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Sociodynamics
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Factors of professional socialization of students (on the example of Altai State University)

Popov Evgenii Aleksandrovich

Doctor of Philosophy

Professor, Department of Sociology and Conflictology, Altai State University

656049, Russia, Altai Krai, Barnaul, Dimitrova str., 66, office 520

popovea@mc.asu.ru
Other publications by this author
 

 
Zamyatina Ol'ga Nikolaevna

PhD in Sociology

Associate Professor, Department of Sociology and Conflictology, Altai State University

656049, Russia, Altai Krai, Barnaul, Dimtrova str., 66, room 520

olga_zamjtina@mail.ru
Akhmedova Angelina Rustamovna

Assistant, Department of General Sociology and Conflictology, Altai State University

656049, Russia, Altai Krai, Barnaul, Dimitrova str., 66, office 520

axmedovaangelina@mail.ru
Other publications by this author
 

 
Koda Egor Aleksandrovich

Student, Department of General Sociology and Conflictology, Altai State University

656949, Russia, Altai Krai, Barnaul, Dimitrova str., 66, office 520

kodaegor@yandex.ru
Other publications by this author
 

 
Zamyatin Ivan Denisovich

Student, Department of Economics and Management, National Research University Higher School of Economics

194100, Russia, Leningrad region, Saint Petersburg, Kantemirovskaya str., 3 bldg. 1, lit. A

vanechka.zamiatin@yandex.ru

DOI:

10.25136/2409-7144.2023.12.68737

EDN:

UULQLQ

Received:

15-10-2023


Published:

22-10-2023


Abstract: Currently, Russian society is faced with a number of political, social and economic challenges and difficulties, which in one way or another has changed all spheres of people's life. Students, student socialization and self-determination àre no exception. The formation of new vectors of the development of modern education and the exit from the Bologna process changed the habitual life of the student, shifted their professional socialization. As a result, a new image of student is formed, which has a qualitatively different way of developing both general cultural and professional competencies. One of the clearest examples of such changes is the mass secondary employment of students literally from the 1st year of study at the university. Moreover, studying at a university is directly related to the further self-determination of an individual, the search for his own life path, but the crisis realities complicate such a search, as a result, the old motivational components of studying at a university turn out to be ineffective. A graduate of a modern university will have to face contradictions between the demands of the labor market and the market of educational services. It is quite possible that a person cannot get a job in his specialty, but this state of affairs is not considered something new and surprising, therefore, modern professional socialization of a student should work on this aspect. Thus, the young specialist is ready for almost any challenges of the labor market, social reality in general.


Keywords:

student youth, social institute, social monitoring, education, modern society, social processes, sociological research, socialization, sociological sciences, employment problems

This article is automatically translated.

Currently, Russian society is faced with a number of political, social and economic challenges and difficulties, which in one way or another has changed all spheres of people's life. Students, student socialization and self-determination were no exception. The formation of new vectors of the development of modern education and the exit from the Bologna process – all this changes the habitual life of the student, the factors of professional socialization are shifting. As a result, a new image of students is formed, which has a qualitatively different way of developing both general cultural and professional competencies. One of the clearest examples of such changes is the mass secondary employment of students literally from the 1st year of study at the university. A student, mastering educational programs for 4-6 years, gradually acquires a number of general cultural and professional competencies. These very competencies are an integral part of professional socialization. Moreover, studying at a university is directly related to the further self-determination of an individual, the search for his own life path, but the crisis realities complicate such a search, as a result, the old motivational components of studying at a university turn out to be ineffective [2].

A graduate of a modern university will have to face contradictions between the demands of the labor market and the market of educational services. It is quite possible that a person cannot get a job in his specialty, but this state of affairs is not considered something new and surprising, therefore, modern professional socialization of a student should work out this aspect. Thus, the young specialist is ready for almost any challenges of the labor market, social reality in general.

In fact, studying at a university is closely related to the professional socialization of an individual, that is, the direct acquisition of important skills, knowledge, and competencies, which allows graduates to freely compete in the labor market, choose the most suitable employment option, and show social flexibility in an ever-changing labor market. It is impossible to say unequivocally that professional socialization will definitely make a trans professional out of a student who will be able to realize himself in any field. It is about acquiring knowledge and skills that will allow you to develop permanently in any conditions, in different areas of activity.

The sociological interest in the topic of professional socialization is multidimensional. On the one hand, professional socialization determines the appearance, skills and competencies of a professional in their field, which is quite important, because in 7-10 years, in the medium term, the current student youth will become the main production and managerial force of the country [4]. On the other hand, professional socialization is both the formation of a specific personality in the full sense of the word, and a certain direction of education of society as a whole. Life meanings, guidelines, certain strategies – all this is formed and fundamentalized in the personality structure in the process of professional socialization. In fact, the process of professional socialization is closely interrelated with the phenomenon of life self-determination. The question remains open about the factors of professional socialization, the dominance of the internal or external factor of professional socialization at a particular time, which determines the relevance of this problem.

The theoretical elaboration of the issue of professional socialization is at a fairly high level. The works of J. Clausen's works are a methodological basis in the issues of socialization of the individual, since not only the key aspects of the concept of socialization are defined, but also its constituent elements [8]. Socialization turns out to be a process that allows an individual to become a full-fledged member of society. G. Simmel's works have a high epistemological value within the framework of this issue, since he was able to combine anthropological, psychological and philosophical aspects of human adaptation to social norms [9]. The characteristic of the process of socialization from the point of view of sociological knowledge is carried out in the works of T. Parsons [17].

