Pedagogical Problem of Professional Development of a Teacher of a Higher Educational Institution in the War Conditions

Abstract

The system of higher education is undergoing renewal aimed at the internationalization of higher education and the cultural integration of teachers from different countries, at improving the quality of higher education according to the international educational standards. The integration of higher education of Ukraine into the global educational space determines the development of international exchange, namely academic mobility in the system of higher education. Every year, academic mobility expands the number of participants, both at the expense of domestic and foreign institutions of higher education. Academic mobility is one of the most important aspects of the process of integration of Ukrainian higher educational institutions into the international educational space. Academic mobility is important for the personal and professional development of a teacher, as it puts him in the conditions of analyzing and solving life situations. This contributes to the development of the ability to think, compare; the ability to choose ways of interaction taking into account the peculiarities of another culture; and the readiness for intercultural communication. The participation of teachers in academic mobility programs gives them the opportunity to improve their own qualifications, develop professionally, familiarize themselves with teaching methods at universities abroad, and develop personal and professional potential.

1. Introduction

Modern problems of studying the features of the professional development of teachers, the formation of professionalism, pedagogical skills, professional and pedagogical competence of education workers are considered in the works of I. Bekh, S. Goncharenko, T. Horokhivska, L. Dolynska, I. Zyazyun, V. Kremen, L. Mitina, N. Mukan, N. Nychkalo, V. Semichenko, I. Sinytsia, S. Sysoeva, T. Yatsenko, and others. Studies on the phenomenon of mobility and its types are presented in the works of I. Vasylenko, N. Gulyaeva, O. Ievlev, Yu. Kalinovsko, Yu. Klymenko, and others. The question of the formation of professional mobility finds its place in the works of L. Amirova, O. Bezpalko, N. Bryzhak, E. Ivanchenko, T. Prokhorenko, L. Sushentseva, I. Shpektorenko, and others.

The importance of academic mobility in the development of the national system of higher education, the formation of a common educational space, ensuring the professional realization of teachers of higher educational institutions (HEIs) is the subject of research by such scientists as V. Andrushchenko, I. Bogachevska, G. Kalinicheva, O. Kizilov, G. Korchova, I. Svityashchuk, E. Stadny, and others. At the same time, the attention of O. Bilyk, N. Bryzhak, S. Brynyova, E. Ivanchenko, and O. Nikitina is focused on the study of the forms of academic mobility of scientific and pedagogical workers.

The problem of professional training and self-regulation of future teachers was studied from different positions, namely: the self-organization of the teacher’s personality by V. Kan-Kalyk and N. Nikandrov, active and creative professional activity by I. Beh, I. Zyazyun, and O. Kyrychuk, and ways of forming self-regulation internal states in professional activity by R. Khmelyuk, A. Vostrykov, and S. Malazonia.

2. Topicality

The problem of professional self-regulation of future teachers in our time is a problem of formation and professionalism in society, activation of personal, creative, and intellectual potential of future specialists.

3. Presentation of the material

Modern society makes very strict demands on the personality of the teacher: professionalism, behavior, level of intelligence, and the potential of his or her professional self-regulation. Unformed self-regulation leads to failures in pedagogical activity, sometimes to associative behavior. One of the important ways to improve the efficiency of professional activity is the study of psychological regularities, features of self-regulation. The development on this basis of psychological-pedagogical foundations of the formation of professional self-regulation is seen as an important psychological-pedagogical aspect of professional activity. This is the ability to regulate one’s own mental state and behavior in order to act optimally in difficult pedagogical situations.

In accordance with the Law of Ukraine “On Higher Education,” the professional development of a scientific and pedagogical worker is carried out by exercising the right to academic mobility in professional activities. It increases one’s professional level, qualification, and performance of duties—guaranteeing high scientific, theoretical, and methodical levels of teaching academic disciplines. It improves educational and methodical support of the educational process, implements scientific activity, and increases the professional level, pedagogical skill, and scientific qualification [1].

