The dissertation is devoted to the development and approbation of the methodology of formation of the readiness for life goal setting in adolescents with intellectual disabilities basing on anticipation. The psychological and pedagogical
aspects of the issue of life goal setting are analysed and theoretically generalised in the dissertation research; the understanding of the essence of the “goal setting” concept within the structure of social competence of the individual is specified; the methods of the development of the readiness of adolescents with intellectual disabilities to set life goals are developed and experimentally tested; the algorithm of life goal setting development in adolescents with intellectual disabilities basing on interpretation, reinterpretation, internalisation, problematization, dialogization of activity, obtaining their own practical experience, as well as the ability to apply it in new conditions, are presented; the sequence of the process of life goal setting development in adolescents with intellectual disabilities starting from defining the goals under the guidance of an adult, through joint activities in interpersonal communication, and finally getting to independent goal setting.
Psychodiagnostics’ tools for determination of the level of life goal setting development in adolescents with intellectual disabilities are specified. Scientific and theoretical approaches to the step-by-step formation of life goals in adolescents with intellectual disabilities are also further developed in the dissertation.
The practical significance of the obtained research results lies in the fact that the developed case methods and corrective tasks for the life goal setting development in adolescents can be used in the practical activity of special education institutions; the diagnostic tools for the investigation of the level and dynamics of the readiness formation for goal setting can be introduced into the practice of the psychological service of an educational institution; the methodical recommendations developed in the thesis can become a significant basis for
teachers and psychologists in the formation of certain components of goal setting process in adolescents with intellectual disabilities and normotypic development.
Within the framework of our thesis, we consider the personal component of goal setting as a quality in the structure of the adolescent's personality, which is characterised by manifestations of initiative (desire, interest and need for life goal setting); concentration (opportunity to show willpower in setting and achieving the goal); responsibility (ability to be responsible for one’s own actions); mobility (the ability to change one’s own actions, adjust them to achieve the goal).
The components of adolescents' readiness for goal setting, particularly motivational, cognitive, operational, regulatory and personal ones, are defined in the thesis.
It is concluded that adolescents with intellectual disabilities have the following characteristics: superficial knowledge about their own future, instability, random ideas about their own destiny, lack of real plans and focus regarding the future, lack of skills to design life plans for several years ahead, ignorance of events, as well as identification of accidental, insignificant peculiarities. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the results of the study showed that more than half of adolescents with intellectual disabilities demonstrate low level of life goals formation .
These adolescents have superficial knowledge about their own future; their ideas are random, unstable; they do not have real plans that they want to achieve, ideas about their own profession and family; they can’t focus on the future, do not know how to project future professional achievements and life plans for several years ahead, even with the help of an adult; they perceive past events basing on random, insignificant features; they are not able to compare past and future and do not see the dependence of present situation on past events. The research determined that 36.85 % of adolescents in the intervention group have the average level, while in the observational group this index was 39.28%. None of the groups had participants with high level. The ways adolescents with intellectual disabilities respond to problem situation and the need to solve them were also determined, specifically, the thesis proved that adolescents do not always react destructively to the situation with decision-making and implementation of the goal.
Based on the analysis of theoretical and practical data obtained in the study, a method of formation of readiness for setting life goals was created and implemented at three stages: organisational, executive and analytical one
