Ecological Competence as an Active Position of Personality

Background and aim of study:

Since, modern professional activities significantly change the natural environment, increase the possibility of local, regional and even global technogenic catastrophes, it is necessary to focus on the formation of environmental responsibility, competence and environmental activity skills in the development of specialists in the sphere of engineering. This presupposes not only the development of empirical skills but also the upbringing of spirituality, morality as well as high overall ecological culture. Much attention is focused on the formation of the realized active life position of the future specialist, who is not only responsible for the highly skilled performance of their official responsibilities, but also for the environmental preservation. The purpose of the article is to distinguish structural components of environmental competence for students of engineering profile.

Research methods:

The set of scientific research methods is used to achieve the goal and implement certain task. These presuppose theoretical methods of analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction, comparison, concretization, generalization of scientific sources from the investigated problem; empirical methods of observation, conversation, questionnaire, testing, study and generalization of best practices, expert assessment method, product analysis of the creative activity of students.

Results:

The structure of environmental competence includes basic competencies and covers a wide range of interrelated components, conditions, factors, ways of nature conservation, modern production requirements. It results in the formation of environmental competence of a student in the engineering sphere. Also, under such conditions students acquire environmental knowledge, abilities, skills, internal motivation for preserving the environment is formed, individual personality traits (beliefs, abilities, priorities) are developed, environmental activity experience is gained during the training and educational process. In this case, the society acts as the guide to the individual helping to achieve their own and public goals, determines the ways of their achievement and the subject of transformation. Due the means of environmental activities, the personal creative potential of the individual is realized and, as a result of education, competence is formed, which is an indicator of personality characteristic. Environmental competence includes basic, key competencies that are cross-cutting by their character, which include the skills of studying, social competence, cultural, health preserving, information and communication technology competence, civic, entrepreneurial competence. Formation of ecological competence in the course of professional training covers two components: individual and society. The individual is the subject of implementation of public requirements, which include environmental knowledge, abilities, skills that are subsequently combined with professional activities, and are nature protected. Individual properties of personality and self-work capability also influence the formation process of environmental competence. Selfactualization is characterized by a staged movement to the full disclosure of their own capabilities and abilities, which accompanies an individual throughout their life and has its own peculiarities at different stages of personal and professional formation. The second element of the structure in the environmental competence is society. Current problems of mutual relations between society and nature put forward urgent tasks, one of which is the upbringing of an individual able to coexist harmoniously with nature, rationally use and reproduce its wealth, and the personality capable of protecting nature. This requires reorientation of the educational process towards the ability to perform preemptive human preparation for transition to the sustainable development strategy.

Conclusion:

Summing up the above-stated definition of environmental competence, we have proposed our own vision of this concept. Under environmental competence of students of technological university, we understand the formed system of environmental knowledge, abilities, skills, permeated with the totality of value and motivational personality traits, which are transformed into a strong conviction of conservation and reproduction of environment by environmental means. Practical activity of nature conservation is the result of the formed ecological competence, when there is a shift from knowledge, skills and abilities to the environmental conservation. Formation of environmental competence is carried out through core competencies that include: ability to learn, social competence, cultural competence, healthpreserving competence, information and communication technology competence, civic and entrepreneurial competence

Keywords:

Copyright:

DOI and UDC:

DOI: 10.26697/ijes.2019.2.07; UDC: 378.147:502/504

Information about the authors:

Kliuchka Svitlana Ivanivna – Doctor of Philosophy in Pedagogy, Associate Professor, Associate Professor of the General Ecology, Pedagogy and Psychology Department, Cherkassy State Technological University, Cherkassy, Ukraine. Starovoytenko Natalia Vasilivna – Doctor of Philosophy in Pedagogy, Associate Professor, Associate Professor of the General Ecology, Pedagogy and Psychology Department, Cherkassy State Technological University, Cherkassy, Ukraine