Būsimų muzikos mokytojų asmeninė karjera : profesijos pasirinkimas

Abstract

It was established that vocational choice and vocational motivation of future music teachers were, to big extent, determined by students’ self-assessment, personal and professional expectations, value beliefs, emotional experiences, professional vision and professional relations. Vocational intentions and determination were influenced by other individuals: parents, friends and teachers. The research results showed that in the beginning of studies the majority of students have high ambitions, strive for acquisition of knowledge and development of musical skills. However, experience acquired during the teaching practice enables students to evaluate personal abilities in a more realistic way and to create more realistic future plans. The article discusses peculiarities of future music teachers’ personal career projecting, analyses the initial stage of students’ personal career: vocational choice. The authors provide substantiation of various aspects of vocational choice process, which enhance vocational determination, employing the research results. Fast change in education system, competitive environment and changing economic conditions also change development of pedagogical professions as well as attitude to teacher’s profession. Currently new requirements for a teacher are established, which reflect the qualitatively new model for preparedness to carry out pedagogical work: skills of problem identification and their solving, awareness of latest technologies and abilities to apply them in pedagogical practice, knowledge of languages, awareness of other cultures, an ability to successfully act in a group, to work individually as well as in teams and an ability to be loyal are necessary. Nowadays a change in multipartite music culture presents a challenge to a music educator to orient in space of changes, to flexibly employ opening music possibilities, to assist learners in perceiving changes of contemporary music culture, to develop learners’ music experience and to promote emotional maturity through establishment of emotional relation with music and to presuppose transferable competences. Teacher’s profession and professional career are linked both with phenomena of global and local environment and with internal changes in the school, as an organisation, itself. Vocational choice and career planning are complex processes and they have a considerable influence on the well-being of an individual and his/her future visions. Music teacher training acquires meaning only when pedagogical studies are chosen consciously and responsibly and when musical and professional abilities are developed purposefully and consecutively. Nowadays, however, not all the individuals, who have chosen teacher’s profession, are able to properly evaluate own professional possibilities. The Research into Teachers’ Demand Forecast until 2015 (2006) shows that a surplus in teachers is observed in urbanised Lithuanian regions, whereas a considerable shortage of them is recorded in smaller towns and districts. The conducted research revealed that future music teachers tend to link their personal career expectations with personal music and pedagogical abilities and latter with professional requirements. The research results allow for a statement that the process of career projecting continues throughout studies making an attempt to identify if their vocational choice is correct, to evaluate individual abilities, to establish subject-related goals and to create vision of future teacher. Thus, efficiently organised process of music studies may create conditions for satisfaction of self-expression and self-development needs of students and stimulation of value-based actualisation of music teacher’s activity. The initial period of personal career comprises stages of life vision creation, future projecting, vocational determination and vocational choice. In the beginning of the personal career a particular importance is allotted to choice of studies, formulation of professional goals and acquisition of professional qualification. It should be pointed out that the process of career projecting does not end with the beginning of studies. The research revealed the links between vocational determination and personal career planning of future teachers of music. It should be pointed out that students’ vocational determination is directly related to phases of construction of a dream, accumulation of information on profession, awareness of own pedagogical vocation and perception of requirements for the profession. Future music teachers link their vocational determination with previous positive music experience, individual music abilities, teacher’s authority and stimulation and support of appropriate solutions, professional ambitions.