Due to the need to ensure economic growth and improving competitiveness of the Russian economy, the development of youth innovative entrepreneurship is relevant for our country. This requires not only the implementation of appropriate educational programs, but also selection of young people for admission on the basis of an effective assessment of their abilities and readiness to create an innovative business. The goal of the investigation is to design and test psychodiagnostic method that solves the problem of prompt assessment of students’ ability to innovative entrepreneurship. The test SINPRED is elaborated on the basis of the authored by Prokhorova and Belokon model of psychic determinants of effective entrepreneurial activity, connected with innovations. The test contains: instruction, 56 statements, the agreement with which the testee expresses on a seven-rank scale; key of primary data processing; normalized points (stens), worked out for two groups of testees (women and men); manual on processing and interpretation of diagnostics results. For empirical foundation of the methodics indices of students’ behavior, singled out by 5 experts, are used. Verification of discriminatory power, internal consistency, reliability of the test is carried out on the sampling of 180 students. 152 students comprise the sampling for evaluating of methodics validity. For defining the test factor structure and its standardization the results of 308 students questioning are utilized. It is revealed that the created test possesses a high level of discriminatory power and test-retest reliability. All test assignments are correlated with each other. The scales of the methodics have a sufficient level of validity. During the test approbation significant differences between women and men are unveiled on four primary scales: leadership, creativity, nonconformity, early entrepreneurial experience. The acquired differences additionally confirm discriminatory power and criteria validity of the test, and also indicate perspective of scientific investigations, that uncover peculiarities of determination and molding ability to innovative entrepreneurship, conditioned by sex.
Keyword(s) : creativity
“Unpacking” Agency in the School Project: Prospects for a Participatory Approach
School has become more project-oriented. There is tremendous potential for student agency here. Children’s agency can be revealed through a participatory approach to childhood sociology.
The analysis model is based on the principles of participatory methodology and interpretive reproduction by Corsaro. Three groups of variables are identified: the subjectivity of the child, the balance of power between the child and the adult, and the joint creativity of the participants.
The empirical basis of the study is the “Green School” case, implemented online with the participation of five schoolchildren and one teacher from the Khabarovsk Territory. Observation, interviews, focus groups, and text analysis were used for the monographic analysis of the “case”.
In a space of “equal participation”, where students and a teacher are co-participants and co-researchers, children’s agency can be disclosed. Children maximally expresses themselves through free choice, gaining personal experience in the process of making decisions. Responsibility arises not as an “obligation”, but as a motivation for learning: “how can we do it to make it better”. The results of this work can be used by educators in organizing project-based research activities for students, utilizing sociological methods adapted to the study of children.
Creativity Development with Cerebral Gymnastics from the Perspective of the Pro.Seso Creativo 3.0 Method
The aim of this research was to demonstrate the effects of cerebral gymnastics as a strategy in the
creativity development from the perspective of the Pro.Seso Creativo 3.0 method in the university
students. The research is experimental with quasi-experimental design. The sample is represented
by 120 students. The research results showed that cerebral gymnastics as the strategy has a positive
influence on the creativity development from the perspective of the Pro.Seso Creativo 3.0 method
in the students of the Communication Career of the UCAL-Universidad de Ciencias y Artes de
América Latina in the academic period II-2020. The research hypothesis was confirmed, and the
null hypothesis was rejected, since when applying the t-Student test in the Study Group, the P-value
was 0.000, which is less than the established significance level (α = 0.05). Indeed, brain gymnastics
becomes a very relevant aspect since it allows developing and enhancing the creative process of
people, and it is through creativity that ideas or conceptions can be created, to produce alternative
solutions to the difficulties that arise.
A Toolkit to Assess the Level of Universal Competencies (Soft Skills) of Pedagogical University Students
As science and technology develops rapidly and the knowledge gained over the years of study devalues
equally rapidly, a university should not only provide students with specific, highly professional
knowledge and skills, but also develop universal competencies (soft skills), which include the ability
to self-study, self-development, communication and cooperation, creativity, critical thinking and
others. These are the skills that are increasingly valuable and will be more valuable in the future for
the personal and professional success of a young specialist demanded by an employer.
In the absence of unified and validated methods for diagnosing universal competencies, and with the
uncertainty and inconsistency relating to the basic set of soft skills required for a young specialist at
the start of his/her professional career, difficulties arise in organizing the educational process in high
education to integrate the development of hard and soft skills. The aim of the study was to develop a
toolkit for assessing and monitoring the level of development of universal competencies in students
of a pedagogical university.
The proposed toolkit was tested at the Institute of Natural Science and Sports Technologies of the
Moscow City University. It made it possible to identify strengths and weaknesses in the educational
process, acting as a sensitive diagnostic tool and facilitating the choice of a strategy aimed at
increasing its effectiveness for developing students’ universal competencies. The proposed approach
is universal and can be used in different contexts.
