Formation of Students’ Legal Consciousness and Civic Position in Higher Education Institutions

Abstract

Introduction. The principles and values, which form and keep functioning the civil society, should be a priority for all the present and future generations of citizens of the country. At the same time, the theoretical understanding of these categories should be backed up by their practical implementation. Therefore, the article aims at conducting the experimental pedagogical study of the problematic aspects of legal consciousness development for enabling a comprehensive assessment of the civic position maturity level of higher education teachers and students.Materials and Methods. The pedagogical activity management process in a Higher Education Institution and the work of tutors served the material for the present research. The research was conducted using a set of general scientific and specific scientific methods targeted at analysis and systematisation of the relevant materials, as well as at practical and experimental investigation.Results. The content of educators’ and students’ work on development of self-consciousness was considered during both in-class and extracurricular activities. Among the fundamental principles of the pedagogical activity management, the principles of legal consciousness and citizenship, democracy, as well as tolerance and civic actions engagement experience were defined. The features of tutors' work targeted at students’ legal consciousness and civic position formation were also analysed. In addition, the article focused at the need to form and strengthen partnerships with the general public, educational institutions, authorities and business.Discussion and Conclusions. The manageability of the civic self-consciousness development process has been revealed as the main result of the authors’ analytical research. The essential pedagogical requirements for this process have been distinguished: setting up interaction among all participants of this process both during educational as well as extracurricular activities, considering student professional training specifics and involvement of the general public into the process of self-consciousness development. The need to sensitize the teaching methods fostering students’ legal consciousness and citizenship formation has also been mentioned among the pedagogical requirements. The efficiency has been proved of setting up the temporary pedagogical communities of experts working directly with students and elaborating the specialised approaches designated to form the above-mentioned qualities in students through promotion of the special topics and issues within the curricula courses, the study of which can multiply the efficiency of the civil legal consciousness development efforts. The tutor activities programme aimed at students’ civic position formation has been worked out and suggested; step-by-step monitoring of students’ civic position formation process has also been envisaged.