational activity and professional development of personality.

The goal of this research is to study reflexivity as a professional and psychological quality of a preschool teacher personality.

Therefore, preschool teachers act as the object of research.

The subject of research is reflexivity as a personal quality of preschool teachers.

Reflexivity is examined as a personal quality, ability to reflect inward toward oneself. Teacher’s reflexivity is understood as ability to comprehend the conducted activity: one’s own emotional state, achievements or difficulties during the activity, means and tools used for this activity, issues and ways to resolve problems (Baranova 2010, pp. 53).

According to a group of authors (R.M. Granovskaya, Yu.S. Krizhanskaya, I.N. Semenova, S.D. Stepanova and others), teachers’ reflexivity determines their ability to rethink the stereotypes of personal educational experience. In this case teacher’s ability to reflect is a mechanism of rethinking of stereotypes of consciousness, behaviour, communication, thinking, comprehension of grounds, means, and stereotypes of activity, critical and heuristic review, creation of innovations in different aspects of professional activity.

Leading specialists involved in the study of specialist training quality for the system of education agree that reflexivity is a significant component of teacher’s professional competence (V.A. Adolf, I.N. Stepanova, V.N. Vvedensky, E.I. Isaev, N.V. Kuzmina, A.K. Markova, L.M. Mitina, V.A. Slastenin and others). However, the studies usually use the term reflection (Dvoeglazova 2012).

Modern psychologists single out five interrelated levels in an integrated reflective act which cover reflective activity of consciousness from the very beginning, the emergence of reflection, to the comprehension of personal implications and formation of developed reflexivity: 1) stopping; 2) fixation; 3) objectification; 4) generalisation; 5) comprehension of epistemic situation with transfer to the transcendental level of consciousness. The levels of reflective act are considered as the steps of reflective thinking of both individual and collective subject of cognition and activity.

Thus, the analysis of psychological and educational literature showed that reflection is understood as self-understanding and self-knowledge and it also includes such processes as understanding and evaluation of another person. Reflection allows to compare one’s consciousness, values and opinions to values, opinions and attitudes of other people, groups, communities and, at last, universal values. As a result of reflection development, reflexivity is formed as a personal quality. Reflexivity allows teachers to treat their professional activity consciously and to consider themselves professionals.

2. Materials and methods

The following research methods were used: theoretical information acquisition methods such as generalisation and systematisation of scientific propositions on the research topic existing in psychological and educational literature; empirical information acquisition methods; qualitative and quantitative analysis of research results processing.

For empirical study of the examined topic a set of psycho-diagnostic methods was chosen, which included: Reflexivity questionnaire by A.V. Karpov, method of “Diagnostics of the level of partial preparedness for professional and educational self-development”.

The data received using the above-mentioned methods were subject to mathematical-statistical processing (correlation analysis). Statistical calculations were conducted using the Microsoft Excel XP programme package for universal processing of tabular data and SPSS statistical analysis package.

The study of teachers’ reflexivity was conducted at municipal budgetary preschool education institutions – kindergartens of the city of Elabuga. 30 teachers participated in the study. All the respondents were women aged 25 to 35.

3. Research results                                                            

Results of the research of teachers’ reflexivity are shown in figure 1.

Note: 1 – low level of reflexivity, 2 – average level of reflexivity, 3 – high level of reflexivity
Figure 1. Distribution of preschool teachers by reflexivity development levels (%)

In accordance with the acquired results the examined teachers were divided into three groups. The first group consisted of preschool teachers with low level of reflexivity (8% of teachers). Increased anxiety, psychological instability, and nervousness are typical for them. They are under the stress of emotions; being nervous, they lose harmony of the inner state; they are also sensitive to reactions of other people and are prone to any psychological disturbances leading to instable neuro-psychic activity. Low reflexivity level results in the inability to control one’s feelings and emotions. Such teachers do not usually specify essential conditions of goal achievement shifting responsibility to other people. They are characterised by inability (or poor-developed ability) to adequately plan they life goals and stay active in order to achieve them.

