FRAMEWORK OF VOCATIONAL SCHOOL AND UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES TEACHER ACTIVITIES: MOTIVATIONAL FACTORS, PROFESSIONAL ROLES AND APPLICATION OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES IN CORRELATION WITH PERSONALITY TRAITS

Abstract

The relevance of this research is based on the standpoint of the epistemological methodology focusing on the quality of the profession cognition. Therefore, it is presumed that the quality of vocational education is determined by the variable personality traits of teachers (extraversion, openness towards experience and innovation, consciousness, agreeableness, neuroticism). The research object of the current study is the correlation between the personality traits of university of applied sciences teachers and vocational teachers and the curriculum components. The research aims at identifying the correlation between the motives of vocational school and university of applied sciences teacher activities, educational technologies they use, professional roles and their personality traits, as well as identifying the essential differences of the mentioned variables. The quantitative and qualitative research strategies were employed allowing the researchers to perceive and assess the parameters of the correlation between the professional identity of teachers, meaningfulness in pedagogical work, motivation and educational content.

The research results revealed that the social, extrinsic, introjected and identified regulation motivation in vocational schools and universities of applied sciences vary considerably; in universities of applied sciences social and identified regulation motivations manifest themselves, whereas in vocational schools a lot of demotivating factors related to the problems of vocational student identity, career prestige of a vocational teacher and external motivation, are observed. The role of vocational school and university of applied sciences teachers in the didactic process also varies: university of applied sciences lecturers identify themselves in the position of the teacher-andragogue, whereas vocational school teachers see their role as a professional (expert). Moreover, the principles of social constructivism in pedagogy and andragogy are more effective among university of applied sciences lecturers, while vocational school teachers often have to rely on the behaviouristic principles of pedagogy for educational assessment and the enhancement of student motivation.

Keywords: Vocational Schools, University of Applied Sciences, Teacher Activities, Motivational Factors, Professional Roles, Educational Technologies, Personality Traits

Article DOI: http://doi.org/10.15544/RD.2017.238