FOREIGN EXPERIENCE OF RESEARCH OF VALUES IN THE EDUCATIONAL CONTEXT

Abstract

Modern humanity faces a number of complex challenges, such as the prevalence (especially among young people) of depression, suicide, drug addiction, crime and other negative social phenomena, which are directly determined by the lack of a proper system of values of modern human and society. It is important for the Ukrainian scientific community to study foreign experience in the investigation of values as this issue (as well as the listed challenges of modern civilization) is global in nature and must be solved in global scientific integration. This article analyzes the features and trends of development of foreign studies of value issues in the educational context. The essential structure of the concept of «value» is defined, which, in particular, includes: principles or qualities that express cardinal virtues that make a person worthy of attention and respect; persuasions about what is important in life and what controls people's behavior; spiritual, ideal, eternal categories that reflect the higher goals, ideals to which people aspire; a source of positive emotions and inspiration for ethical actions; criteria for individual and collective assessments of other people’s actions and beliefs; an indicator of a person’s conscience and character, formed by self-education and self-improvement; structured motives of personality. The tendencies of development of value problems are characterized, namely: expansion of responsibility for forming of moral values on the basic public institutes (school, church, non-governmental organizations); development of various forms of social activity / charity as a manifestation of the applied nature of values in the context of modern foreign science and practice. Research results of scientists encourage further analysis of the perception of moral values by student youth in order to identify key areas of self-improvement of young people.