Theoretical and methodological substantiation and experimental verification of the pedagogical conditions for future border guard officers’ professional and psychological competence formation in the process of vocational training have been carried out in the research.
According to the results of scientific literature analysis it has been established that professional and psychological competence of future border guard officers is a professionally important characteristic that encompasses the system of professional and psychological knowledge, abilities, skills and personal qualities that, in turn, provide for effective personnel management, prevention and resolution of conflicts, execution of the tasks connected with operational and service activity aimed at the state border protection.
The content and structure of the professional and psychological competence of a border guard officer is determined by professional activity and requirements to it. The structure of the professional and psychological competence of a border guard officer is the unity of the four components, in particular, motivational and personal one, a gnostic component, a regulatory one and a reflexive-status component.
Interpretation of the professional and psychological competence of a border guard officer as a four-component structure made it possible to determine the criteria, indicators and levels (high, medium, low) of its formation. Future border guard officers’ professional and psychological competence formation criteria are subdivided into personal, cognitive, operational and active, reflexive and volitional ones. To initiate the work on future border guard officers’ professional and psychological competence formation in the process of professional training a structural and functional model has been developed which gives a structured theoretical idea about the subject of the research.
The combination of the following pedagogical conditions contributes to increasing of the effectiveness of future border guard officers’ professional and psychological competence formation: organization of professional training on the basis of competent approach, taking into account the model of a modern officer of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine; introduction of additional special training course on persons’ identification and risk analysis in the process of the state border crossing; use of modern teaching methods, based on the analysis of experience of officers of state border guard units; regular monitoring of the quality of the formation of cadets of this professionally important characteristic. To initiate the work on future border guard officers’ professional and psychological competence formation in the process of professional training a model has been developed. It includes the purpose, tasks, stages, principles, methods, forms and means of work on formation of professional and psychological competence of future border guard officers in the process of professional training and gives a structured theoretical idea about the subject of the research.
The effectiveness of the proposed pedagogical conditions for border guard officers’ professional and psychological competence formation was confirmed by the formational stage of the experiment. The results of the analysis of the data that had been collected showed that the quantitative and qualitative changes that took place in the experimental group, in contrast to the control group, were possible due to the introduction of substantiated pedagogical conditions in the educational process as well as due to the pedagogical forms, methods and means provided by them.
Practical significance of the results of the research is that the content, forms and methods of future border guard officers’ professional and psychological competence formation were introduced into the educational process of the higher military educational institution. Methodical recommendations for the cadets as well as for scientific and pedagogical staff on the effective formation of professional and psychological competence of future border guard officers in the process of vocational training have been developed. The curricula content blocks of the subjects of «Management psychology», «Passport control», «Service of border patrols at state border crossing points», «State border protection by a border unit», were enhanced by such types of lessons, which involve professional and psychological competence formation. In addition, the forms and methods of forming the professional and psychological competence of future border guard officers, as well as appropriate teaching and methodological support were used while working out of a special course of «Identification and examination of persons at border crossing points» in order to improve the expertise of the personnel of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.
The material of the research may be used at Bogdan Khmelnytskyi National Academy of the State Border Guard Service of
