Ph.D., Associate Professor E.N. Kalenik
Ph.D., Associate Professor I.M. Kuptsov
Ulyanovsk State University, Ulyanovsk

Keywords: career motives, educational activity, students, motivators, motivational structure of student's personality.

Introduction. Conscious career choice takes place when a person has established social values. All incentive sources of activity of an individual are united in the concept of motivational sphere, which includes the needs of the individual, his interests, aspirations, desires, beliefs, attitudes, ideals, intentions, and social roles, patterns of behavior, social norms, rules, life goals and values, and finally, ideological orientation in general [3]. Needs are especially important in the formation of career and behavior motives [5, 6].

It is worth mentioning a matter of differentiation of career choice motives and motives for activity itself [2]. In this regard, it should be noted, that the career choice motives are closely connected, determined by abilities, inclinations, interests, individual personal values and significantly alter, transform in situations of professional reorientation and retraining of the individual.

Professional work motivation has a specific nature towards motivation in behavior in general. That is why, in terms of diagnostics and forecasting of professional competency and its formation, it is important to consider not only what kind of needs prompt a person to take some actions, but also how an intention to achieve a certain goal arises. According to V.I. Kovalev, one of the variations of such motives is a so-called “well-being motivation”, which is demonstrated in the aspiration to receive only approval from the teachers, relatives and fellow students [4].

As applied to educational activity of students in higher education, professional motivation is understood as a combination of factors and processes, which affecting consciousness, induce and aim the individual at studying the future professional activities. Professional motivation acts as an inner push factor for competency development and personal enhancement, as professional competency and personal culture can grow efficiently only if it is well-developed [7].

In the modern period, it has been proved by the researchers that success of students depends not only on inborn abilities and makings, but also on the development of academic motivation. According to literature data on universities, 1^st year students are mostly content with the chosen speciality, but this indicator goes down by the end of studies. As seen from analysis of expulsion of students, the most problematic subjects are mathematics, physics, history due to not only difficulty of these subjects, but the importance of these subjects for a student in his/her future profession. Hence, while forming a student's realistic image of the future professional activities it is necessary to give him a reasonable explanation of the value of general subjects for certain practical activity after graduation [4].

The purpose of the study was to analyze the motivational structure of students of different specialities at different courses of study.

Materials and methods. In order to study the personal motivational structure of students we applied: “Motivation for success and fear of failure” questionnaire (A.A. Rean), “Rating scale of achievement motivation” test. The studies were conducted at the premises of Ulyanovsk State University at “Physical culture and rehabilitation” and “Banking and finance” departments. Each group consisted of 17 3rd-year students. The research had been conducted for 3 years, up to the 5th year study in the university.

Results and discussion. As for motivational specifics of students according to the Rean’s questionnaire, at the beginning of our research positive motivation prevails in group 1 (“Physical Education” specialization, hereinafter – group 1) and group 3 (“Banking and finance” specialization, hereinafter - group 3) (M₁ = 14,9±0,5 b, M₃ = 14,9±0,5 b). Students’ activity is based on the hope for success and need for achieving success. Students with such motivation are usually self-confident, responsible, self-motivated, active and distinguished by their persistency in pursuing an objective. Group 2 (“Physical culture for people with impairments /adaptive physical culture/” specialization, hereinafter - group 2) is distinguished by reduced motivation (M₂ = 11,8±0,6 b). The activity of students with this type of motivation is connected with the need to avoid a breakdown, dispraise, punishment and failure. Students with such low motivation are usually characterized by lack of self-confidence, high state anxiety; motivation indicators in group 2 significantly differ from the results of the other two groups (by Student's coefficient at p≤0,001). This implies that they have no well-formed ways to success.

Considering motivational features of the 5th-year students according to the Rean's questionnaire at the final phase of our research we have found out, that the motivation indices in groups 1 and 3 are diagnosed as motivation for success. Students are ready to be active to achieve success in their endeavors, to satisfy their social needs and needs for self-development and self-fulfillment. Professional motivation of students in group 2 decreased closer to graduation in comparison to the period when they began their studies, and was significantly lower, than in group 1 and 3 (M1 = 15,1±0,9 b; М3 = 15,2±0,1 b; М2 = 11,3±0,6***b by Student’s coefficient at p≤0,001). Due to such a motive, as in group 2, studies are now treated as a defensive action and turn to be compulsory.

Having evaluated the results in groups 1 and 3 in the test “Rating scale of achievement motivation”, it may be noted, that students of these groups at the beginning of our research had an average achievement motivation level (М1 = 11,4±0,9 b and М3=11,4±0,9 b), however, they work to improve the results, and this is considered to be one of the constitutive personality traits, influencing the entire human life. Students of group 2 have low achievement motivation level (М2 = 9,4±1 b, the indicator is significantly lower, than in groups 1 and 3, p≤0,001 by Student’s coefficient). Hence, they are not ready to take responsibility, are irresolute in certain situations, not persistent in achieving a goal, become flustered in a competitive situation and are not persistent when facing obstacles.

Considering the indicators in the “Rating scale of achievement motivation” test in the final phase of the present research, the level of achievement motivation has increased in groups 1 and 2, but did not exceed the average level. The “Achievement motivation” indicator in group 2 has increased too, but was still low and significantly lower than in groups 1 and 3 (М1 = 11,8±0,5 b and М3 = 11,7±0,5 b; М2 = 9,8±0,6*** b with p≤0,001 by the Student’s criterion). According to the indicators of group 2, the students in this group are irresolute in certain situations and they are not always ready to take responsibility for the accomplishment of the tasks. Students in group 2 have vague motivation and their approaches for achieving success are not well-developed. The results in the “Rating scale of achievement motivation” test are the same as the ones obtained in the Rean’s “Motivation for success and fear of failure” questionnaire.

Conclusion. Motivation is a combination of psychological causes, which explain an individual's behavior, incentives, orientation and activity. In order to correctly evaluate the actions of the individual, first and foremost, one should understand the motives for these actions, which can be diverse even in case of external performance of seemingly the same actions, achievement of the same goals [1, 2].

The study of the motivational structure of students has shown that, suggesting the result of their activities in the chosen profession, students are motivated to acquire knowledge and set personal goals. Students who do not get information on the economic aspect of the profession, begin acting randomly and blindfold.

We assumed that the motivation for goal achievement depends on how the educational process is arranged. Economic management course is not included in the state program of the “Adaptive physical culture” specialization. Students of “Recreation, sports and health tourism” and “World economics” specializations, study economics and law, therefore, acquire knowledge about domestic and foreign political and economic life. Thus, being aware of the world situation, students of these specializations are achievement motivated, since they have confidence in the future and in demand for their profession.

References

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Corresponding author: kente@mail.ru