In this context, the need to realize the possibilities of academic mobility as an actual direction of the teacher’s professional development becomes especially important.

At the psychophysiological level, self-regulation is a factor of general abilities and universal internally as a condition for carrying out activities. “Professional self-regulation” is an integrative, personal, professional characteristic of a teacher, which involves his awareness of his actions, feelings, motives, and appropriate modification of his own activity in accordance with the conditions of the situation ([2], p. 101). Professional self-regulation is not an innate feature of a person, therefore it is subject to development throughout life.

The process of pedagogical self-regulation is determined by such factors as: social-psychological, organizational-pedagogical, and personal, in the process of which the teacher can conduct self-analysis, correct his own actions, develop personal qualities, and organize the actions of pedagogical activity ([3], p. 178).

Psychological prerequisites for the formation of professional self-regulation among teachers are very important during the formation of pedagogical activity. During this period, the future specialist best acquires self-regulation skills. The psychological aspect of professional self-regulation of teachers is a dynamic development of acquiring formal, informal, and informal experiences. The self-regulatory manifestation can already be embedded in the instinctive behavior of the individual and will respond to the external manifestation of the stimulus. According to Freud, self-regulation is the mind’s taming of primitive impulses. Therefore, for the behavior of a teacher of a higher educational institution, his psychological structure, the decisive role is played by long-term goals, orientation to external action ([4], p. 121). As a result, an important factor in the formation of self-regulation of a teacher is the goals and objectives of the educational process, improvement in the content of education, psychological and pedagogical training of students, development of personal qualities, and self-regulation abilities and skills.

In the current conditions of modernization and globalization of education, when education and knowledge become a cross-border and transnational phenomenon, active international cooperation in the field of education and science of our state with other countries is of particular importance. It allows to create a single European educational space—the “European Higher Education” zone. The formation of a single world educational space occurs due to the convergence of approaches of different countries to the organization of education, as well as through the recognition of documents on the education of other countries. The pan-European area of higher education and the pan-European research area form a modern European knowledge society. The common European educational space contributes to the growth of the mobility of professors and teaching staff, academic mobility, in turn. It is a necessary condition for the formation of the common educational space itself.

It is worth noting the importance of academic mobility for the personal and professional development of a modern teacher. Academic mobility, analyzing and solving professional tasks from various cross-cultural positions, exchanging scientific potential, learning technologies, creates an opportunity for professional self-realization and self-improvement, increases the quality of the qualification of labor resources which consists in teaching ability and readiness for continuous self-education, building intellectual capital in a multicultural environment ([5], p. 68).

It should be noted that today academic mobility is an opportunity for teachers of higher education to independently form their own educational trajectory within the limits of educational standards, to choose scientific directions, educational institutions in accordance with abilities and inclinations. At the same time, it is a social phenomenon that manifests itself in the creation of joint international projects and research programs, as well as one of the effective ways of developing educational and intellectual opportunities at the individual and group levels.

I. Vovkanych claims that “the mobility of professors and teaching staff is usually determined by scientific research, the highest level of scientific mobility is noted in countries that purposefully attract scientific personnel to expand the system of higher education, which is evidenced by the growing dominance of the English language in scientific research on the European continent” ([6], p. 182). By participating in international mobility programs, teachers open the way to higher quality educational and research courses and programs.