Domestic scientists also did not remain indifferent to the study of the phenomenon of professional socialization. In particular, A.V. Yemchenko and A.A. Gorbachev considered the key features of the process of socialization of young people, including students [6]. The essential characteristic of the factors of socialization of youth was given in his writings by S.P. Kulikov [12]. The professional development of a student in the educational environment of the university as a component of the socialization of personality was considered by E.A. Moskovtseva [14]. The problems of professional socialization of modern student youth were not ignored, these issues were dealt with by such scientists as A.S. Maksimenkova and O.A. Anisimova [13]. L.E. Moskalets revealed the essential features of the process of professional socialization of student youth in a provincial university [15]. Representatives of sociological knowledge from the Altai Territory also did not remain indifferent to the study of the process of professional socialization. Thus, O.N. Zamyatina, T.V. Chukanova, N.A. Sterlyadeva and O.N. Kolesnikova considered the professional socialization of students through the prism of the legal culture of students in the context of quality indicators of higher education [18]. Despite the rather detailed theoretical elaboration of this issue, it remains unclear which factors of professional socialization should be considered the main ones and which additional ones, to what extent the regional characteristics of the university affect the factors of professional socialization. The question concerning the criteria for successful completion of professional socialization at the university remains debatable. There are also no comprehensive local studies with a set of qualitative and quantitative methods of factors of professional socialization on the example of a particular educational institution, which will be the novelty of this work. The purpose of this work is to study the factors of professional socialization of students on the example of Altai State University.

The theoretical and methodological basis of this work is based on the activity and system approaches, which were formed in the framework of the works of the classics of sociological knowledge, namely G. Spencer, R. Merton, etc. The structural functionalism of T. Parsons does not remain without attention, since professional socialization consists of certain components, in particular, external and internal factors of socialization, which perform a number of their own functions. Due to the performance of these functions, the process of professional socialization as a whole is possible. The theoretical basis of the work is based on the concepts of domestic and foreign representatives of socio-humanitarian knowledge on the problem identified in the research topic.

Socialization is the assimilation of sociocultural norms by an individual. Thanks to the assimilation of such norms, a person quite successfully realizes himself in society by performing phenomenological interactions. The peculiarity of socialization is that it is a two-way process, since the social subject not only receives information from socialization agents about values, norms, patterns of behavior that are most appropriate within a particular society, but the subject himself must assimilate the transmitted information [10]. From the point of view of the objectivist approach, the process of socialization is directly connected with the assimilation and fulfillment of the list of social roles. In turn, the correct performance of a social role, in accordance with social norms, forms a system of functions of each individual. All this is built into a status-role system, which is a kind of projection of the social structure of society. The main role in the process of socialization is played by reference groups, they actually direct the individual towards socially approved behavior, thanks to reference groups, socialization is in principle possible, and the mechanism is based on the phenomenon of imitation [1]. It is worth mentioning that the phenomenon of imitation is only part of the cognitive mechanism of socialization, it is worth including mental and social identification here. The second component of the mechanism of socialization is mental mechanisms of a protective nature, they are needed if certain conflicts arise in the process of socialization. And the social mechanism consists in the fact that at a certain moment a person fully feels like a member of society and realizes that he will not be able to live outside of society, which is why he is forced to adapt to existing social norms.

Professional socialization should be understood as a key element of secondary socialization, which allows an individual to become competent in his field of activity, acquire the necessary knowledge and skills in order to become a sought-after specialist. Professional socialization is an important component of the process of secondary socialization, since at this stage of socialization a person acquires the knowledge, skills, skills and competencies that will help him in his future professional activity. In fact, professional socialization is the only way to form a professional in their field. Professional socialization is twofold, on the one hand, we are talking about the formation of a list of individual characteristics important for a particular profession, and, on the other hand, the social importance of this process is obvious, since a new specialist in his field is included in society, who is really ready to work for the benefit of his state [11]. The totality of general cultural competencies acquired in the framework of professional socialization in higher education allows an individual to become a full-fledged member of civil society with all the accompanying characteristics. The university, as part of the professional socialization of students receiving higher education, has a major translational influence on the student, permanently transferring not only professional knowledge and skills, but also a number of socio-cultural norms necessary for every specialist.

Professional socialization in higher education is associated with a number of features that will be discussed further. First of all, it is worth noting that the process of professional socialization is based on the need to transfer to an individual a list of knowledge and competencies necessary for mastering a new role, a professional in his field. It is a mistake to believe that professional socialization begins to be fully implemented from the first days of your stay at the university. The thing is that often graduates of schools and colleges do not go where they really want, but where they had enough points or where their parents sent them, as a result of which freshmen do not yet know what they want to do in life. And only by the third year of study at the university, after fully mastering the block of general cultural and general education disciplines, a person finally determines himself professionally [5]. Accordingly, if the educational program chosen by an individual corresponds to his choice regarding professional activity, then the process of professional socialization is as fruitful as possible.

The process of socialization at the university has a number of features, for example, this is a shift of the cognitive component towards the professional component, that is, a person in senior years does not so much expand his horizons as delves into the specialty he receives. When the vector of personal self-development coincides with the vector of professional socialization, the mechanisms of self-determination begin to work as efficiently as possible. A higher educational institution makes it possible not only to obtain a document on the development of a higher education program, but also really helps to find one's place in society, the sphere of activity that is interesting to a person [7].

