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DOI: https://doi.org/10.34069/AI/2023.72.12.4
How to Cite:
Sovhira, S., Braslavska, O., Rozhi, I., Dushechkina, N., & Ieresko, O. (2023). Environmental culture in ecologists: keys to their
professional training. Amazonia Investiga, 12(72), 45-58. https://doi.org/10.34069/AI/2023.72.12.4
Environmental culture in ecologists: keys to their professional training
Екологічна культура екологів: ключі до їх професійної підготовки
Received: November 9, 2023 Accepted: December 28, 2023
Written by:
Svitlana Sovhira1
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8742-7773
Oksana Braslavska2
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0852-686X
Inna Rozhi3
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7950-525X
Nataliia Dushechkina4
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4203-7122
Oleh Ieresko5
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4630-5868
Abstract
The article reveals the pedagogical conditions for
the formation of the environmental culture of
ecologists in the process of preparation for
professional activity. An important component of
the environmental culture of ecologists is the
creation of the desired structure or order in nature
and the education of high humanistic life values and
guidelines in human life. The components that are
important in the formation of the environmental
culture of ecologists are singled out. The main
functions required by environmental education,
which must be taken into account when training
ecologists, are highlighted. Based on the analysis of
the environmental culture of the individual, the
article defines its integrative essence, the content of
environmental education, and pedagogical
conditions for its successful implementation.
Having analyzed the ecological culture of the
individual, revealing its integrative essence and the
content of environmental education, we conducted
an experimental study to confirm the applicability,
optimality, and effectiveness of the proposed
pedagogical conditions for the formation of the
environmental culture of an ecologist. The results
1
Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor, Professor of the Department of Chemistry, Ecology and Methods of Teaching, Pavlo
Tychyna Uman State Pedagogical University, Ukraine. WoS Researcher ID: D-9438-2019
2
Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor, Head of the Department of Geography and Methods of Teaching, Рavlo Tychyna Uman
State Pedagogical University, Ukraine. WoS Researcher ID: BBD-6664-2021
3
Ph.D. in Pedagogy, Docent of the Department of Geography and Methods of Teaching, Pavlo Tychyna Uman State Pedagogical
University, Ukraine. WoS Researcher ID: GQH-3032-2022
4
Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor, Associate Professor of the Department of Chemistry, Ecology and Methods
of their Training, Pavlo Tychyna Uman State Pedagogical University, Ukraine. WoS Researcher ID: D-8642-2019
5
Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Pedagogy Department, National University of Life and Environmental
Sciences of Ukraine, Ukraine. WoS Researcher ID: IZP-5348-2023
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of the experimental study confirmed the
applicability, optimality, and effectiveness of the
proposed pedagogical conditions for the formation
of the environmental culture of an ecologist in the
process of professional training.
Keywords: environmental culture, pedagogical
conditions, ecologists, professional activity,
ecological education.
Introduction
Nowadays, not only the flora and fauna, but all
natural resources are on the verge of exhaustion.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, 30-40
years ago, only one species of animal
disappeared every day on Earth, and now one
species disappears in just 1 hour. In the
conditions of such a situation, which can be
called a crisis, it is important to raise the
environmental education of the entire population
of the planet to a high level, to activate the spread
of ecological knowledge, to form an
environmental culture among the population, and
in particular, first of all, the environmental
culture of student youth. So, we see the threat to
life and human civilization posed by the global
problems of today, which cause the need for
environmental education and become quite
relevant in the modern information society
(Diachenko-Bohun et al., 2019). Environmental
education for the entire population of the planet
must be actively implemented in the practice of
preschool and school life of each individual and
continue throughout the life of a person. But, as
experience shows, many teachers are not ready to
organize and carry out ecological and
pedagogical activities in educational institutions.
This leads to the fact that the environmental
knowledge of education seekers is formed at a
low level (Stetsula & Orshanskyi, 2023).
Therefore, high-quality natural education for
future ecologists, and biology teachers, able to
interest students in education, familiarize them
with the methods of scientific research
(description, experiment, observation, synthesis,
analysis, explanation, classification, etc.), arouse
their interest in ecological and biological
research, to encourage cognitive, educational and
research activity by one's own example)
(Rudyshyn et al., 2023).
The search for ways of interaction between
harmonious nature and society leads to the
formation of the theory and practice of
environmental education, an intensive process of
environmentalization of the general culture of
mankind, and in this matter, the preparation of
ecologists for professional activities and their
activities to improve the stability of
environmental education for the entire
population of the planet is important.
There is a contradiction between the insufficient
development of this problem in the educational
field and the general recognition of the need for
environmental education. Therefore, the
purposeful process of the formation of ecological
knowledge and the formation of the
environmental culture of ecologists during the
professional and practical training of a modern
specialist is one of the main ones today.
Therefore, we analyze the literature that reveals
research on the preparation of ecologists for
professional activities and ways of forming the
environmental culture of ecologists.
The training of competent specialists for
environmental activities in the professional
sphere, and the formation of environmental
culture in them is one of the main levers in
solving the environmental problems of Ukraine,
the urgent issue is the training of citizens with a
high level of environmental awareness and
culture.
