Personal potential and the motivational component of readiness for research in pedagogical university students

Abstract

Analysis of scientific sources, statistics, and the situation in the education system reveals contradictions: between the modern demands for education quality, the growing need for educators with a research-oriented approach, and the shortage of such practices; between the predominance of external motivation for research activity in science and the insufficient study of internal motivational factors; and also between the perception of the educator as a personality and the consideration of their activity solely from the perspective of knowledge and skills, without taking into account the personal factor. Teachers today are insufficiently involved in pedagogy research, which represents a serious problem, as there is a shortage of specialists capable of analyzing educational practices, developing and implementing innovative methods, generally improving the quality of education, and ensuring its compliance with modern scientific challenges. This article aims to identify and describe the types of personal potential profiles and profiles of the motivational component of readiness for research activities in pedagogy students, as a better understanding of this underexplored area may help increase teacher engagement in research. Empirical data were obtained using J. R. Nuttin’s method of motivational induction, which showed that students’ motivation is shaped more by external and socially determined factors (such as striving for recognition, meeting requirements, and receiving academic bonuses) than by internal ones (self-realization and the development of their own ideas). The study revealed differences between the types of personal potential profiles and the motivational component of readiness for research activities. Variance analyse showed that students with a uniformly high or low levels of personal potential components demonstrate higher motivation for research activities than those with mixed profiles. Based on the identified patterns, a project was developed to promote more effective student involvement in research, taking into account their mixed profiles of personal potential.