Defense of the dissertation of Sanatbay Perizat for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in the specialty «8D01801 - Social pedagogy»

L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, a dissertation defense for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) by Sanatbay Perizat on the topic «Development of Soft Skills of future social» to the educational program «8D01801 – Social pedagogy».

The dissertation was carried out at the «Department of Pedagogy» of L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University.

The language of defense is kazakh

Official reviewers:

Orynbekova Ainur Samatovna – Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Senior Lecturer of the Department of Language Communication, Shakarim University (Semey, Republic of Kazakhstan);

Zhilgildinova Madina Zhaksylykovna – Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Head of the Department of Physical Education and Sports, Shakarim University (Semey, Republic of Kazakhstan).

Temporary members of the Dissertation Council:

Amantay Zhuldyz Abaikyzy – Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Assistant of the Department of Psychology and Pedagogy, Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia named after Patrice Lumumba (Moscow, Russian Federation).

Umirbekova Akerke Nurlanbekovna – Doctor of Philosophy (PhD),  Associate Professor, Scientific Secretary of the Division of Education and Social Development Sciences of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan);

Ussenova Akkenzhe Mukanovna – Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Associate Professor, Head of the Department of General Pedagogy and Psychology, M. Auezov South Kazakhstan University (Shymkent, Republic of Kazakhstan).

Scientific advisors:

Shalgynbayeva Kadisha Kadyrovna – Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor of the Department of Primary Education and Social Pedagogy at Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University (Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan)

Taner Atmaca – Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Associate Professor at Düzce University, (Düzce, Türkiye)

The defense will take place on June 10, 2026, at 02:00 PM in the Dissertation Council for the training direction «8D018 – Training in social pedagogy» in the specialty «8D01801 – Social pedagogy» of L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University. The defense meeting is planned to be held online.

Link: https://clck.ru/3TNRee 

Address: 6 A. Yanushkevich Street, Room 106, Astana.

