Psychological characteristics of the student group, its structure.

Student group is an element pedagogical system. He carries out management functions through feedback: teacher - group, group - teacher (curator). In psychology there is even the concept of a group subject - a community of people with appropriate characteristics.
The student group is an autonomous and self-sufficient community. She is capable of solving her internal problems herself, and her activity is associated with social life institute (faculty), university, solving social issues (as an example, student construction teams, participation in the work of student government bodies, etc.).
Students in the academic group are united by:
general purpose and objectives of vocational training;
joint educational and professional activities;
connections of a business and personal nature (active participation of each student in the life of the group - good school the right to experience living and working in any production team);
homogeneity of the group composition by age (late adolescence or early adulthood);
high awareness of each other (both about successes and personal life);
active interaction in the communication process;
high level of student self-government;
the period of existence of the group, limited by the period of study at universities.
Between students, firstly, functional connections are established, which are determined by the distribution of functions between students as members of the group, and secondly, emotional connections, or interpersonal communications, which arise on the basis of sympathies and common interests. In this regard, a student group may have the following structure:
1. An official substructure, which is characterized by the purpose of the group - professional training, promoting the development of the personality of a future specialist. It is based on the authority of the official leader - the headman, appointed by the directorate (dean's office), as well as other leaders who carry out role management of the group, organize business relations between group members (trade union organizer, cultural organizer, editor, etc.). - This is a business relationship.
2. An unofficial substructure occurs when a group is divided into microgroups that arise on the basis of the same interests, manifestations of empathy, sympathy for each other - this is the emotional sphere of relationships.

During the period of its existence, the student academic group develops and goes through several stages, each of which is characterized by qualitative features of the following parameters:
direction of behavior and activities of group members;
organization of group members;
communication skills of group members.
The holistic characteristics of the student group are the following indicators:
intra- and integrative activity;
psychological microclimate in the group (emotional status);
referentiality of the group - its significance, authority for group members;
management and leadership;
cohesion, etc.
Based on these indicators, the following stages of development of the student group are determined:
1st stage - a nominal group, which has only an external, formal association of students by order of the rector and the list of the directorate (dean's office);
Stage 2 - association - initial interpersonal integration, the primary unification of students according to common characteristics.
Stage 3 - cooperation, at which the socio-psychological and didactic adaptation of students is almost complete. It turns out that the unofficial organizers are authoritative activists of the group. They are assigned social attitudes and leadership of the internal life of the group.
The general requirement for the group at this stage is as follows: to show sensitivity to comrades, mutual respect, help each other, etc.. Only under such socio-psychological conditions will the group reach the highest level of its development.
Stage 4 - the student academic group becomes a team.
In each group, there is an immediate exchange of socio-psychological information.
Group norms are a set of rules and requirements developed by a group that regulate the behavior of its members.
Group mood is the general emotional state that prevails in a group and creates an emotional atmosphere in it.
Group cohesion is determined by the measure of the group's commitment to its members.
Self-affirmation - each member of the team recognizes himself as part of it and tries to take and maintain a certain position in it.
Collectivist self-determination - although each student has a certain freedom for individual judgment in the group, for him the most significant is the collective opinion, group assessment, and the guide to action is the group decision.
The reasons for contradictions in the student body may be as follows:
inadequate assessment of the partner;
inflated self-esteem of individual students;
violation of the sense of justice;
distortion by an individual student of information about another;
authoritarianism of the leader of the group as a whole or of a separate microgroup;
incorrect attitude towards each other;
just a misunderstanding with each other.
Types of intragroup conflicts:
role conflict - inadequate performance social roles;
conflict of desires, interests, etc.;
conflict of norms of behavior, values, life experience.

The term "students" means a social and professional group, including students of higher education. educational institutions.

The learning process is not only about gaining knowledge and experience related to the future profession, but also about self-realization, the practice of interpersonal relationships, and self-education. Undoubtedly, the period of study at a university is the most important period of human socialization. Socialization is understood as “the process and result of an individual’s assimilation and active reproduction of social experience, carried out in communication and activity.” At student age, all mechanisms of socialization are involved: this includes mastering the social role of a student, and preparation for mastering a new social role associated with a future profession, and mechanisms of social influence on the part of teachers of the student group. Since student age is characterized by the desire for independence, freedom of choice life path and ideals, independence, studying at a university is a powerful factor in the socialization of a student’s personality.

The characteristics of student age largely depend on the socio-economic level of development of the country and the conditions prevailing in the country. this moment in the job market. The threat of remaining unclaimed in the labor market is typical for all students of our generation. Students understand education as a resource for mastering new social roles, capital for investment when achieving the desired social status. The main motives for choosing a particular specialty are: success, education, prestige future profession. The desire of young people to be successful in life, the construction of various strategies for achieving success indicate an increase in the investment function of education. Young people are trying to try out these life strategies as early as possible. Thus, the demand for certain specialties in the labor market largely determines the motivation and specifics of school graduates’ choice of their future profession. The time of studying at a university coincides with the second period of adolescence or the first period of maturity, which is characterized by the complexity of development personality traits. Characteristic feature moral development at this age there is an increase in conscious motives of behavior. Those qualities that were completely lacking in high school are noticeably strengthened - purposefulness, determination, perseverance, independence, initiative, and the ability to control oneself. Boys and girls at this age are trying to understand their needs, interests, abilities, values, and opportunities.