The components of professional socialization at the university can be divided into external and internal factors. External factors of professional socialization are factors that are not directly related to the university, but at the same time affect the process of socialization, including in a latent form. The peculiarity of the influence of external factors of professional socialization is that it occurs permanently and gradually, the environment completely determines this component. Examples of external factors of professional socialization can be: the economic situation in the region, urban infrastructure, the degree of prestige of a particular field of study, the image of an educational institution in the eyes of an individual's environment. Also an important external factor is the degree of recognition of higher education in the social field of an individual [3]. If the immediate environment of an individual considers higher education an unnecessary fiction or formality, then there is a high probability of a certain drawdown of professional socialization due to an external factor, because a person will not study well enough. The university practically cannot influence the external factors of professional socialization in any way, indeed, the university will not be able to move from a depressed region to another, and it will not be able to fix the gaps in the urban transport system either.

Internal factors of professional socialization generally depend on the educational institution where the individual is trained. The most important internal factor is the teaching staff, and attention should be paid not only to the name of a particular researcher, but also to the level of their interest in working with students. Moreover, the characteristics of the teaching staff are also ambiguous, on the one hand, we are talking about the real knowledge and competencies of the teachers themselves, and on the other hand, we are talking about communication and the educational process in relation to students, about the psychological climate in the classroom, and so on. According to the authors, it is the student's supervisor who plays a special role in professional socialization, both in term papers and graduation papers [3]. With his professionalism, competence, and good attitude, a teacher can interest a student not only in his specialty, but also in scientific activity in general. As part of the internal factor of professional socialization, attention should also be paid to the state of classrooms, laboratories, the availability of an appropriate level of technical and material base, which is necessary for the full development of the educational program.

Research attention should be paid to the peculiarities of the organization and passage of the educational process, methodological support, including educational literature. The student body and the presence of continuity between junior and senior courses – all this directly affects the process of professional socialization. If there are favorable student relationships at the university, self-government is developed, a good team that helps a beginner to join the educational process, then professional socialization takes place in a more favorable environment, since less effort is spent by the student on adaptation to new learning conditions [19]. Also, no one detracts from the importance of the prestige of studying in a particular specialty, because the more prestigious the specialty of study, the higher the competition for admission, respectively, and the more responsible attitude to study on the part of the student. Despite the university's ability to influence some of the internal factors of professional socialization, some of the parameters remain inaccessible for full-fledged adjustment by an educational institution, therefore, the issue of professional socialization of an individual at the university turns out to be complex and multidimensional.

An important element of professional socialization at the university is the student group in which an individual studies, since it is this group that makes up the main social environment during the educational process. If a group demonstrates high results in academic performance, activist activity, then it is likely that even the most socially passive student will be pulled up to the results of his group, and vice versa, when a strong student falls into a frankly weak group, his academic success will gradually decrease. The student environment of an individual forms an attitude to the educational process, which in turn directly affects the professional socialization of an individual [20].

 The psychological component of professional socialization also turns out to be quite important: if an individual has a mindset for higher education, he will do everything possible to achieve this. Hence the motivation for the educational process, the fulfillment of all necessary tasks, as well as for self-education, because the system of modern higher education implies a significant amount of independent work, without which it is impossible to become a competent and competent specialist in your field. It is very important that a person consciously enroll in a particular field of study, as far as it is possible in principle, because if an individual is aware of the absence of any desire to develop in the chosen direction during the final year, then there can be no talk of any professional socialization in full, at least on the basis of the university. It is likely that such a student will try himself in other activities that may be completely unrelated to his specialty, but his further professional socialization will be influenced not by the university, but by the employer.

Professional socialization at the university has a definite outcome. In particular, we are talking about the formation of a certain professional subculture or the basis of such a subculture, the development of an educational program, obtaining a number of general cultural and professional competencies necessary for a modern professional [21]. In the event that professional socialization at the university has been fully completed, without serious problems, then we can talk about the formation of a mature personality who not only clearly plans a representative work activity, but also has sufficient creative, cultural potential, as well as a laconically built motivational structure. As a result of professional socialization at the university, the graduate forms a personal foundation, which for many years will act as a kind of beacon of professional personal development. Graduating from high school allows a person to take advantage of the social elevator of higher education for further professional, personal and career growth, and this same growth can be realized and not in the specialty of training [16]. Hence it becomes obvious that professional socialization is not only about the development of a specific social entity, but also about the development of human resources in the region, in the country as a whole.

The combination of external and internal factors of professional socialization allows us to form certain signs of successfully completed professional socialization. First of all, it is worth paying attention to the universal signs of successfully completed professional socialization, these include: the formation of a full-fledged socio-cultural identity of the individual, the manifestation of an appropriate level of social activity, the ability and opportunity to successfully integrate into a new team. It is impossible to ignore the set of competencies that confirm the success of professional socialization, namely, professional, general cultural and communicative competence. As for the particular signs of successfully completed professional socialization, we are talking about the social identification of an individual with a particular professional group, the use of slang expressions of a particular professional group, etc.

The methodology of studying the factors of professional socialization of students is based on a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. The qualitative method is represented by a focus group, and the quantitative method is represented by a questionnaire in the form of a mass survey. The focus group is aimed at fixing the diverse opinions of representatives of student youth regarding professional socialization in general, as well as factors of professional socialization in particular. Thus, two focus groups were conducted, which allowed not only to identify the ideas of students about professional socialization, but also to isolate the main factors of professional socialization, both external and internal. The focus group guide consisted of 11 questions and two thematic blocks reflecting both external and internal factors of professional socialization.