However, the problem of forming the ecological
culture of future specialists in the field of ecology
remains insufficiently studied. In particular, the
problem of the formation of the environmental
culture of ecologists has not been studied until
now.
The topicality of the problem, its insufficient
theoretical and practical development, and the
need to resolve certain contradictions led to the
choice of the topic of our article.
In the context of environmental education, the
following aspects are highlighted in the article:
the components that are important in the
formation of environmental culture of ecologists
are characterized; the main functions of
Sovhira, S., Braslavska, O., Rozhi, I., Dushechkina, N., Ieresko, O. / Volume 12 - Issue 72: 45-58 / December, 2023
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environmental education, which must be taken
into account when training specialists in ecology,
are defined; the formation of environmental
culture of ecologists during preparation for
professional activity is characterized; computer
multimedia educational programs used for the
formation of environmental culture of ecologists
during preparation for professional activities in
the educational process of a higher educational
institution are selected; student interviews of the
group are highlighted; the integrative essence,
the content of environmental education and the
pedagogical conditions for its successful
implementation are determined; the general tasks
of the experiment and the implementation of
pedagogical conditions for the formation of
ecological culture of ecologists are disclosed.
Literature review
For natural science pedagogical education, one of
the leading directions for the realization of its
humanistic goals is to acquaint students with the
global problems of the modern world, which are
solved through the unity of natural and
humanitarian knowledge. Hence, the task of the
higher school arises, which should ensure the
formation of environmental competence and
readiness of future specialists to implement the
educational principles of sustainable
development of society.
The theoretical and methodological foundations
of the substantiation of the principles and
approaches to the construction of a system of
continuous environmental education in
educational institutions of various levels were
implemented by T. Safranov (2021), he analyzes
the state of higher environmental education,
defines the socio-economic foundations of
society, and describes the environmental
component of education, which is a basic
component of state environmental policy.
Also, T. Saienko, & S. Boichenko (2013) raise
questions regarding the relevance and
development of the system of environmental
higher education on the example of technical
universities. Scientists have shown the
determining factors of the formation of a nature-
harmonious, harmonious, eco-safe society and
revealed the components of education for
balanced sustainable development of society; it is
proved on the actual material that in times of
global ecological crisis, the spread of eco-
pedagogy is a necessary condition in the
direction of noosphere genesis and is a basic
component of the process of transformation of
society.
The process of developing the environmental
competence of students is considered through the
prism of the formation of a cognitive component,
environmental values, and motives for behavior
in the environment, which are determined by
external educational and educational influences,
the level of development of environmental self-
awareness and culture of the individual and its
activities. The formation of environmental
culture, consciousness, and worldview of
students of higher education institutions was
studied by N. Stetsula, & L. Orshanskyi (2023),
they used the example of pedagogical institutions
of higher education, talk about the need for
modern ecological training of teachers of natural
sciences.
The formation of environmental competence at
various stages of personality ontogenesis has
been the subject of scientific research
S. Rudyshyn, O. Lutsenko, A. Kmets, &
V. Konenko (2023) give concrete examples of
the importance of educational and research
activities of future biology teachers and
ecologists in the practice and theory of their
professional training; The possibilities and role
of the school's ecological and biological office
are shown.
In turn, the scientists of Ibero-American
countries consider the problem of
environmentalization of education and pay
attention to the importance of environmental
knowledge in the process of forming the
ecological culture of the individual. Such
scientists as D. Ludwig, & L. Poliseli (2018), in
the article, describe the current debates about the
integration of traditional and academic
ecological knowledge (TEK and AEK) struggle
with a dilemma of division and assimilation.
R. González Salas, M. Vidal del Río, I. Pimienta
Concepción, & C. Lizcano Chapeta (2021),
conduct research to form an environmental
culture in the student body. Y. Pérez,
N. Y. Bravo, & I. Valdés, (2017) define a new
definition of ecological culture based on research
conducted at the University of Cienfuegos, which
aims to consider it as a process and the result of
formative environmental influences that allow a
university professor to understand, explain and
guide the cognitive activity, practical, axiological
(or evaluative) and communicative, oriented to
the preservation of the environment of his
students. The authors, based on the formulated
concept of the models, determine the process
results, indicators, criteria for evaluation, and
tools that will be presented to professors,
managers, and specialists of the university to
practically confirm the development achieved by
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the teachers of the environmental culture of
universities.
According to the scientists of Ibero-American
countries, there is an emphasis on the need to
green the entire educational process, which will
enable the formation of a high environmental
culture in the world's youth. The formation of the
ecological culture of ecologists requires, first of
all, a high level of ecological culture of the
teacher, and his ecological and methodological
literacy.
So, the results of the analysis of scientific and
methodological literature allow us to see the
analysis of the formation of the current state and
prospects of higher environmental education,
which scientists consider the central link of the
entire continuous system. The analysis
conducted by scientists of the current state of
environmental education in institutions of higher
education, and the analysis of curricula and
educational programs of many non-ecological
and ecological specialties, notes the absence or
insufficiency of the ecological component, that
is, in the training of specialists, due attention is
not paid to the environmentalization of higher
education.
