Associate professor, PhD A.V. Gutko¹
Dr.Sc.Psych., Professor O.V. Suvorova²
Postgraduate M.M. Kulikov^{3               
1}National Research Lobachevsky State University of Nizhni Novgorod, Nizhny Novgorod
²Kozma Minin Nizhny Novgorod State Pedagogical University (Minin University), Nizhny Novgorod
³Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, Nizhny Novgorod

Keywords: future manager in physical education, psychological competency, psychological competences.

Introduction. Universities launching a highly sought-after program in the area of studies "Physical Education and Sports" – "Management in the Field of Physical Education and Sports" will train specialists who have a broad range of competences in the field of management, adapting management techniques to the field of physical education, arranging effective communication with the business sector, society and consumers, as well as in the field of education, physical recreation and rehabilitation, and promotion of healthy lifestyles.

Psychological competency plays an important role in professional training of a future specialist in the field of physical education and sports (E.P. Ilyin, E.N. Gogunov, B.I. Martyanov, A.V. Gutko, S.V. Kuzmina, I.G. Litvintseva, etc.). Based on the works of N.V. Kuzmina, A.V. Khutorskoy and A.V. Gutko, we consider psychological competency of a future manager in physical education as a holistic integrative professional and personal education, which consists of a system of components (knowledge, motivation and values, activity) and subsystems, or competences (psychopedagogical, communicative, autopsychological, socio-psychological, socio-perceptual) [1], [2], [3].

Objective of the paper was to present the results of the study investigating the prerequisites to developing the psychological competency of future managers in the field of physical education.

Methods and management of the study.  The study was conducted at National Research Lobachevsky State University of Nizhni Novgorod. Materials used: authors’ questionnaire evaluating students’ psychological competency, method of assessing pedagogical communication skills (I.V. Makarovskaya), Eysenck Personality Inventory (H. Eysenck), authors’ method “Management Cases”, test method “Observation Skills”. The research sample was made of 66 third and fourth year students of the Physical Education and Sports Faculty studying the course "Management in the Field of Physical Education and Sports" at National Research Lobachevsky State University of Nizhni Novgorod in 2013-2016 (31 students – study group (SG), 35 students – reference group (RG)).

Results and discussion. Students' psychological competency was estimated using the following criteria: knowledge and flexibility in choosing methods of diagnostics, pedagogical communication, treatment, influence, interaction, encouragement, correction, behavior control, teaching motor skills in accordance with the age, functional and individual characteristics of the subject of health and fitness activity (psychopedagogical competence); knowledge and flexibility in application of communication styles, methods of effective, persuasive, dialogic and developmental communication with the subject of a health and fitness activity, professional interaction (communicative competence); knowledge and flexibility in choosing methods of self-actualization and self-regulation of behaviour, work, communication, as well as motivational, functional and stress states in situations of professional activity, public speaking and performing physical exercise (autopsychological competence); knowledge and flexibility in application of psychological methods of managing relationships, work, interactions in health and fitness group, sports team or work team; conflict management techniques (socio-psychological competence); knowledge and flexibility in application of methods and techniques of monitoring psychological states, work and interaction characteristics in a work team or in the process of education and training, or health and fitness exercise (socio-perceptual). The amount of knowledge and the degree of flexibility in application of methods according to the competence system were used as the criteria for assessing the level of psychological competency development in future managers in physical education.

The summative experiment revealed the dominating average and low levels of the psychological competency in the SG and the RG (high level – 14 % vs. 18 %; average – 55 % vs.  49 %; low – 36 % vs.  33 %). The weak points in the development of the system of psychological competences in third-year students of the Physical Education and Sports Faculty detected were as follows: insufficient attention paid to the age and individual characteristics of children, adolescents and adults; insufficiently high standards; poor understanding of the reasons for certain behaviour, actions and gestures; problems with evaluating their own teaching activity; rigidity of their pedagogical communication style (psychopedagogical competence); insufficient control over the mood of the audience, loss of contact with the audience,  unconvincing presentation; problems with finding weak points in work, actions and communication; poorly developed dialogic, developmental and persuasive communication skills (communicative competence); insufficient positive self-actualization and self-assessment of psychological state; tendency to avoid difficulties and fear of failure (autopsychological competence); problems with team work, group norms, rules, attitude and mood, problems with role-sharing in team work, group management; highly assertive strategy in conflict situations (socio-psychological competence); ineffective allocation of attention, observation skills and the skill of tracing changes in sentiment of the audience, inaccurate assessment of activity rates, markers of psychological states and team relationships (socio-perceptual competence).

