The Quality of Professional Activity and its Product in the Work of a Practical Psychologist: the Problem of Defining Evaluation Concepts, Criteria and Methods

Abstract

The article continues the discussion of the topic of the quality of professional activity, raised in the previous publication together with Yu.M. Zabrodin [3]. It highlights the perspective of the problem, which is connected with the question of the nature of the links between the problem of the quality of professional activity and its professional product, which exist in the work of a practical educational psychologist. Attention is drawn to the more than once noted difficulties in identifying key concepts in this subject area and formulating their definitions. The connection between the existing difficulties and the general uncertainty (“methodological chaos”) in the current state of the methodology of practical psychology proper is traced. Specific examples are given of identifying and defining the criteria for the quality of activity and the product of the work of a practical psychologist on the materials obtained in the evaluation of works participating in professional competitions and products of activity provided by a practical psychologist (applicant for category assignment) in the certification process. The author’s understanding of further work in this area, ways to solve the problem of ensuring the quality of the work of a practical psychologist and his products of activity are proposed.