The analysis of pedagogical, educational, and
methodological literature on the topic of the
study allows us to outline the contradictions that
prove the need to improve the process of forming
the ecological culture of ecologists, in particular,
between:
− modern requirements for the level of
ecological and professional training of
future ecologists and the actual state of their
training in educational institutions;
− the public need for highly qualified
specialists in the field of ecology,
competitive in the labor market, and the real
level of formation of their environmental
culture;
− the need for end-to-end
environmentalization of the content of the
educational process and the need for
educational programs of professional
training that will contribute to the
improvement of the quality of professional
environmental education and culture;
− the expediency of future specialists'
formation of ecological knowledge and
skills regarding the preservation and
improvement of the environment and the
inadequacy of scientifically based modern
pedagogical technologies, the
implementation of which ensures the
effectiveness of this process.
Since in recent years, there has been insufficient
public interest in the training of ecologists, it is
therefore advisable to investigate what measures
are worthwhile for the formation of the
environmental culture of ecologists in
preparation for professional activities.
Goal: to propose and verify the effectiveness of
pedagogical conditions for the formation of the
environmental culture of ecologists in
preparation for professional activity.
Methodology
Logical basis of the research is the philosophical
propositions of the scientific theory of
knowledge of social phenomena: about the unity
of activity, consciousness, and mental
neoplasms; about harmonious and integral
development of the personality, interrelationship,
and interdependence of axiological and
anthropometric approaches in the socialization of
the personality, development of his spiritual
cultures The specific methodology of the
research was based on the ideas of the theory of
the activity essence of a person and his creative
activity, educational concepts of integrity as a
principle of social phenomena and processes, a
systemic approach with a multi-level and
comprehensive analysis of objects pedagogical
activity.
The practical significance of the research lies in
the introduction of pedagogical conditions into
the educational process of educational
institutions (the development of the general
culture of the individual as a prerequisite for the
formation of the environmental culture of
ecologists, the purposeful design of an
informational and ecological educational
environment, ensuring the positive motivation of
future ecologists for the formation of an
ecological culture, fostering the need for constant
professional self-improvement in future
ecologists, the inclusion of future ecologists in
environmental protection activities).
To achieve the goal, the methods of scientific
knowledge, which are generally scientific, were
used:
− theoretical – study and analysis of
psychological-pedagogical, philosophical,
methodical literature, scientific work of
scientists on the problem of the formation of
the environmental culture of ecologists in
preparation for professional activity – to
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outline the conceptual boundaries of the
researched problem;
− modeling – to develop ways of forming the
environmental culture of ecologists in
preparation for professional activity;
comparison of the obtained data – to clarify
dependencies and cause-and-effect
relationships;
− analogy, logical-systemic analysis,
classification, deduction, induction, and
generalization of practical and scientific-
theoretical data – to determine the
pedagogical conditions for the formation of
the environmental culture of ecologists in
preparation for professional activity;
− empirical – observations, questionnaires,
tests, and methods – to find out ways of
implementing pedagogical conditions and
checking their effectiveness for the
formation of the environmental culture of
ecologists in preparation for professional
activity;
− pedagogical experiment (declarative,
formative) – to check the effectiveness of the
specified pedagogical conditions for the
formation of the environmental culture of
ecologists in preparation for professional
activity.
Having analyzed the environmental culture of the
individual, revealing its integrative essence and
the content of environmental education, we
conducted an experimental study to confirm the
applicability, optimality, and effectiveness of the
proposed pedagogical conditions for the
formation of the environmental culture of an
ecologist in the process of professional training.
During the empirical research, the activities of all
subjects of professional training were studied. As
part of the empirical research, the documentation
was studied, the classes and activities conducted
by teachers to form the environmental culture of
higher education students, the organization of
scientific and methodical work, the activities of
teachers in the training of ecologists, the role of
the administration's management activities in the
formation of the environmental culture of
ecologists were analyzed. More than 800 people
participated in the empirical study.
The purpose of the experiment: to check the
effectiveness of the pedagogical conditions
identified by us on the formation of the
environmental culture of ecologists.
The implementation of the pedagogical
experiment was carried out in three stages:
preparatory, main, and final.
At the preparatory stage, the purpose and tasks of
the research were determined, the experimental
plan was developed, methods of measurement
and processing of results were selected, control
and experimental groups were selected, and their
homogeneity was checked.
At the main stage, an experiment was conducted.
At the final stage, the results of the experiment
were analyzed, their reliability was confirmed,
and conclusions were drawn about the
pedagogical effect of the experiment.
The following research methods were used in the
experiment: observation, conversation, and
testing. The conducted analysis allows us to
conclude that at the ascertainment stage of the
experiment, most ecologists do not have
sufficiently formed knowledge and skills of the
ecological element.
The reliability and validity of the obtained
results, and the objectivity of their assessment
were ensured by the methodological soundness
of the initial positions and the qualitative
mechanism for evaluating the quality under
study, the use of a complex of complementary
research methods, and the involvement of a
group of respondents from a higher educational
institution in the analysis of its results.
To assess the homogeneity of experimental and
control data, statistical processing was performed
using MS Excel and SPSS (Statistical Package
for Social Science).
