Peculiarities of social and communicative competence of teenagers with different thinking styles
Автор: Maria Vyshkvyrkina
Журнал: International Journal of Cognitive Research in Science, Engineering and Education @ijcrsee
Рубрика: Original research
Статья в выпуске: 1 vol.1, 2013 года.
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This article deals with the studying of the peculiarities of social and communicative competence in teenage years. The paper provides the results of the comparative analysis of the peculiarities of social and communicative competence of teenagers with different thinking styles.
Competence, social and communicative competence, teenage years
Короткий адрес: https://sciup.org/170198365
IDR: 170198365
Текст научной статьи Peculiarities of social and communicative competence of teenagers with different thinking styles
A large number of works is devoted to studying of various aspects of social and communicative competence. So, this issue was researched by B. G. Ananyev, G. M. Andreeva, A. A. Bodalev, Yu. N. Yemelyanov, Yu. M. Zhukov, N. V. Kalinina, N. V. Kuzmina, V. N. Kunitsyna, A. A. Leontyev, L. A. Petrovskaya, V. V. Sokolova, G. S. Trofimova, etc. However, there is no single definition of this concept. For example, S. E. Anfisova specifies that "… social and communicative competence acts as readiness of the subject to acquire information in dialogue, to present and hold his point of view on the basis of acknowledgment of the variety of positions and respect for the values of other people, to carry out productive cooperation with the members of the group solving the general problem"[1].
Particular attention is paid to teenage years as the key stage of the social competence formation. The issues dealing with the development of social and communicative competence of teenagers are reviewed in the works by G. N. Artemyeva, B. G. Ananyev, A. N. Leontyev, B. R. Lomov, G. M. Andreev, S. V. Znamenskaya, S. Z. Yenikeeva, I. P. Kravchenko, I. V. Kuzmenko, J. P. Allen et al., C. L. Hanson et al., MacKinnon-Lewis et al.
Thus, the significance of this research is caused by the necessity of development of the problem of social and communicative competence and its formation in teenage years.
In this regard, the objective of our research is studying of social and communicative competence of teenagers with different thinking styles.
The research subject is social and communicative competence of teenagers with different thinking styles.
The research object is pupils of teenage years.
The research hypothesis: social and communicative competence of pupils with different thinking styles will have its peculiarities.
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2. Methods and results
The research techniques: Technique "Thinking Style" (A. K. Belousova), Questionnaire - test "Social and Communicative Competence"; Statistical data processing methods (descriptive statistics, Mann - Whitney U-test).
The research base: 73 pupils of both sexes from the general education schools of Rostov Region at the age of 13-14 years old took part in the research.
According to the targets of our research, the diagnostics focused on detection of the prevailing thinking styles of the pupils was carried out.[4] The analysis of representation of the thinking styles as a whole in the group has revealed the following results (Figure 1):
Figure 1. Frequency of occurrence of the prevailing thinking styles in the group of teenagers.

Identification marks: InS – initiative style (0%), CrS – critical style (26.02%), ManS – managerial style (39.73%), PrS – practical style (19.18%), MixS – mixed style (15.07%).
As illustrated in Figure 1, the managerial thinking style most often prevails in the group of pupils (39.73%). Aspiration to coordinate the participants’ activity, organizing it, integrating others, carrying out the managing influence, is typical for them, i.e. the activity organization and management are preferable for them. Modern research of thinking styles [2] allows also speaking about some personal and individual peculiarities of the respondents depending on the prevailing thinking style. Thus, the senior pupils inclined to domination are distinguished by field dependence, externality, demand for cognition, creativity, motivation for achievement and power, orientation on change of themselves, low rigidity.
The critical style is on the second place according to the frequency of occurrence (26.02%), i.e. this group of pupils has an expressed ability to notice weak points, mistakes, and any defects.
They are distinguished by scepsis, prudence, criticality, orientation to business, practicality, motivation for achievement, internality, severity, field dependence, low sensitivity, reality of judgments, rigidity, pessimism, and heuristic competence. In 19.18% of the time the pupils have the prevailing practical style of thinking that is revealed in their ability to choose the possibility of practical use of various ideas. They aspire to bring the realization of the problem to the logical end and only after that they can work over other ideas.
Among 15.07% of pupils one couldn’t succeed to reveal one specific prevailing style of thinking that is an evidence of domination of two-three functions at the same time.
It is interesting that none of the asked pupils has the prevailing initiative style of thinking (0%).