56% of teachers were considered to have average level of reflexivity. They adequately control their acts and are able to evaluate, analyse, and correct them. Their characteristic feature is being well-adapted to social micro-environment; such teachers resolve essential tasks, set goals and achieve them and are able to develop even under the changing conditions. However, excessive changes may result in their instable behaviour and negative emotional state. Teachers of this group are inclined to self-analysis with such objects of reflection as motives, causes of events as well as acts and details of future events.

36% of teachers have high level of reflexivity. Their typical features are self-controlled behaviour, ability to analyse what is going on, to compare their actions to the situation and correct them according to changing conditions and their own state. Teachers with high reflexivity level often analyse current situations, make decisions confidently, and are inclined to self-analysis not only for particular real-life situations but also for past and possible future events. They think clearly, are able to control their behaviour, set goals, plan and organise their activity. Their characteristic feature is vitality, or ability to survive, adapt to and develop within changing and not always favourable conditions.

The results of the study of kindergarten teachers’ professional and educational self-development are presented in table 1.

Table 1. Results of the study of teachers’ professional and educational self-development (%)

Let us consider the levels and components of educators’ professional and educational self-development in detail. According to the evaluation of their colleagues, 48% of educators have developed motivation. They strive for professional self-education, they are interested in their profession and are willing to self-improve within it. Average level of professional motivation was found in 36% of educators. 16% of educators showed low professional motivation; they work because they have to, and they have no interest in their profession or willingness to improve within it.

According to evaluation of their colleagues, 56% of educators have sufficient knowledge for professional educational activity. 36% of educators have average educational knowledge while 8% are evaluated as having insufficient educational knowledge.

The research results have shown that 44% of educators have moral-volitional qualities (will, criticism, courage, ability to complete their tasks, working capacity, etc.) required for professional educational activity. 40% of educators have averagely developed moral-volitional qualities. According to their colleagues, 16% of educators showed low moral-volitional qualities.

56% of educators are able to set and complete tasks using intellectual operations. 36% of educators, according to their colleagues, have average gnostic component of professional and educational self-development, while 12% have low level of this component.

36% of educators have developed organisational abilities, they can organise the process of knowledge acquisition and formation of skills and abilities, divide time and plan their activity.

48% of educators have average organisational abilities while 16% showed low results for this component.

40% of educators have developed self-management ability while 48% are not fully capable of self-organisation and self-regulation. 12% of educators do not have developed self-management ability.

72% of educators have developed communicative skills while 28%, according to their colleagues, have troubles in educational communication and interaction with their colleagues and pupils.

Table 2. Professional and educational self-development and reflexivity correlation coefficient

According to correlation analysis presented in table 2, design correlation coefficient is within the significance area by the following indicators: reflexivity – cognitive component of professional and educational self-development (r=0,53, p ≤ 0,01), reflexivity – self-management ability (r=0,60, p≤0,01), reflexivity – gnostic component of professional and educational self-development (r=0,46, p≤0,01). These connections show positive correlation dependence between the parameters.

Positive correlations statistically significant at the level of 0,05: reflexivity – organisational component of professional and educational self-development (r=0,36), reflexivity – moral-volitional component of professional and educational self-development (r=0,36), reflexivity – motivational component of professional and educational self-development (r=0,37). Therefore, the level of reflexivity depends on the level of professional and educational self-development, in particular on the following components: cognitive, gnostic, self-management ability, organizational, moral-volitional, motivational, and vice versa.

4. Discussion of the results

Correlation analysis showed that the more developed teacher’s reflexivity is, the higher their motivation is and the more they are capable of cognitive activity, solution of the set tasks and self-management. Reflexivity allows teachers to understand what they want to do, contributes to their willingness to professionally self-develop, get required knowledge, skills, and abilities, determines the ability to solve the set tasks and self-regulate their activity. They often analyse their activity and are able to control their actions as well as adequately evaluate, analyse, and correct them. However, excessive changes in the environment, changing tasks (which can be seen now within reformation of education) can lead to instable behaviour and negative emotional state. Improved reflexivity allows to improve the effectiveness of educational activity.

