Development of educators’ soft skills: tolerance to uncertainty and thinking in conditions of instability

Abstract

Based on the analysis of scientific, pedagogical and regulatory sources, it is summarised that the concept of uncertainty is considered in different contexts and meanings. Tolerance for uncertainty and thinking in conditions of instability as part of the “soft skills” of educators, which, along with other skills, underlies their professional effectiveness, adaptation to life situations, remains relevant for researchers. Properties that are important for pedagogical activity are highlighted, which indicate tolerance to uncertainty: the ability to control oneself and not fall into a prolonged state of stress, psychophysical stability, anti-fragility; the ability to master emotions, to control or regulate one’s emotional states; cognitive attitudes that approve, positively colour what is incomprehensible, multitasking, non-linear or multiple; a positive attitude towards situations in which one needs to act, take responsibility, and find solutions. It also deals with intolerance to uncertainty – various negative feelings – discomfort, threat, insecurity, mistrust of oneself and others; giving preference to cognitive strategies in order to simplify situations – stereotyping, polarisation, rushing decisions, finding ways to delegate responsibility, the need for categorisation, dichotomy of thinking, which prompts to automatically give priority to one's own, familiar and usual. Factors that are the conditions and characteristics of instability in professional pedagogical activity have been identified and analysed: poly-subjectivity of educational processes; verticality of the structure of pedagogical interaction; the dynamics of educational changes and educational processes, which is particularly typical of the modern global educational space; external determinism of education by market and social factors. Based on the results of the empirical research (diagnosis of intolerance by Badner), it was found out that: 1. A significant advantage of the average level of intolerance/tolerance of the respondents was found in relation to the subscales: “novelty of the problem” – 73.91 %; “complexity of the problem” – 91.30; “insolvability of the problem” – 84.05; 2. Tolerance, that is, the low level of intolerance of the interviewees is insignificant: “insolvability of the problem” – 7.24 %; “complexity of the problem” – 1.44; “novelty of the problem” – 2.8; 3. As for the high level of intolerance, it was found that it is characteristic of a significant part of future teachers only according to the subscale “novelty of the problem” – 34.78 % – in the respondents of the Preschool Education specialty, and 17.39 % – of the Primary Education specialty. According to the “complexity of the problem” subscale, these indicators are much lower: 8.69 % and 6.52 %, respectively, and according to the “insolvability of the problem” subscale, they are 13.4 % and 6.52 %. Thus, the novelty of the problem is the main source of intolerance to uncertainty and thinking of students in conditions of stability. Keywords: soft skills; pedagogical activity; professional activity in conditions of instability; thinking in conditions of instability; tolerance to uncertainty.