Professional orientation as a precondition of forming the professional self-definition of the future elementary school teacher

Abstract

The article is synthesized the aspects of the essential characteristic of professional orientation as a scientific-practical system of person’s training for conscious professional self-determination, the preconditions for the formation of professional self-determination of the future elementary school teacher. Some clarifications were given regarding the interpretation of the key concepts of "profession", "professional orientation", "professional self-determination" as adjacent, related to vocational guidance. Professional self-determination is considered as a long-term, dynamic, holistic process of entering the profession, the result of choosing and designing the future pedagogical activity of the elementary school teacher, which takes place in the educational environment of the institution of higher education through a conscious and active attitude of the student towards his own life prospect, to mastering the future profession. It is emphasized that in today’s scientific research the tendency of expanding the interpretation of self-determination becomes more and more expressive, namely: from the understanding of it as the primary choice of profession to the disclosure of the essence of professional self-determination as a choice of the profession itself, as a necessary and important aspect of the whole process of professionalization of the individual. It was found out that the success of professional self-determination is ensured by the psychological readiness of the individual to choose a profession, which may be related to the formation of professional orientation, adequate self-esteem of the individual, its sufficient knowledge and persistent professional intentions. It is concluded that the professional orientation in the current conditions of professional training of the future teacher of the primary school of a new formation capable and able to implement new educational guidelines, strategies, should achieve its main goals – its readiness for professional self-determination, which corresponds to the individual abilities of each person and needs modern labor market.