Overcoming Normative Educational Crises: Te Human Agency Factor
Background. Te problem of students’ adaptation to a new educational level (normative educational crises, according to Slobodchikov, 2008) is considered. Unlike the literature (Barber & Olsen, 2004; Akçinar, 2013; Symanyuk & Pecherkina, 2016; Nisskaya, 2018), we explored this problem from th...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University
2019-09-01
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| Series: | Psychology in Russia: State of Art |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://psychologyinrussia.com/volumes/pdf/2019_3/Psychology_3_2019_121-136_Leonova.pdf |
| _version_ | 1811215382429564928 |
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| author | Elena V. Leonova |
| author_facet | Elena V. Leonova |
| author_sort | Elena V. Leonova |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background. Te problem of students’ adaptation to a new educational level (normative educational crises, according to Slobodchikov, 2008) is considered. Unlike
the literature (Barber & Olsen, 2004; Akçinar, 2013; Symanyuk & Pecherkina, 2016; Nisskaya, 2018), we explored this problem from the standpoint of human agency and studied all categories of students to determine the general patterns of overcoming normative educational crises.
Objective. Te study aimed to explore the general criteria of agency — capacity to use psychological resources to solve problems and achieve goals — while overcoming
normative educational crises (crises of adaptation to new learning conditions).
Design. Te participants were 383 students aged 7–18 years (81 frst graders, 84 ffh graders, 110 tenth graders, and 108 freshmen). Students’ agency and psychological resources were surveyed at the beginning of the frst academic year at the new educational level. Adaptation criteria (informational, behavioral, and afective) were estimated at the end of the academic year. By using the k-means method of cluster analysis, each category of students was divided into clusters with similar
agency indicators. We also compared agency indicators, abilities, and personal traits in these clusters by using U-tests and exploring correlation links between the psychological resources and adaptation criteria indicators in each cluster by Spearman’s rank correlation coefcient.
Results and Conclusion. In each age category of students, we observed many signifcant correlation links between the psychological resources and adaptation criteria indicators only in the cluster of students with a high agency level. We also found only
isolated correlation links (or absence of links) between the psychological resources
and adaptation criteria indicators in the clusters of students with a low agency level. Tis fnding confrms our hypothesis that only students with a high level of agency
use their psychological resources to successfully overcome normative educational crises. Students with a low agency level do not use their resources in full during normative educational crises: Tese students, despite their capacities, have a negative emotional state and problems in learning and behavior. Tis fnding is also true for
each age category of students. Tus, without human agency qualities, the intellectual and personal resources of students can remain unused during the period of adaptation and further training, as the results of the study demonstrated. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T06:20:50Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-bd31e429096141199b13df694630078f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2074-6857 2307-2202 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T06:20:50Z |
| publishDate | 2019-09-01 |
| publisher | M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Psychology in Russia: State of Art |
| spelling | doaj.art-bd31e429096141199b13df694630078f2022-12-22T03:44:19ZengM.V. Lomonosov Moscow State UniversityPsychology in Russia: State of Art2074-68572307-22022019-09-0112312113610.11621/pir.2019.0309Overcoming Normative Educational Crises: Te Human Agency FactorElena V. Leonova0Tsiolkovskiy Kaluga State University, Kaluga, RussiaBackground. Te problem of students’ adaptation to a new educational level (normative educational crises, according to Slobodchikov, 2008) is considered. Unlike the literature (Barber & Olsen, 2004; Akçinar, 2013; Symanyuk & Pecherkina, 2016; Nisskaya, 2018), we explored this problem from the standpoint of human agency and studied all categories of students to determine the general patterns of overcoming normative educational crises. Objective. Te study aimed to explore the general criteria of agency — capacity to use psychological resources to solve problems and achieve goals — while overcoming normative educational crises (crises of adaptation to new learning conditions). Design. Te participants were 383 students aged 7–18 years (81 frst graders, 84 ffh graders, 110 tenth graders, and 108 freshmen). Students’ agency and psychological resources were surveyed at the beginning of the frst academic year at the new educational level. Adaptation criteria (informational, behavioral, and afective) were estimated at the end of the academic year. By using the k-means method of cluster analysis, each category of students was divided into clusters with similar agency indicators. We also compared agency indicators, abilities, and personal traits in these clusters by using U-tests and exploring correlation links between the psychological resources and adaptation criteria indicators in each cluster by Spearman’s rank correlation coefcient. Results and Conclusion. In each age category of students, we observed many signifcant correlation links between the psychological resources and adaptation criteria indicators only in the cluster of students with a high agency level. We also found only isolated correlation links (or absence of links) between the psychological resources and adaptation criteria indicators in the clusters of students with a low agency level. Tis fnding confrms our hypothesis that only students with a high level of agency use their psychological resources to successfully overcome normative educational crises. Students with a low agency level do not use their resources in full during normative educational crises: Tese students, despite their capacities, have a negative emotional state and problems in learning and behavior. Tis fnding is also true for each age category of students. Tus, without human agency qualities, the intellectual and personal resources of students can remain unused during the period of adaptation and further training, as the results of the study demonstrated.http://psychologyinrussia.com/volumes/pdf/2019_3/Psychology_3_2019_121-136_Leonova.pdfhuman agencynormative age-related crisesnormative educational crises of adaptationpsychological resourcestenth gradersfifth gradersfirst gardersuniversity freshmen |
| spellingShingle | Elena V. Leonova Overcoming Normative Educational Crises: Te Human Agency Factor Psychology in Russia: State of Art human agency normative age-related crises normative educational crises of adaptation psychological resources tenth graders fifth graders first garders university freshmen |
| title | Overcoming Normative Educational Crises: Te Human Agency Factor |
| title_full | Overcoming Normative Educational Crises: Te Human Agency Factor |
| title_fullStr | Overcoming Normative Educational Crises: Te Human Agency Factor |
| title_full_unstemmed | Overcoming Normative Educational Crises: Te Human Agency Factor |
| title_short | Overcoming Normative Educational Crises: Te Human Agency Factor |
| title_sort | overcoming normative educational crises te human agency factor |
| topic | human agency normative age-related crises normative educational crises of adaptation psychological resources tenth graders fifth graders first garders university freshmen |
| url | http://psychologyinrussia.com/volumes/pdf/2019_3/Psychology_3_2019_121-136_Leonova.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT elenavleonova overcomingnormativeeducationalcrisestehumanagencyfactor |