Students of Baitursynuly University are taking part in an unusual psychodiagnostic study.
A new program has been launched at KRU — the micro-qualification “Investigation of Economic Crimes.” It provides students with the knowledge and skills needed for future work in economic investigation services. The initiative was proposed by the Chairman of the Financial Monitoring Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Sixteen 3rd- and 4th-year students from the KRU Faculty of Economics and Law are participating in the project. They are learning alongside experienced specialists, and upon completion they will have the opportunity to undertake an internship and try their hand at working in economic investigation bodies.
This is the pilot version of the project, implemented jointly by the university and the Department of Economic Investigations of the Kostanay Region.
Today, participants completed the first stage of psychological testing aimed at assessing personal characteristics, stress resilience, and professional readiness for the job.
One of the key tools used was the Cattell 16 Personality Factors Questionnaire (16PF) — a scientifically validated instrument that helps identify a wide range of personality traits, including:
The creative component of the assessment — drawing a non-existent animal — serves as a window into the deeper layers of personality.
This projective method is widely used in professional psychodiagnostics because it allows specialists to:
Projective tasks provide psychologists with additional material to better understand the individual characteristics of future specialists.
The psychodiagnostic process is not completed in a single day. The stages of testing are intentionally spaced out to allow participants to recover, reduce fatigue, and demonstrate the most objective results.
This approach aligns with international standards for psychological research, where both data accuracy and participant well-being are essential.
The assessment is conducted by Darkhan Mustafinov, methodologist at the KRU Center for Inclusive Education and Psychological Support, with the support of Makpal Ondassynova — an investigator for particularly important cases, psychologist–polygraph examiner of the HR Department of the Financial Monitoring Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and Major of the Economic Investigation Service.
“Based on the collected data, we create a psychological profile for each participant,”
notes Darkhan Mustafinov.
“This helps us identify strengths, professional potential, and individual traits of future specialists.”
Master’s and bachelor’s students of psychology have also joined the work, gaining the opportunity to observe and participate in professional activities in real-world conditions.
Thus, the Center for Inclusive Education and Psychological Support serves not only as a partner in the project, but as a fully-fledged practice-oriented platform.
