The dissertation covers the issue of educating social maturity among students of agricultural colleges in after class activities.
A theoretical analysis of philosophical, sociological, psychological and pedagogical literature in the domain of this research enabled the author to clarify the definition of «social maturity». We define social maturity as a social trait of an individual which manifests as the definiteness of social goals, value attitude to social standards and to people; a quality mastery of a set of principal social roles, the manifestation of social traits, the ability to self-actualize in one’s career.
The upbringing of the social maturity of students in agrarian colleges is the result of a holistic educational impact aimed at increasing knowledge about society, through the emotional value approach to social norms, and other people are realized in real social behavior (observance of social norms by students, identification of independence, social responsibility, communicative tolerance, the ability for professional implementation of future specialists of the agro-industrial complex).
We figure out the peculiarities of the education of social maturity among students of agricultural colleges in after class activity. We refer the following factors to the first group such as the specifics of student cohort in educational establishments of agricultural focus (the prevailing amount of students from rural regions who plan to work in an agrarian sector of the economy); the sensitivity of early adolescence age related to the studied problem; the use of the potential of after class activity. The second group of factors which affect the process of educating social maturity of students of agricultural colleges refer to the social life of society, economic situation, public activity of student nearest environment, global changes in value foci, out-of-date methods of conducting after class activities; not taking into consideration the difference in age and personal peculiarities of students of the first and the final years; an excessive control of student actions; the absence of methodological support of the education of social maturity of students of agricultural colleges, the matter of form in academic process, mentor misuse of authoritarian methods of educating students.
We have found out the criteria and indicators of the level of social maturity of students of agricultural colleges. They are as follows: a cognitive one (the knowledge about the society; understanding the stem of social roles such as a citizen, a specialist, a family member; the knowledge about the manifestation of such social traits as individuality, social activeness, social responsibility, communicative tolerance); an affective and value one (value attitude to social standards; to other people; the motivation to express individuality, social activeness, social responsibility, communicative tolerance); a behavioral one following social rules; the manifestation of individuality, social activeness, communicative tolerance; the ability to find solutions in conflict situations); reflexive (the ability to self analyses; the ability to self realize in one’s career; the ability to analyses a social phenomenon from the point of view of a person’s acceptance and social significance).
Based on certain criteria and indicators, the levels (high, medium, low) of education of the social maturity of students in agrarian colleges are characterized.
The results of the preliminary stage of the research showed that a significant number of students of agrarian colleges (almost 40 %) found a low level of education in social maturity.
The experimentation confirmed that we have chosen the appropriate pedagogical conditions of education social maturity of students of agricultural colleges in after class activities. These are as follows: the content and methodical support of the process of educating social maturity of students of agricultural colleges in after class activities; the involvement of students of agricultural colleges in different kinds of socially significance activity which aims at the development of social experience; the enhancement of the readiness of a student group mentor to educate social maturity of students of agricultural colleges.
Substantial and methodical support of the process of bringing up the social maturity of students of agrarian colleges in extracurricular activities was carried out through the development and implementation of curator hours «Towards a social maturity», which was implemented through the use of various methods: clarification, story, conversation, conviction, example, public opinion, training, exercises, creating educational situations, business games, role-playing games, drama games.
The involvement of students of agrarian colleges in various types of socially significant activity aimed at formation of social experience was realized within the framework of student self-government with the use of a set of forms:
