Definition of the concept «didactic conditions» in education in pedagogical science

There is analysis and theoretical explanation of the concept “didactic conditions” from the standpoint of philosophy category and pedagogical science term initiated in the article. Didactic conditions as an element of didactic system are considered to be the differentiation of pedagogical conditions along with organizational and pedagogical and psychology and pedagogical conditions. Authors have analyzed the variable definitions of the concept “didactic conditions” in education science applied in corresponding context. Generalized nominal classifications and didactic postulates have been additionally taken into consideration. While determining the role and place of the “didactic conditions” element in didactic system the importance of accurate definition of the concept concerning applicable scope is underscored as well as there is set the task of term’s theoretical explanation in relation to foreign language training of specialists. 

Setting the task to determine object and subject of any research one is bound to come across with relevant specifying the key notions. To characterize the didactic conditions for foreign language training as part of our prospective research the concept “conditions” is critical to be defined from various perspectives and different points of view.

Having multiple normal meanings the word “conditions” would be comprehensive treated as philosophical term. Philosophy is known both to state and outline a problem and to provide with arguments for dispute, various approaches for interrelation. Philosophy operates by means of logic, rules of  argumentation, and the definition of abstract concepts. We have reviewed various philosophical dictionaries treatment of the notion. Condition as the category of philosophy designates the attitude of subject towards surrounding reality, to the phenomena of objective reality, and also regarding itself and own inner world. Subject acts as some conditioned, and condition serves as rather external variety of the objective world towards subject. Condition should be distinguished from the concept “reason” that means to generate directly any phenomenon or process since condition comprises environment where phenomena arise, exist and develop [1].

Condition is a situation in which something is happening; it is a foundation and a precondition for something; it is an essential factor that helps to realize something or promotes something. Furthermore, condition is interpreted as something which determines something else (due) which allows the presence of  things, state or process, as opposed to reason which creates something (action, the result of action) with necessity, inevitability, and opposed to the grounds that is a logical condition of the consequence. Therefore, from the philosophical standpoint, “condition” is a factor by which a thing or process are appearing and functioning [2].

Thus, conditions are typically considered to be as something external regarding to phenomenon and to be dissimilar to the concept “reason” comprising both external and internal factors. Philosophical conception of condition involves interpreting the notion as something that subject, complex of subjects, character of interrelation are conditional on, as well as its being affords an opportunity for involved subject to exist, function and develop. In this case, there is sure to be executive environment for any activity, available environment for functional subjects and objects. Effect of the environment provides realizing the functions, ending  of purpose, addressing a problem. Conditions are certain to be the circumstances to identify the specific consequences interfering some processes and phenomena or promoting another ones. According to G.V.Belaya statement, conditions are supposed to be the developments to make certain consequences for preventing or favoring any given processes and phenomena [3].

Conditions in education science not being the very reasons of events intensify or weaken the reason’s function by contrast. From this point of view conditions are identified as factors, actualities that effectiveness of pedagogical system functioning depends on. In this regard, there are the concepts “pedagogical conditions” and “didactic conditions” in pedagogical science, being both interrelated and specific ones depending on the activity mission. There are some important comments by group of researchers like V.I. Andreyev, M.Y. Duranov, T.A. Ilyina, Zh.K. Konarzhevskiy, V.I. Smirnov, V.A. Slastenin, N.M. Yakovlev and others who have interpreted the term «pedagogical conditions». Pedagogical conditions are defined as a result of  the purposeful selection and application of elements of content, methods, techniques, organizational forms of education to achieve their goals; the circumstances under which implemented factors; set of objective possibilities of content, forms, methods, pedagogical methods and material spatial environment, aimed to solve goals. In a point of fact, pedagogical conditions for training personal skills and competencies include the following components: forms of pedagogical work organization, the content of personal-developing pedagogical activity, methods and means of pedagogical support, ways of activity organization, psychological and pedagogical support of personal development that is consist of creative, cognitive and emotional-volitional components [4].

Generalization of the results of numerous scientific and educational research testifies the theory and practice of pedagogy differentiation  of  pedagogical  conditions  into  organizational  and  pedagogical  (V.A. Belikov,  Y.I. Kozyreva,  S.N. Pavlov,  A.V. Sverchkov  etc.),  psychological  and   pedagogical   (N.V. Zhuravskaya,  A.V. Kruglov,   A.V. Lysenko,   A.O. Malyhin   etc.),   and   didactic   conditions   (M.V. Rutkovskaya etc.) [5]. Didactic conditions having been defined as the existence of proper circumstances, assumptions that, first, take into account existing learning environment, secondly, the method of converting these conditions in the direction of learning objectives, and thirdly a certain way of selected elements being the arranged and applied content, methods (techniques) and organizational education forms based on the principles of optimization, act as a result of the purposeful selection, design and implementation of content, methods (techniques)elements as well as organizational education forms to achieve didactic purposes. The definition is specifically introduced with reference to the certain point of view [6].

Didactics is known to study the process of education being organized consciously, systematically and routinely both directly at educational institution and outside. The subject of didactics comprises the educatory process as well as conditions required to its development (content, means, teaching methods, teacher and students’ communications etc.), and what is more, obtain results, their diagnostics and evaluation. Therefore, modern didactics defines conditions as the complex of factors, the components of education process to provide success of learning [7].

Identifying any element in isolation inevitably provides omissions, so that the system summary is essential to be present. There are few words concerning the concept “didactic system” in modern didactics to consider any structural element from position of its changing and in relation to another element and to assess the general permanent set of transforming elements.

The didactic system is the system of process and results of training being difficult by structure and having the central elements that is teaching (activity of a teacher as an instructor) and learning (educational activity of learners). Being dynamic all the elements of didactic system remain as an invariable general set and system in whole includes the following components:

• education purposes;
• training purposes (they are typically more concretized than education purposes);
• content of training (theories, regularities, phenomena, concepts, factual material for acquisition by learners;
• training methods (teaching and learning methods);
• didactic training resources (books, manuals, computer training programs, );
• monitoring and assessment techniques;
• achievements of training (that is awareness, competencies, experience of cognitive and creative activity acquired by learners;
• teaching as functions of instructor;
• learning or educational activity of learners;
• forms of training organization (lesson, lecture, seminar, );
• didactic principles to set a certain strategy of training;
• didactic conditions characterizing training process in general. The didactic system operates in two radically different modes:

1. operating mode while component structure and communications of didactic system’s elements being in stable condition, indeed as conservative option;
2. functioning mode and (or) creative self-development while renovating and reformation processes affecting both the separate components and the whole system in Having some idea of didactic system’s structure and setting of didactic conditions as one of system elements it is timely to give subject full treatment.

We have analyzed various definitions of the concept “didactic conditions” in pedagogical science and found their applying in different context. For one, Egorina V.S. considers didactic conditions to be education circumstances being the result of selection, designing and application of content, forms, methods and means elements for promoting the effective solution of objectives” [8].Volkova S.V. states that “didactic conditions are the specially modeled teach procedures that while realizing give an option of solving a certain sort of educational tasks” [9]. Lozhakova E.A. specifies them as “the circumstances of pedagogical process specially created by teacher while the procedural components of educational system being combined in an optimum manner” [10]. Furthermore, Glebova M.V. supposes that didactic conditions are the aspects of training process being the result of organizational education forms for achieving definite didactic purposes, result of selection, designing and application of content and methods elements [11].

Thus, the above mentioned statements have illustrated the distinguished terms and notions to be considered didactic conditions. Determinations seem to have been based on certain research, be it development of policultural (informative) competence or cognitive independent behavior (any possible options are supposed), providing of logical (productive) thinking, realizing the personal meanings in the context of education process etc.

The didactic postulate is sure to be the following argument: didactic conditions are treated as complex of factors, the procedural components of education process characterized as content, forms, methods and means. Nevertheless, there is evident the lack of researches on the identification and theoretical explanation of the didactic conditions. Thereupon, we purpose a further attempt to formulate a relevant concept through the comparative study to be kept in mind for our prospective researching the problem of didactic conditions for foreign language training of the students of technical college specialities.

The theory and practice of scholastic education propose a variety of didactic conditions to be nominally classified. The first set consists of didactic conditions providing generation of positive conative basis that is practical needs and enduring cognition interest. The second set of conditions targets for successful development of skill and knowledge system as a principal objective that is development of positive educational cognitive attitude and competences for acquirement, adaptation and application of educational information. The third class of conditions facilitates organizing the productive personal fulfilment, to be more accurate: implementation of individual approach while group working and monitoring and didactic correction of educational cognitive process [12]. The statements have developed the arguments for didactic conditions to educating cognitive self-sufficiency in the course of foreign language training and these ideas are expected to be applied for our research methodological background.

