Abstract:

Higher education in Russia today is quite affordable. The law to it is guaranteed by the Federal Law "On Education in the Russian Federation". More than 70% of school leavers entered higher education institutions, 57% – in budget places in 2016 according to the statistical data. However the situation is changed after admission. Some first-year students already show their unwillingness to learn. From 10 to 23.9% of students leave the country's universities after the first year according to the statistical data. At the same time, a certain proportion of the remaining students do not demonstrate a high level of mastery of the required competencies. These facts are especially alarming for students of technology training path, because progress, economic welfare and security of life in the country depend on their professional level in the future.

It is required to identify the primary causes and factors of the student’s poor progress and their inability to master educational programs. The barriers of learning activities of students were studied in the Polytechnic Institute of South Ural State University, which encompasses five full-time faculties. On the basis of a theoretical analysis of the most significant barriers to learning in Russia, three groups of barriers have been identified and experimentally explored: socioeconomic, pedagogical and personal. To study their influence, questionnaire methods were used. Theoretical analysis of the obtained empirical data (with a data sample of n = 105) and a number of additional clarifying conversations with students were carried out. As a result, typical for the modern university barriers are formulated for students' learning activities, specific problems are identified for each group of barriers. The authors conducted a SWOT-analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the educational establishment of higher education, its problems and opportunities. On the basis of these analyzes, an integrated system of measures has been developed, which, in combination of administrative and pedagogical measures, alleviates the identified problems, the resolution of which lies within the competence of the university.

Keywords:

The barriers of learning activities, technology training path, poor progress, higher education.