It is also worth emphasizing that the academic mobility of a scientific and pedagogical worker is also a way of improving qualifications and sharing pedagogical experience. It allows you to get acquainted with the organization of the foreign educational process in higher educational institutions, compare the education systems of different countries, and objectively identify weaknesses and strengths, to update the content of courses taught by a scientific and pedagogical worker, and to use new forms and methods of learning in practice. But it is worth noting that the effectiveness of academic mobility is not only in improving the qualifications of the teachers themselves, but also in the possibility of spreading the acquired professional experience at the department, faculty, and university levels. It develops new courses and activates research interests aimed at ensuring the quality of the disciplines taught. At the same time, during the war, Ukrainian teachers, who participate in international exchange programs and advanced training courses, have a great opportunity to convey to the world the real facts and situations that Ukraine, in particular, education, is facing at the moment. Participation in the exchange program is an opportunity to gain valuable experience, which is based on live communication from person to person. It encourages not only to make comparisons and initiate changes in one’s own institutions, activities in related fields, but also to become their active participants; experience that makes it possible to go beyond the limits of the local intellectual space through work on joint projects with scientists and foreign institutions of the countries of the world ([7], p. 69).

Participants of exchange programs conduct individual research, get acquainted with the current assets of foreign universities, which are implemented in the planning of educational programs, development of educational courses and their teaching, and participate in scientific conferences and seminars. Only individual projects are accepted for participation in the competition—research projects and those aimed at developing and introducing new educational courses, updating educational materials, studying and mastering advanced teaching and learning methods, readiness to initiate and introduce new courses, dissemination of advanced teaching and learning methods, and distribution and popularization of the obtained results of the study on return to Ukraine.

For example, the FLTA Program (Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Program) is designed for young teachers and researchers, for energetic novice educators, mature in judgment, reliable, with an appropriate level of professionalism. For those who are capable of successfully performing the functions of a teacher and assistant, it is easy to get used to the student atmosphere, to enter the circle of teachers and employees of the guest institution with dignity.

The Fulbright Scholars-in-Residence (S-I-R) program assists in curriculum development, guest lectures, fosters study abroad, and fosters exchange partnerships and communication with the campus and local community.

The Fulbright Research and Development Exchange Program provides an opportunity for 6–9 months for contestants to apply for interdisciplinary research areas or for internships in a specialty other than the one specified in the diploma, if they have professional work experience in this specialty (at least 1–2 years) or have basic knowledge and skills in this specialty, obtained through internships, trainings, certificate, and other educational programs.

The National Scholarship Program of the Slovak Republic supports the mobility of university teachers, researchers, and artists for scholarship stays in higher educational institutions and research organizations in Slovakia. Turkey, too, offers its Mevlana Exchange Program, which aims to exchange teachers and staff between Turkish higher educational institutions and higher educational institutions in other countries.

Accordingly, L. Pukhovskaya gave the following characteristics of the phenomenon of professional development of teachers in the global pedagogical space, determined by E. Villegas-Reimers thanks to the analysis of foreign and domestic experience ([8], p. 105), which:

• is based on constructivism, therefore teachers are subjects of active learning;

• it is a process that takes place within a certain context. Therefore, the most effective form of professional development is the daily activity of a teacher;

• the process is inextricably linked with school reform, because it means the process of culture formation, and not only ensuring the formation of new skills for the implementation of educational programs in teachers;

• teachers are reflective practitioners who enter the profession with a certain knowledge base and acquire new knowledge and experience, “growing” them to the previous ones. Therefore, the role of professional development is to help the teacher in the creation and implementation of new pedagogical theories and practices, as well as in increasing their competence in relation to pedagogical activities;

• is implemented in the process of cooperation, most effectively—in the interaction of teachers, as well as teachers, administration, parents, and other members of the community;

• is carried out on the basis of various forms and methods of organization. Therefore, the professional development of teachers is a constant process of optimal selection and combination of various forms, methods, and technologies that are most optimal in a specific situation and in a specific place.

We consider the professional development of a teacher as his self-realization, encouragement to creativity, and understanding the need to project one’s own professional level at various stages of a life path. The modern labor market raises the level of requirements. In connection with this, in the system of continuous professional education, intensive development of the methodology of anticipatory teacher education is carried out and as an adult, the possibilities of self-development of the personality throughout life are explored. Personal and professional interest, psychological and pedagogical foundations of the formation of professional skills provide an opportunity to study the driving forces of personality development in their interaction. At the same time, we understand the process of becoming a teacher as the interaction of personal, professional, and social factors of his development. The formation of a professional’s personality is not reduced to the accumulation of knowledge, skills, and abilities. It involves the formation and regulation of professional behavior, a change in self-awareness. Practical prerequisites that actualize the process of personal and professional growth and development are revealed, first of all, in changes in the sociocultural situation—the practice of the functioning of teaching staff.