The survey was conducted both in the format of a face-to-face or traditional questionnaire, and in the form of an online questionnaire. The questionnaire questions revealed not only the main factors of professional socialization on the example of a specific educational institution, but also allowed to determine the degree of influence of one or another factor on the entire process of professional socialization as a whole. The questionnaire consisted of 41 questions.

The sample set of this sociological study was based on the principle of cluster sampling with elements of spontaneous selection. Each institute as a structural subdivision of Altai State University is a cluster that is of interest from a research point of view. In total, 9 institutes of Altai State University were selected. One student was selected from each institute of Altai State University to conduct a focus group study. A total of 18 students were included in the sample for focus groups. The sample population for the questionnaire is also based on students of the Altai State University. 25 students were selected from each institute according to the principle of respondents' availability for conducting a questionnaire survey. A total of 225 students were selected for the survey. The final sample totaled 241 students of Altai State University.

A special role in professional socialization is played by the choice of a particular specialty. There will be one motivation system for those who have always dreamed of working in a particular specialty, but a completely different motivation system will be for those for whom the parents made the choice of the training specialty. Interest in this profession turned out to be in every third respondent – 32%, while for every fifth admission to this specialty was a childhood dream – 19%. It is worth noting that among the students of the Institute of Chemistry, the largest number of respondents enrolled precisely because this specialty was a childhood dream (82%). This is explained by a specific list of understandable specialties and vivid visual images of chemists, understanding their need and importance in society. It is unlikely that such visual vivid images or persistent attitudes from childhood about choosing a profession from childhood will concern, for example, a sociologist or a philosopher. Every third respondent passed to the chosen specialty according to points, which is why he entered this direction -29%. 15% of respondents, entering one or another direction, counted on a high salary, and every twentieth respondent was not free in his choice and his parents made the choice for him – 5%.

The success of professional socialization is largely related to the extent to which the chosen specialty affects the disclosure of an individual's individual abilities. The combination of the use of a complex of individual abilities with professional socialization gives excellent results, thereby forming a real specialist. So, the following answers were received to the question "Do you think studying at an educational institution affects the disclosure of individual abilities?" (see Table 1). Every fourth student surveyed notes that studying at the university definitely affects the disclosure of individual abilities – 24%, for a third of respondents studying at an educational institution rather reveals individual abilities – 31%. At the same time, every fifth respondent notes that studying definitely does not reveal the whole complex of individual abilities of an individual – 19%, and 26% of respondents are convinced that studying rather does not reveal the totality of individual abilities of an individual. Moreover, there is a fairly stable relationship between an individual's belief about the disclosure of his individual abilities and academic success, which can be reflected in the presence/absence of a scholarship. Thus, among those who have a scholarship, 53% note that studying fully reveals their individual abilities, 30% emphasize that studying rather reveals their individual abilities, 10% note that studying rather does not reveal their individual abilities, and the remaining 7% completely deny the disclosure of individual abilities within the educational process. When a student develops harmoniously both as a professional in particular and as a person in general, the level of his motivation increases, which is why the level of academic performance, and, as a result, the quality of the individual's professional socialization improves.

 On a commercial basis, there may also be guys who are fully motivated to get an education, but the situation is somewhat different from state employees with a scholarship. Thus, only 41% believe that their abilities are fully revealed, 23% are sure that their abilities are more likely to be revealed within the educational process, 30% note that their abilities are more likely not to be revealed, and 6% are convinced that their individual abilities are not revealed at all. As for those who do not have a scholarship due to the fact that they study satisfactorily, only 15% believe that their abilities are fully revealed, one in five notes that their abilities are more likely to be revealed within the educational process – 20%, for 50% there is rather no disclosure of individual abilities, and for 15% there is absolutely no disclosure of the individual's individual abilities. Consequently, those who see the university as a place for the disclosure of their individual abilities, study better, gain more knowledge and competencies, which is why professional socialization is more productive and vice versa.

Table 1. The relationship between the distribution of respondents' answers to the question: "Do you think studying at an educational institution affects the disclosure of individual abilities?" and "Do you receive a scholarship?" (as a percentage of the number of respondents)

Scholarship availability

The influence of study on the disclosure of individual abilities

Definitely affects

Rather, it affects

Rather, it does not affect

Definitely not vliet

Yes, there is

53%

30%

10%

7%

No, because I am studying satisfactorily

15%

20%

50%

15%

No, because I study on a commercial basis

41%

23%

30%

6%

As mentioned above, the subjective factor plays a huge role in professional socialization. One of these factors is the social attitude towards the possibility of self-realization without higher education. Of course, those who believe that one can successfully realize oneself without higher education will be less responsible about the learning process than those who are really interested in higher education and understand its value and importance. Thus, about a third of the students surveyed believe that a person in the modern world can reveal himself without higher education – 29%, while every fifth respondent believes that a person without a higher education is more likely to reach their potential than not – 21%. Anyway, half of the respondents are convinced that higher education is not necessary for full self-realization. As for those who believe that without higher education, a person will not be able to reveal himself, only 15% of respondents, and those who believe that they will not be able to reveal themselves – 35% of respondents. The social attitude on this issue largely depends on two parameters, firstly, it is the attitude of the family and relatives to the importance of higher education in general, and secondly, it is the peculiarities of the influence of mass culture, since very often in the works of mass culture the hero is absolutized without education. So, if an individual's inner circle considers higher education an important factor in a person's life, then only 5% claim that a person can realize himself without higher education, 15% claim that a person can rather realize himself, and half claim that he definitely cannot – 50%, while every third is convinced that a person without a higher education will probably not be able to realize himself -30%.

