MORAL EDUCATION OF STUDENTS IN THE PROCESS OF TEACHING PHYSICS AND MATHEMATICS

Abstract

This article substantiates the educational potential of physics and mathematics in fostering moral qualities among higher education students, and examines the main forms and methods of moral education in the process of teaching these academic disciplines. By moral education, the author understands a purposeful activity aimed at forming and developing in students stable moral qualities, consciousness, needs, beliefs, values, and ideals, as well as corresponding models of behavior and professional activity, taking into account generally accepted moral and ethical norms. In moral education, the axiological approach is particularly relevant, as it presupposes the formation of a system of moral and ethical values in future specialists, serving as the foundation of their worldview and behavior. When implementing moral education, educators must consider the age-specific characteristics of youth, the specifics of the educational process in higher education institutions, and the potential opportunities of specific academic disciplines in this process. The study of physics and mathematics develops students’ analytical abilities and logical thinking, contributes to their aesthetic improvement, fosters a creative approach to solving professional problems, and provides a powerful basis for numerous other sciences and technologies. Moreover, the process of studying physics and mathematics can cultivate a range of moral and ethical qualities crucial for future professionals, including: honesty, integrity, academic and professional conscientiousness, objectivity and impartiality, responsibility, discipline, precision, accuracy, diligence, critical and self-critical thinking, independence of thought, perseverance, courage, curiosity, respect, goal-orientation, resilience, patience, self-organization, the pursuit of new knowledge and development of one’s own abilities, skills, and competencies, reflectiveness, social consciousness, and humaneness. Effective moral education of higher education students in the context of teaching physics and mathematics will be facilitated by the active use of historical facts from the lives and work of prominent scientists and inventors, pedagogical technologies (problem-based learning, case study method, project-based learning), as well as live communication, the personal example of the educator’s moral and ethical behavior, and extracurricular activities.