We note that the professional development of a scientific and pedagogical worker is dependent on social conditions, peculiarities of the organization of the pedagogical process, personal potential and dynamic interaction of motivational value and professional components of the personality, and the ability to meet current changes in education. Professional productivity is based on the world of a person: his interests, value orientations, motives and goals of activity, and qualities of intelligence. The professional development of a teacher is inextricably linked to the understanding of activity from the standpoint of cumulative practical experience of its implementation. It is the sum of the results of achievements, a process of overcoming difficulties, and a process of self-change of a teacher during his entire life. The development of a teacher in the conditions of the continuous education system is a kind of “challenge” to the trends of change in the modern world: all sociocultural changes are accelerating. There are fewer and fewer opportunities to adopt experience and lifestyle skills from the previous society ([8], p. 101).

The newest training of teachers for professional self-regulation in the educational process is a multifaceted psychological and pedagogical routine of actions, determined by the specific content of hierarchical components, which is implemented on the basis of the resolution of subjective contradictions. This procedure is based on the system of the general logic of the formation of the future teacher’s individuality ([9], p. 127).

The structure of the teacher’s self-regulation formation determines the goals of professional training through the personal, intellectual, and emotional development of students, and their educational activities. Also through information and technical support, the use of various forms and methods of education is implemented, providing the opportunity to bring students closer to professional working conditions.

Thus, the totality of the professional training of teachers involves the combination of the theoretical and practical part of training and their involvement in the acquisition of general cultural and pedagogical values. An appropriate unobtrusive atmosphere and the independence of choosing creative pedagogical activities are important factors that encourage the development of mental and creative abilities of teachers. As a result, we will single out the main components of training for professional self-regulation of teachers. This educational activity is built on the provision of self-development and self-regulatory processes, and components of content, goal, procedural and effective functional communication, factors of professional activity. It takes into account the individual characteristics of students, development of methodical support for degree studies, and the formation of a holistic view of one’s own educational activity ([10], p. 188).

In order to develop, in particular professionally, a scientific and pedagogical worker needs to master the basics and depths of this profession. The main components of a teacher’s professionalism include such competencies as [11]:

• special pedagogical: it means the authority of the teacher and his knowledge in a certain science (or several ones);

• special: it is based on the scientific competence of the teacher, that is, on the knowledge he has and the ability to apply it in practice. This makes it a reliable source of educational information;

• scientific and pedagogical: this refers to the teacher’s ability to transform science into a method of educational influence on students;

• methodical: it consists in the ability of the teacher to choose the optimal teaching methods necessary for solving didactic tasks;

• sociopsychological: it includes knowledge of the processes of communication carried out in groups of students, as well as the ability to use communications in order to solve tasks and achieve results;

• differential and psychological: it is reflected in the ability of the teacher to understand the individual characteristics of his student, their abilities, shortcomings, advantages, and strengths of characters. This is reflected in the further formation by the teacher of an individual approach to each student;

• autopsychological: it consists in the teacher’s awareness of his weaknesses and strengths and the desire to constantly improve in order to increase the efficiency of his own work;

• general pedagogical: here, it is assumed that the teacher is aware of the need to scientifically approach the design and further organization of the pedagogical process.