Among those whose inner circle considers higher education more important in a person's life, the answers are somewhat different. So, already those who believe that a person can definitely realize his potential are already 20%, rather 20% can, rather 55% can not, and every twentieth believes that definitely can not – 5%. Among those whose inner circle considers higher education not particularly important, the results are quite different. 45% believe that a person can realize himself without higher education, 35% that he can realize himself more likely, 10% that he probably cannot and definitely cannot realize himself. And having considered those respondents whose inner circle believes that higher education is not necessary – 65% believe that a person can realize himself without higher education, 20% that he can rather, only one in ten believes that he will not be able to realize himself, and one in twenty believes that he will not be able to realize himself at all (see fig. 1)

Fig. 1. The relationship between the distribution of respondents' answers to the question: "Do you think a person can reveal himself and his potential in the modern world without studying at a university or college?" and the question "Does your immediate environment (parents, relatives, friends) consider higher education to be something important in a person's life (as a percentage of the number of respondents)"

Satisfaction with the learning process at the university is a fundamental subjective factor in the process of mastering professional norms, obtaining knowledge and qualifications for a certain educational program. Thus, 45% of respondents like the process of studying at the university as a whole, and for every third respondent – 32% rather like the learning process, which indicates that adaptation to university realities has been successful and the person is gradually professionally socialized without distractions to some outside factors. At the same time, 13% rather do not like the process of studying at the university as a whole, which may be due to the presence of a number of shortcomings of the modern higher education system, and for every tenth respondent they do not like the process of studying at the university as a whole, therefore, at least 23% do not fully undergo professional socialization, since either they they have not yet fully adapted to the educational process, or there are a number of factors that distract them from professional socialization.

An important criterion of professional socialization is how competent the future specialist himself feels, how confident he is in his knowledge. So, to the question "Do you think you will get enough knowledge (have already received) to successfully conduct professional activity in the direction you have chosen"? – the following responses were received (see Figure 2). In general, the picture is quite optimistic, since a third of the young people surveyed are confident that they will definitely have enough knowledge and competencies to work in their chosen direction – 31%, while every fourth respondent notes that knowledge is rather enough to conduct professional activities – 25%. One way or another, 56% of respondents feel confident in their abilities and professional competencies. At the same time, 27% of respondents note that they definitely do not have enough knowledge and competencies to conduct successful professional activities today, so respondents under the age of 21 answer, therefore, these are junior courses, which is why such answers can be considered the norm. As for those who rather lack the available knowledge, 17% of respondents are like that. Despite a fairly large percentage of those who do not have enough knowledge, there is no reason to worry, since junior courses participated in the research, they, of course, still need additional training in the specialty to master it.

Fig. 2. Distribution of respondents' answers to the question "Do you think you will receive (have already received) enough knowledge to successfully conduct professional activity in the direction you have chosen?"

The feeling of personal professional competence in a certain area largely depends on the competence of the teachers who teach the student. The more competent a teacher is in a particular discipline, the better students know and understand this subject, which has a positive impact on professional socialization in general, and it does not matter whether it is a general cultural block of subjects or highly specialized. Altai State University has the status of a reference university for a reason, so the assessment of the competence of teachers is quite high. Thus, 68% believe that teachers are definitely competent, know the material well and present it creatively, every fifth respondent believes that teachers are more competent within their disciplines and know the material well – 20%. Only one in ten respondents believes that teachers are rather incompetent in their field and know the material superficially, without giving anything new – 10%. An absolute minority – 2% of respondents believe that teachers are completely incompetent within their subject, which may be explained by the student's personal dislike of the university in general or teachers in particular. In any case, the competence of higher school teachers is assessed at a fairly high level, which gives reason to believe that this factor of socialization has a positive effect on the entire professional socialization as a whole.

The psychological component of professional socialization in general is influenced by the fact how comfortable a student is in classes at the university. The respondents' answers to this question were not quite unambiguously distributed. Every third respondent is definitely comfortable in classes at the university – 31%, while 28% of respondents are definitely not comfortable in classes that take place at the university. Here there are two dialectically opposing sides, some have already adapted to the new state of affairs at the university, the certification system, and others for some reason find it difficult to adapt to the new social realities, which are different from both school and college. At the same time, 40% of respondents are more comfortable in the classroom, and 1% of respondents are more uncomfortable in the classroom. Therefore, according to this factor of professional socialization, it cannot be said that socialization takes place at the right pace, since a significant part of the respondents have some discomfort in the classroom, which will complicate professional socialization in general.

In addition to the social factor of professional socialization, the environment at the university should be added. It is logical to assume that the more interested an individual's friends and comrades are in obtaining higher education, the more motivated and responsible he becomes in obtaining higher education, which in turn largely determines the success of professional socialization. So to the question "Are your surroundings at the university (classmates, fellow students, comrades) interested in getting a higher education?" – the following responses were received. The student environment of the respondents is mostly interested in higher education in one way or another. 40% of respondents are definitely interested, but rather a third of respondents are interested – 32%. At the same time, every tenth respondent noted the complete disinterest of the inner circle in obtaining higher education – 10%, and for 18%, higher education is rather not of interest. In fact, in each student group there are students who are not interested in higher education at all, which directly affects their academic performance, as a rule, they rally people with similar interests around themselves.

