Creative self-fulfillment and goal commitment of teachers at the stage of entering the profession

¹ Moscow State University of Education, Institute of Childhood, Department of Psychological Anthropology, Moscow, Russia
² Russian New University, Special Defectology Education Department, Moscow, Russia
³ Russian New University, Psychology and Pedagogy Institute, Moscow, Russia
⁴ Russian New University, Institute of Psychology and Pedagogy Special Defectological Education Department, Moscow, Russia

^* Corresponding author: lshnejder@yandex.ru

Abstract

Modern education is meant to create conditions for the development and self-development of learners’ personalities. This task can only be achieved by teachers who aim for creative professional self-fulfillment and self-enhancement; therefore, in the context of global changes the issue of self-design carried out by the subject of teaching activity and development of their personal potential is gaining new significance. The prerequisites for this research are determined by the necessity and possibility for involving young teachers in pedagogic creativity, which helps them to enter the profession successfully. Meanwhile, there are quite a few obstacles to teachers’ creative self-fulfillment; at the stage of entering the profession and adaptation to it, there is a gap between the potential and actual action. The objective of this research is to identify the value and conceptual orientation of personality and find out the reasons preventing creative self-fulfillment and goal commitment among teachers at the stage of entering the profession. A total of 30 teachers working at Moscow schools ages 25 to 35 took part in the empirical research. Methods: coaching techniques, written survey (empirical questioning), and content analysis of mini-essays. It has been found that creative self-fulfillment is possible if there is a connection between professional devotion, personal success, and clear goal commitment of a teacher. The obstacles on the way to self-fulfillment include a set of unjustified personal restrictions, “hidden” positive ideas of oneself and one’s individual abilities, misbalance between personal beliefs and value-conceptual orientations as well as inactivity and exaggeration of external, environmental, or interpersonal barriers. “Reloading” of a teacher is possible if they focus their goals on the future and support such commitment with internal freedom and awareness of their potential and creativity.