Dr.Hab., Professor O.L. Karpova
Postgraduate T.N. Shabalkova
Ural State University of Physical Culture, Chelyabinsk

Keywords: conceptual characteristics, actualization, self-studying, university students, individual potential.

Introduction. The problem of actualization of self-studying (SS) of students in the current educational environment is relevant due to several reasons. This is, firstly, due to the state standards of the third generation adopted in higher education. The implementation of the federal state educational standard of higher professional education determines the need not only to change the content of training of future Bachelors, but also to search for new approaches to the organization of the educational process, which provide for the intensification of the value and continuous optimization of students’ independent activities. New conditions necessitate the modernization of training technology and methodologies for students of universities in the field of physical culture, which significantly changes the approaches to teaching methods and organization and technical support of the educational process.

Secondly, rapid growth of information and communication technologies entails more technological changes that require from professionals mastering new knowledge, skills and abilities. There is a career development system in place in many businesses and organizations of today. However, experience has proven that such a model of learning usually involves traditional sharing of certain amount of knowledge and experience, reproduction of already existing experience and often does not contribute to the adaptation of professionals to new requirements. It becomes obvious to actualize the need for continuous knowledge updating, which should be done in higher school.

And finally, thirdly, the process of moral depreciation and deterioration of knowledge and skills of specialists in the modern world actualizes the development of SS of university students. For example, E.I. Rogov, psychologist, rightly notes that this period has been shortening in the last few decades. If, for example, 50 % of knowledge of engineers that graduated in 1940 has “deteriorated” within 12 years, and that of graduates of 1960 – within 8-10 years, the knowledge of the graduates of today deteriorates within 2-3 years. Thus, it becomes essential for a specialist to continuously acquire new knowledge to maintain his qualification [5, p. 27].

The purpose of the research was to study the most prioritized conceptual characteristics of SS of physical culture university students.

Materials and methods. Considering the conceptual characteristics of actualization of SS of students in educational theory and practice, it is worth mentioning some of the approaches to studying this issue.

The issue of self-studying is interdisciplinary. This suggests the possibility of using a variety of theoretical concepts of the SS issue inherent to various sciences. As shown by studies, using such an approach, one can obtain knowledge about the essential characteristics of actualization of SS of physical culture university students at a whole new level with the joint efforts of various sciences.

According to E.A. Shchuklina, a set of humanistic ideas of the “human-centered” kind is a scientific-theoretical background of the actualization of the self-studying issue. Development of the humanistic thought starting with the Protagoras' “man is the measure of all things” has prepared the society for the realization of the fact that human development should be the basis for solving its problems, whether social or economic, administrative or technological. In this ideological context the epistemological range of issues, influencing the formation of the self-studying research methodology, makes it possible to answer the questions about the nature of the subject of self-studying, the specifics of the subject-object relations and the characteristics of significant notion of knowledge as condition, means and result of self-studying [97 p. 38].

In the psychological and pedagogical science scientists consider the issue of SS from the standpoint of forming the need of students in self-studying, motivation, ensuring activity, self-regulation, cognitive interest of an individual student based on mental processes, characteristics and states of the person.

Let us consider conceptual characteristics of actualization of SS of university students in more detail.

According to psychologists, any human activity is caused by a desire to meet one’s needs – spiritual, social, vital, etc. SS of an individual is also accounted for by a respective need. In psychology this need is called the need for knowledge that can be related to one of the leading in the sphere of spiritual needs. Self-studying is one of the ways of meeting this need through self-learning [3, p. 67]. Cognitive and personality traits that contribute to effective learning are considered.

The significance of volitional efforts of the learning individual in the organization of SS is also noteworthy. For example, N.A. Rubakin, Russian bibliologist, bibliographer and writer, noted that there are always many obstacles to self-studying and stressed that it is necessary “to learn to strongly desire to seek knowledge” [6]. The author appeals to the individual world of man, specificity of his perception, those personal meanings that are formed while acquiring the system of values.

Studying the conceptual characteristics of actualization of self-studying of students in educational theory and practice, let us pay attention to SS in pedagogical literature. Here the issue of self-studying is regarded as a kind of self-cultivation; a purposeful independent cognitive activity; a construction of an individual educational trajectory; ways of acquiring social experience; a part of intellectual education that is the basis and a guarantor of the development of the will of students, etc.

Research and teaching experience have shown that students encounter some difficulties on the way to self-studying: lack of self-studying techniques; difficulties in understanding and systematization of the information obtained during self-studying, etc. Organized, systematic, purposeful activity with regards to actualization of self-studying of students is needed in universities to overcome them [2, p. 76].

Let us consider the concept of “actualization”. In the Dictionary of Practical Psychology by S.Yu. Golovin “actualization” is characterized as an action of retrieving the acquired knowledge from long-term or short-term memory for further use [1, p. 17]. To actualize means to transfer from the potential state to the real, actual state.

V.A. Rubochkin notes the importance of actualization. According to the scientist, the practical use of specific potentials of different factors (psycho-physical, logical, social) makes it possible to create a cumulative effect in the independent knowledge acquisition. This can manifest itself simultaneously in the mobilization of volitional efforts, use of sensory images and possibilities of logical abstractions in mastering specific theoretical material. As the author rightly writes, independent proactive knowledge acquisition is based on the actualization of all social and spiritual, personal and mental abilities of a person [7, p. 23]. It is this multi-factor intellectual structure involved in the proactive knowledge acquisition that ensures the effectiveness and individual uniqueness of self-studying.

The standpoint of N.M. Minyaeva is important for our research. The author notes that the processes of self-learning and self-development of a student are incorporated in the nature of the actualization of the self-studying resource, not so much of “technological”, but rather personal growth, coherent self-organization and a synthesis of one’s activity and personal experience [4, p. 20-21].

Thus, modern scientific approaches provide basis for setting to the forefront in the research of the conceptual characteristics of actualization of SS of physical culture university students the students' experience in solving problems that arise in learning and clarifying the reality phenomena in accordance with the personal development vector, rather than their awareness.

Results and discussion. As shown by our research data, actualization of SS of students is understood as educational activities lined up in a certain logical sequence and aimed at mobilization of “obtaining” independent, proactive knowledge, use and maximum fulfillment of students’ individual potential. Fulfillment of individual potential of students is an important area of actualization of SS.

We characterize individual potential as the basis and the mechanism of development of students' SS. Individual potential is regarded in the research as personality characteristics and capabilities of students required for successful SS.

The findings have revealed the conceptual characteristics of self-studying of physical culture university students related with their individual capacities, being as follows: motivation, volitional qualities (purposefulness, self-discipline, initiative, self-control), and self-esteem.

Individual potential is fulfilled on the basis of overall development and depends on the student. Based on this postulate, actualization of self-studying of students includes not only teacher's activities on its actualization but also the student' activities with regards to self-actualization and self-development.

Conclusions. Evaluated conceptual characteristics of actualization of self-studying made it possible to determine the diagnostic base and thereby increase motivation and raise self-esteem of students of physical culture university and to develop volitional personality traits.

References

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Corresponding author: olga.ursei@mail.ru