Professional socialization is a dynamic process, over time its course may change in a certain direction. So, one of the indicators of the effectiveness of professional socialization can be considered the attitude to the specialty received in dynamics, compared with the moment when a person just entered the university. 42% of the respondents noted that their attitude to the specialty they received has definitely improved, which indicates two things. Firstly, a person has made the right choice for himself regarding the direction of training, and secondly, professional socialization is going at the right pace, there is a love for what you have to do. Another question is that it is really possible to talk about the pace of professional socialization only starting from the second, and preferably from the third year, when a series of highly specialized subjects begins. Almost every third respondent notes that the attitude to the chosen specialty has rather improved – 28%. At the same time, every tenth respondent notes that his attitude to the specialty he is receiving has definitely worsened, which indicates an incorrect choice of the direction of study, as well as an unsatisfactory pace of professional socialization – 11%, and for every fifth respondent, the attitude to the specialty he is receiving has rather worsened – 19%. This is due both to the adaptation period to some difficulties, and to the gradual realization by the individual of the fact that in reality he would like to do something else.

In the issue of professional socialization of a student, much depends on how exactly the educational program that the student is studying is implemented. We are talking about which form of classes is a priority in this direction: more self-education or more classroom classes, or maybe we will be talking about a certain balance between classroom classes and self-education. Based on the form of the classes, it will also depend on how much a person understands what he has to do directly in his professional activity. Almost every tenth respondent notes that everything is left to chance at the university, we are actually engaged in self–education, and there is no point in classroom classes - 9%. Among those who noted this answer option, an absolute minority perfectly understands what they have to do within their profession – 6%, while 15% of respondents demonstrate an understanding in general terms, a third of respondents demonstrate a weak understanding of the content of their future professional activity – 30%, while almost half of respondents do not understand at all what they need. it is necessary to be engaged in the framework of their professional activities – 49%.

Distance learning and an insufficient degree of motivation for future professionals to study played a role in the formation of such answers. If there may be questions about the content of some lectures or subjects, then not about the entire learning process for sure. It is worth noting that slightly more than half of the students surveyed note that there is a certain balance between self–education and classroom classes - 51%. Among this group, the absolute majority perfectly understands what they will do within their profession – 72%, understanding in general terms is demonstrated by 18% of the surveyed students, a weak understanding of the content of professional activity is demonstrated by 8% of respondents, and a complete misunderstanding – by 2% of respondents. In any case, there will be lagging students who have no real idea about their future professional activities, this can be considered a variant of the norm. For professional socialization, the presence of such a balance is the most valuable factor, since not only classroom professional competencies are formed, but also professional competencies that are achieved during self-education. The predominance of classroom classes over self–education characteristic of technical specialties (Physics, chemistry, engineering) is 30%. At the same time, 42% of respondents perfectly understand the content of their future profession, 24% of respondents understand in general terms, 29% of respondents poorly understand the content of their future profession, and every twentieth respondent – 5% completely do not understand the content of their future profession. Every tenth respondent notes the sufficiency of classroom classes, without the need for additional self–education - 10%. With this state of affairs, motivation in professional socialization and improvement gradually fades, since the illusion is formed that the university will continue to lead a person along the professional road of life. At the same time, only a quarter of respondents perfectly understand the content of their future activities – 25%, and a third of respondents understand the content of their future professional activities in general – 30%, while 40% of respondents poorly understand what they have to do, and every twentieth does not understand at all what they have to do as part of their professional activities – 5%. Modern higher school does not imply a large number of classroom hours in subjects, which is why it is not possible to talk about full-fledged professional socialization only by classroom classes. Only a well-formed balance between classroom classes and self-education forms a full-fledged competent specialist in a certain field.

Fig. 3. The relationship between the distribution of respondents' answers to the question: "Which of the above phrases will most accurately describe your studies at the university?" and the question "Do you understand well enough what you have to do in the future within your profession?" (as a percentage of the number of respondents)

Professional socialization is directly related to the quality of the taught material, the ability to conduct educational research within the framework of educational programs, and this, in turn, is directly influenced by the material base of the university. Respondents evaluated individual elements of the material base of the university, based on the estimates, we can say which component of the material base most fruitfully affects professional socialization, and which component affects extremely negatively. Despite the fact that textbooks are currently in little demand by students, they mostly make do with Internet materials, but nevertheless, both paper textbooks and its electronic version can be obtained at the university. The absolute majority estimates the provision of textbooks by 5 – 74%. 10% assesses the provision of textbooks by 4, 10% by 3 and 6% of respondents by 2. There was no absolutely negative assessment on this issue among students. The condition of the lecture halls leaves much to be desired, since not all classrooms have been renovated and put in order. Only 27% of respondents estimate the condition of lecture halls at 5, 23% estimate it at 4, which together makes up half of all the respondents. At the same time, 42% consider the condition of the lecture halls satisfactory, and 4% of respondents estimate the condition of the lecture halls by 2 and by 1, since some classrooms really need serious repairs. Students evaluate the state of laboratories ambiguously. Every tenth respondent estimates the state of laboratories by 5-10%, every fifth respondent by 4-20%. Half of respondents assess the condition of laboratories by 3 – 50%, and 15% of respondents assess the condition of laboratories by 2, while every twentieth respondent assesses the condition of laboratories by 1. On the basis of AltSU there are laboratory classrooms that have not been repaired for a long time and their condition leaves much to be desired. The condition of laboratories is particularly critical for technical specialties, while humanitarians can, in principle, do without laboratories and laboratory equipment. As for the laboratory (experimental equipment) itself, everything is also ambiguous, since chemists clearly assess the condition of their equipment better than physicists, but in general terms the situation looks like this. 3% rate laboratory equipment at 5 as very good, 17% at 4 as good, 65% at 3 as satisfactory, 5% at 2, well, every tenth notes the terrible condition of laboratory and experimental equipment – 10%. As for computer software, only 7% rated it at 5, 32% at 4, 46% at 3, 13% at 2 and 2% at 1. Such estimates are explained by the fact that not every audience has a projector with a remote control and a blackboard, and even more so not every audience has a computer that you can use if you need to demonstrate a particular material. As for laptops, in many departments their condition can only be called satisfactory as age takes its toll. It is important to state the fact that the humanities are in a more advantageous position compared to technical and natural science, since their material base of training is in much better condition than that of representatives of technical and natural science specialties. At the same time, the university is gradually reconstructing and purchasing new equipment, so soon this problem will be removed, and the impact of the material base on the professional socialization of students will be extremely positive (see Table 2).