Abstract (English): ANNOTATION to the dissertation by Sanatbay Perizat Aibekkyzy entitled “Development of Soft Skills in Future Social”, submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in the educational programme 8D01801 – Social Pedagogy The dissertation is devoted to the theoretical, methodological and experimental substantiation of the development of soft skills in future social educators within the system of higher education. The relevance of the research is determined by the changing requirements for the professional training of social pedagogy specialists under the conditions of digital transformation, the increasing complexity of social relations, the expansion of inclusive educational practices and the growing demand for communication, emotional stability, teamwork, critical thinking and creative problem-solving. In this context, a social educator is expected not only to possess professional knowledge, but also to act as an effective participant in interpersonal, educational and social interaction. The relevance of the dissertation is also related to the strategic priorities reflected in the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan “On Education”, the Concept for the Development of Higher Education and Science in the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2023-2029, the professional standard “Teacher”, the state compulsory standards of higher education, and the national agenda aimed at digital transformation and the introduction of artificial intelligence into education. These documents emphasize the need to train competitive, socially responsible and adaptable specialists capable of self-development, effective communication, decision-making in non-standard situations and productive work in a digital educational environment. The purpose of the study is to provide a theoretical and methodological justification for the development of soft skills in future social educators, to design a model of this process and to test its effectiveness through experimental work. The object of the research is the process of professional training of future social educators. The subject of the research is the development of soft skills in future social educators. The scientific hypothesis is based on the assumption that if the development of soft skills in future social educators is theoretically and methodologically substantiated, if the pedagogical conditions are identified, and if a model of this process is developed and experimentally tested, then the effectiveness of soft skills development will increase. This is explained by the fact that soft skills support the formation of communicative culture, creative thinking, emotional stability, teamwork, digital adaptability and constructive behaviour in social-pedagogical situations. In accordance with the purpose of the study, the following objectives were defined: to clarify the concept of “soft skills” on the basis of identifying the theoretical and methodological foundations of their development in future social educators; to determine the structure, essence and content of soft skills in future social educators; to substantiate the pedagogical conditions for their development; to design a model for the development of soft skills in future social educators and to test its effectiveness through experimental work. The theoretical and methodological basis of the research is formed by systemic, personality-oriented, activity-based, competence-based and environmental approaches. These approaches made it possible to consider soft skills not as a set of isolated personal qualities, but as an integral system of socio-communicative, emotional, behavioural and professionally significant skills that ensure the effectiveness of future social educators in a changing professional environment. The study employed a set of theoretical, empirical and statistical methods. The theoretical methods included the analysis of scientific literature, comparison, systematization, content analysis and generalization of scientific concepts. The empirical methods included observation, diagnostics, questionnaires, experimental work, self-assessment, peer assessment, portfolio analysis and expert evaluation. The obtained data were processed using mathematical and statistical procedures and analysed with SPSS Statistics. The scientific novelty of the research is reflected in several results. First, the concept of “soft skills” was clarified in relation to the professional training of future social educators and defined as a system of socio-communicative, emotional and behavioural skills that increase the effectiveness of professional activity. Second, the structure, essence and content of soft skills in future social educators were identified. Third, the pedagogical conditions for the development of soft skills in the educational process of higher education were substantiated. Fourth, a model for the development of soft skills in future social educators was developed and its effectiveness was experimentally verified. The main provisions submitted for defence are as follows. The development of soft skills in future social educators should be carried out on the basis of systemic, personality-oriented, activity-based, competence-based and environmental approaches. Soft skills in future social educators are considered as an integrative system that includes communicative culture, critical and creative thinking, teamwork, emotional stability, self-organization and adaptability in social-pedagogical situations. Their effective development is ensured by a set of pedagogical conditions: the creation of a socially oriented educational environment, the use of interactive and practice-oriented teaching methods, the integration of theoretical training and practical activity, and the development of emotional intelligence, empathy and reflective activity. The proposed model includes target, functional and result-oriented blocks, as well as motivational-value, cognitive-content, activity-communicative and emotional-volitional components. The experimental work was carried out at L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University. The experiment involved 46 students divided into experimental and control groups. At the diagnostic stage, the initial level of soft skills was assessed; the results showed no significant differences between the groups, which confirmed the comparability of the sample. At the formative stage, project-based learning, case-study, design thinking, role simulations, debates, peer-learning, reflective assignments and portfolio work were applied. At the final stage, the proportion of students with a high level of soft skills in the experimental group reached 69.2%, while the proportion of students with a low level decreased to 4.3%. In the control group, the high level was 39.1%, while the low level remained at 13.1%. Component analysis revealed stable growth in teamwork, communicative flexibility, emotional regulation, critical thinking, creativity and time management. Statistical processing with SPSS Statistics confirmed the significance of the changes: p < 0.01, with a medium effect size, η² ≈ 0.10–0.14. The theoretical significance of the study lies in expanding scientific understanding of soft skills development in future social educators, clarifying their structure in the context of social-pedagogical training, substantiating pedagogical conditions and developing a model for their purposeful development. The practical significance of the research is determined by the possibility of using its results in the educational process of higher education institutions, as well as by the development of a scientific-methodological guide entitled “Development of Soft Skills in Future Social Educators”, a system of assignments and an educational-methodological manual entitled “Trainings for the Development of Soft Skills in Future Social Educators”. These materials can be used in courses related to social pedagogy, pedagogy and psychology, leadership in education and professional training of future teachers. The results of the research correspond to the priority directions of science and state policy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the field of higher education, teacher education, digital transformation and the training of competitive specialists. The study is aimed at improving the quality of professional training of social educators and forming specialists capable of effective action in a changing social and educational environment. A total of 10 scientific papers were published on the topic of the dissertation. Two articles were published in journals indexed in Web of Science and Scopus, three articles were published in national journals recommended by the Committee for Quality Assurance in the Sphere of Science and Higher Education of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and five articles were published in the proceedings of international conferences and symposia. The doctoral student’s contribution to the publications consists in developing the theoretical basis of the study, analysing national and international literature, designing the content of the experimental work, collecting and processing empirical data, interpreting the results and preparing scientific texts. In the article “Problem-Oriented Learning as a Method of Developing Soft Skills Among Students of Pedogogical Specialities”, the doctoral student substantiated the potential of problem-oriented learning for developing soft skills and contributed to the analysis of the experimental material. In the article “Pedagogical approaches to teaching soft skills in higher education contexts”, the doctoral student systematized pedagogical approaches to soft skills development in higher education and introduced the research findings into the international academic context. In the national publications, the doctoral student substantiated the possibilities, conditions and role of soft skills development in the professional training of social educators. In the proceedings of international conferences, the doctoral student presented research findings on the importance of soft skills for success in social-pedagogical activity, foreign experience in their development, professional socialization of future social educators and the relevance of this issue for teacher training. Overall, the dissertation contributes to the theory and practice of soft skills development in future social educators, offers a scientific and methodological basis for improving the quality of social-pedagogical training in higher education, and confirms the effectiveness of purposeful pedagogical influence on the development of flexible skills in future specialists.

Dissertation

List of Scientific Works

Consultant's Review

Foreign Consultant's Review

Conclusion of the Research Ethics Committee

Official Reviewer's Review

Official Reviewer's Review