Motives of gifted high school students for pursuing a teaching degree at university

Abstract

Introduction. The problem of professional choice is one of the most pressing for any high school student. Gifted children are no exception. At the same time, the choice of a professional path is based on very different motives, which affects the success of professional self-determination and further career self-actualization. The choice of teacher’s training by gifted high school students is also made for various reasons. The purpose of the article is to identify the motives of gifted high school students for pursuing a teaching degree at university. Materials and methods. The participants in the study were 97 gifted students (51 students in 2022 and 46 students in 2023) who entered pedagogical courses at Kostroma State University. Methods: “Career Anchors” technique by E. Shein (translation and adaptation by V.A. Chiker, V.E. Vinokurova) “Methodology for diagnosing socio-psychological attitudes of the individual in the motivational-need sphere” by O.F. Potemkina; questionnaire by I.N. Grushetskaya, S.M. Nemchenko. Results. The study data showed that about a third of respondents took into account the opinions of their parents when making professional choices. The participants understand the essence of their profession, and, based on this understanding, they are satisfied with their choice (the percentage of gifted students who regret their choice is 2% in 2022; 4.3% in 2023). More than a half of the freshmen who entered the teacher’s training courses, starting from their first year, think about their professional future and the steps necessary to build a career. The students surveyed strive for independence, the opportunity to work independently and to implement their values and ideals into work to achieve socially important goals; they value a balance between career, family, personal interests and other aspects of life. The study showed that respondents often focus on external motivational factors of their professional choice, despite the “helping nature” of the chosen areas of training. According to the results of our study, the main motives for choosing a profession were an interest in this profession and correspondence of the profession with skills and abilities. Conclusion. The results obtained indicate the need for systematic work with all categories of applicants, especially with gifted high school students, who often make their professional choice spontaneously, not consciously, relying on past achievements in various types of activities, focusing on the opinions of parents and teachers.