The results of the experimental study confirmed
the applicability, optimality, and effectiveness of
the proposed pedagogical conditions for the
formation of the environmental culture of an
ecologist in the process of professional training.
Results and discusión
Environmental education is a holistic cultural
phenomenon, a combination of the processes of
education, training, and personality
development. Nowadays, all the countries of the
world community are faced with solving the
environmental and acute socio-economic
problems of the planet. The international
regulatory and legal educational base of the last
decade emphasizes the need for effective
environmental education for all mankind. It is
this that determines the need for environmental
culture and consciousness, which correspond to
and are based on new criteria for assessing the
relationship between nature and human society
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and contribute to the preparation of citizens with
a high level of ecological knowledge and, first of
all, the formation of the environmental culture of
ecologists (Rubel, 2013).
1. Components that are important in the
formation of the environmental culture of
ecologists
In the context of environmental education,
scientists single out the following components
that are important in the formation of the
environmental culture of ecologists:
− scientific knowledge about connections and
relationships in the system "man – society –
nature" (a system of concepts, ideas, and
regularities that represent the reflection of
moral, technical, philosophical, and legal
aspects of ecology in their development);
− knowledge about appropriate methods of
individual activity and its environmental
culture in the natural environment;
− the experience of the emotional and value
attitude of humanity to the formation of the
environmental culture of the individual and
nature, which includes value orientations,
feelings, beliefs, motives based on which the
environmental culture of a person is formed
and the readiness for practical activities and
awareness of a person's place in the world;
− experience in practical, creative
environmental activities to form the
environmental culture of the individual.
All forms and types of human activity related to
the rational solution of the environmental
problem are included in such activities for all
social activity and environmentalization of social
production; an environmental culture is formed,
which covers various types of human activity:
both in the ideal and in the material spheres
related to the development, knowledge,
preservation, and transformation of the
environment (Stefankiv & Maksymovych,
2012). Such components are important in the
formation of the environmental culture of
ecologists. It should be noted that the
professional training of ecologists is an important
and necessary component of the ecological
education of mankind. After all, the professional
staff of environmental protection and the field of
protection are specialists whose training ensures
successful activity in all-natural diversity, helps
to solve problems, and fulfills the tasks set for the
ecological sphere at the modern stage (Starovoit,
2005).
Among the strategic main directions of the
modern development of environmental education
is the development of cooperation in the field of
science of international relations, environmental
education, environmental protection,
preservation of the biosphere and civilization,
and rational use of natural resources. This
strategic direction, in our opinion, is especially
important in the formation of the environmental
culture of ecologists, in their professional
training, because the peculiarity of the future
professional activity of an ecologist is the
solution to professional issues in a global
dimension not only within the borders of one
country but also far beyond its borders (González
et al., 2021). As the most important means of
professional communication for future ecologists
in the conditions of constant expansion of
international contacts and development, perfect
knowledge of a foreign language enables the
formation of an environmental culture in
preparation for the professional activities of
ecologists and the entire community and causes
increased motivation in language learning (Sura,
2005).
The general goal of the formation of
environmental culture of ecologists during
foreign language professional training of future
ecologists is to ensure their readiness in the
academic and professional environment for
effective communication, that is, their behavior
in real situations of professional and academic
life. Communication in a foreign language will
allow the future specialist to secure a worthy
place not only in the domestic but also in the
global labor market (Rubel, 2013).
2. The main functions of environmental
education, which must be taken into
account when training specialists in
ecology
Let us name the main functions required by
environmental education, which must be taken
into account when training specialists in ecology:
1) formation of ecologically adequate ideas
about relationships in nature itself and the
system "Man – Nature – Society". This
enables the individual to learn how and what
is happening in the natural world, between
nature and society, between man and nature,
and how, from the point of view of
ecological expediency, it is worth acting;
2) formation of a system of skills, abilities, and
strategies of interactions with nature;
3) forming an attitude towards the natural
world. Ecological knowledge guarantees
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ecologically appropriate behavior of the
individual under the condition of an
appropriate attitude towards nature;
4) performance of an important informative
function, since ecology provides a person
with extensive information about natural
resources that provide the material basis for
the existence of an individual, about the
natural environment, clarifies the place of a
person in nature, reveals his connections
with the universe and it;
5) the development of communicative effective
interaction of professional communication
in a foreign language environment,
regardless of the educational and social
status of a person, the communicative
capabilities of the individual through the
clarification of concepts that serve as an
important component of the modern
communicative minimum of each
individual;
6) environmental education and culture form
the personality of a person and citizen,
developing their psycho-emotional and
intellectual spheres, providing an
opportunity to think logically in preparation
for professional activity and throughout life,
forming an attitude towards nature as the
world of their existence, form in ecologists
the ability to predict the consequences of
their behavior in society and nature, to
realize the destiny of the earth as one's own,
and one's destiny as the destiny of the earth
(Diachenko-Bohun et al., 2019).
Innovative technologies in education are a
mandatory element of the formation of the
environmental culture of ecologists in
preparation for professional activities to achieve
high-quality education, i.e. competitive
education, which would be capable of providing
each environmental specialist with creative self-
assertion in various social spheres, contributed to
the creation of conditions for independent
achievement of any goal by the environmental
specialist (Silva & Ramos, 2023).
