Development of Professional Communication Skills of Students of a Pedagogical University through Gamification Technology

Introduction. One of the modern trends in education is gamification technology, as well as reliance on the formation of “soft skills”. The article provides a theoretical analysis of scientific publications, describes the practical experience of developing professional communication skills in students of a pedagogical profile. The research problem is formulated: the search for such technologies for developing professional communication skills of future/current teachers that are focused on the development of professional (pedagogical) subjectivity, actualization of personal potential, and increasing emotional involvement in the educational process. The purpose of this work is to analyze the possibility of synthesizing the innovative gamification method with the process of developing professional communication skills of students of pedagogical specialties within the framework of the educational program of higher education. Methodology. This goal was achieved using the methods of analyzing scientific literary sources, theoretical modeling, as well as the method of questioning and describing pedagogical experience. Results. As a result of the study, it was possible to confirm the relevance and discover the possibilities of using gamification technology in developing professional communication skills of students (master’s students) within the framework of the implementation of the academic discipline “Pedagogical Psychology”. Conclusions. The innovative component of gamification technology for developing professional communication skills is achieved through designing the content of the teacher’s training activities within the educational process. To date, there is no single methodological basis for using the technology in question to develop pedagogical communication skills. This article attempts to substantiate the success of introducing gamification technology into the educational field of students of pedagogical training areas.