School-family Interaction in Forming Adolescents’ National Identity: the Ukrainian Pedagogical Experience

Abstract

The paper highlights the issue of school-family interaction in forming adolescents’ national identity in the settings of the Ukrainian school on the basis of synthesizing the findings of humanistic psychology and pedagogy, Socratic pedagogy, ethics of care and culturally relevant pedagogy. The theoretical foundations of the concept “national identity” are considered. National identity is viewed as one of the components of individual social identity which refers to the life activity of individuals in a particular culture of a state and reflects the deep spiritual ties within society. Regarding national identity as a social construction in the system of individual identity, it is stated that its understanding and significance can change under the influence of various circumstances, and change quite quickly due to psychological as well as sociocultural contexts. According to the authors of the paper, the essence of the national identity of an adolescent is manifested in the subjective experience of belonging to the Ukrainian people, Ukrainian nation, conscious acceptance of moral values, and characterized by the identification and formation of the corresponding national self-concept on the basis of national dignity, responsibility for the destiny of the native land, love for Ukraine, and the desire and readiness to protect Ukraine. The Ukrainian pedagogical experience of school-family interaction in forming adolescents' national identity through the methods of psychological and pedagogical diagnostics and counseling, interactive methods and methods of encouraging reflexivity is outlined.