ASSERTIVENESS OF PROSPECTIVE TEACHERS AND PRESCHOOL TEACHERS
ASSERTIVENESS OF PROSPECTIVE TEACHERS AND PRESCHOOL TEACHERS

Summary/Abstract: Assertiveness represents the aspect of social competencies relatedto indicators of socially-adapted and self-reliable behaviour. Giventhe importance of social competencies in the context of developingprofessional competencies of teachers and preschool teachers andthe realization that assertiveness is a particularly important aspect ofsocial competencies, this research was aimed at examining the levelof assertiveness of prospective teachers and preschool teachers at thebeginning and during university studies. The total sample consistedof 699 subjects (254 candidates for the study groups for teachers andpreschool teachers at the Faculty of Education of the University ofKragujevac and 445 first, second and third year students of the samefaculty). The degree of assertiveness was measured by the Scale forthe Assessment of Assertiveness (A Scale) by Tovilovic andassociates. The results show that there is a significant difference inthe degree of assertiveness between the candidates and students, infavour of the students (F=8.209; p> 0.001). It was also determinedthat the degree of assertiveness significantly increases in parallelwith the year of study. Despite the fact that this increase isencouraging, given that it indicates a rise in the level of assertivenessover the course of the studies, the percentage of candidates andstudents, prospective teachers and preschool teachers, with low andextremely low assertiveness is troubling and indicates the necessityfor planned activity aimed at developing assertiveness during studiesat this faculty.

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