The Portrait of a Twenty-First Century Innovator in Education

Abstract

The article analyzes the social and professional characteristics as well as the value orientations of the contemporary innovator in the field of education. The study was conducted among 304 participants in the 2014 Competition for Innovation in Education. The value orientations were revealed using Schwartz's Portrait Values Questionnaire. The results were compared with data on value orientations of the Russian population obtained from the European Social Survey.In 2012 the contestants were significantly different from the average Russian by the subjective importance that they attributed to certain value orientations as well as by their structural hierarchy. Innovators are more likely to exemplify the values of autonomy, benevolence, and universalism, and are willing to take risks in their professional life. They are less guided in their actions by a desire to obtain and retain power that is not based on their own achievements. The study showed that specialists, including employees of educational institutions at various levels, employees of organizations not directly related to education, as well as school-age children and college students are prepared to implement and propose innovations in the field of education. Innovators stand out by their high level of education and active participation in extracurricular educational activities.