Maturation of students’ mental states regulation system during their university studies

Abstract

Background. The study relevance is determined by the need to identify the contribution of consciousness structures to the regulation of mental states and development of the regulatory abilities of the personality. The author’s model of the structural and functional organization of the mental states regulation system served as a theoretical basis of the work. 

The study objective was to show the maturation of the students’ mental states regulation system in the course of university study (at the lectures, seminars, and exams). 

Sample. The study attended by psychology students at the Institute of Psychology and Education of Kazan Federal University, 151 people in total: 88 students of the 1st year and 63 students of the 4th year of study.

Methods. We used various methods for diagnostics of mental characteristics and regulatory abilities, as well as the author’s questionnaires for studying mental states and operational means of self-regulation. Correlation analysis was used to process the data, followed by the calculation of the structure organization index. 

Results. The study demonstrated that in the period from the first to the fourth year of the university studies the students develop new methods and techniques of mental states self-regulation, and the increase in their number is associated with the diversity of the forms of educational activities. In the fourth year of study, the students’ preferable methods of mental states self-regulation are high searching activity, increasing one’s own motivation, developing positive attitudes to study and activating positive volitional states. By the final year of study, semantic structures of consciousness, actual reflection and motivation for learning (cognition and self-development) get on the leading roles in self-regulation of mental states. In addition, the importance of the “Self-system”, of the students’ experience and their regulatory abilities is increasing. The study revealed a signifi cant role of self-awareness, perseverance, observance and leadership qualities of students in self-regulation of their mental states.

Conclusion. The results of the study will contribute to the development of the methodology of self-regulated learning and will be useful in designing technologies for the regulation of the subject’s mental states.

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