EXPERIENCE IN DEVELOPING STUDENT TEAMS’ READINESS FOR SELF-MANAGING ACTIVITY IN AGILE-ORIENTED LEARNING

Abstract

The article presents the results of a study devoted to the staged formation of student teams’ readiness for self-managing work within Agile-oriented training for future IT specialists. The relevance of the study is determined by the need to identify educational models that correspond to the specific features of contemporary professional activity in the IT field and at the same time take into account the actual level of students’ readiness for teamwork, autonomy, responsibility, and joint decision-making. The article substantiates the expediency of distinguishing between self-organizing and self-managing student teams. It is shown that self-organization should be considered an important stage in the development of team autonomy, whereas a self-managing team is characterized by the ability to independently plan joint work, coordinate actions, distribute responsibility, adjust the process of task completion, and maintain performance without constant external intervention. Based on the analysis of recent studies, the author proposes a model of staged formation of student teams’ readiness for self-managing activity. The model includes the stage of initial team formation, the stage of interaction adjustment, the stage of stabilization of teamwork, and the stage of self-managing activity. The empirical basis of the study consisted of pedagogical observation, analysis of students’ learning products, questionnaires, and interviews. The research was conducted at the State University of Trade and Economics within the educational and professional programme «Software Engineering» at the bachelor’s level and lasted for four academic years. The findings revealed that the most productive model was Agile-oriented learning with the staged formation of readiness for self-managing teamwork. Compared with traditional and project-based approaches, it ensured higher indicators of students’ readiness for independent work on IT projects and teamwork, as well as more pronounced positive dynamics in planning, self-organization, and communication, decision-making, and teamwork skills.