Youth is a time of introspection and self-assessment. On at this stage there is a comparison between the “ideal self” and the “real self.” The lack of objectivity in this comparison can cause a young man to have internal self-doubt and a feeling of incomprehensibility, which may be accompanied by external aggressiveness or swagger. Adolescence, according to E. Erikson, is built around an identity crisis, consisting of social and individual personal choices, identifications and self-determinations. If a young man at this stage fails to resolve these problems, he develops an inadequate identity, which can cause a number of problems in subsequent personality development.

A necessary condition The successful activity of a student is the mastery of new features of studying at a university and rapid adaptation, which leads to the elimination of the feeling of discomfort and prevents conflicts with the environment into which the student has entered. Student age, according to B. G. Ananyev, is a sensitive period for satisfying the basic sociogenic needs of a person, i.e. a favorable period for the development of a person as an individual.

Therefore, in modern pedagogy and psychology, the approach to education begins to prevail not as the formation of an individual in accordance with the dominant ideal in society, but as the creation of conditions for the self-development of the individual.

Favorable position of the student in environment, in the student body contributes to the normal development of personality. During the initial courses, a student team is formed, skills and abilities in organizing mental activity are formed, a calling for the chosen profession is realized, an optimal regime of work, leisure and life is developed, a system of work on self-education and self-education professionally is established significant qualities personality.

The student environment itself, the characteristics of the student group to which the person belongs, and the characteristics of other reference groups have a powerful socializing effect on the student’s personality. The behavior of people in a group differs from their individual behavior. Due to the formation and subordination of group norms and values, the behavior of group members becomes similar, but the opposite effect is also possible. An individual group member, as an individual, can have a powerful influence on the group as a whole. In a student group, dynamic processes of structuring, forming and changing interpersonal relationships, promoting leaders, distributing group roles, etc. take place. All these processes have a strong impact on the student’s personality, on his success educational activities and professional development, on his behavior. Therefore, it is very important to understand and take into account the characteristics of the student group when organizing educational activities.

Researchers have found that the level of academic performance and position of students in a study group depends on the level of formation of interpersonal relationships in it. It has been proven that it is easier for a student to study in a group with a more differentiated and more stable structure of relationships. The activities of the student group serve as the basis on which the relationships between its members develop.

Thus, knowledge of the individual characteristics of a student, on the basis of which a system for including him in new activities and a new circle of friends is built, makes it possible to avoid maladjustment and successfully form a student team. Therefore very important point is the transformation of a student group into a team, and the introduction of a recent applicant to student forms of collective life.

A student group is like any other small group, can grow and develop. In his concept of group development, L.I. Umansky identifies the following criteria for the development of a group: the moral orientation of the group; organizational unity; group preparedness in a certain business area and psychological unity of the group. Using these parameters, it is also possible to identify the levels of development of the student group.

From the point of view of Yu.M. Kondratiev, speaking about the formation of a student group, it is necessary to mainly characterize the first, third and fifth years. This is due to the fact that first-year groups can be assessed as “becoming” groups, third-year study groups as relatively “mature” groups, and fifth-year study groups can be conditionally designated as “dying” groups, i.e. finally ending their life activity.

According to S.A. Bagretsov, communication plays a large role in the development of a group subject. Communication and activity are independent forms of group activity, but they are closely interconnected.

It is noted that “the subjectivity of a group in the sphere of communication is manifested in the desire of its members to belong to it not formally, but psychologically to have a close psychological distance from each other, their community, to participate in joint actions, while experiencing positive emotions.

The formation of a study group as a subject of communication creates internal prerequisites for its further transformation into a subject of activity and relationships. “Relationships in a small group are a complex formation. Their structure includes formal and informal, business and personal, leadership, reference relationships » . And on this basis, the properties of the group subject of relationships are highlighted: cohesion, as commitment to the group of its members, referentiality and subordination.

Based on the approaches of Yu.M. Kondratiev and S.A. Bagretsov, we can give the following characteristics of the main stages of development of study groups at a university:

First course. The group acts as the subject of communication. On high level emotional and volitional sides are developed. There is a focus on the formation of a cooperative type of interaction. Group consciousness and self-awareness, as well as perceptual unity, begin to form. Average indicators of psychological distance are observed. Focus and motivation have not yet been formed, that is, there are no common goals, there is no common motivation to joint activities. There is no clear distribution of tasks, functions, duties, rights and responsibilities. There is a lack of leaders, but a large number of outsiders (this is explained by insufficient knowledge of each other’s value orientations and personal characteristics). Business leadership prevails over emotional leadership.

High-status freshmen, when assessing and comparing their accomplices with each other, strictly focus on their status superiority. Average-status freshmen try not to distinguish themselves from high-status freshmen, but at this time they emphasize their difference from outsiders.” Low-status freshmen easily distinguish between status inequality between high-status and average-status freshmen, and do not recognize their differences with unofficial leaders.

Second course. The group acts as a formed subject of joint activities. Adaptation processes have already been completed, but focus and structure are still not sufficiently developed. It is not communication that dominates, but relationships, which is a characteristic of groups with low effectiveness. However, the relationship is not necessarily successful.

The fact of entering a university strengthens students’ faith in own strength and abilities, gives rise to hope for a full-blooded and interesting life. At the same time, in the second and third years the question often arises about the correct choice of university, specialty, and profession. By the end of the third year, the issue of professional self-determination is finally resolved. However, it happens that at this time decisions are made to avoid working in their specialty in the future.

Third course. At this time, division into specializations begins, which helps to strengthen the educational process and increase group forms of educational work. Integrative processes dominate in groups, which creates psychological and organizational unity in groups. Now the communication factor dominates. At this stage, the group can be characterized as an established subject of joint activity. The relevance of study groups for their members is reduced. The authority of official leaders is taking shape.

