THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS OF THE VALUE-BASED APPROACH TO THE EDUCATION OF PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE NEW UKRAINIAN SCHOOL

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyze the theoretical foundations of the value-based approach to the education of primary school students in the context of the New Ukrainian School. This research is relevant to the national education system, as the level of spirituality and morality, as well as the cultural needs and demands of modern youth, are the most significant levers of national education, ensuring the preservation and augmentation of society’s material and sociospiritual wealth. Therefore, the formation of value orientations among primary school students is an integral part of the modern educational process. The research methodology is based on a combination of theoretical methods such as analysis, synthesis, comparison, classification, and generalization of information from philosophical, psychological, and pedagogical literature regarding the value-based approach to the education of primary school students. These methods made it possible to form an independent perspective on the stated problem. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the definitional analysis of the concepts of "values" and "value orientations" based on an examination of philosophical, psychological, and pedagogical literature. The analysis of literary sources enabled the interpretation of value orientations as a stable, integrative, three-component psychological formation manifested at the emotional-motivational level (attitudes, motives, aspirations, goals, interests, and other psychological realities that reflect the direction of consciousness and form the necessary emotional and sensory foundation for a particular mode of activity), the cognitive level (a set of knowledge and ideas that provide an adequate understanding of values and the system of personal value standards), and the behavioral-creative level (the materialization of knowledge and value attitudes in behavioral programs). This ensures a certain existential position of the individual and characterizes a person’s individual spiritual and cultural existence. Thus, in our study, we understand the value orientations of a primary school student as a stable, integrative, three-component psychological formation that manifests in the child’s emotions and motivation for actions, behavioral responses, and perceptions of their own system of value standards. In the future, this will be realized as a specific existential position of the individual and will become a defining characteristic of their individual spiritual and cultural existence. Conclusions. It has been generalized that understanding the mechanisms of forming value orientations in an individual can contribute to the effective implementation of educational work in primary school. It has been concluded that the theory of values, along with its psychological and pedagogical aspects, can assist educators in preparing students of the New Ukrainian School to choose socially beneficial values that they can follow in their lives.