The concept of fostering love for nature in the pedagogical legacy of Vasyl Sukhomlynsky within contemporary educational research discourse

Abstract

The article provides a theoretical substantiation and develops a concept of fostering love for nature in the pedagogical legacy of V. Sukhomlynsky within the context of contemporary scientific and educational discourse. The relevance of the study is determined by the need to form individuals’ environmental consciousness in the face of escalating ecological challenges, as well as by the growing tendency to diminish the role of the aesthetic component in the educational process. Based on the analysis of scientific sources and pedagogical works of V. Sukhomlynsky, it is demonstrated that his ideas possess significant potential to be interpreted as a holistic ecological and aesthetic system of education that integrates cognitive, emotional-value, and activity-based dimensions of personal development. The article identifies the methodological foundations of the concept, which are based on the integration of axiological, learner-centered, ecological, activity-based, and cultural approaches. The purpose, objectives, principles of implementation, and structural components of fostering love for nature ‒ namely cognitive, emotional-value, and activity-based ‒ are revealed. The pedagogical conditions for the effective implementation of the concept are substantiated, and appropriate forms and methods of organizing the educational process aimed at activating environmentally responsible activities of learners are determined. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the systematization of V. Sukhomlynsky’s pedagogical ideas in the context of contemporary approaches to environmental education and their interpretation as a holistic ecological and aesthetic pedagogical system. The practical significance of the study consists in the possibility of implementing its provisions in educational programs, as well as using them to improve the content, forms, and technologies of environmental education in educational institutions. The prospects for further research are outlined in relation to the digitalization of the educational process, empirical verification of the effectiveness of the concept, and its integration into the international educational space.