High-status third-year students, just like high-status first-year students, strictly focus on their status superiority when evaluating and comparing their participants with each other. At the same time, in a number of cases, unofficial leaders and conditions of “mature” groups, when assessing their accomplices, emphasized their similarity with some average-status students (the support group of a particular unofficial leader) and low dissimilarity with specific, high-status group members - competitors. Average-status third-year students are clear adherents of the method of evaluating accomplices through the prism of their belonging to one or another intragroup status layer. “Outsiders” show an even greater willingness to view their accomplices through the prism of status than their average-status classmates.

Fourth year in college. Relationships dominate, relationships are restructured according to sympathies, which are of a more individual nature, which is associated with the approaching end of university studies. The subjectivity of groups in the field of activity is weakly expressed.

Fifth year. The subjectivity of groups in communication is weakly expressed. There is no focus on communication. Perceptual unity, intellectual, emotional and volitional communication are reduced. There is a pronounced criticality in the self-perception of groups of fifth-year students, which is expressed in an underestimation of group self-esteem. The system of relationships in groups is gradually disintegrating. The attractiveness of their own groups increases; fifth-year students are satisfied with groups that do not place high demands on them, allow low cohesion, allow each of them to achieve their own goals and realize their own interests, regardless of their community, ensuring psychological independence.

High-status and average-status fifth-year students, being members of student communities that are completing their life activities, are guided by the intragroup status hierarchy, evaluating their accomplices only in cases when it comes to “outsiders.” Low-status students from these groups generally do not take into account the presence of an intragroup informal status hierarchy when making a single comparison of participants.

Thus, it must be emphasized that at each level of development, a student group has certain psychological characteristics that undoubtedly affect the success of the group’s joint activities and relationships in it. A group can manifest itself as either a subject of communication, or a subject of relationships, or a subject of activity, and combinations are also possible.

Also, relationships between group members largely depend on the climate in the group, so it is important to study the socio-psychological climate of each group and find out by what parameters its favorability is determined.

Students are a social and professional group that includes university students.

The learning process is not only about gaining knowledge and experience related to the future profession, but also about self-realization, the practice of interpersonal relationships, and self-education. Undoubtedly, the period of study at a university is the most important period of human socialization. Socialization is understood as “the process and result of the individual’s assimilation and active reproduction of social experience, carried out in communication and activity.” At student age, all mechanisms of socialization are involved: this includes mastering the social role of a student, and preparation for mastering a new social role associated with a future profession, and mechanisms of social influence on the part of teachers of the student group. Since student age is characterized by the desire for independence, freedom of choice of life path and ideals, independence, studying at a university is a powerful factor in the socialization of the student’s personality. A necessary condition for the successful activity of a student is the mastery of new features of studying at a university and rapid adaptation, which leads to the elimination of the feeling of discomfort and prevents conflicts with the environment into which the student has entered. Student age, according to B.G. Ananyev, is a sensitive period for satisfying the basic sociogenic needs of a person, i.e. a favorable period for the development of a person as an individual. Therefore, in modern pedagogy and psychology, the approach to education begins to prevail not as the formation of personality in accordance with the dominant ideal in society, but as the creation of conditions for the self-development of the individual

There are several fairly formal signs of group structure, which, however, were identified mainly in the study of small groups: the structure of preferences, the structure of “power,” the structure of communications. The student group belongs to a small group, so before starting to study it, it is necessary to consider the phenomenon of a small group. Researchers have repeatedly turned to the definition of the concept “small group”, formulating a huge number of various, sometimes very different and even contradictory definitions. This is explained by the fact that the authors, trying to define a small group, as a rule, proceeded from their own understanding of it, focusing on certain aspects of the group process.

Having studied a large number different interpretations, researchers studying the small group concluded the following: “A small group is understood as a small group in composition, the members of which are united by a common social activities and are in direct personal communication, which is the basis for the emergence of emotional relationships, group norms and group processes." This is a fairly universal definition in social psychology. But it does not pretend to be an accurate definition and is rather descriptive in nature, since it allows for a variety of interpretations, depending on what content is given to the concepts included in it.

However, if we consistently consider the group as a subject of activity, then its structure must be approached accordingly. Apparently, in this case, the most important thing is to analyze the structure of group activity, which includes a description of the functions of each group member in this joint activity. At the same time, very significant characteristic is the emotional structure of the group - the structure of interpersonal relationships, as well as its connection with the functional structure of group activity. In social psychology, the relationship between these two structures is often considered as the relationship between “informal” and “formal” relations.

Thus, composition (composition), group structure and dynamics of group life (group processes) are mandatory parameters for describing a group in social psychology.

Another part of the conceptual framework that is used in group studies concerns the individual's position in the group as a member. The first of the concepts used here is the concept of "status" or "position", denoting the place of the individual in the system of group life. The terms “status” and “position” are often used as synonyms, although a number of authors consider the concept of “position” to have a slightly different meaning. The concept of “status” finds its widest application in describing the structure of interpersonal relationships, for which the sociometric technique is best suited. But the designation of the status of an individual in a group obtained in this way cannot in any way be considered satisfactory.

Firstly, because the place of an individual in a group is not determined solely by his social status; It is important not only to what extent the individual, as a member of the group, enjoys the affection of other group members, but also what place he occupies in the structure of the group’s activity relations. Secondly, status is always some unity of the characteristics objectively inherent in an individual, which determine his place in the group, and the subjective perception of him by other group members. Objective characteristics of status simply do not appear in this case. And thirdly, when characterizing the status of an individual in a group, it is necessary to take into account the relations of the broader social system, which this group is a part of, is the “status” of the group itself. This circumstance is not indifferent to the specific position of a group member. But this third sign is also not taken into account in any way when determining status using the sociometric method. The question of developing an adequate methodological technique for determining the status of an individual in a group can only be resolved with the simultaneous theoretical development of this concept.

