Institute of Social and Political Psychology
Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine,
Kyiv, Ukraine
SWOT
technology and its use in the organization of social
dialogue in an educational environment
Method of SWOT analysis, which is used in this study,
invented by researchers at Stanford University (the author - Albert Humphrey
[1]), allowed to identify the communicative intentions of subjects of
communication in the process of dialogue and simulate their participation
directions in solving actual problems in the educational environment.
SWOT analysis method used in this study as the technology to organize
social dialogue to explore the semantic features and tendency of development of
the educational institution and summarize a significant amount of diagnostic
data for its operation.
This method is used to compare the data analysis of
the internal and external environment of the institution, its positive and
negative characteristics. Technology SWOT-analysis provides primarily identify
strengths (S) and weaknesses (W), opportunities (O) and threats (T),
establishes the relationship between these elements that allows us to formulate
the mental model of integrated actions to achieve the objectives of the
organization in general or implementing personal strategies of dialogic
interaction in particular.
The principles of this analysis are:
ü Assessment of the
strengths and weaknesses of educational institutions in various conditions.
ü Awareness of the
opportunities and perspectives appearing.
ü Understanding of the
hazards, risks arising from changing circumstances.
The essence of the elements of SWOT (see
scheme):
ü
Strengths (S) - positive internal elements that make
it possible to adapt and compete, give to the educational institution or person
of additional priorities.
ü Weaknesses
(W) – negative internal elements that point to the lack of inner resources
and does not allow the use of opportunities and counteract threats put
educational institution or subject of communication in adverse conditions of
their operation.
ü
Opportunities (O) – positive external elements, environmental factors that promote development, provide opportunities for innovation.
ü
Threats (T) – the negative external factors hindering
the development of the institution or subject leave them without significant
competitive advantages [1].
Scheme
Elements of the SWOT-analysis
The investigated in the process of the SWOT-analysis factors external
and internal environment can be many, but among them elected only by those that
most characterize the activities of educational institutions and the impact on
its employees. Miscalculations in the analysis or
underestimation of any of the analyzed components may further adversely affect
the implementation of the action plan and strategies for the transformation of
the institution or individual communication. So how SWOT-analysis does not include economic categories, it can be applied to any organization, group or individual actors to build strategies for their development in various areas. For example, when it comes to analysis of the school,
ascertain strengths and weaknesses elements (S–W) will affect all components belonging
to the internal organization of school life (school organization, management
issues, relationships in the collective, and labor discipline, etc.). When it
comes to analysis of the elements opportunities – threats (O–T), it will be related to research of
external factors (educational standards and programs, textbooks, student
educational policy, educational economy, the situation in society, etc.).
Using procedures SWOT-technology enable to
analyze peculiarities of functioning of middle school which identify in the
process of dialogue's participation of subjects of communication. This enabled participants to identify communicative
intentions of social dialogue in the system "teacher - school
education"; to reveal the factors of efficiency /inefficiency educational
institution; find out the possibility that stimulate its development; outline
the reasons that prevent the manifestation of its substantial competitive
advantages; find new favorable conditions for solving organizational problems.
The advantages that
allow educational institutions to compete and have an additional priority:
High professional level of teachers (educators
- creative professionals, many teachers have a higher qualifying category,
teachers regularly attend training, teachers enjoyed a special purpose sites to
enrich their experience, etc.);
Education, centered
on student (students are directed to self-improvement and personal growth, paid
much attention to the constant development of students, talented students - are
prize winners of pupils' Olympiad;
Status of the educational institution (the oldest educational institution with
established traditions, deserved high reputation, modern public institution);
Support innovation (modern logistical support,
cooperation with research institutes and universities);
Providing quality educational services (in depth
study of natural subjects, the study of foreign languages, function of school
clubs, sports clubs, electives subjects of basic disciplines and elective
courses).
During the dialogue
participation identified "weaknesses" sides of the educational
institution that put him in unfavorable conditions of operation:
Strict regulation of
the educational process (inability to choose curricula, programs);
Prevalence of traditional or obsolete
approaches to learning (outdated curricula, teacher to work by the traditional
model in the presentation of educational material, fears to experiment);
Insufficient links with social partners (no
interaction with extra-budgetary organizations, commercial institutions for the
activation possibilities and find new resources not felt the full support of
the parent council; weak linkages with foreign partners in exchange programs
and internships);
Low motivation of
teacher's work (limited financial capacity of teachers and schools,
"burnout effect").
During the situational analysis
identified factors that stimulate the development of educational institution:
Innovative
development (using Internet technologies, introduction of innovative
technologies of developing training, development of distance learning);
Providing new high-quality
educational services (opening of new profiles and areas of learning, expanding
the number groups of interest);
Increasing the
qualification of teachers (assimilation of new methods and technologies of
training);
Social partnership
(ability to participate in international exchange programs and internships,
involvement of the social partners to address issues related to the development
of the school; outsourcing specialists and consultants to enrich the experience
of activation opportunities to find new ideas and resources).
Determined external negative
factors hindering the effective functioning of school including educational
sector in general:
the deepening crisis
in society (total instability in the country; unstable funding, fears
unemployment, non-payment of wages or
it's cutting, unfavorable demographic changes, exacerbation crime
situation, the deepening global environmental crisis);
Aggressive external
social environment (military aggression, annexation, occupation of territories,
terrorism, the negative impact of the media);
Changes in basic
values and lifestyles (reduction in demand for educational services by changing
tastes and needs, changes in lifestyles, high level of stratification of the
population);
Social insecurity of
teachers (lack of government social protection teacher's programs, the
existence of social stereotype "to be a teacher – demeaning");
Lack of social
dialogue: unreasoned normative legal regulations by the state's legislative and
executive powers disinterest in cooperation on the part of public and
charitable organizations.
Therefore, we investigated the social dialogue as externally determined
process, which defined inner willingness of the individual to participation and
takes the form of communicative interaction between subjects for the transform
the social environment.
It is shown that the dialogical participation as the mechanism of
formation of social activity of subjects of communication implemented on the
individual, organizational and social levels.
The features of the dialogical participation
in the system "teacher – school education" studied through methodical
procedures SWOT, during which defined intentions of participants of the social
dialogue, revealed social and personal factors communicative efficiency /
inefficiency of communication subjects in the school environment.
References:
1.
SWOT-analysis: complete guide [electronic resource]. Access mode: http://landmarketing.ru/polnyj-swot-analiz-predpriyatiya-primery-voprosy-tablitsy-shablony/.