In the context of the Bologna Declaration, a modern view of the professional competence of a specialist is being formed, covering a wider range of professional activity. These are such competencies as [12]:

• instrumental, covering cognitive abilities (ability to analyze and synthesize);

• methodological abilities (ability to understand and manage the environment, and build learning strategies);

• professional abilities: professional and informational (monitoring culture) and professional and technical (knowledge, abilities, and skills);

• communicative abilities: linguistic, cultural, rhetorical, and linguistic skills;

• interpersonal competences, including: reflective abilities: self-awareness, assessment of professional growth, and self-criticism;

• social skills related to the processes of social interaction and cooperation;

• the ability to work in groups, to take social and ethical obligations;

• system competencies covering the ability to adapt, autonomous work, project development and management, responsibility for quality, the will to succeed, and the ability to take initiative and generate new ideas.

Continuous updating of the scientific and informational potential leads to rapid obsolescence of knowledge and puts forward new requirements for self-education and self-improvement of the teacher. Today, higher educational institutions need a specialist capable of restructuring the content of their activities in accordance with changes in the labor market and mastering new professional knowledge, information, and communication technologies. One must be able to adapt to innovations in pedagogical science and carry out active work at the level of world standards. Under this condition, one of the ways to increase the efficiency of professional development and competitiveness of a modern teacher is the purposeful implementation of his academic mobility through academic exchange programs and the development of international cooperation in the scientific and pedagogical sphere.

The practical implementation of the new paradigm of higher education in Ukraine requires in-depth studies of international activities, namely: the study of the history and experience of Western higher education in creating a foundation for the academic mobility of all participants in the educational process in the globalized educational space. In this context, it is worth noting that academic mobility in the field of international cooperation of higher education cannot be reduced to specific actions, technologies, or mechanisms related to the exchange system of scientists and teachers of educational institutions of different countries. This is a complex and multifaceted process of intellectual movement, exchange of scientific and cultural potential, resources, and learning technologies. International academic mobility is also considered as a necessary condition for the effective development of education and science, an integral and important part of the activities of universities. The mobility of teachers is one of the main principles of modern higher education. Studying, internships, and research work abroad enrich the individual experience of a person, provide an opportunity to learn about different models of creation and dissemination of knowledge, allow to expand the network of contacts and communication, and deepen knowledge of foreign languages [13].

In addition, mobility is accompanied by the strengthening of the foreign cultural policy of the state. It is carried out with the help of the formation of intercultural communication skills in teachers and the organization of intercultural experience of domestic and foreign citizens.

The situation with the international academic mobility of personnel is at a rather low level of development, since the internship of Ukrainian higher education teachers in leading European universities is not coordinated or financed by Ukrainian higher educational institutions or the state. Joint scientific programs for the training of specialists with leading European universities are unique in nature. The conclusion of interuniversity bilateral agreements on the exchange of personnel occurs sporadically and often has a one-sided nature. But foreign universities can finance the stay of their specialists abroad, and domestic ones try to do this “at the expense of the host party.” The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine proposes to finance academic mobility at the expense of higher educational institutions, funds for the support and development of higher education, grants, funds of the host party, or personal funds of the participants of academic mobility. In conditions where the state finances only teachers’ salaries and part of the funds for utility costs, Ukrainian higher educational institutions are unable to organize academic mobility at the appropriate level.

Participation in international educational programs is positive for our state in the development of international academic mobility. So, for example, the European Union (EU) Tempus Program (Trans-European Mobility Program for University Studies) provides an opportunity for partner countries to choose their priority areas of reform and encourages all interested parties to show initiative, look for innovative approaches, and create the latest educational products and services taking into account the best international experience ([14], p. 82). All three areas of the Tempus Program are curriculum and program reform; improvement of management processes in the system of higher education; strengthening of ties between education and society—provide for the possibility of exchange of experience between domestic institutions of higher education and universities and EU countries, built on the principle of mobility of scientific and pedagogical workers. The EU Erasmus Mundus Educational Program is specifically aimed at intensifying international cooperation and increasing mobility among students, postgraduates, doctoral students, teachers, and researchers of European universities and HEIs of third countries on all continents, who have the opportunity to receive scholarships within the framework of this program to continue their studies or conduct scientific research in EU countries.