The next characteristic of an individual in a group is “role”. A role is a dynamic aspect of status, revealed through a list of those real functions that are assigned to an individual by a group and the content of group activity. If we take a group such as a family, then its example can show the relationship between status, or position, and role. In a family, different status characteristics exist for each of its members: there is the position (status) of mother, father, eldest daughter, youngest son etc. If we now describe the set of functions that are “prescribed” by the group of each position, we will get a description of the role of mother, father, eldest daughter, youngest son, etc. One cannot imagine a role as something unchangeable: its dynamism lies in the fact that while maintaining status, the set of functions corresponding to it can vary greatly in different groups of the same type, and most importantly in the course of development, both the group itself and the wider social structure in which it is included. An example with a family clearly illustrates this pattern: the change in the role of spouses during historical development families are a current topic of modern socio-psychological research.

An important component of characterizing an individual’s position in a group is the system of “group expectations.” This term denotes the simple fact that each member of the group not only performs his functions in it, but is also necessarily perceived and evaluated by others. In particular, this refers to the fact that each position, as well as each role, is expected to perform certain functions, and not only a simple list of them, but also the quality of performance of these functions. The group, through a system of expected patterns of behavior corresponding to each role, controls the activities of its members in a certain way. In some cases, there may be a discrepancy between the expectations that the group has regarding any of its members and his actual behavior, in a real way fulfilling his role. In order for this system of expectations to be somehow defined, there are two more extremely important education: group norms and group sanctions.

All group norms are social norms, i.e. represent "establishments, models, standards of behavior, from the point of view of society as a whole and social groups and their members."

In a narrower sense, group norms are certain rules that are developed by a group, accepted by it, and to which the behavior of its members must obey in order for their joint activities to be possible. Norms thus perform a regulatory function in relation to this activity. Group norms are related to values, since any rules can be formulated only on the basis of acceptance or rejection of some socially significant phenomena. The values ​​of each group are formed on the basis of developing a certain attitude towards social phenomena, dictated by the place of this group in the system public relations, her experience in organizing certain activities.

Features of the socio-psychological climate in the group depend on what the student’s social activity was before entering university, on the influence of living conditions and activities on his personality, on his diligence in studies, etc. Research data also convinces that academic performance for first-year students, the higher the less homogeneity of the academic group in terms of school preparation, i.e., with unequal school preparation (received unequal grades on entrance exams), students of the academic group receive more high grades, fewer satisfactory and unsatisfactory ones.

This result can be explained by the fact that in heterogeneous academic groups there are more favorable conditions for the emergence of competition, leadership and mutual assistance. The success of students' learning is higher, the more activists in the group with good school preparation, who are distinguished by independent work during the semester, a higher level of intellectual development, and greater mobility of psychophysiological processes.

A team cannot be judged by individual episodes from its life. Required full characteristics of this team, which includes the following basic data: a) social composition of students, age, personality traits; b) relationships of students with seniors, teachers and their orientation; relationships, moods and opinions in the team, authorities; c) asset composition: total number activists, the predominant features of their activities in the team; how the team evaluates current events in the country and abroad; academic performance and level of social activity of the team. The combination of socio-psychological and individual psychological characteristics allows us to more specifically identify weak links in the structure and psychology of the team and purposefully overcome them.

What are the ways to form a student body?

First of all, it should be noted that collectivist relations do not exclude, but on the contrary, presuppose comprehensive development individual independence. Otherwise, the team faces the danger of inculcating conformism and individualism inside out. The optimal ratio, the measure of unity of communication and isolation can be achieved and ensured only by scientifically based leadership and management. Here is a whole sum of issues of student self-government, its scope and boundaries, the development of social activity, initiative, independence, and mutual demands. All this requires a comprehensive concrete sociological study. It is important to emphasize that the principles of education in a team reflect the unity of communication and isolation of the individual, for this unity is the basis of the entire set of educational influences on objective processes in the team, the most general tendency of which is expressed in this principle. The central issue of this principle is the question of the relationship between educational work with each individual student and the student body as a whole. The leading role belongs to working with the entire team. In this case, it is necessary to take into account two points: firstly, the leading role of working with the team as a whole involves educational work with each student; secondly, the importance of individual work increases in the smallest units of the team (in the student group). For example, an institute committee cannot provide direct impact for each student; management of the team as a whole is complemented here individual work with every student in general, but mainly with the asset. This is all the more necessary since the student body consists of people who enter the institute for various reasons: some of them were guided by clearly expressed socially useful motives; others - equally public and personal motives; still others hesitated in choosing a profession; individuals pursued narrowly personal, selfish goals. Each such group of students has distinctive psychological characteristics that teachers need to take into account in their practical activities.

In the student group, friendly ties are strengthening and comradely mutual assistance is developing. The presence among university students of young people from foreign countries gives these feelings an international character.

Each student group has its own mentor, educator represented by a curator, who provides comprehensive assistance in organizing and uniting the team, and participates in the social and political events of the group. This is dictated both by the tasks of communist education of the younger generation and age characteristics students, especially during the period of adaptation to university conditions.

