The paper presents an analysis of scientific and theoretical approaches to the study of the problem of legal education of adolescents in public associations, which are covered in philosophical, legal, psychological, sociological, pedagogical literature. The essence and specifics of the process of legal education of adolescents in public associations are revealed. It is proved that the concept of «legal education of adolescents in public associations» should be understood as the result of the process of legal education (both targeted and natural), carried out through the influence of public associations in cooperation with government agencies and families. Adolescent legal education is the ability of an individual to acquire legal knowledge, increase motivation to serve society, recognize the rules of lawful conduct and be guided by them in relevant legal situations. The study argues that this ability has a moral and legal basis: the ideas of statehood, social cohesion and interaction with other representatives on the basis of recognition of human rights and freedoms in the spirit of international and national law.
The raised problem is actualized by the following contradictions:
- between the need to build civil society in Ukraine on a legal basis and insufficient study of opportunities and experience of legal education of the individual in public associations;
- between the practices of legal education of adolescents in public associations and the need to improve their effectiveness by developing organizational and pedagogical conditions that can be implemented in the work of such organizations;
- between the need of non-educational social communities to focus on the development of legal education of adolescents and the insufficient level of scientific and methodological support of the process of legal education in extracurricular environment;
- between the need to take into account the personal aspirations of adolescents to legal education on the basis of the values of justice, freedom, respect for man, responsibility and compliance with the coherence of their organizational and pedagogical conditions.
The scientific novelty and theoretical significance of scientific work are determined:
for the first time: the potential, opportunities and limits of public associations in the legal education of adolescents are comprehensively conceptualized; three organizational and pedagogical conditions of legal education of adolescents in public association are identified and substantiated (application of axiological ideas and concepts of philosophy of legal education, legal pedagogy in education of adolescents; organization of cognitive-communicative interaction and communication as a means of improving legal education of adolescents in public organizations; taking into account age characteristics, worldview and value changes of adolescents which «grow inwards» the legal culture of society);
clarified: theoretical position on the content and structure of legal education of adolescents in public associations;
identified: criteria, indicators and levels of legal education of adolescents in public associations;
taken into the scientific field: the fact of the presence of influential factors that determine the peculiarities of the organization of the process of legal education of adolescents in public associations;
got further development in: content, general and specific principles, forms and methods of legal education of adolescents in public associations.
The practical significance of the thesis in the possibility of creating a methodological base of educational projects based on theoretical principles for organizational and methodological support of the process of legal education of adolescents in out-of-school education, supplementing the concept of civic education and non-formal education. The thesis materials can be used for legal events, actions, classes with adolescents in various public associations, to assess the level of legal education of adolescents in these organizations, expanding workshops on legal pedagogy, as well as when teaching disciplines «Fundamentals of Legal Knowledge», «Jurisprudence» in higher education institutions. The developed methodology for evaluating legal education work with adolescents can be used by leaders of public associations to make decisions on improving this area of education. Materials and generalized results of the research will be useful for employees of out-of-school educational institutions for special courses and experimental programs, etc.