Identifying and theoretical explanation of didactic conditions for development of creative personality in the cognitive activity seems to be appropriate procedure. The system of conditions based on a holistic view  of teaching process comprises diagnosis of cognitive abilities and creativity as the highest point and stimulation leads to enhanced activity as the lowest one. Solving the problem implies an available adequate content to involve the high cognitive level tasks and sharing time for accomplishment [13].These conditions provide the basis for experimental techniques and creativeness and being detailed impose the following elements: cognitive activity, relying on preceding experience, thinking and speech culture development; individualized and differentiated activity including self-education; available content; application of problem-solving tasks; pedagogical competences; variety of creative and targeting tasks; voluntary contribution etc.

Viewing the problem from another frame of reference we proceed to the discussion about potential didactic conditions for professional thinking development. Specific conditions provide an integrated system of professionally designed intellectual activity in the educative process and while teaching practice, to be  meant:

• improvement of subject content in order to strengthen the focus on the professional thinking development; systematic involvement into the process of professional pedagogical objectives solution that reflects common problems appearing in subject teacher’s activity;
• development of methods to solving the problems concerning future professional activity to the extent of generalized methods, as well as the skills of cognitive activity;
• optimal conforming the teaching forms and methods to the requirements and characteristics of practical educational activity [14]. 

While analyzing the problems of organization of optimal educational environment for effective performing of educational and cognitive activities there are distinguished the particular didactic conditions as  the following ones:

• organization of training according to the hierarchical patterns of knowledge acquisition (from lower level to higher);
• purposeful educational practice to activate personal operational structures of thinking;
• formation of self-management skills;
• emphasis on training to acquire the methods and approaches for operation instead of just transferring the knowledge;
• adequate application of monitoring techniques [15].

Whereas, didactic conditions to determine the productive development of policultural competence consider to be the circumstances of educative process derived from purposeful choice, formation and application of curriculum content elements, teaching methods, etc. The development of policultural competence in subject oriented level of foreign language teaching implies implementation of proper didactic conditions. The first condition is expected to be integration of policultural accented information with basic programme material of any academic subject realized during teaching activity. The next didactic condition being implementation of system approach ensures interconnection between educational and extracurricular activities in the process of policultural competence development. The third didactic conditions is defined as one that assists to create cultural space to influence the development of policultural awareness, thinking, creative selfrealization in social and educational environment [16].

The last but not the least idea for our prospective research is the qualification of didactic conditions, particularly to developing the competence of pedagogues in the course of modern vocational training, as the following factors:

• advanced conformity meaning innovation based training (involving the applying of innovative educational technologies, developing of active learning methods, priority for the “competence approach” in educational programs ).
• available continuity of the educational programs;
• facilitating of logistical basis for training by means of modern techniques and technological equipment[17]. The factors affecting on development of pedagogues competence have been specified in detail, but all the same supported the nominal classification according to the theory and practice of scholastic

Thus, to summarize original analysis and synthesis for identifying didactic conditions as philosophical category and concept applied in pedagogical science we consider didactic conditions to be treated as complex of factors, the procedural components of education process characterized as content, forms, methods  and means as well as we admit the proper didactic conditions being connected with all the structural elements of didactic system. Therefore, didactic conditions are supposed to be set on a systematic basis according to relevance and availability. They are, as specified in diagram by Andreyev V.I., ranged at the first level of didactic system comprising the general subjects of education process in the course of interaction, traditional and proven over time didactic regularities and principles, and relevant didactic conditions [18]. System reference of all the elements in didactic core determines the organization forms of education. The second, external level of didactic system consists of the content of education and its achievements, teaching methods and forms of monitoring and assessment to be symmetrically set. Teaching means are located basically while the teaching targets specifying the general aim of whole didactic system as the education goals crown top up the level.

Didactic conditions as the element of didactic system and characteristics of education process in general are obvious to be required in accurate and relevant definition while applying appropriate context. Therefore, identifying the certain didactic conditions for foreign language teaching in the course of secondary-level vocational training is to be prospective and forthcoming task.

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