Students, especially in their first years, do not yet have the necessary life experience and have not learned to independently carry out the main functions of the team - educational and educational. The curator must take into account that yesterday's schoolchild, over the years of study, has become accustomed to the fact that in the social and educational affairs of the primary team he constantly receives help from the class teacher. Therefore, the role of the curator is, first of all, to unite the team, overcome disunity and alienation in relations between students, especially in the first year. The role of the curator is specific; it is not as official and categorical as is typical for production and army teams. The curator is called upon, first of all, to organize young people to achieve socially significant goals, captivating them with the romance of study and work, developing a sense of social duty, creative initiative and independence.

The student body goes through a number of stages in its development. The first stage corresponds to the first and partially the second courses, the second - partially to the second and third, and the third stage is typical for the fourth and fifth courses. The first stage is characterized by industrial and socio-psychological adaptation, i.e. active adaptation to the educational process and growing into a new team. First-year students learn the elementary requirements, norms and traditions of university life, on the basis of which group traditions and norms of behavior will later be created. The help of all teachers (especially curators) and public organizations is especially important here.

The second stage is characterized by the established public opinion, an efficient asset, systematic work to master a future specialty, involving all students in organizational work. By the end of the second stage, friendly and demanding relationships are established between students, interest in common affairs, readiness for joint action, and comprehensive knowledge of the affairs of the faculty and university, thanks to which the team can independently, without the help of a teacher, solve business problems.

At the third stage, each member of the team becomes a spokesman for social demands. This is the most fruitful period in the scientific, professional and civic education and self-education of the team and the individual. Each student strives to fulfill a collective, and therefore personal task - to provide maximum assistance to his comrades in achieving their intended goal.

The team does not immediately become mature and united. Team leadership manifests itself differently at different stages of its formation. In this regard, it is interesting to trace the four stages of development of demandingness in a team, following A.S. Makarenko:

The first stage is organizing a team, selecting an asset. During this period, great responsibility falls on the curator.

The second stage is increasing attention to the activist so that he gains authority, becomes a bearer of progressive opinion, supports and implements the requirements and instructions of teachers, dean's office and university leaders.

The third stage - teachers and managers rely on the consciousness and cohesion of the team, on its assets, traditions, and public opinion.

The fourth stage - the collective acts as a subject of education. Teachers and the dean's office set tasks, suggest the most appropriate ways to solve them, etc. The team makes demands on its members and is capable of a certain amount of self-government. This is the highest level of its development.

In general, the formation of a team requires the following activities:

• 1. Recruitment of academic groups, taking into account psychological compatibility of people.
• 2. Creation of social and value unity by explaining the meaning of study, its goals and objectives, stimulating the work of the activists to unite the team.
• 3. Development of consciousness, creativity and friendship, communist understanding of relationships in the student body.
• 4. Strengthening the authority of the asset, increasing its exemplary character, prevention and psychologically justified resolution of conflicts.
• 5. Ensuring friendly joint activities.
• 6. Showing concern for students, taking into account their requests, interests, needs, desires

Psychological characteristics of the student group.

The term "students" means a social and professional group, including students of higher educational institutions.

The learning process is not only about gaining knowledge and experience related to the future profession, but also about self-realization, the practice of interpersonal relationships, and self-education. Undoubtedly, the period of study at a university is the most important period of human socialization. Socialization is generally understood as the process and result of an individual’s assimilation and active reproduction of social experience, carried out in communication and activity. At student age, all the mechanisms of socialization are involved: this includes mastering the social role of a student and preparing to master a new social role associated with a future profession, and mechanisms of social influence on the part of the teachers of the student group. Since student age is characterized by the desire for independence, freedom of choice of life path and ideals, independence, studying at a university is a powerful factor in the socialization of the student’s personality.

The characteristics of student age largely depend on the socio-economic level of development of the country and the conditions that currently exist in the labor market. The threat of remaining unclaimed in the labor market is typical for all students of our generation. Students understand education as a resource for mastering new social roles, capital for investment when achieving the desired social status. The main motives for choosing any specialty are: success, education, prestige of the future profession. The desire of young people to be successful in life, the construction of various strategies for achieving success indicate an increase in the investment function of education. Young people are trying to try out these life strategies as early as possible. Moreover, the demand for certain specialties in the labor market largely determines the motivation and specifics of school graduates’ choice of future profession. The time of studying at a university coincides with the second period of adolescence or the first period of maturity, which is characterized by the complexity of the formation of personality traits. A characteristic feature of moral development at this age is the strengthening of conscious motives of behavior. Those qualities that were completely lacking in high school are noticeably strengthened - purposefulness, determination, perseverance, independence, initiative, and the ability to control oneself. Boys and girls at this age are trying to understand their needs, interests, abilities, values, and opportunities.

Youth is a time of introspection and self-assessment. At this stage, a comparison of the “ideal self” with the “real self” takes place. The lack of objectivity in this comparison can cause a young man to have internal self-doubt and a feeling of incomprehensibility, which may be accompanied by external aggressiveness or swagger. Adolescence, according to E. Erikson, is built around an identity crisis, consisting of social and individual personal choices, identifications and self-definitions. If a young man at this stage fails to resolve these problems, he develops an inadequate identity, which can cause a number of problems in subsequent personality development.

A necessary condition for a student’s successful activity is mastering the new features of studying at a university and quickly adapting, which leads to the elimination of the feeling of discomfort and prevents conflicts with the environment into which the student has entered. Student age, according to B. G. Ananyev, is a sensitive period for satisfying basic sociogenic human needs, ᴛ.ᴇ. a favorable period for the development of a person as an individual.

For this reason, in modern pedagogy and psychology, the approach to education begins to prevail not as the formation of an individual in accordance with the dominant ideal in society, but as the creation of conditions for the self-development of the individual.

