Российский психологический журнал (Jun 2019)
Meaning Techniques Oriented Towards Students’ Subjective Experience as the Basis for Their Value-meaning Choices: A Case of Studies in Mathematics
Abstract
Introduction. The use of various psychological techniques in learning, which are capable of actualizing students’ unique subjective experience, may impart a personal and meaningful orientation to the learning process. Subjective experience is a basis for value-meaning choices, which are considered as a point of contact between students’ meanings and the meanings of culture. This contact can help students transform their meaning propensities. This paper proposes a new classification for meaning techniques that are oriented towards students’ experience and presents the results for their testing in order to increase students’ motivation and the development of their meaning sphere in mathematics classes. Methods. This study used (a) the questionnaire developed by the authors to identify students’ value attitude towards mathematics, their subjective position, and possibility of choosing in learning and (b) the revised Life Orientation Test (LOT-R, Russian version; D.A. Leontiev). The sample was comprised of 34 first-year students of Platov South-Russian State Polytechnic University (Novocherkassk). Results. The findings from a questionnaire survey at the initial and final stages of the pedagogical experiment demonstrated the effectiveness of meaning techniques for the educational process. The Life Orientation Test findings speak in favor of students’ subjective position at the forming experimental stage. Discussion. As an integration of modern psychological and pedagogical technologies, the classification of psychotechnics proposed in this study makes it possible to control students’ emotions/feelings and values/motivation in choice situations and reveals individuals’ personal and meaning potential. The use of meaning techniques oriented towards students’ subjective experience as the basis for their value-meaning choices in mathematics classes is possible if teachers construct the educational content on a meaning basis.
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