Abstract:

Current situation in Russia is characterized by growing competition in the labor market of highly skilled managers and by imposing tough requirements on such specialists. It inevitably leads to the necessity to increase the level of competitiveness of graduates and to develop competencies that give a significant advantage in the employers’ eyes. Such an advantage, according to the managers’ opinions gained through the questionnaire, is the professional culture.

In this context the key idea of our research is to develop professional culture of future managers within the existing system of managerial training at the national research university, using the pedagogical capabilities of the discipline "Foreign language" in order to help them successfully solve professional problems in the business environment.

The search for productive ways of forming the professional culture of future managers led us to the awareness that it’s necessary to design a model and outline some pedagogical conditions for its effective implementation. As a result, we analyzed the theoretical literature, empirical data, experience of our colleagues and worked out the model for developing the professional culture of future managers. The distinctive feature of the model is its focus on involving students in quasi-professional activities and giving them experience in solving managerial tasks. The successful implementation of the model is facilitated by three pedagogical conditions: implementing facilitation, bringing activities from the sphere of management into training, creating culture-oriented educational environment.

The process of putting the designed model and outlined pedagogical conditions into practice is carried out through a number of methods by which we understand a set of techniques, forms and means for implementing the model and pedagogical conditions that provide a gradual transition to a qualitatively higher level of professional culture among students-future managers.

We consider that it’s necessary to develop the professional culture of future managers step by step. That is why the algorithm for implementing the model and conditions is presented as including three stages: introductory (preparatory), major (practical) and final (reflexive). The purpose of the first stage is to prepare students for the process of mastering their professional culture. The second stage is connected with involving students into a variety of practical activities: problem-solving, games, discussions, dialogues, projects, case-study, brainstorming activities, web-quests, interactive simulations. The third stage summarizes the results of the work done and is focused on reflecting and analyzing students' progress.

The approbation of the suggested methods has been made in South Ural State University (National Research University), together with the students of the School of Economics and Management. As part of the experimental work we made diagnostic assessment to keep track of qualitative changes in professional competencies and metaprofessional qualities before and after the. The acquired data processed by using methods of mathematical statistics showed positive dynamics, the increase of the amount of students with high results and the decrease of students with the low level of professional culture. Consequently, the methods used to master professional culture of future managers lead to the gradual development of required competencies and metaprofessional qualities.

Keywords:

Professional culture, manager, model, pedagogical conditions, methods, foreign language, competency.