The favorable position of the student in the environment and in the student body contributes to the normal development of the individual. During the initial courses, a student team is formed, skills and abilities in organizing mental activity are formed, a calling for the chosen profession is realized, an optimal regime of work, leisure and life is developed, a system of work on self-education and self-education of professionally significant personality qualities is established.

The student environment itself, the characteristics of the student group to which the person belongs, and the characteristics of other reference groups have a powerful socializing effect on the student’s personality. The behavior of people in a group differs from their individual behavior. Due to the formation and subordination of group norms and values, the behavior of group members becomes similar, but the opposite effect is also possible. An individual group member, as an individual, can have a powerful influence on the group as a whole. In a student group, dynamic processes of structuring, forming and changing interpersonal relationships, promoting leaders, distributing group roles, etc. take place. All these processes have a strong impact on the student’s personality, on the success of his educational activities and professional development, on his behavior. For this reason, it is very important to understand and take into account the characteristics of the student group when organizing educational activities.

Researchers have found that the level of academic performance and position of students in a study group depends on the level of formation of interpersonal relationships in it. It has been proven that it is easier for a student to study in a group with a more differentiated and more stable structure of relationships. The activities of the student group serve as the basis on which the relationships between its members develop.

Moreover, knowledge of the individual characteristics of a student, on the basis of which a system for including him in new activities and a new circle of friends is built, makes it possible to avoid maladaptation and successfully form a student team. For this reason, a very important point is the transformation of a student group into a team, and the introduction of a recent applicant to student forms of collective life.

A student group, like any other small group, can grow and develop. In his concept of group development, L.I. Umansky identifies the following criteria for the development of a group: the moral orientation of the group; organizational unity; group preparedness in a certain business area and psychological unity of the group. Using these parameters, it is also possible to identify the levels of development of the student group.

From the point of view of Yu.M. Kondratiev, speaking about the formation of a student group, it is extremely important to mainly characterize the first, third and fifth years. This is due to the fact that groups of first-year students can be assessed as groups of “becoming”, study groups of third-year students – as groups of relatively “mature”, and study groups of fifth-year students can be conditionally designated as groups of “dying”, ᴛ.ᴇ. finally ending their life activity.

According to S.A. Bagretsov, communication plays a large role in the development of a group subject. Communication and activity are independent forms of group activity, but they are closely interconnected.

It is noted that the “subjectivity of a group in the sphere of communication is manifested in the desire of its members to belong to it not formally, but psychologically to have a close psychological distance from each other, their community, to participate in joint actions, while experiencing positive emotions.

The formation of a study group as a subject of communication creates internal prerequisites for its further transformation into a subject of activity and relationships. ʼʼRelationships in a small group are a complex formation. Their structure includes formal and informal, business and personal, leadership, reference relationships ʼʼ . And on this basis, the properties of the group subject of relationships are highlighted: cohesion, as commitment to the group of its members, referentiality and subordination.

Based on the approaches of Yu.M. Kondratiev and S.A. Bagretsov, we can give the following characteristics of the basic stages of development of study groups at a university:

First course. The group acts as the subject of communication. The emotional and volitional sides are developed at a high level. There is a focus on the formation of a cooperative type of interaction. Group consciousness and self-awareness, as well as perceptual unity, begin to form. Average indicators of psychological distance are observed. Focus and motivation have not yet been formed, that is, there are no common goals, no common motivation for joint activities. There is no clear distribution of tasks, functions, duties, rights and responsibilities. There is a lack of leaders, but a large number of outsiders (this is explained by insufficient knowledge of each other’s value orientations and personal characteristics). Business leadership prevails over emotional leadership.

High-status freshmen, when assessing and comparing their accomplices with each other, strictly focus on their status superiority. Average-status freshmen try not to distinguish themselves from high-status freshmen, but at the same time they emphasize their dissimilarity from outsiders. Low-status freshmen easily distinguish between status inequality between high-status and average-status freshmen, and do not recognize their differences with unofficial leaders.

Second course. The group acts as a formed subject of joint activities. Adaptation processes have already been completed, but focus and structure are still not sufficiently developed. It is not communication that dominates, but relationships, which is a characteristic of groups with low effectiveness. However, the relationship is not necessarily successful.

The fact of entering a university strengthens students’ faith in their own strengths and abilities and gives rise to hope for a full and interesting life. At the same time, in the second and third years the question often arises about the correct choice of university, specialty, and profession. By the end of the third year, the issue of professional self-determination is finally resolved. It happens that at this time decisions are made to avoid working in their specialty in the future.

Third course. At this time, division into specialization begins, which helps to strengthen the educational process and increase group forms of educational work. Integrative processes dominate in groups, which creates psychological and organizational unity in groups. Now the communication factor dominates. At this stage, the group can be characterized as an established subject of joint activity. The relevance of study groups for their members is reduced. The authority of official leaders is taking shape.

High-status third-year students, just like high-status first-year students, strictly focus on their status superiority when evaluating and comparing their participants with each other. At the same time, in a number of cases, unofficial leaders and conditions of “mature” groups, when assessing their accomplices, emphasized their similarity with some average-status students (the support group of a particular unofficial leader) and their low dissimilarity with specific, high-status group members - competitors. Average-status third-year students are clear adherents of the method of evaluating accomplices through the prism of their belonging to one or another intragroup status layer. “Outsiders” show an even greater willingness to view their accomplices through the prism of status than their average-status classmates.

Fourth year in college. Relationships dominate, relationships are restructured according to sympathies, which are of a more individual nature, which is associated with the approaching end of university studies. The subjectivity of groups in the field of activity is weakly expressed.