On the basis of the obtained data all the sampling of the examined pupils was divided into three research groups:
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> the 1st group - the pupils with the prevailing managerial style of thinking;
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> the 2 nd group – the pupils with the prevailing critical style of thinking;
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> the 3rd group - the pupils with the prevailing practical style of thinking.
The pupils with the prevalence of several thinking styles didn't take part in further research in connection with small number of sampling.
According to the objectives of our research we carried out the analysis of the peculiarities of social and communicative competence of the pupils with different thinking styles (Figure 2).
(IJCRSEE) International Journal of Cognitive Research in science, engineering and education Vol. 1, No.1, 2013.
Figure 2. Degree of expressiveness of basic components of social and communicative competence of the pupils with different thinking styles

— ♦- - ManS
—■ - CrS
• PrS
Identification marks: SCA – social and communicative adaptability, AtoC – aspiration to consent, IofA – intolerance of ambiguity, AF – avoiding of failures, FT – frustration tolerance.
As illustrated in Figure 2, in the group of the pupils with the prevailing managerial style of thinking, the social and communicative adaptability has the expressiveness degree below the average (х=29.05, by σ=2.96, m=1.05), and the intolerance of ambiguity, on the contrary, is expressed above the average (х=40.88, by σ=2.64, m=0.93). All other components of social and communicative competence: aspiration to consent (х=32.75, by σ=5.84, m=2.06), avoiding of failures (х=33.37, by σ=4.92, m=1.74) and frustration tolerance (х=34.37, by σ=4.59, m=1.62) have the average expressiveness degree.
Thus, we can assume that the pupils with the prevalence of managerial style of thinking are distinguished by plasticity, flexibility in communication, ability to interact with the most various people. They easily adapt to the changing circumstances, easily overestimate the events, and actively find themselves, their place in them. Aspiration to follow the clear, firm views of things, affairs, acts, moral certainty, orthodoxy of thinking, unambiguity of perception, lack of fear to discrepancy of opinions, difference of views, aspiration to solve all the problems “through peaceful means” are typical for them. In most cases they believe in themselves, their abilities, they are cheerful, merry, but in some situations they can be also dependent, mistrustful, and suspicious. They are distinguished by emotional stability in most cases, the average degree of self-control and self-regulation of emotional conditions, selfcommand in emotiogenic situations.
The pupils with the prevailing practical style of thinking have the components – the degree of social and communicative adaptability (х=30.66, by σ=4.93, m=2.84) and avoiding of failures (х=29.66, by σ=2.88, m=1.66) below the average, at the same time, the degree of frustration tolerance is expressed above the average (х=41.33, by σ=8.14, m=4.70). The components - aspiration to consent (х=33.00, by σ=3.00, m=1.73) and intolerance of ambiguity (х=36.33, by σ=1.52, m=0.88) have the average degree of expressiveness.
So, we can assume that the pupils with the practical style of thinking are distinguished by flexibility in communication, ability to interact with people, to adapt to the changing circumstances easily, love of life, self- confidence, belief in their own abilities, cheerfulness and enthusiasm, but at the same time, the instinct of self-preservation can be absent, the reasonable risk level is exceeded. Low self-control, extravagance, excitability, unwillingness "to stay in control", verbal, speech intemperance, aspiration to have the point of view on each matter and to defend it, are typical for them, but, if necessary, they can make a compromise; moral certainty, orthodoxy of thinking, in combination with respect of conversation partner’s opinion.
In the group of the pupils with critical thinking style the underestimated degree of expressiveness of intolerance of ambiguity (х=30.50, by σ=2.58, m=1.05) and the overestimated degree of frustration tolerance (х=43.66, by σ=6.97, m=2.84) are revealed. The level of social and communicative adaptability (х=34.16, by σ=3.92, m=1.60), aspiration to consent (х=33.16, by σ=5.11, m=2.08) and avoiding of failures (х=35.66, by σ=4.27, m=1.74) has the average degree of expressiveness.
So, we can assume that for the pupils with critical style of thinking aspiration to follow the clear, firm views of things, affairs, acts, moral certainty, orthodoxy of thinking, unambiguity of perception, fear of uncertainty, surprises, inability to wait which leads to rash and premature actions, is typical. On the one hand, sociability and openness are typical of them, but, on the other hand, they can demonstrate some shyness, modesty, lack of self-confidence. They are distinguished by absence of fear to discrepancy of opinions, difference of views; aspiration to have the point of view on each matter, in combination with the aspiration to solve all the problems “through peaceful means”, to come to agreement.
