The Student’s Subjective Position as a Condition for Success in Mastering a Profession

Abstract

The student’s subjective position as a system of personal choice of a sustainable behavior strategy, which can be traced in the student’s attitude to the learning process and results and connects his educational activities with the prospects of his professional future. The purpose of the study is to identify resources and problems at the learning stage depending on the student’s subjective position. The student’s subjective position is considered through his or her attitude to educational activities, through his or her achievements at the stage of learning a profession and through his or her expression of readiness for professional activity. The study is based on a survey of students from 20 Russian universities. The respondents were 1056 students. The most pronounced position of modern students is pragmatic; it is adhered to by the majority of undergraduate and graduate students. The most successful students in the educational environment are those who take an intellectually creative position; they have a wide range of achievements, they are ready to spend their intellectual resources on learning, have a negative attitude towards various forms of imitation of learning, and are most confident in their professional future. Students with a pragmatic subject position are generally successful, can solve problems that arise during the learning process, and show readiness for professional activity. Students with a contemplative position, despite generally successful studies, show uncertainty about their professional future. Students with an imitation subject position are the most problematic group. These students have difficulty coping with educational activities, are problematic, and are poorly oriented toward achievements in other areas of activity. The study proves that the student’s subjective position is a significant factor that influences the process and result of higher education. Based on existing typical subject positions, it is possible and necessary to select means and methods of training that will make it possible to update resources and minimize educational problems.