3. Formation of ecological culture of
ecologists during preparation for
professional activity
The formation of the environmental culture of
ecologists during preparation for professional
activity is characterized by the following:
− empirical orientation – conducting
innovative classes developed by teachers in
various areas of environmental education;
− theoretical orientation – improvement of the
created integrated and innovative courses of
environmental direction, combining
numerous subjects provided by the curricula.
Innovative technologies show students of higher
education "the world as a whole", overcoming
the disciplinary diversity of the scientific
presentation of the material. Freed up due to such
an approach to education, the educational time is
used to implement full-fledged profile
differentiation in the educational process. After
all, 98% of students in higher education consider
the computer a work tool. And only a small
proportion of students consider it necessary for
entertainment and as an opportunity to
communicate with friends.
4. Computer multimedia educational
programs are used for the formation of
the environmental culture of ecologists
during preparation for professional
activities in the educational process of a
higher educational institution
Computer multimedia educational programs
used for the formation of the environmental
culture of ecologists during preparation for
professional activities in the educational process
of a higher education institution allow:
− to convey a larger volume of educational
material in a minimum time than when
working from a textbook;
− timely and quickly replenish theoretical
information with new events and
environmental facts (Dovhopola, 2019).
During the formation of the environmental
culture of ecologists during preparation for
professional activities, video clips, and voice
accompaniment, bright pictures on the topic
cause great interest, which contributes to a more
effective discussion during the discussion of a
certain topic. A more pronounced individual
approach is facilitated by the use of computer
technology. The use of computer multimedia
programs increases the effectiveness of
education and takes into account the individual
characteristics of the student (Omonov &
Nomozov, 2022).
An important aspect of the intellectual
development of the individual in the process of
forming the environmental culture of ecologists
is the development of figurative thinking, which
ensures in the process of cognition the selection
of spatial relations and properties in the
phenomena and objects of reality, the creation of
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three-dimensional images on this basis and
operation in the process of solving environmental
problems with them (Bida et al., 2021).
An important component of any creative activity
is imaginative thinking, which is based on the use
of flexible associations of moving tasks of
ecological content. The effectiveness of
assimilation of the material during its study has a
special influence on the level of development of
figurative thinking, which constantly requires not
only the operation of images but also the creation
of images during the formation of the
environmental culture of ecologists
(Diachenko-Bohun et al., 2019).
The quasi-professional activity of ecologists in
preparation for professional activity is organized
with the help of the specifics of the real
educational process of teaching biology and
ecology in educational institutions, the
relationship between the teacher and students of
education, modeling in laboratory-practical
classes the conditions of environmentalization of
education (Zavelevsky et al., 2022).
Specific situations-tasks were modeled by us in
the "Methodology of teaching ecology" classes.
As an example, the following tasks were
proposed for the formation of the environmental
culture of ecologists in preparation for
professional activity: demonstrate an experiment
to confirm a certain physiological process,
organize a thematic survey, simulate fragments
of various types of classes using an excursion
into nature, interactive teaching methods,
organize an ecological game, observation on the
pre-school educational and research plot, in a
corner of living nature and directly in nature,
which allowed students to feel like a practical
specialist.
Within the framework of a modern classroom
lesson on environmental disciplines, special
attention should be directed by the teacher to the
planning of cognitive, educational, and
independent activities of students (Stetsula &
Orshanskyi, 2023).
For the formation of the environmental culture of
ecologists during preparation for professional
activity, professional practice is important, and
interactive forms of organization of training of
higher education students are mandatory
(Ivanchuk et al., 2023).
Industrial practice is an essential period for a
student to work as an ecologist. Failures that
occur during pedagogical practice. Due to the
lack of formation of the environmental culture of
specialists, they push students away from the
future profession and reduce the desire to work,
internal and external positive motivation is
usually transformed into an external negative
one. Therefore, students need the help of
methodologists and teachers. The above
contributes to the successful entry of the future
specialist into the professional environment,
which in turn ensures the professional
development of an ecologist and is a prevention
of maladaptation. Student interview groups were
created for interns to avoid difficulties that arose
in the process of practice, they were allowed to
receive daily individual consultations from
methodologists and ecologists.
5. Student group interviews
Student interview groups, which were created
for:
− understanding, systematized vision, analysis
of one's own professional behavior and
professional actions, as well as awareness of
professional mistakes;
− mutual cooperation in the process of
pedagogical practice and professional
cooperation of trainee students, which
provided them with the necessary
knowledge;
− self-development and reflection;
− effective analysis of the quality and
appropriateness of the technologies and
methods of the educational process used by
them during practice, adaptation to the
future profession, exchange of experience,
formation of professional skills, and
practical and theoretical process during
professional development;
− involvement of all participants of the
intervention group in the group solution of
problematic professional situations.
Interviews were aimed at solving difficulties
from the general organization of the educational
process and from a specific topic. The proposed
interactive technology for the formation of the
environmental culture of ecologists in
preparation for professional activities involves a
certain stage: the creation of an intervention
group (5-6 people); choosing a group moderator;
definition of group work rules; individual
announcement of each of the participants of a
personal problem that arose during practice; the
choice for everyone of an actual problem for
further mutual discussion (Dovhopola, 2019).