Table 2. Distribution of respondents' answers to the question "Evaluate on a 5-point scale, where 5 is completely satisfied, 1 is not completely satisfied with the state of the following elements of the material base of the university"

The material base of the university

Evaluation

1

2

3

4

5

Textbooks

0%

6%

10%

10%

74%

The state of the lecture halls

4%

4%

42%

23%

27%

State of the laboratories

5%

15%

50%

20%

10%

Condition of laboratory (experimental) equipment

10%

5%

65%

17%

3%

Computer software

2%

13%

46%

32%

7%

The success of professional socialization largely depends on how the educational process is organized, which disciplines are given the most time, whether there is practice, how often it takes place, etc. Therefore, it is necessary to understand what is necessary in the opinion of students to become a true professional in their field. Based on the respondents' answers, it will become clear how harmoniously they are going through the process of professional socialization in this parameter. About a third of respondents – 29% noted that it is necessary to study comprehensively, both narrow-profile subjects and general education, for the full development of personality. Every tenth respondent noted that it is necessary to study only specialized subjects – 10%, but in this case it is not necessary to talk about a full-fledged higher education. About a fifth of respondents believe that more hours are needed in specialized subjects, such answers are most typical for representatives of exact and natural sciences – 19%, and 13% noted that it is necessary to make the learning process as creative as possible. It is noteworthy that these are all students from the Institute of Humanities, where the creative component is necessary and important when studying and obtaining professional competencies. And 29% of respondents noted the need to increase the number of practices to supplement the complex of theoretical knowledge with practical skills. Considering the fact that the majority of respondents at the level of common sense understand what they lack in training, we can talk about competently proceeding professional socialization, that is, the internal factors of professional socialization of students of Altai State University can be considered well-formed and competently determining the course of professional socialization.

A certain part of students manage to successfully master the educational program, and work, as a rule, not in their specialty. It should be noted that every third student of Altai State University combines study and work – 32%, while 68% of students are not currently working. Of interest is the fact of the influence of student employment on the educational issue. Only 20% of students work does not interfere with their studies at all, which indicates the ability to allocate their time competently, as well as to obtain appropriate competencies within the framework of mastering educational programs, while for 42% work interferes, but not much, the student manages to combine everything. In any case, even a small number of missed classes affects professional socialization, ideally, it is necessary to attend all classes that take place at the university. 38% of respondents note that work greatly interferes with the educational process, they often have to skip classes. In this case, the institution of professional socialization will be the work to a greater extent than the university. This fact has a latent danger in the sense that a person will learn only the theoretical basics of an educational specialty, and all his activities will be directed to practice, direct work, which is why the professional mobility of a student can be quite difficult.

Classroom classes are one of the parts of professional socialization of students, it is impossible to ignore practical activities, or industrial practice, part–time work related to the specialty during studies. As a rule, very rarely student part-time jobs are associated with the specialty received. Nevertheless, if the place of work is somehow connected with the specialty received, the person already understands whether he wants to engage in this activity in the future or not. For example, 9% of the surveyed students have a current job definitely related to their specialty. At the same time, 70% have definitely decided to link their lives with their chosen specialty and work in this field, and 30% have firmly decided that they are not going to work in their chosen specialty. Direct professional activity, the practical aspect of professional socialization has an almost decisive impact on the decision to continue working in a particular field. For 17% of respondents, the current place of work is more likely to be related to the specialty they receive than not. At the same time, this category is also quite firmly defined in their professional trajectories: 28% plan to work in their specialty, 50% will not work in their specialty, while 12% will rather work in their specialty, and every tenth respondent will rather not work in their specialty. For 10% of respondents, the current place of work is rather unrelated to the specialty they are receiving, while 20% have decided to work in their specialty for sure, 30% are more likely to work in their specialty than not, 45% are more likely not to work in their specialty, and 5% definitely will not work in their specialty. As for those who work in a field that is definitely not related to a specialty, the situation is as follows: 10% plan to work exactly in the specialty, 40% rather in the specialty, 38% rather not in the specialty, and 12% plan to work exactly not in the specialty. Consequently, the closer the sphere in which a person works, the more clearly the future professional development trajectory appears to him. The practical aspect is extremely important in professional socialization.