5. Conclusion

For effective professional activity teachers need an ability to constantly analyse their activity, their skills and abilities, to evaluate their influence on pupils, correct and develop them, which is impossible without developed reflection. The conducted analysis shows that it is necessary to distinguish reflection as the process of self-cognition and reflexivity as a personal quality. Reflection and reflexivity are not identical notions. Reflexivity is a personal quality determining reflection as a process. During the research it has been proved that reflexivity is highly significant for professional and educational self-development of teachers: the more developed teacher’s reflecxivity is, the better their professional and educational self-development is, particularly professional motivation, professional knowledge and skills, ability to cognise and self-manage. The suggested hypothesis has been proved.

The conducted study showed that improved reflexivity allows to improve the effectiveness of educational activity and vice versa. As for further study of reflexivity issues, we see it as the identification of effective methods of the development of teacher’s reflexivity as a professionally significant quality.

References

Azbukina E. Ju. (2012). Rol refleksii v professionalnom stanovlenii pedagoga [The role of reflection in professional development of a teacher]. Vestnik TGPU, 2, 90-94.

Baranova T. V. (2010). Osobennosti refleksii v professionalnoy deyatelnosti pedagoga [Specifics of reflection in teacher’s professional activity]. Srednee professionalnoe obrazovanie, 5, 52-55.

Biktagirova G.F. and Valeeva R.A. (2014). Development of the teachers’ pedagogical reflection. Life Sci J., 11(9s), 60-63.

Bizyaeva A.A. (2004). Psikhologiya dumayushhego uchitelya: pedagogicheskaya refleksiya [Psychology of a thinking teacher: educational reflection]. Pskov: PGPI im. S.M. Kirova, pp. 216.

Dvoeglazova M.Ju. (2012). Podhody k interpretatsii ponyatiya refleksiya v trudakh otechestvennykh psikhologov [Approaches to the interpretation of reflection in the works of Russian psychologists]. Psikhologiya obucheniya, 6, 17-19.

Gorenkov E. (2005). Refleksiya: problemy realizatsii v pedagogicheskoy deyatelnosti [Reflection: implementation issues in educational activity]. Vysshee obrazovanie v Rossii, 7, 163-164.

Khlusova A.A. (2012). Tehnologicheskiy podhod k formirovaniyu refleksivnoy kompetentnosti studentov pedagogicheskikh vuzov [Technological approach to the development of reflexive competence in students of teacher training educational institutions]. Vysshee obrazovanie segodnya, 4, 13-16.

Ldokova G.M., Ismailova N.I., Gaifullina N.G., Makarova O.A. and Muharlyamova A.Ju. (2015). “Prakticheskaya napravlennost podgotovki budushhikh pedagogov kak uslovie povysheniya ikh professionalnoy motivatsii” [Practical orientation of future teacher training as a condition of their professional motivation improvement]. Fundamentalnye issledovaniya, 2-11, 2469-2472

Piskunova E.V. and Sinitsyna A.I. (2011). Orientiry deyate'nosti sovremennogo uchitelya (po materialam mezhdunarodnoy konfferentsii "uchitel' v sovremennom mire") [Guidelines of contemporary teacher’s activity (following the international conference “Teacher in today’s world”)]. Vestnik Gertsenovskogo universiteta, 1, 47-52.

Stetsenko I.A. (2006). Teoriya i praktika razvitiya pedagogicheskoy refleksii studentov. Monografiya. [Theory and practice of the development of educational reflection in students. Monography.]. Rostov-na-Donu: State university publishing house, pp. 256.

Vinnichenko N.L., Gelfman E.G., Revyakina V.I. and Rumbeshta E.A. (2005). Sovremenny uchitel: podgotovka, opyt, kompetencii [Contemporary teacher: training, experience, competence]. Vestnik Tomskogo gosudarstvennogo pedagogicheskogo universiteta, 2, 165-168.

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1. Elabuga Institute of Kazan Federal University, 423604, Russia, Republic of Tatarstan, Elabuga, Kazanskaya street 89. E-mail: ekaterina.pyanova@ya.ru

2. Elabuga Institute of Kazan Federal University, 423604, Russia, Republic of Tatarstan, Elabuga, Kazanskaya street 89.

3. Elabuga Institute of Kazan Federal University, 423604, Russia, Republic of Tatarstan, Elabuga, Kazanskaya street 89.

4. Kazan Innovative University n.a. V.G Timiryasov (IEML), Nizhnekamsk branch, Republic of Tatarstan, Nizhnekamsk, prospect Shinnikov 44 B.