Evolution of High School Students’ Representations of the Teaching Profession in Psychology and Pedagogy Classes

Abstract

Background. The research is motivated by the critical need to foster informed career choices among secondary school students and to enhance the prestige of the teaching profession.

Objective. The study aims to track changes in representations about educational career as students complete specialized courses in psychology and pedagogy.

Study Participants. The study involved 56 10th-grade students of psychological and educational profile from the Khabarovsk Krai.

Methods. Data collection methods included questionnaires, assessment of professionally important qualities, and content analysis of the participants’ free-form descriptions of an “ideal teacher”. Diagnostics were administered before and after the respondents completed two courses: “Foundations of Pedagogy and Psychology” and “My First Profession (Youth Counselor)”. Data were analyzed using Spearman’s rank correlation, φ — transformation, and Mann-Whitney U test.

Results. Findings indicate a significant increase in the number of participants aspiring to become teachers and a decrease in those holding negative views of the profession. The students’ orientations shifted towards valuing the profession’s social significance and creative aspects. The image of the ideal teacher became increasingly associated with empathy and communication skills, and the participants’ self-assessment of their own professional qualities showed a marked improvement.

Conclusions. Enrollment in the Psychology and Pedagogy Class contributes to the formation of a more informed and positive image of the teaching profession among high school students, reduces stereotypical thinking, and fosters professional identity development. However, ambivalent attitudes toward practical working conditions (salary, workload) persist.