Fifth year. The subjectivity of groups in communication is weakly expressed. There is no focus on communication. Perceptual unity, intellectual, emotional and volitional communication are reduced. There is a pronounced criticality in the self-perception of groups of fifth-year students, which is expressed in an underestimation of group self-esteem. The system of relationships in groups is gradually disintegrating. The attractiveness of their own groups increases; fifth-year students are satisfied with groups that do not place high demands on them, allow low cohesion, allow each of them to achieve their own goals and realize their own interests, regardless of their community, ensuring psychological independence.

High-status and average-status fifth-year students, being members of student communities that are completing their life activities, are guided by the intragroup status hierarchy, evaluating their accomplices only in cases when it comes to “outsiders”. Low-status students from these groups generally do not take into account the presence of an intragroup informal status hierarchy when making a single comparison of participants.

However, it must be emphasized that at each level of development, a student group has certain psychological characteristics that undoubtedly affect the success of the group’s joint activities and relationships in it. A group can manifest itself as either a subject of communication, or a subject of relationships, or a subject of activity, and combinations are also possible.

Also, relationships between group members largely depend on the climate in the group; in this regard, it is important to study the socio-psychological climate of each group and find out by what parameters its favorability is determined.

Psychological characteristics of the student group. - concept and types. Classification and features of the category "Psychological characteristics of the student group." 2017, 2018.

Interaction of students with their environment

graduate work

1.1 Student group

The time of studying at a university coincides with the second period of adolescence or the first period of maturity, which is characterized by the complexity of personal development. A characteristic feature of moral development at this age is the strengthening of conscious motives of behavior. Those qualities that were completely lacking in high school are noticeably strengthened - purposefulness, determination, perseverance, independence, initiative, and the ability to control oneself. Interest in moral problems (goals, lifestyle, duty, love, fidelity, etc.) increases.

At the same time, experts in the field of developmental psychology and physiology note that a person’s ability to consciously regulate his behavior at the age of 17-19 is not fully developed. Unmotivated risk and inability to foresee the consequences of one’s actions, which may not always be based on worthy motives, are common. Thus, V. T. Lisovsky notes that 19-20 years is the age of selfless sacrifices and complete dedication, but also of frequent negative manifestations.

Youth is a time of introspection and self-esteem. Self-esteem is carried out by comparing the ideal self with the real one. But the ideal “I” has not yet been verified and may be random, and the real “I” has not yet been fully assessed by the individual himself. This is an objective contradiction in personality development young man can cause internal self-doubt in him and is sometimes accompanied by external aggressiveness, swagger or a feeling of incomprehensibility.

In the process of education, a person assimilates patterns of behavior of society and social groups “according to their belonging to them,” or correlates his behavior with their norms and values. One of the closest social environments through which society influences an individual in the field of education is study group, which also represents special shape students' life activities. Such features of the student group as a “conductor” of knowledge and as a personality-forming environment determine interest in the student group from various sciences.

Many aspects of human behavior in a group were considered by the social philosophers of antiquity. These studies served as a solid foundation for the subsequent study of social groups.

Based on extensive statistical material and the results of our own psychological experiments ancient philosophers studied human behavior in a social group (production team, family, etc.), made attempts to identify and scientifically substantiate various forms and methods of managing social groups in production. They examined the reasons and ways to increase the efficiency of interaction among group members, the stages of formation of group interaction, and also tested various methods for studying group processes. However, the socio-psychological essence and structure of such a phenomenon as a “student group” have not received sufficient development in their research.

And we will consider the “student group” as a group that in social psychology refers to small groups.

A person lives and works together with other people, forming with them various communities that ordinary life presented in the form of numerous social communities. The small group is the initial cell of human society and the fundamental basis of all its other constituent elements. It objectively reveals the reality of life, activities and relationships of most people, and the task is to correctly understand what happens to a person in small groups, as well as to clearly imagine the socio-psychological phenomena and processes that arise and function in them.

A small group is a small, well-organized, independent unit of the social structure of society, whose members are united by a common goal, joint activities and are in direct personal contact (communication) and emotional interaction long time.

In our case, students are united by a common goal: gaining knowledge at a university for five years. Every day they meet in pairs, communicate, interact with each other.

Small groups are divided into conditional and real, formal and informal, underdeveloped and highly developed, diffuse, referent and non-referential.

Conditional groups are groups united by some common feature, for example by age, gender, etc.

Real groups are groups in which people are constantly in Everyday life and activities. They are natural and laboratory. Natural groups are groups that actually exist in society. Laboratory groups are groups created in the interests of their scientific study.

Formal groups are groups that have an officially defined structure from the outside.

Informal groups are groups that are formed on the basis of personal preferences. A formal group functions in accordance with pre-established, usually publicly fixed goals, regulations, instructions, and charters. An informal group is formed on the basis of the personal likes and dislikes of its members.

Underdeveloped groups are groups that are at the initial stage of their existence. Highly developed groups are groups that have been created for a long time, characterized by the presence of unity of goals and common interests, a highly developed system of relations, organization, cohesion, etc.

Diffuse groups are random groups in which people are united only by common emotions and experiences.

Reference (standard) groups are groups that people are guided by in their interests, personal preferences, likes and dislikes.

Non-reference groups (membership groups) are groups in which people are actually included and work.

The student group belongs to a formal group, since they are subject to one structure - the charter of the university in which they study. Students have certain responsibilities and rights, and specific times at which their interaction and communication take place.