For checking of the made assumptions we carried out the statistical analysis of the obtained data with the help of Kruskal–Wallis test (Table 1).
Table 1. Significance indicators of distinctions of expressiveness degree of the components of social and communicative competence of teenagers with different thinking styles
SCA |
AtoC |
IofA |
AF |
FT |
|
χ2 |
11.470 |
.059 |
12.667 |
10.666 |
11.039 |
DOF |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
Asympt. signif. |
0.009** |
.971 |
0.006** |
0.044* |
0.035* |
Identification marks: * - significance at the level of 0.05, ** - significance at the level of 0.01
As shown in Table 1, the definitely significant distinctions are revealed in the expressiveness degree of social and communicative adaptability (H=11.470, р=0.009) and irreconcilability of ambiguity (H=12.667, р=0.004). The significance indicators of distinctions in the expressiveness degree of avoiding of failures (H=10.666, р=0.044) and frustration tolerance (H=11.039, р=0.035), being the evidence of availability of distinctions, but not proving their significance, entered into the so-called "ambiguity area". The distinctions in the expressiveness degree of aspiration to consent are not significant.
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3. Discussion and conclusion
Thus, we can tell that the average expressed aspiration to consent, shown in absence of fear to discrepancy of opinions, in aspiration to solve the problems without conflicts, is common for all pupils.
So, the pupils with different thinking styles differ from each other by different degree of expressiveness of social and communicative adaptability and intolerance of ambiguity. So, one can say that the teenagers with the prevailing managerial style of thinking are distinguished by aspiration to follow the clear, firm views of things, affairs, acts, moral certainty, orthodoxy of thinking, unambiguity of perception, without half tones, fear of uncertainty, surprises. Plasticity, flexibility in communication, ability to interact with the most various people, easy adaptability to the changing circumstances, fast revaluation of the events and adaptation to them are typical for them.
The teenagers with domination of the practical style of thinking are distinguished most of all by love of life, self-confidence, belief in their own abilities, cheerfulness and enthusiasm, but at the same time, the instinct of self-preservation can be absent, in combination with exceeding of the reasonable risk level. Low self-control, extravagance, excitability, unwillingness "to stay in control", verbal, speech intemperance are typical for them. Thus, they are rather flexible in communication, easily cooperate with the surrounding people, easily adapt to the dynamically changing conditions and circumstances.
The teenagers with the prevailing critical style of thinking are characterized by tolerance revealed in the ability to take the opinion, the character of other people without irritation and hostility, but when meeting a barrier, with impossibility to get the desirable thing they become irrestrainable, excitable, in combination with demonstration of verbal aggression. Thus, as a whole, they are rather open and sociable, however, in certain situations they are shy, avoidant, unsure of themselves as in the interlocutor, show some constraint in communication.
Thus, the hypothesis of our research was completely confirmed.
The problem of communication is one of the most important and difficult in psychology. Communication is considered as process, condition of implementation of different forms of human activity, as means of achievement of different objectives and satisfaction of different needs, as independent activity. Social and communicative competence is defined by G.S. Trofimova, as "…. the integrative ability based on humanistic qualities of the personality and directed on ensuring the productivity of the communicative activity, caused by the experience of interpersonal communication of the personality, the level of his proficiency, manner and personal growth"[3].
In our work the problem of thinking styles was also touched; it is actively studied by A. A. Alexeev, L. A. Gromov, R. J. Sternberg, A. K. Belousova, G. A. Berulava, L. Ya. Dorfmann, K. Korostelina, A. V. Libin, V. I. Morasanova, I. G. Skotnikova, I. N. Trofimova, M. A. Kholodnaya, I. P. Shkuratova, etc. The analysis of the reading matter on the studied problem showed that in domestic and foreign literature there are practically no works on studying of the peculiarities of thinking style of the senior teenagers, and researches devoted to studying of social and communicative competence of the teenagers with different thinking styles are not presented at all.
At the same time, the teenage years are the sensitive period for formation of social and communicative competence which is one of the key elements of successful self-realization.
As a result of our research the general and the specific peculiarities of social and communicative competence of teenagers with various thinking styles were revealed. These results can be used by developing of therapeutic and intervention programs directed on increasing of both communicative, and social and communicative competence.