Teachers’ Beliefs about Creativity and its Nurture at School
The article presents the concept of teachers’ beliefs, and particularly their issue of implicit theories, about creativity and its nurture. It aims to identify whether teachers’ beliefs are consistent with modern theories of creativity and research on creativity-fostering practices. A second aim is the evaluation of potential barriers for implementation of creativity-fostering practices in Russian schools. A survey of 115 teachers from Kaluga region and Yaroslavl region was undertaken after 2 days of specific training. The analysis of their answers shows that their beliefs are only consistent with modern theories of creativity at a basic level. However, teachers still experience a high amount of uncertainty in how to implement nurture of creativity into everyday teaching practice and the ways to combine it with delivery of disciplinary knowledge. The results of this study may inform educational policy.
On the Formation of the Ability to Perceive the Depth, Volume and Spatial Perspective of Flat Images as a Basic Component of the Technology for the Human Creative Potential Development
This article identifies new opportunities for initiating human creativity through activation of visual
perception. It considers the possibility of increasing the level of creativity through the indirect
formation of visual constructs when referring to the associative thinking of students. It shows that
the potential development of creativity is due to the level of the subject development and the ability
to perceive any flat images with the effects of depth, volume, and spatial perspective (hereinafter
referred to as the 3D phenomenon). The results of student learning and testing students in grades
7-11 of one of the schools (Gymnasium) in Kazan are presented. Technology patents were obtained
on training and surveys.
Creativity and Need for Cognition in Students of Pedagogy
The aim of this research was to evaluate the relationship between the level of creative thinking in
pedagogy students and their internal need to learn about the world and themselves. A quantitative
research strategy was employed. The research sample numbered 250 participants. The questionnaire
Need For Cognition Scale – NCS was used to measure the need for cognition (NFC). The Test
for Creative Thinking, Drawing Production – TCT-DP, test sheets A and B were used to measure
creativity. The results of the research revealed the existence of relationships between creativity
and the need for cognition in pedagogy students. The analysis enabled an outline of the directions
in which university education might develop in order to foster students’ need for cognition as a
precondition for creative activity. Finally, the study delineated the limitations and perspectives for
future research.
Personal maturity of the teacher in the conditions of CAE implementation
The article is devoted to topical problems of reforming higher pedagogical education. Targeting educa-tional process on the development of personal maturity and competitiveness; the success of a professional is conditioned by several reasons, among which the most significant should be considered: readiness of the teacher for professional activity in the new economic socio-cultural conditions, the competitive environment; the orientation of training activities on professional and innovative searches; the encouragement of interest in self-development and self-realization. The article proposes a view of the construction of a coherent educational system for the development of personal maturity and competitiveness of a teacher.
The structure of personal maturity of the teacher as a component of competitiveness is characterized by the following components: motivational and value component which includes meaningful high motivation of teachers to professional activities, values, cognitive interests, focused on various kinds of social activities, and contributes to self-development, self-actualization, self-assertion, which is an important party for competitive teachers. Reflexive-evaluative component provides the awareness of teachers and evaluation of their potential, the real level of competitiveness, allows carrying out forecasting and designing further professional growth. The activity component consists in the implementation of pedagogical activities, in the implementation of abilities and skills of cognitive, communicative, regulatory and other measures. For the study of motivational-value component of the personally maturity of a teacher, we used verbal frustration test by L. N. Sobchik (2002). The proposed method allows identifying the most important values in a situation of frustration.
To evaluate reflexive-evaluative component we used E. E. Rukavishnikova’s technique aimed at determining the level of reflexivity of teachers which provides stabilization of their emotional peace, mobilization of volitive potential, flexible management. To study self-actualization of a teacher we used the test developed by E. Shostr. To identify the level of development of the components, we used psycho-pedagogical techniques, tests and observation.
The dependence of teacher’s competitiveness from the level of his/her personal development was proved. The interrelation between decrease of teacher’s professional success and the level of development of the components of personal maturity of the teacher was also shown. A detailed analysis of under-development of personal qualities of the teacher, which prevent professional self-improvement and success was described.
It is believed that the formation of personal maturity of a teacher provides not only a desire for a teacher’s self-education, but also contributes to the development of his competitiveness, creation of a professional competitive environment.
On the basis of the study the authors draw conclusions on the development of personal maturity as a component of teacher’s competitivnes.
Features of students’ orientation towards development of creative thinking in engineering technology education
The paper proposes a solution to the problem of students’ orientation in the development of creative thinking in modern en-gineering and technology education. Effective strategies for meaningful development of creative thinking of students through crea-tive solutions of diagnostic tasks on the basis of heuristic prescriptions are reasoned.
Independent work as a form of developing students’ creative potential
Self-study (individual work) in optional classes is one of the most important forms to arrange learning activities aimed at the development of students’ creative potential, development of knowledge, ability and skills in the field of specific subjects, development of their personal qualities, informative processes, informative abilities as well as traits of character. The main types of Self-study (individual work) in optional classes are classroom and out-of-class individual work which, in turn, can be head-on, individual, group, collective and also reproductive, research and creative. The great value during self-study by students is given to students’ self-check and teacher’s control. This study demands efforts, heavy expenses and time of students. During such work there is also formation of skills, abilities, tastes to the creative approach in educational, scientific and practical work of students by personal search and active and strong interest in acquisition of knowledge.