Table 3. The relationship between the distribution of respondents' answers to the question: "Is your current place of work somehow related to the specialty you are getting?" and "Do you plan to work in the specialty?" (as a percentage of the number of respondents)

Connection of the place of work with the received specialty

Are you planning to work in the specialty

Yes I definitely plan to

Rather, I plan to

Rather not planning to

Definitely not planning on

Definitely yes

70%

0%

0%

30%

Rather yes than no

28%

12%

10%

50%

Rather no than yes

20%

30%

45%

5%

Definitely not

10%

40%

38%

12%

The result of professional university socialization is the fact of employment at a certain workplace, where professional socialization continues directly at the workplace. It is very important to understand what subjective parameters form the basis of employment for a future professional. The leaders of the necessary components for successful employment were the knowledge and competencies that were obtained in the classroom, as well as social ties – 31% and 27%, respectively. Every fifth respondent notes work experience as a necessary component for successful employment – 19%, 16% of respondents note some personal qualities that determine the success of employment. Completing the top five parameters are practical skills acquired as part of internships at the university – 7%. Students underestimate the role of industrial practice in the learning process, since within the framework of the implementation of academic disciplines, the emphasis is mainly on the theoretical aspect of a particular issue, and students also overestimate the role of social ties in employment. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust professional socialization according to these parameters in the direction of strengthening the role of knowledge and competencies, practical skills acquired in the framework of practices, as well as work experience.

In general, the result of professional socialization within the framework of a modern university should be direct employment for a job in the specialty of training. At the same time, it is impossible to deny the result of professional socialization in the case when a person is employed successfully, but not in the specialty. One way or another, the university gave flexible competencies in a certain direction so that a person could realize himself. Modern students are sympathetic to the situation on the modern labor market, therefore, the absolute majority consider employment not in the specialty to be the absolute norm, since there should be professional mobility – 61%. But there is also a certain drawback of such a system: the number of budget places assumes that a certain number of people will enter this sphere, and when people leave for another sphere, there are discrepancies between the education market and the labor market. A third of respondents consider employment outside the specialty to be the norm, but only if for some reason they are not satisfied with the job in the specialty - 30%. This approach is the most reasonable, since a person first tries to realize himself in the direction in which he passed direct training, professional socialization, and if something does not suit him, then look for another job. And 9% of respondents are conservative and believe that they should be employed only in the specialty, and work outside the specialty is not the norm. By the way, in some areas it is really necessary to find a job strictly in the specialty, for example, nuclear physics, some branches of chemistry, etc. Within the framework of successful professional socialization in the modern world, the second option will be the most acceptable, since it is necessary to leave the specialty if it does not suit the individual for a number of reasons, otherwise, you should try your hand in the chosen direction.

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The subject of the research in the presented article is the factors of professional socialization of students. As a methodology of the subject area of research, this article comprehensively used activity-based and systemic approaches, as well as structural functionalism. The methodology of studying the factors of professional socialization of students in the framework of this study is based on a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. The qualitative method is represented by a focus group, and the quantitative method is represented by a questionnaire in the form of a mass survey. The relevance of the article is beyond doubt, as this study notes that currently Russian society is faced with a number of political, social and economic challenges and difficulties, which has led to social changes in all spheres of human activity, including student youth, and the peculiarities of their socialization. These processes have also affected the field of education, which determines many processes affecting, first of all, the professional socialization of students. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the study and further fixation of various opinions of representatives of student youth regarding professional socialization in general, as well as factors of professional socialization, in particular. Thus, two focus groups were conducted, which allowed not only to identify the ideas of students about professional socialization, but also to identify the main factors of professional socialization, both external and internal. The focus group guide consisted of 11 questions and two thematic blocks reflecting both external and internal factors of professional socialization on the example of students of Altai State University. The article is presented in the language of scientific style with a very competent use of terminology and definitions on the topic of research in the text. The structure is clearly designed taking into account all the requirements for writing scientific articles, namely, it includes such basic structural elements as relevance, novelty, theoretical and methodological basis of research, research methodology, results of sociological research, main conclusions and bibliography. The content of the article reflects its structure. Especially valuable in the content of the study should be noted the above visual materials, presented in tabular form and in the form of drawings, which greatly facilitates the perception of the information used for analysis in the conducted sociological research, characterizing the relationship between the distribution of respondents' answers to a number of the most interesting and important questions included in the questionnaire within the framework of the stated research topic. The bibliography contains 21 sources, including Russian periodicals and non-periodicals. I would especially like to note the novelty of the periodicals used, which indicates the constant updating of current trends in the studied issues during this study. Since the presented study combines theoretical and methodological approaches with conducting sociological research, this article provides a discussion and an appeal to the points of view of modern authors studying the issues of professional socialization in the youth student environment. The presented study contains brief conclusions concerning the subject area of the study, namely, the article notes that, in general, the result of professional socialization within the framework of a modern university should be direct employment in the field of study. At the same time, it is impossible to deny the result of professional socialization in the case when a person is employed successfully, but not in his specialty. Anyway, the university has given flexible competencies in a certain area so that a person can realize himself. Modern students are sympathetic to the situation on the modern labor market, therefore, the absolute majority consider employment not in the specialty to be the absolute norm, since there should be professional mobility. The materials of this study are intended for a wide range of readership, they can be interesting and used by scientists for scientific purposes, teaching staff in the educational process, management and administration of educational organizations at various levels, employees of executive authorities at various levels, career development centers, employment services, vocational guidance centers and recruitment agencies. As disadvantages of this article, it can be noted that the structural elements of the study are not clearly defined and titled in the structure of the work, although they are not in doubt and the very content of the study confirms them. These remarks do not detract from the quality of the study itself and its undoubted high theoretical and practical significance, but are only advisory in nature. It is recommended to publish the article.