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Group work, research activities, and work in
pairs on projects with the use of modern
equipment are of great importance for the
formation of the environmental culture of
ecologists in preparation for professional
activity.
Due to the combination of modern information
communication and pedagogical technologies, it
is possible to improve the quality of professional
training of future ecologists, to form an
environmental culture. Web quests are an
example of such effective integration. Based on
the use of information technologies, we will
implement project-based training. Therefore, it is
effective to conduct a web quest from the
"Ecology" course based on the Google Blogger
service with a detailed description of the process
of completing all tasks. The formed educational
and research skills of students, future ecologists,
are improved during laboratory and practical
classes, and their professional skills are improved
during the implementation of research tasks of
field practice in ecology, zoology, genetics, etc.
The digital measuring complex is widely used in
these classes. The devices of the complex make
it possible to study the reaction of plants to the
degree of illumination, pH of the environment,
etc (Bondar et al., 2015).
Educational excursions are an integral part of the
formation of educational and research abilities
and skills and contribute to the formation of the
environmental culture of ecologists. Students, in
natural conditions during educational excursions:
collect material, investigate objects, perform
scientific works, and get involved in the creation
of an ecological trail (Rudyshyn et al., 2023).
6. Integrative nature, content of
environmental education, and
pedagogical conditions for its successful
implementation
Based on the analysis of the environmental
culture of the individual, its integrative essence,
the content of environmental education, and the
pedagogical conditions for its successful
implementation were determined:
1) creation of an innovative material and
technical base in institutions of higher
education, with the help of which, through
independent educational and research
activities and cognitive activity, the
searching and creative abilities of future
ecologists are developed;
2) innovative technologies in education are a
mandatory element of the formation of the
environmental culture of ecologists in
preparation for professional activity;
3) a high and perfect level of proficiency in a
professionally oriented foreign language,
which leads to the reorganization of the
process of modern training of future
ecologists for the formation of an
environmental culture of ecologists;
4) the development of figurative thinking,
which ensures in the process of cognition the
selection of the reality of spatial relations
and properties in phenomena and objects,
the creation of three-dimensional images;
5) based on the contextual approach of
applying quasi-professional activities,
which is implemented by modeling future
professional activities;
6) professional practice with the use of
interactive forms of organization of training
of higher education seekers;
7) introduction of group work, research
activities, and work in pairs on projects
using modern equipment for the formation
of the environmental culture of ecologists.
Having analyzed the environmental culture of the
individual, revealing its integrative essence and
the content of environmental education, we
conducted an experimental study to confirm the
applicability, optimality, and effectiveness of the
proposed pedagogical conditions for the
formation of the environmental culture of an
ecologist in the process of professional training.
During the empirical research, the activities of all
subjects of professional training were studied. As
part of the empirical research, the documentation
was studied, the classes and activities conducted
by teachers to form the environmental culture of
higher education students, the organization of
scientific and methodical work, the activities of
teachers in the training of ecologists, the role of
the administration's management activities in the
formation of the environmental culture of
ecologists were analyzed. More than 800 people
participated in the empirical study.
We will present in detail the experimental part
regarding the verification of the effectiveness of
the pedagogical conditions for the formation of
the environmental culture of ecologists that we
have identified.
The purpose of the experiment: to check the
effectiveness of the pedagogical conditions
identified by us on the formation of the
environmental culture of ecologists.
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7. General tasks of the experiment and the
implementation of pedagogical conditions
for the formation of environmental
culture of ecologists
General tasks of the experiment:
− Implement pedagogical conditions for the
formation of the environmental culture of
ecologists.
− Obtain quantitative and qualitative data to
verify the reliability of the experimental
results.
Methods of data acquisition: observation, testing,
and study of the products of scientific and
methodical work in the preparation of ecologists.
The experiment included the following stages:
preparatory, ascertaining, and formative.
The main goals of the preparatory stage: working
out individual substantive and procedural means,
and preparation of experimental material
necessary for the next stages of the experiment.
The realization of the set goals required the
definition of tasks:
1) on the development of nomenclature of
goals and educational tasks of all types and
organizational forms of scientific and
methodical work;
2) regarding the adjustment of the plans of
scientific and methodical work of
educational institutions, which, according to
the goals of the study, are included in the
experiment;
3) regarding the selection of interactive forms
and methods of organizing scientific and
methodological work;
4) selection and development of diagnostic
questionnaires and tests.
The purpose of the ascertainment stage of the
experiment was to identify the initial level of
formation of components, elements, and levels.
The results of the ascertaining stage of the
experiment were also used as motivators to
intensify the participation of ecologists in
scientific and methodological work to form the
environmental culture of ecologists. The main
tasks of the ascertainment stage of the
experiment were as follows:
1) measure the level of formation of the
environmental culture of ecologists and its
individual components;
2) interpret the received data.
The following research methods were used:
observation, conversation, and testing.
The conducted analysis allows us to conclude
that at the ascertainment stage of the experiment,
most ecologists do not have sufficiently formed
knowledge and skills of the ecological element.
