RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVING THE CONTENT OF PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PEDAGOGICAL TRAINING OF FUTURE EDUCATORS IN UKRAINE

Abstract

Relevance: The problem of updating the content of psychological and pedagogical training for future teachers is determined by the need to actualize Ukrainian historical and pedagogical heritage to strengthen the nation-building context of psychological and pedagogical disciplines; to enrich topics related to educational personology, mental health, inclusion, overcoming educational losses, psychodidactics, and media didactics based on interdisciplinary integration; and to harmonize the content of psychological and pedagogical disciplines with the professional standard for teachers, lecturers, etc.

Aim of the article: To generalize the results of a survey of lecturers from institutions of professional pre-higher and higher pedagogical education in various regions of Ukraine, to study educational documentation regarding the structuring of the content of psychological and pedagogical training for future teachers; and to substantiate recommendations for improving the content of psychological and pedagogical training for future teachers at different levels.

Research methods: Online survey of lecturers from institutions of professional pre-higher and higher pedagogical education to identify problematic issues in teaching psychological and pedagogical disciplines to future teachers at various educational levels; analysis of educational documentation for psychological and pedagogical disciplines (educational programs, syllabi, work programs, educational and methodological support/provision) in the training of future teachers of various specializations at the professional pre-higher education level, and at bachelor's, master's, and doctoral educational levels in 18 institutions of professional pre-higher and higher pedagogical education in various regions of Ukraine; prognostic analysis to substantiate recommendations for updating the content of psychological and pedagogical training for future teachers.

Results: Generalizing the survey results, it was found that lecturers are motivated to update the content of psychological and pedagogical disciplines, taking into account innovations (introduction of the New Ukrainian School, specialized senior high school, etc.), aiming for an appropriate structuring of the content of disciplines to form competencies defined in the professional standard and in higher education standards for a specific specialty, while also noting the stability and outdatedness of educational components, the lack of quality educational and methodological support, and the leveling of interdisciplinary connections, etc. The analysis of educational documentation for psychological and pedagogical disciplines allowed concluding the need to improve the content of psychological and pedagogical training for future teachers, which should occur through the introduction of content modules and topics from the theory and practice of psychopedagogy, educational personology, the actualization of historical and pedagogical ideas, and the implementation of cross-cutting content modules and topics in compulsory and elective disciplines concerning children's psychological traumas resulting from military actions, mental health issues in partnership with teachers, students, parents, and the community; and the creation of digital educational and methodological support for updating the content of compulsory psychological and pedagogical disciplines, etc.

Conclusions: Based on the results of empirical research (lecturer surveys, study of educational documentation for teaching psychological and pedagogical disciplines), recommendations were proposed at various levels – institutional (improving quality criteria for educational programs by the National Agency for Higher Education Quality Assurance regarding human resources, specifically the need to develop teachers' professional competencies; determining the necessity of correlating the content of psychological and pedagogical disciplines with competencies defined in the professional standard; regulating educational partnership between institutions of higher pedagogical and general secondary education to respond to the challenges of war and post-war recovery of the country); management (improving psychological and pedagogical training for future teachers based on the theory and practice of psychopedagogy, educational personology, and the actualization of historical and pedagogical ideas; updating the content of the compulsory discipline "Pedagogy"; implementing cross-cutting content modules and topics on children's psychological traumas resulting from military actions, mental health issues in partnership with teachers, students, parents, and the community; creating digital educational and methodological support); professional (updating syllabi and programs of psychological and pedagogical educational components, taking into account the actualization of Ukrainian historical and pedagogical heritage to strengthen the nation-building context of the content of relevant disciplines; updating the content of psychological and pedagogical disciplines based on interdisciplinary integration with topics related to educational personology, mental health, inclusion, overcoming educational losses, psychodidactics, and media didactics) etc.