THE PROBLEM OF TEACHERS’ SOCIAL CAPITAL: ANALYSIS OF VIEWS AND APPROACHES IN THE WORKS OF FOREIGN SCIENTISTS

Abstract

The article presents the results of studying the views and approaches of foreign scientists on the problem of teachers’ social capital in the professional environment. The analysis of scientific research has led to the conclusion that the concept of "teachers’ social capital" is interpreted in different contexts, which are built on the basis of the following definitions: the phenomenon of "personal autonomy" and "social capital".
The article analyses various approaches to understanding the concept of "social capital" and identifies its components and features of the network aspect, "culture of distrust", the phenomenon of "personal autonomy", "norms of behavior", "social networks", "norms of reciprocity and trust", "culture of trust", "synergy", etc.
In general, most modern concepts emphasize the importance of social capital in the life and work of teachers, its extraordinary qualities, naturalness and primacy. The absence or significant reduction of this potential usually has a negative impact on the individual and group functioning of teachers. When we are surrounded by the atmosphere of distrust and alienation, socially and culturally exclusionary activities, we begin to turn to restoring this potential. In general, social capital is or should be an important type of potential available to any teaching staff. The study of modern scientific publications on various aspects of the problem of social capital has led to the conclusion that the potential for interaction generated by levels of trust and reliability, the richness of relationships and mutual communication are its dimensions.
Based on the study of different views and approaches of foreign scientists on the problem of teachers’ social potential in the professional environment, we have given our own definition of "social potential", which we understand as intangible resources of preferences, trust, communication norms and personal connections between teachers that enable cooperation and knowledge exchange between them.