Abstract:

In higher education, the aim of education is competence, which includes not only knowledge and abilities that form the core of the acquired qualification but also the whole of approaches, attitudes and personal traits, the evaluation of their changes in action, simultaneously learning throughout life from one’s continuously assessed performance results. Numerous scientific sources in one or another way distinguish personality traits and abilities that are essential for future pedagogical activities. There is little research disclosing the very students’ projections of knowledge, personality traits and abilities necessary for the prospective specialist and their importance. In this context, the research question is formulated: What knowledge, abilities and personal traits do students as future educators treat as essential in their – special educators’ – future activities? By applying the mixed research strategy and implementing quantitative and qualitative research approaches, students’ projected knowledge, personal traits and abilities necessary for the prospective special educator are identified and presented. The results enable to state that students’ projected personal traits necessary for the special educator are oriented to their personality and identification with the profession. Based on the obtained results, teaching and learning can be modelled considering projected clusters of cognitive abilities and personality traits relevant for the future special educator, related to the prospective specialist’s personality maturation and professional development. The identified dimensions of competency development, self-development of personality traits and the essential groups of abilities create conditions to foresee the trends of educating the student as a future specialist, to form the abilities of the student’s conscious and active reflection on action and in action, creation of conditions to facilitate learning for himself, and effective problem solving in management practice.

Keywords:

Student, knowledge, personality traits, abilities, professional activities, special education.