Latvian Maritime academy

1. Characterization of the European maritime self-concept from the historical – ideological point of
view.
2. Revelation of psycho-educational factors of the maritime self-concept development.
The research object is a development of the maritime self-concept. The object has been researched at
scientific levels of ideological and psycho-educational prerequisites.
The research methodology
Methodology of the research consists of the STCW 2 convention, paradigm of universal upbringing,
idealism, humanism, existentialism, existential phenomenology and neotomism.
Methodological attitudes are as follows:
– STCW convention is important for assessing of the vocational maritime self-concept of maritime
students and internalization of their maritime self-concept especially from the point of view of
the social responsibility requirement.
– The paradigm of universal upbringing indicates to development of the full power of personality.
The context of biological, psychological and spiritual needs determines development of the
maritime self-concept of an entire personality.
– Idealism accentuates the spiritual nature of the man. Enrichment of the personality is based on
the transcendental ideal at axiological level of the maritime self-concept. The final meaning of
the human life promotes a sense of the individual freedom.
– Humanism indicates the spirituality that is an inherent basis for education of the personal
spiritual culture. The internalization of the maritime self-concept allows better understanding of
existential human dignity from the humanistic point of view of personality freedom.
– Existentialism refers to the human fear in the land and at sea. Existential psychology is a cause
for the hope. This psychology denied an attachment to life pleasures and promotes personality
liberation and purification of his / her existence. Development of the maritime self-concept
expands a horizon and helps people overcome the tragedy of the existence, improve the
emotional state and find the unique comfort.
– Existential phenomenology indicates to self-education of valuable attitudes through the
existential experience, artistic creativity, imagination, insight and reflection of values. The
education through the experience is very important in relation to the marine phenomenon.
– Neotomism refers to personalism and raises the personality above the daily. Formation of the
maritime self-concept is based on the transcendental ideal of the European culture tradition. This
ideal led to feel the value and dignity of the personality.
Methodological type the research is theoretically descriptive, empirical diagnostic, qualitative
phenomenological, semi-deep.
Methods of the research
There were used such research methods:
– Retrospective, comparative, extrapolative, heuristic analysis and meta-analysis of scientific
literature;
– Convenient selection of respondents (the third-year students of the marine navigation),
instructional interview, written survey (questionnaire procedure with open questions, selfreflection
and free association), phenomenological content-analysis of internalization of the
students’ maritime self-concept, interpretation, reduction, classification and systemization;
– Hypothetical prognostic modeling of training of seafarers at the level of development of their
maritime self-concept from the point of view of the personality value, and synthesis.
Steps of the phenomenological content-analysis after some modifications:
– Selection of manifest categories;
– Categories are divided into subcategories;
– Setting of the repetition frequency of (sub)categories;
– Interpretation of results [24].
The research basis is the Lithuanian maritime academy. The research was made in a homogeneous
group in accordance with the science ethics.
50 potential respondents were invited to answer the questionnaire:
2 STCW (Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers)
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