The system of interpersonal relationships, due to its internal psychological conditioning (sympathy or antipathy; indifference or hostility; friendship or enmity and other psychological dependencies between people in a small group), sometimes develops spontaneously. In most cases, it is not institutionalized, especially in the initial period of its existence. Meanwhile, its significance is very great, so it should be studied and comprehended, since on the basis of interpersonal relationships all other components of the psychology of a small group are formed: mutual requirements and norms of joint life and activity; constant interpersonal assessments, empathy and sympathy; psychological rivalry and competition, imitation and self-affirmation. All of them determine the incentives for joint activity and behavior of people, the mechanisms for the formation and self-development of a small group.

In the course of interpersonal relationships, the individual self-affirms in the group, evaluates one’s merits in comparison with the merits of the other members of the group in order to reveal one’s capabilities, prove oneself, and determine one’s role in the group.

The nature of the development of interpersonal relationships in a small group can be very multifaceted and sometimes contradictory. They manifest many different collisions and situations that affect the behavior, actions, deeds, well-being and mood of not only one or another group member, but also the entire group as a whole, its cohesion and performance results. For example, informal microgroups may spontaneously develop, arising as a result of various reasons and prerequisites, having a positive or negative orientation, having one degree or another of influence on people. In any case, their appearance is a pattern in the development of interpersonal relationships, which must always be taken into account and taken into account.

Psychologists consider the student group as a socio-psychological system with specific characteristics that are determined by many factors and emphasize the importance of creating a comfortable environment for the optimal development of the personality of a future specialist and the actualization of his hidden capabilities, the disclosure of potential, the transfer and increase of knowledge.

The student group should not be presented as a homogeneous mass. It is divided into separate groups, which can be considered in various systems coordinates What is important is not the differentiation itself, but the structure of the emerging and developing connections that create a holistic atmosphere of interpersonal relationships.

The scientific and technological revolution entailed major changes in the position and composition of the student group. The need for educated personnel everywhere causes a rapid increase in the absolute number of students, as well as their share in the total population and especially in youth age groups. Due to the consolidation of higher educational institutions, the concentration of students is increasing, and campuses are becoming more crowded. Growing mass popularity higher education undermines its former elitism, makes students more democratic in social origin. Certain shifts are also taking place in the age and gender structure, in particular the number of women is increasing.

Despite their differences social origin and, therefore, material opportunities, students are connected general view activities and forms in this sense a certain socio-professional group. Common activity in combination with territorial concentration gives rise to a certain community of interests, group identity, specific subculture and way of life, and this is complemented and enhanced by age homogeneity, which other socio-professional groups do not have. The socio-psychological community is objectified and consolidated by the activities of a number of political, cultural, educational, sports and everyday student organizations.

Students do not occupy an independent place in the production system, student status is obviously temporary, and the social position and its specific problems are determined by the character social order and are specified depending on the level of socio-economic and cultural development of the country, including national characteristics higher education systems.

In general, the development of a student’s personality as a future specialist with higher education goes in a number of directions:

* ideological conviction and professional orientation are strengthened, the necessary abilities are developed;

* improve, “professionalize” mental processes, states, experience;

* increased sense of duty, responsibility for success professional activity, the student’s individuality stands out more clearly;

* the aspirations of the student’s personality in the field of their future profession grow;

* based on intensive transfer of social and professional experience and formation necessary qualities the overall maturity and stability of the student’s personality grow;

* the share of student self-education in the formation of qualities and experience necessary for him as a future specialist increases;

* professional independence and readiness for future practical work are strengthened.

The psychological development of a student’s personality is a dialectical process of the emergence and resolution of contradictions, the transition of the external to the internal, self-movement, and active work on oneself.

Students, being an integral part of youth, are a specific social group characterized by special living, working and living conditions, social behavior and psychology, and a system of value orientations. For its representatives, preparation for future activities in the chosen sphere of material or spiritual production is the main, although not the only, occupation.

As a social group, students are an association of young people with certain socially significant aspirations and objectives. At the same time, students, being a specific group of students, have characteristics unique to them.

To the number specific features students should include several more typical traits. First of all, such as social prestige. As noted above, students are the most prepared, educated part of youth, which undoubtedly puts them among the leading groups of youth. This, in turn, predetermines the formation of specific features of the psychology of student age.

In an effort to complete their studies at a university and thus realize their dream of obtaining a higher education, most students realize that a university is one of the means of social advancement of youth, and this serves as an objective prerequisite that shapes the psychology of social advancement.

Common goals in obtaining higher education, common nature of work - study, lifestyle, active participation in public affairs The university contributes to the development of cohesion among students. This is manifested in the variety of forms of collectivist activity of students.

Another important feature is that active interaction with various social formations of society, as well as the specifics of studying at a university, lead to great opportunities for communication. Therefore, a fairly high intensity of communication is a specific feature of a student group.

A socially significant feature of students is also an intense search for the meaning of life, the desire for new ideas and progressive changes in society. These aspirations are a positive factor. However, due to the lack of life (social) experience, the surface in assessing a number of life phenomena, some students can move from fair criticism of shortcomings to thoughtless criticism.

Psychologist Yu.A. Samarin noted the following contradictions inherent in student age:

1. Social and psychological. This is a contradiction between the flourishing of the student’s intellectual and physical strength and the severe limit of time and economic opportunities to satisfy increased needs.

2. Between the desire for independence in the selection of knowledge and rather rigid forms and methods of training a specialist of a certain profile. This is a contradiction of a didactic nature; it can lead to dissatisfaction among students and teachers with the results of the educational process.

3. A huge amount of information coming through various channels expands the knowledge of students, and at the same time, the abundance of this information in the absence of sufficient time, and sometimes even the desire for its mental processing, can lead to a certain surface level in knowledge and thinking and requires special work by teachers to deepen it both knowledge and skills and interests of students in general.

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