Developing students' professional calling by developing their professional self-awareness (the case of the study programme of social pedagogy)

The scientific literature highlights the relevance of the development of professional calling. The research reveal that only about half or less students have a calling for their chosen profession, therefore, the need for different pedagogical and psychological means to develop students' professional calling and to assist them in identifying their calling is noted. Scientific publications indicate the relationship between certain aspects of the development of professional calling and the development of professional self-awareness. The purpose of the research is to reveal the educational impact of the development of professional self-awareness on professional calling of students of social pedagogy. Dissertation justify the concept of professional calling and discuss the relevance of its development; analyse theoretical aspects of the development of students' professional self-awareness in a higher school; investigate whether social pedagogues in general education schools and students of social pedagogy study programmes have different professional calling; investigate whether there are differences between the development of professional self-awareness in the study process of experimental group and control group students of social pedagogy study programme; investigate whether students of experimental and control groups have different evaluations of an impact of the development of professional self-awareness in the study process on professional calling. With reference to the results of the dissertational research, it can be reasonably stated that professional calling of a social pedagogue may be developed by developing students' professional self-awareness in two directions: 1) focusing students' attention to themselves as future professionals (through introspection, self-analysis, self-reflection and self-monitoring), 2) providing feedback information from peers, teachers, practice coordinators and other pedagogues, after some professional tasks are accomplished