The formative experiment was aimed at developing key competences. The students acquired competences in the form of didactic units of subjects (elective modules of subjects) included in basic and optional parts of the curriculum. The competences were generalized and solidified in the course of research work, practical training and internships. The authors used the following teaching strategies: modular education in the form of selecting didactic units of the psychological educational curriculum; case-study, a pack of situations aimed at decision-making; project, problem-based and contextual education, elements of a socio-psychological training, etc.

The competences were developed by students solving a set of quasiprofessional training situations that demanded: to plan and stage sports games and events for different age groups; to manage a group discussion on planning and staging a sports event; to share roles in a team based on individual and psychological characteristics of the team members; to assess and build up motivational and activity readiness in the participants of a sports event; to share roles in a management team; to make a public speech on the place and role of physical education in a healthy lifestyle; to manage a discussion; to resolve conflicts in a sports team, during a sports game, etc. The program of development consisted of five blocks (didactic units): Psychology of Effective Communication, Effective Self-regulation, Problem Resolution, Effective Team Building, Observation Skills Building. The learning process within the educational psychological curriculum included the following stages: guiding (accepting psychological information as a value); motivation and reflection (renewed motivation for self-improvement on the basis of new psychological knowledge); information (acquiring professional teaching skills); active implementation (applying teaching and professional skills in quasiprofessional situations); expansion of competency spheres (applying new psychological knowledge in professional situations as a part of practical training and internships, as well as research work).

The study of the psychological competency dynamics following the implementation of the development program in the middle of the fourth year revealed a statistically significant dynamics of psychological competency in the SG (high level – 26 %; average level – 65 %; low level – 19 %; chi-square criterion for the SG data - 19,8, р<0,05). The dynamics in the RG was statistically insignificant: high level – 22 %; average level – 54 %; low level – 24 % (chi-square criterion for the RG data - 4,8, р<0,05).

Conclusion. The development of psychological competency of future managers in physical education has a number of specific features connected with the subject matter, specific motivation, purpose and subject of the profession. It is based on the integrated psychological knowledge, a combination of didactic units of subjects included in the basic and optional parts of the curriculum. Psychological competency develops in the learning process within the holistic integrative psychological curriculum, as well as in quasiprofessional and professional situations, including professional training, internships and research work.

References

1. Gutko A.V. Formirovanie psikhologicheskoy kompetentnosti u budushhego uchitelya fizicheskoy kultury. Diss. kand. psikhol. nauk [Formation of psychological competence of future teacher of physical culture. PhD diss.]. N. Novgorod, 2011, 168 p.
2. Kuzmina, N.V., Kukharev, N.V. Psikhologicheskaya struktura deyatelnosti uchitelya [Psychological structure of teacher's activity]. Tomsk, 1976, 315 p.
3. Khutorskoy, A.V. Klyuchevye kompetentsii kak komponent lichnostno-orientirovannogo obrazovaniya (Key competences as part of personality-oriented education]. Narodnoe obrazovanie, 2003, no.  2, pp. 58-64.

Corresponding author: gutko@fks.unn.ru

Abstract

The article presents the results of a study investigating the prerequisites to developing psychological competency in students in the area of studies "Physical Education and Sports", specialization "Management in the Field of Physical Education and Sports". Objective of this article was to present the results of the study investigating the prerequisites to developing psychological competency in future managers in physical education. Psychological competency as a meta-competency is a holistic integrative professional and personal education, which consists of a system of components (knowledge, motivation and values, activity) and subsystems (psychopedagogical, communicative, autopsychological, socio-psychological, socio-perceptual). In the process of developing a system of competences as a cognitive and personal professional potential, students are supposed to acquire key competences in the form of didactic units of subjects (elective modules of subjects) included in basic and optional parts of the curriculum. The competences are generalized and solidified in the process of research work, practical training and internships. The development of integrated psychological competency involves the following stages: guiding; motivation and reflection; information; active implementation; expansion of competence spheres. The research sample was made of 66 third and fourth year students of the Physical Education and Sports Faculty studying the course "Management in the Field of Physical Education and Sports". Assessment of their psychological competency following the implementation of the development program showed the efficiency of the educational prerequisites to its development.