Personal Characteristics of Students as Predictors of their Readiness to Innovate

Currently, human capital is becoming an important factor in the implementation of economic modernization plans, and innovation is a resource for transformation. The era of innovative social development puts particular demands on a person. At present, specialists with high innovative potential, generating and implementing new ideas are in demand. In this regard, the question of studying the personal characteristics of engineering students as predictive characteristics of their readiness for innovation is relevant. The analysis of personal characteristics of Tomsk students’ diagnostic results gives a positive forecast of their readiness for innovation in many ways. Creativity, future-oriented view, the need for competence, willingness to risk, acceptance and creation of fundamentally new ideas are above average among students. Motivation of students is focused on knowledge, self-development, and achievements. The results indicate that experience is paramount for young people, they feel the need for direct practical exploration of reality, which is expressed in the unity of knowledge and skills and it forms the individual culture of a person. When considering the values of students by the method of «Portrait Values Questionnaire-Revised - PVQ-R» (Schwartz S.), we found that the parameters of «self-determination» and «openness» predominate among students. Despite the large number of personal characteristics, which represent as a positive predictor of students’ readiness for innovation, some parameters suggest the opposite. For instance, the values of survival predominate among students (questionnaire to identify the values by Inglehart R.), which narrow the possibilities of personality for self-development, manifestations of innovation in activities. Young people often choose a conservative and implementing style of response to change. An innovative style of responding to changes in their choices comes last. According to this data, students prefer stability to change, rarely see the need for transformation, and believe that the old order is better than the new. Lack of development in planning the activities among students also indicates that even with all other positive characteristics it will be difficult for them to achieve the purposes, to be effective in their activity. The results of the study reflect a certain inconsistency of personal characteristics and parameters of students' activity. To change the situation, it is important to create an environment for development of students’ innovative potential in educational institutions. In addition, the values of society and social changes are reflected in the system of values of young people. In order to make the students’ values focused not on survival, but on openness to changes, on innovative activity, it is necessary to revise the values of society, to change the mentality in relation to work and innovation.

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