STUDENTS’ PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY WITHIN A DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT: PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PEDAGOGICAL ANALYSIS AND FOUNDATIONS FOR IT PLATFORM DESIGN

Abstract

The relevance of the research is due to the growing demands of employers toward graduates and the difficulties related to students’ professional identity, which requires universities to create innovative systems of career support. The research objective is to form a scientifically grounded foundation for designing a modern IT solution in the field of career counseling. To achieve this goal, the following tasks were addressed: systematic analysis of fundamental career development theories was conducted; comparative analysis of existing digital platforms was performed to identify their methodological and functional gaps. The essence of research lies in the interdisciplinary synthesis of achievements in psychology, pedagogy, and information technology. The methodology includes a systematic literature review and comparative analysis, on the basis of which, using the method of theoretical synthesis, conceptual requirements for the future system were formulated. The main results showed a significant gap between the deep understanding of career development in scientific theories (in particular, in SCCT) and the utilitarian, fragmented nature of existing IT tools. The main conclusion and key result of the work was the formulation of four fundamental psychological and pedagogical requirements for an effective IT platform: reliance on scientifically based diagnostics, dynamic personalization of the development trajectory, integration of highly effective practices (mentorship, project experience), and creation of a unified supportive ecosystem. The value and scientific significance of the work lies in the operationalization of complex psychological constructs into specific principles for IT system design, which creates a “bridge” between the humanities and EdTech. The practical significance consists in providing a clear analytical foundation that can be used by developers and universities to create an innovative tool capable of enhancing graduates’ awareness, self-efficacy, and competitiveness.