The role of the acmeological approach in future teachers’ professional development

Abstract

This study aimed to identify the impact role of providing training to future teachers with acmeological approach on leading to the personal and professional growth, which is relevant and valuable for providers and clients of educational services. The study was experimental in nature, the sample consisted of 325 respondents who had undergone special trainings with acmeological approach and who had participated in psycho-diagnostic research carried out before and after the training, as well as three months after the start of the experiment. The methods embraced testing by the questionnaires for studying meaningful life orientations, self-relationship, testing for “assessment of self-fulfillment” and “readiness to self-development”, and the indicator of self-change potential. The findings were compared with relevant indicators and their accuracy was confirmed via the students’ t-test. In the control group, participants expressed a desire to understand themselves but felt unable to facilitate self-improvement. Conversely, students in the experimental group expressed a desire to understand themselves and possessed the ability to promote self-improvement. The majority of students favored the acmeological approach for enhancing motivation and cultivating a highly professional persona. Three months post-experiment, students in the experimental group exhibited a greater tendency towards self-change. The results of the experiment have shown the effectiveness of acmeological approach for developing future teachers professionally, and the experimental verification of its impact on students' self-awareness, meaningful life orientations, ability to self-change, and their potential for high levels of teacher professionalism.