Abstract

Background. The transformation of social changes determins a qualitatively different format of professional thinking as a cognitive resource influencing performance efficiency and subjective well-being.

Objective is to present the results of varying research of professional thinking in socionomic professions by definig the peculiarities of thinking at different stages of professionalization and under various sociocultural conditions.

Design. The sample group consists of the representatives of socionomic professions at different stages of their professionalization: psychology students and students of management aged from 18 to 23 starting and finishing their education (n = 120), managers in the sphere of business and education (n = 218), preschool teachers (n = 70).

Results. The sample of students in socionomic professions has shown that the level of structural organization in professional thinking rises during the final stages of education. Moreover, the differences in structural components of elemental level are of partial kind. In particular, the level of social reflexivity, metacognitive knowledge among the students of gnostical type of activity is growing. The problematicity is also more structured and takes comprehensive context into consideration. The students of transformative tendency have growing levels of metacognitive activity, reduction of attempts to solve the problems related to the increase in flexibility and predictability. It has been demonstrated that metacognitive characteristics of professional thinking and capacity of supra-situational thinking are presented in a more explicit and profound way under the sociocultural conditions of rural preschool educational settings than of the urban ones. It has been elicited that such factors as work experience in the area of management (inverse relation) and environmental mega factor, i.e. working in the situation of the pandemic (direct relation) influence such qualities of supra-situational thinking as effi ciency, originality and validity.

Conclusion. The obtained results have broadened the concept of resource in professional thinking among socionomic professions. The necessity of further investigation of professional thinking as a cognitive resource on the componential subsystem level has been indicated.