The Jean Monnet Program is an EU educational program launched in 1990, with the aim of promoting the European idea and the spread of European studies in Europe and on other continents. The mobility of researchers and teachers is realized by supporting the teaching of disciplines on European integration and conducting research in various European universities, organization of international scientific and practical conferences, public discussions, etc. For the first time, Ukrainian universities and experts were involved in the Jean Monet Program in 2001. Since then, 10 projects of this program have been implemented in various directions.

Within the European research space, an important tool not only for the development and promotion of the mobility of doctoral students, but also for improving the quality of their training is the Seventh Framework Program for Research of the EU (Seven Framework Program for Research) “Building the European Research Knowledge Space for Growth,” which began on January 1, 2007 ... and operated until the end of 2013. This program became a powerful tool for the implementation of the EU’s science and technology policy and had the largest amount of funding (over 50 billion euros). Ukraine’s participation in the projects of the Seventh Framework Program contributed to the involvement of Ukrainian researchers in advanced technologies thanks to mobility mechanisms, which provided for both short- and long-term business trips, exchanges, internships, as well as the purchase of modern equipment for Ukrainian research organizations and higher educational institutions participating in joint projects.

Ukraine’s efforts to integrate into the international educational space are reflected in the normative and legal documents on which the development of higher education is based (National Strategy for the Development of Education of Ukraine until 2021 (2013), “Law of Ukraine on Higher Education” (2014), National Report on the State and Prospects of Development (2016), etc.), and its coordination in the context of European vectors [15].

4. Conclusion

Therefore, it is necessary to improve the work of structural divisions of higher educational institutions, which would deal with the search for internships and exchanges, provide multifaceted support regarding programs and grants for academic mobility, help when necessary with the preparation of documents, etc. That is, support for academic mobility should be organized at the appropriate level. It is necessary to create additional sources of funding for higher educational institutions, attract funds for the support and development of higher education, grants, and funds of the host country; to improve the material support of various forms of academic mobility; organize fast and effective courses in a foreign language, mastery of which is an important condition for participation in exchange programs and establishment of intercultural interaction; actively develop academic mobility thanks to the integration of Ukraine into the European educational space and improve the quality of Ukrainian education at the world level. It’s necessary to update the legislative and regulatory provision of academic mobility in the context of the state legislation of higher education; to develop intrauniversity legal support for academic mobility, which must take into account the specifics of educational institutions. We must professionally approach the choice of various forms of academic mobility in accordance with the legislative provisions of international law; in the future, to improve the implementation of competitive selection programs for internships in leading foreign institutions; taking into account the campaign for the organization of academic mobility which must in turn take into account age priorities and values, in order to expand the contingent of participation in exchange programs, so that teachers with considerable work experience (20+) are not so critical and biased toward the possibility of academic mobility. We must create special educational programs and sign agreements in the field of education in order to promote the activation of the process of academic mobility.

• conclusion of multilateral agreements in the field of education

• special educational programs ([3], Art. 21) that provide activation

• international cooperation and increase mobility

• conclusion of multilateral agreements in the field of education

• special educational programs ([3], Art. 21) that provide activation

• international cooperation and increase mobility

• conclusion of multilateral agreements in the field of education

• special educational programs ([3], Art. 21) that provide activation

• international cooperation and increase mobility

• conclusion of multilateral agreements in the field of education

• special educational programs ([3], Art. 21) that provide activation

• international cooperation and increase mobile nose.

For Ukraine, effective international academic mobility in the context of the Bologna process is real, if an optimized system of domestic academic mobility is created, an appropriate regulatory and legal framework is found, and ways to find sources of funding are found.

The formation of teacher mobility is facilitated by the implementation of procedures for mutual recognition of internship terms, the results of evaluation of educational achievements, determination of individual educational trajectories, and the creation of favorable organizational conditions for professional development outside of one’s educational institution.