We had experimental groups "A", "B", "C", and
control – group "D".
As the research shows, ecologists of groups "A"
and "B" have formed an environmental culture at
a high level, the ability to manage the processes
of self-learning, self-development, and self-
education (50.0; 48.3%). The high-level
indicator is lower in groups "C" – 35.8; "D" –
32.8%. It should be noted that in group "D" the
result of the formation of environmental culture
was found at the lowest level. We attribute this to
the need to more effectively stimulate the
processes of forming an environmental culture in
a higher educational institution. Ecologists of all
groups showed a stable average level in the
formation of environmental culture (53.6; 58.3;
50.0; 67.2%). Thus, all aspects of the functional
element are sufficiently developed.
Ecologists of the "B" group found indicators of
an average level: 55.0% of respondents know the
content of some ecological functions. An
additional study using the questionnaire
"Formation of environmental culture of
ecologists", conducted in this group, confirmed
this result. Data on the formation of the
operational component correlate with the results
of the development of the informational
component of this level of environmental culture
formation. The analysis of the scaling data
showed that the respondents do not realize the
importance of implementing pedagogical
conditions for the formation of the environmental
culture of ecologists.
The teachers of groups "A", "C" and "D"
demonstrated the predominance of low (28.6;
30.4; 25.9%) and medium (46.4; 50; 65.5%)
levels of formation of this indicator. Teachers of
group "B" showed a high (30.0%) and average
(63.4%) level.
The formation of the components of the
functional element of environmental culture only
at the level of co-management has lower
indicators. The majority of respondents of groups
"A", "B" and "D" are poorly familiar with the
content of environmental culture (60.7; 82.1;
79.3%), and 45.1% of respondents of group "B"
know only parts of such functions of the
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formation of environmental culture and the need
to improve the practical component in the
formation of environmental culture.
Respondents can recognize only some aspects of
the environmentalist's activity style (50.0; 63.4;
48.2; 67.2%) and environmental culture (60.7;
51.7; 53.5; 70.8%). Moreover, some respondents
showed zero (7.1; 0; 3.6; 1.7%) and low (17.9;
16.6; 30.4; 17.2%) levels. The respondents are
fully aware of the need to introduce pedagogical
conditions for the formation of environmental
culture in the educational process (71.4; 60.0;
57.1; 50.0%), but they do not fully understand
their significance for successful career activities.
The conducted analysis made it possible to reveal
weak theoretical training in the field of
environmental culture formation of future
specialists, which does not make it possible to
carry out high-quality professional activities of
ecologists, combining theory and practice, which
confirms the need for the application of
pedagogical conditions for the formation of
environmental culture of ecologists.
The results of scaling allow us to conclude the
level of possession of environmental knowledge,
skills, and value orientations of education
seekers.
In all groups, except group "B", there is no
prevailing level of formation of the ecological
element of the students' culture, since the results
are divided approximately equally between low,
medium, and high levels (approximately 30-35%
at each level). A small number of respondents
showed a zero level of the studied element. In
group "B" the predominant levels are high
(44.3%) and medium (34.1%).
The results of the level of self-governance of the
ecological element show that 53.6 have a high
level of knowledge of their personal
characteristics of environmental culture; 36.7;
28.6; 29.3% of respondents. At the same time,
the low level is shown at 28.6; 6.7; 26.8; 44.8%
of respondents, believing that they are clearly
aware of only their intellectual features. This fact
is explained by the weak formation of the
respondents' abilities to apply self-knowledge
methods (28.6; 3.3; 25.0; 25.9%) to form an
environmental culture. The surveyed
respondents also have knowledge of ecological
mechanisms of self-adaptation at low (42.9; 35.0;
37.5; 37.9%) and medium (42.9; 43.3; 46.4;
44.8%) levels.
Summarizing the analysis of the culture scaling
results, we can come to the disappointing
conclusion that in the ascertainment stage of the
experiment, the level of environmental culture of
the ecologist is approximately the same among
the respondents of the control and experimental
groups. It is necessary to emphasize the
correlation of the presented results of different
groups with each other, which allows us to
conclude the representativeness of the obtained
data from the point of view of determining the
leading trends in the formation of environmental
culture.
Table 1.
Distribution of respondents by levels of environmental culture formation
Group
Levels of formation of environmental culture among respondents
1
2
3
4
Control "D"
5
16
20
17
Experimental "A"
4
7
10
7
Experimental "В"
3
12
23
22
Experimental "С"
5
16
18
17
In general, the following conclusions can be
drawn from the experiment:
− the respondents do not have the necessary
level of environmental culture, and their
activities and scientific-methodical work in
the institution of higher education in itself do
not ensure its formation properly;
− the level of formation of knowledge and
skills in the formation of environmental
culture of all components among all
participants of the experiment is low.
During the formative stage of the experiment, the
target, substantive, and procedural components
of the environmental culture of specialists were
implemented and the effectiveness of the
pedagogical conditions for the formation of
environmental culture that we identified were
verified.
