Professional Thinking as the Cognitive Resource for the Specialists of Socionomic Professions

Background. Th e transformation of social changes determins a qualitatively diff erent format of professional thinking as a cognitive resource infl uencing performance effi ciency and subjective well-being. Objective is to present the results of varying research of professional thinking in socionomic professions by defi nig the peculiarities of thinking at diff erent stages of professionalization and under various sociocultural conditions. Design. Th e sample group consists of the representatives of socionomic professions at diff erent stages of their professionalization: psychology students and students of management aged from 18 to 23 starting and fi nishing their education (n = 120), managers in the sphere of business and education (n = 218), preschool teachers (n = 70). Results. Th e sample of students in socionomic professions has shown that the level of structural organization in professional thinking rises during the fi nal stages of education. Moreover, the diff erences in structural components of elemental level are of partial kind. In particular, the level of social refl exivity, metacognitive knowledge among the students of gnostical type of activity is growing. Th e problematicity is also more structured and takes comprehensive context into consideration. Th e students of transformative tendency have growing levels of metacognitive activity, reduction of attempts to solve the problems related to the increase in fl exibility 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) infl uence such qualities of supra-situational thinking as effi ciency, originality and validity. Conclusion. Th e obtained results have broadened the concept of resource in professional thinking among socionomic professions. Th e necessity of further investigation of professional thinking as a cognitive resource on the componential subsystem level has been indicated.