For the respondents of the experimental groups,
we have developed scenarios of various
organizational forms of scientific and methodical
work using interactive methods for the
implementation of pedagogical conditions for the
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formation of the environmental culture of
ecologists:
1) creation of an innovative material and
technical base in institutions of higher
education, with the help of which, through
independent educational and research
activities and cognitive activity, the
searching and creative abilities of future
ecologists are developed;
2) innovative technologies in education are a
mandatory element of the formation of the
environmental culture of ecologists in
preparation for professional activity;
3) a high and perfect level of proficiency in a
professionally oriented foreign language,
which leads to the reorganization of the
process of modern training of future
ecologists for the formation of an
environmental culture of ecologists;
4) the development of figurative thinking,
which ensures in the process of cognition the
selection of the reality of spatial relations
and properties in phenomena and objects,
the creation of three-dimensional images;
5) based on the contextual approach of
applying quasi-professional activities,
which is implemented by modeling future
professional activities;
6) professional practice with the use of
interactive forms of organization of training
of higher education seekers;
7) introduction of group work, research
activities, and work in pairs on projects
using modern equipment for the formation
of the environmental culture of ecologists.
As a result of the experiment, a continuous
purposeful pedagogical observation of the
activities of the students of higher education was
carried out. The obtained data showed that the
respondents of groups "A" and "C" welcomed the
use of pedagogical conditions. The members of
the "B" group took a more relaxed approach to
this but agreed with the need for their
implementation. In general, the participation of
respondents in scientific and methodological
work on the formation of environmental culture
has significantly increased.
Conversations with respondents at the end of the
formative stage of the experiment showed the
understanding of the respondents themselves in
the need to increase the dynamics of the
formation of management culture and the need to
introduce pedagogical conditions. They
emphasized that many pedagogical conditions
are already applied by them in professional
activities and emphasized the need for further
improvement of the formation of environmental
culture.
Respondents acquired knowledge about the
environmentalization of society, and the content
of their functions through the use of an
innovative material and technical base, with the
help of which, through independent educational
and research activities and cognitive activity, the
searching and creative abilities of future
ecologists are developed (35.7; 60.0; 41.1%).
In the experimental groups, an increase in the
level of formation of environmental culture with
the help of innovative technologies in education
was noted, which is a mandatory element of the
formation of environmental culture in the
preparation of specialists for professional
activity, the ability to recognize the style of the
manager's activity (67.9; 56.7; 55.4%), and
improving the level of proficiency in a
professionally oriented foreign language (46.4;
53.3; 41.1%).
To a greater extent than at the beginning of the
experiment, teachers are aware of the need for the
development of figurative thinking, which
ensures in the process of cognition the selection
of the reality of spatial relations and properties in
phenomena and objects, the creation of three-
dimensional images; application of quasi-
professional activity, implemented by modeling
future professional activity; implementation of
interactive forms of organization of training of
higher education applicants; introduction of
group work, research activities, work in pairs on
projects for the formation of environmental
culture of ecologists and for career and creative
growth (in experimental groups, the dynamics
was 14.3; 11.7; 12.5%.).
So, the results of the experimental study
confirmed the applicability, optimality, and
effectiveness of the proposed pedagogical
conditions for the formation of the environmental
culture of an ecologist in the process of
professional training.
Conclusions
In the context of environmental education, the
components that are important in the formation
of the environmental culture of ecologists are
singled out. The main functions required by
environmental education, which must be taken
into account when training specialists in
ecology, are named.
The content is considered and the essence of
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the environmental culture of students is shown.
Based on the analysis of the environmental
culture of the individual, its integrative
essence, the content of environmental
education, and the pedagogical conditions for
its successful implementation were
determined.
When determining the sample of subjects, the
general specificity of the subject of the study
was taken into account. The total volume of the
sample is 800 subjects, among whom are
environmental students. When forming the
sample, the criteria of meaningfulness,
representativeness, and equivalence were
taken into account. The sample was formed by
random selection using the technical procedure
for calculating the selection step.
The practical significance of the study was the
introduction of pedagogical conditions into the
educational process of educational institutions
(the development of the general culture of the
individual as a prerequisite for the formation
of the environmental culture of ecologists, the
purposeful design of an informational and
ecological educational environment, ensuring
the positive motivation of future ecologists for
the formation of ecological culture, fostering
the need for constant professional self-
improvement in future ecologists, the inclusion
of future ecologists in environmental
protection activities); updating the content of
the cycle of practical and professional training
disciplines. It is appropriate to use the research
materials in the field of project training of
future ecologists.
During the experiment, the target, substantive,
and procedural components of the ecological
culture of specialists were implemented, and
the effectiveness of the pedagogical conditions
for the formation of ecological culture
identified by us was verified.
For respondents of experimental groups, we
have developed scenarios of various
organizational forms of scientific and
methodical work using interactive methods of
implementing pedagogical conditions for the
formation of the environmental culture of
ecologists.
The results of the experimental study
confirmed the applicability, optimality, and
effectiveness of the proposed pedagogical
conditions for the formation of the
environmental culture of an ecologist in the
process of professional training.
Prospects for further research will be
consideration of the stages of quasi-
professional activity, which is implemented by
modeling the future professional activity of
specialists.
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